Character history of Spiderman
Character history of Spiderman
Early life
Peter Benjamin Parker's parents Richard and Mary Parker, CIA and later S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, are killed on a mission. The infant Peter Parker is left in the care of his Uncle Ben and Aunt May Parker, who live in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens, New York. The aging couple love Peter, but he is unpopular among those his own age. Over time, he grows to be a lonely, timid teenager. The exceptionally bright Peter shows more interest in his studies, especially science, than in any kind of social life. He is often the target of jokes by more popular students like Flash Thompson, the high school's star athlete.
Origin
When Peter Parker is 15 years old, he attends a science exhibition where he is bitten by a radioactive spider. The spider's bite gives Peter an array of spider-like powers, including wall-crawling, superhuman strength and agility, and an extra-sensory "spider-sense".
Peter sets out to find fame and fortune at first, winning a match against professional wrestler Crusher Hogan. Quickly becoming a minor celebrity, Peter appears on a television special. However, afterward, he allows a thief to escape the TV station, and tells a security guard that it isn't his problem. He later regrets this decision when he finds out the same robber has killed his Uncle Ben. Realizing that he could have prevented his uncle's death, Peter devotes himself to fighting crime and saving lives, driven by his uncle's words, "with great power there must also come great responsibility." This phrase (usually in the modified form "with great power comes great responsibility") subsequently achieved widespread fame.
Problems as Spider-Man
Spider-Man tries to do the right thing, but the authorities and the public view him with suspicion. Thanks to a continuous smear campaign by J. Jonah Jameson, publisher of The Daily Bugle, many people consider Spider-Man a menace to society. Ironically, Peter spends much of his life working as a freelance photographer for Jameson, primarily selling photographs of himself as Spider-Man to be used in negative articles and editorials.
Spider-Man amasses many enemies, as any superhero does when fighting crime and villainy. Some targeted him as Peter Parker or attacked his loved ones: the Green Goblin killed Peter's girlfriend Gwen Stacy. The stresses of Peter's dual identity often led to tension between himself and his wife Mary Jane Watson, or his friends.
Major storylines
Starting out
In the earliest Spider-Man stories, Peter Parker attends Midtown High School. Due to the death of his uncle, he and his aunt are desperate for money, so he gets a job as a photographer at the Daily Bugle, selling photos to J. Jonah Jameson. Peter dates his co-worker Betty Brant and comes into conflict with his high school rival Flash Thompson. He encounters many of his most famous enemies for the first time.
College life
Peter graduates from high school and enrolls at Empire State University. There, he meets Harry Osborn and Gwen Stacy, who are friends with Flash Thompson. His aunt introduces him to Mary Jane Watson, whom he dates for a short time, but he soon falls in love with Gwen. Harry, meanwhile, becomes Peter's best friend and roommate, but starts using illegal drugs.
Harry's father, Norman Osborn, is revealed to be the Green Goblin, and discovers Spider-Man's secret identity. After Gwen's father is killed in a battle between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus, their relationship is put on hold when she travels to Europe. Shortly after she returns, Harry suffers a drug overdose.
The death of Gwen Stacy
While Harry is ill, the Green Goblin murders Gwen, and then dies in the ensuing battle with Spider-Man. In shock over her death, Peter withdraws from his friends, only to find support from Mary Jane, and they start dating. Harry discovers the truth about his father, and later becomes the second Green Goblin. Gwen's death has another unforeseen consequence: one of her professors, Miles Warren, clones Gwen and Peter. Both clones disappear, but Peter's clone returns years later as Ben Reilly. Mary Jane and Peter break up, as she is not ready for a committed relationship.
