10 Spider-Man Moments That Shocked The World

The web-slinger might be adored by fans, but he hasn't had the happiest existence ever...

Spider-Man Symbiote Black Costume
Marvel Comics

Spider-Man has been a staple of Marvel publishing since the character first debuted in Amazing Fantasy #15 back in 1962. Since that time, the Amazing Spider-Man comic has gone on to become one of Marvel's biggest sellers, and even more than that, one of the most identifiable comic book characters in the world.

Because of his popularity and longevity on the market, Peter Parker has appeared in a ton of stories. While most of the tales told about our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man are well-written and engrossing, some have been outright shocking with more than a few pushing some fans to cancel their subscriptions.

Whether you love him or hate him, it's hard to deny Spider-Man's place in pop culture, but given that there have been hundreds of artists and writers who have worked on his books over the years, it's not too surprising to learn that many of his stories have put a few people off comics for good.

While many of his arcs are memorable for genuinely great reasons, the following 10 are often considered to be the most shocking of all. That's not to say they aren't excellent stories told in an incredible book or anything, but these 10 Spider-Man moments were simply shocking in their brutality, cringiness, and sometimes because of the bold nature of their storytelling.

10. Spider-Man... Unmasked!

Spider-Man Symbiote Black Costume
Marvel Comics

If there's one thing everyone knows about Spider-Man, it's that he keeps his secret identity... well, secret. Very few people have known who he was over the years with many only revealing their knowledge of his true identity moments before they died.

While some of his enemies like Norman Osborn knew Peter Parker was his true nemesis and used that information to terrorize him, hardly anyone else knew. This kept Peter Parker somewhat separated from the people in his life, but it also kept them (mostly) safe from harm... despite all the shenanigans his Aunt May got into over the years.

Despite this, Peter Parker did something truly shocking in the pages of Civil War when he went in front of a bunch of cameras and revealed to the world that Spider-Man was, in fact, Peter Parker.

"My name is Peter Parker, and I've been Spider-Man since I was fifteen years old."

With those words, readers were completely shocked. This was a complete and total change for the character, which seemed like there would be no turning back from. There was a way back some issues later, but that's another story.

J. Jonah Jameson took the news particularly harshly and even tried to sue Parker for all the money he paid him over the years for taking shots of Spider-Man for the Daily Bugle. It was a major reveal and one of the most shocking moments in Spider-Man history.

Contributor
Contributor

Jonathan is a graphic artist, illustrator, writer, and game designer. Jonathan retired from the U.S. Army in 2017 and enjoys researching and writing about history, science, theology, and many other subjects. He writes for ScreenRant, CBR, NerdBastards, Listverse, Ranker, WhatCulture, and many other sites online. You can check out his latest on Twitter: @TalkingBull or on his blog: jonathanhkantor.com