10 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Spider-Man
Even a friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man might have some secrets after all these years of stardom.
When Stan Lee and Steve Ditko created Spider-Man in 1962, they made something unique to comics of the time: a superhero with everyday problems. In Stan’s mind, a hero that had to worry about money, keeping dinner plans with his girlfriend, and keeping up with his classwork would endear the character to readers. Lee also didn’t want his new arachnid hero to be the typical buff, muscular type. And he thought right.
Spider-Man was Peter Parker, a scrawny, bespectacled but brilliant high schooler. Pete was studious, loved math, science, and reading, and was the favorite of all his teachers, which made him the natural target for bullies, especially football star Flash Thompson. Parker’s studious and quiet nature also made him absolutely hopeless with girls.
At a science exhibit, Peter was bitten by a radioactive spider that caused a body-wide mutation, providing him with a host of superhuman powers, a physically impressive physique, and the acrobatic prowess of an Olympic gymnast. Creating a costume and a set of web-shooters to swing from buildings, Spider-Man initially decided to become an entertainer until a personal tragedy taught him that with great power must also come great responsibility.
10. Hard Luck Hero
With few exceptions, Spider-Man has the worst luck of any hero in the Marvel Universe. He often finds himself a paycheck away from homelessness, his relationships of every kind are a mess, and any kind of professional life outside of the costume is almost non-existent. In fact, when something went wrong, Peter would chalk it up to “Typical Parker Luck.”
The primary problem was between having a life as Peter Parker, his responsibilities as Spider-Man, and keeping that identity a secret. This meant he frequently had to lie to people he loved, especially his beloved Aunt May. Fighting villains interfered with attending college classes on time or holding down any job other than as a freelance photographer for the Daily Bugle.
The number of women in Peter’s life may give the idea that he was some kind of ladies' man. The fact is that Spider-Man got in the way of Pete keeping a date more often than not, and before long, the women leave him. Only those few who knew his secret identity would understand and stick around for any period of time.