7 Shades Of Alter-Ego: From Walter White To Bruce Wayne

2. Peter Parker It's just your friendly neighbourhood anthro-arachnoid mutation. It's Peter Parker a.k.a. Spider-Man. Now, here is a character in a sticky situation. Parker is also an orphan so comparisons here to Superman are quite strong despite him being a product of the 1960s like Hulk. He is adopted by Aunt May and Uncle Ben in a darkly Gotham-like New York City. Again, radiation poisoning is the cause of his superpowers in a similar way to The Hulk, it was an accident. Later, Uncle Ben is killed in a mugging-gone-wrong and Peter blames himself because the villain was a one that he had neglected to hunt down on a previous occasion. The maxim "with great power comes great responsibility" comes back to haunt him. Thus, he uses his scientific knowledge to create gadgets that enhance his wall-crawling ability and super-strength in order to fight crime whilst trying to balance the usual anxieties of any normal teenager. The 'protect the girlfriend dynamic' established in Superman continues with Peter, to the extent he feels he must give her up to protect her from his enemies. Parker is bullied by classmates, a fact he must ignore since he could kill them if he really wanted. His vigilantism is similar to Superman's. The police will find criminals strung up with webbing to be dealt with according to the justice system. It could easily have gone the other way as he sought revenge for the death of Uncle Ben by Dextering them. A teenage superhero captured fans in a whole new way. As Smallville attempted to anticipate the problems for a maturing Superman, Peter Parker who was devised as a teen, had to deal with the thrills and spills of just wanting to be normal. Another relatively 'clean' hero, Spiderman is a clearly defined alter-ego for Parker. The division is drawn by wearing the costume. However, unlike Superman he lives in a darker world and has to deal with a much more turbulent personal life and although he enjoys wavering fame, does not have the universal admiration of the symbolic Superman.