The alien costume and Venom
During the Secret Wars limited series, Spider-Man is taken to an alien planet and participates in a battle between Earth's greatest heroes and villains. During the war, Peter's blue-and-red costume is destroyed. Peter finds a machine on the strange planet that seems to fashion a new black costume to replace his tattered one. The costume responds to Peter's thoughts, maintains an unlimited supply of web-fluid, and can change appearance at will. However, when Peter returns to Earth he discovers that the costume is actually an alien symbiote bent on permanently bonding with its host. Peter eventually rejects and defeats the symbiote, but it merges with reporter Eddie Brock, becoming the villain known as Venom. Brock is imprisoned and removed from his symbiote, but then escapes the prison when the symbiote returns. His cellmate, Cletus Kasady (a serial killer) merges with an infant symbiote that Venom left behind, thus becoming yet another villain, Carnage.
One of the most controversial storylines of the 1990s involves the Scarlet Spider, a clone of Spider-Man going by the name Ben Reilly; however, tests indicate that Reilly is the original, and Peter the clone. Mary Jane becomes pregnant and Peter retires, and gives the Spider-Man identity to Reilly. Reilly remains Spider-Man for several months, until a resurrected Norman Osborn reveals that he had manipulated the tests. After Reilly is impaled on the Goblin's Glider while saving Peter, his body crumbles into dust, proving definitively that he was the clone.
While Peter battles Osborn, Mary Jane is poisoned by one of his agents, and their baby seems to be stillborn; however, the agent then takes the baby away. Baby May has not been seen since.
Reinvented and relaunched
In 1999, after a decline in sales that began with the clone storyline, John Byrne revised the origin of Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Chapter One, just as he earlier had reinvented the origin of Superman in The Man of Steel. The changes were referenced in the contemporary comics (which Byrne co-wrote with Howard Mackie), but the attempt was not popular, and Marvel writers returned to the original Lee/Ditko origin.
Later in the Byrne/Mackie run,[issue # needed] Peter learns that Aunt May had been kidnapped by Osborn, and her death was a hoax. Peter rescues May, then temporarily retires as Spider-Man. The publisher relaunched The Amazing Spider-Man and Peter Parker: Spider-Man with new #1 issues and canceled The Sensational Spider-Man vol. 1 and The Spectacular Spider-Man vol. 1. Peter eventually becomes Spider-Man again while keeping it secret from Mary Jane. Shortly afterward, she is apparently murdered by a stalker.
21st-century Spider-Man
Marvel hired Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski to write The Amazing Spider-Man, which was illustrated by John Romita, Jr. Straczynski and writer Paul Jenkins reunited Peter and Mary Jane, but they temporarily separate. Peter becomes a teacher at his old high school.
The enigmatic, wealthy CEO Ezekiel, suggests that the accident that gave Peter his abilities might not have been a fluke, and that Peter might have a connection to a totemic spider spirit. The vampire-like Morlun, who feeds on the powers possessed by those connected to animal totems, comes to New York and severely beats Spider-Man. However, Peter defeats Morlun by injecting himself with a radioactive material, making himself "impure" and weakening the villain. Peter defeats the villain, and Morlun's lackey kills his master. Spider-Man later battles Shathra, a mystical spider wasp being, and uses the power of the spider totem to defeat her. This battle prompts the end of Peter and Mary Jane's separation.
The companion series Peter Parker: Spider-Man (illustrated by Mark Buckingham) was relaunched as The Spectacular Spider-Man Volume 2, written by Paul Jenkins and illustrated by Humberto Ramos. Here Spider-Man battles Venom (Eddie Brock), who is revealed to be dying of cancer. An encounter with the Green Goblin leaves Peter's friend Flash Thompson in a coma with severe brain damage. After a lengthy battle, the Green Goblin and Spider-Man come to a truce, which ends when Osborn resumes killing in the series The Pulse and Marvel Knights Spider-Man.
After The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2 #58, the series returns to its original numbering at #500. Peter works as a science teacher at Midtown High School until 2004, when Charlie Weiderman destroys both Peter's apartment and Aunt May's house. Because of Spider-Man's membership in the Avengers, Peter, Mary Jane, and Aunt May move into Tony Stark's Stark Tower. Peter works as Stark's assistant while again freelancing for The Daily Bugle.
