10 Incredible Comic Book Panels That Changed Everything

7. Spidey Overcomes The Odds

Spider Man Homecoming Lift
Marvel Comics

We actually got to see the MCU pay homage to this classic Ditko panel in Spider-Man: Homecoming, so that should go some way in conveying the significance of this moment.

Anywho, in The Amazing Spider-Man #33 - written by Stan Lee and with Steve Ditko on art duties - Aunt May is close to meeting death's door, and the only thing that can save her is a serum lying just out of Spidey's reach. With the wall-crawler having been trapped by literally tonnes of steel, Pete resigns himself to failure, as no matter how hard he tries, he can't lift any of the debris on his back.

It stands up as a tense scene even to this day, and the moment that Spidey finally breaks free genuinely makes for one of the finest comic book moments of all time. Ditko's influence in crafting that tension, however, should not go overlooked.

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Content Producer/Presenter
Content Producer/Presenter

Resident movie guy at WhatCulture who used to be Comics Editor. Thinks John Carpenter is the best. Likes Hellboy a lot. Can usually be found talking about Dad Movies on his Twitter at @EwanRuinsThings.