Early life
Peter Benjamin Parker's parents Richard and Mary Parker, CIA and later S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, are killed on a mission. The infant Peter Parker is left in the care of his Uncle Ben and Aunt May Parker, who live in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens, New York. The aging couple love Peter, but he is unpopular among those his own age. Over time, he grows to be a lonely, timid teenager. The exceptionally bright Peter shows more interest in his studies, especially science, than in any kind of social life. He is often the target of jokes by more popular students like Flash Thompson, the high school's star athlete.
Origin
When Peter Parker is 15 years old, he attends a science exhibition where he is bitten by a radioactive spider. The spider's bite gives Peter an array of spider-like powers, including wall-crawling, superhuman strength and agility, and an extra-sensory "spider-sense".
Peter sets out to find fame and fortune at first, winning a match against professional wrestler Crusher Hogan. Quickly becoming a minor celebrity, Peter appears on a television special. However, afterward, he allows a thief to escape the TV station, and tells a security guard that it isn't his problem. He later regrets this decision when he finds out the same robber has killed his Uncle Ben. Realizing that he could have prevented his uncle's death, Peter devotes himself to fighting crime and saving lives, driven by his uncle's words, "with great power there must also come great responsibility." This phrase (usually in the modified form "with great power comes great responsibility") subsequently achieved widespread fame.
Problems as Spider-Man
Spider-Man tries to do the right thing, but the authorities and the public view him with suspicion. Thanks to a continuous smear campaign by J. Jonah Jameson, publisher of The Daily Bugle, many people consider Spider-Man a menace to society. Ironically, Peter spends much of his life working as a freelance photographer for Jameson, primarily selling photographs of himself as Spider-Man to be used in negative articles and editorials.
Spider-Man amasses many enemies, as any superhero does when fighting crime and villainy. Some targeted him as Peter Parker or attacked his loved ones: the Green Goblin killed Peter's girlfriend Gwen Stacy. The stresses of Peter's dual identity often led to tension between himself and his wife Mary Jane Watson, or his friends.
Major storylines
Starting out
In the earliest Spider-Man stories, Peter Parker attends Midtown High School. Due to the death of his uncle, he and his aunt are desperate for money, so he gets a job as a photographer at the Daily Bugle, selling photos to J. Jonah Jameson. Peter dates his co-worker Betty Brant and comes into conflict with his high school rival Flash Thompson. He encounters many of his most famous enemies for the first time.
College life
Peter graduates from high school and enrolls at Empire State University. There, he meets Harry Osborn and Gwen Stacy, who are friends with Flash Thompson. His aunt introduces him to Mary Jane Watson, whom he dates for a short time, but he soon falls in love with Gwen. Harry, meanwhile, becomes Peter's best friend and roommate, but starts using illegal drugs.
Harry's father, Norman Osborn, is revealed to be the Green Goblin, and discovers Spider-Man's secret identity. After Gwen's father is killed in a battle between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus, their relationship is put on hold when she travels to Europe. Shortly after she returns, Harry suffers a drug overdose.
The death of Gwen Stacy
While Harry is ill, the Green Goblin murders Gwen, and then dies in the ensuing battle with Spider-Man. In shock over her death, Peter withdraws from his friends, only to find support from Mary Jane, and they start dating. Harry discovers the truth about his father, and later becomes the second Green Goblin. Gwen's death has another unforeseen consequence: one of her professors, Miles Warren, clones Gwen and Peter. Both clones disappear, but Peter's clone returns years later as Ben Reilly. Mary Jane and Peter break up, as she is not ready for a committed relationship.
The alien costume and Venom
During the Secret Wars limited series, Spider-Man is taken to an alien planet and participates in a battle between Earth's greatest heroes and villains. During the war, Peter's blue-and-red costume is destroyed. Peter finds a machine on the strange planet that seems to fashion a new black costume to replace his tattered one. The costume responds to Peter's thoughts, maintains an unlimited supply of web-fluid, and can change appearance at will. However, when Peter returns to Earth he discovers that the costume is actually an alien symbiote bent on permanently bonding with its host. Peter eventually rejects and defeats the symbiote, but it merges with reporter Eddie Brock, becoming the villain known as Venom. Brock is imprisoned and removed from his symbiote, but then escapes the prison when the symbiote returns. His cellmate, Cletus Kasady (a serial killer) merges with an infant symbiote that Venom left behind, thus becoming yet another villain, Carnage.
One of the most controversial storylines of the 1990s involves the Scarlet Spider, a clone of Spider-Man going by the name Ben Reilly; however, tests indicate that Reilly is the original, and Peter the clone. Mary Jane becomes pregnant and Peter retires, and gives the Spider-Man identity to Reilly. Reilly remains Spider-Man for several months, until a resurrected Norman Osborn reveals that he had manipulated the tests. After Reilly is impaled on the Goblin's Glider while saving Peter, his body crumbles into dust, proving definitively that he was the clone.
While Peter battles Osborn, Mary Jane is poisoned by one of his agents, and their baby seems to be stillborn; however, the agent then takes the baby away. Baby May has not been seen since.
Reinvented and relaunched
In 1999, after a decline in sales that began with the clone storyline, John Byrne revised the origin of Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Chapter One, just as he earlier had reinvented the origin of Superman in The Man of Steel. The changes were referenced in the contemporary comics (which Byrne co-wrote with Howard Mackie), but the attempt was not popular, and Marvel writers returned to the original Lee/Ditko origin.
Later in the Byrne/Mackie run,[issue # needed] Peter learns that Aunt May had been kidnapped by Osborn, and her death was a hoax. Peter rescues May, then temporarily retires as Spider-Man. The publisher relaunched The Amazing Spider-Man and Peter Parker: Spider-Man with new #1 issues and canceled The Sensational Spider-Man vol. 1 and The Spectacular Spider-Man vol. 1. Peter eventually becomes Spider-Man again while keeping it secret from Mary Jane. Shortly afterward, she is apparently murdered by a stalker.
21st-century Spider-Man
Marvel hired Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski to write The Amazing Spider-Man, which was illustrated by John Romita, Jr. Straczynski and writer Paul Jenkins reunited Peter and Mary Jane, but they temporarily separate. Peter becomes a teacher at his old high school.
The enigmatic, wealthy CEO Ezekiel, suggests that the accident that gave Peter his abilities might not have been a fluke, and that Peter might have a connection to a totemic spider spirit. The vampire-like Morlun, who feeds on the powers possessed by those connected to animal totems, comes to New York and severely beats Spider-Man. However, Peter defeats Morlun by injecting himself with a radioactive material, making himself "impure" and weakening the villain. Peter defeats the villain, and Morlun's lackey kills his master. Spider-Man later battles Shathra, a mystical spider wasp being, and uses the power of the spider totem to defeat her. This battle prompts the end of Peter and Mary Jane's separation.
The companion series Peter Parker: Spider-Man (illustrated by Mark Buckingham) was relaunched as The Spectacular Spider-Man Volume 2, written by Paul Jenkins and illustrated by Humberto Ramos. Here Spider-Man battles Venom (Eddie Brock), who is revealed to be dying of cancer. An encounter with the Green Goblin leaves Peter's friend Flash Thompson in a coma with severe brain damage. After a lengthy battle, the Green Goblin and Spider-Man come to a truce, which ends when Osborn resumes killing in the series The Pulse and Marvel Knights Spider-Man.
After The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2 #58, the series returns to its original numbering at #500. Peter works as a science teacher at Midtown High School until 2004, when Charlie Weiderman destroys both Peter's apartment and Aunt May's house. Because of Spider-Man's membership in the Avengers, Peter, Mary Jane, and Aunt May move into Tony Stark's Stark Tower. Peter works as Stark's assistant while again freelancing for The Daily Bugle.
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