Spider-Man

Spider-Man, born Peter Parker, is a teenage American superhero living in New York City. A bright and promising science student, Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider and gained several powers akin to a spider: superhuman strength, agility and reflexes; the ability to scale walls with his bare hands; and a "spider sense" that alerts him to pending danger. He also developed a pair of devices attached to his wrists that allow him to fire webbing at his enemies, swing across the city, and create crude objects out of web.

As a young superhero without any support from team members (like his rival Human Torch), Peter Parker often has trouble balancing his crimefighting with his school, home, and social lives. He lives with his widowed aunt, May Parker. He's considered a nerd and a wallflower at Midtown High School, which he largely embraces as a means of concealing his secret identity. He also works part-time as a freelance photographer, selling his pictures to Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson. This working relationship is often complicated, given that Jameson has a much-publicized grudge against Spider-Man. Peter is rivals with the popular student Flash Thompson, who is ironically the biggest Spider-Man fan in town, and until recently was dating Jameson's young secretary Betty Brant.

Biography

Origin

At a school exhibit on radioactivity, Peter Parker was bitten by a spider who found itself in the middle of the display, absorbing the radioactive rays. The spider died in the process. Parker soon found himself with unusual powers, including the ability to effortlessly climb sheer walls, extreme power, and superhuman agility. Developing a masked costume and a pair of web-shooters, Peter Parker created the Spider-Man persona, using it to make money in wrestling matches and various publicity appearances. Spider-Man, in full costume, was soon witness to a police officer chasing a criminal, and did nothing to stop him, believing that it wasn't his problem. Days later, Peter learned that his uncle Ben Parker had been shot by the very criminal he neglected to apprehend. Spider-Man tracked down and brought the criminal to justice, beginning his life of fighting crime as a means of repaying his fatal negligence and avenging Uncle Ben.

1963

Full article: Biography of Spider-Man, 1963

In 1963, Parker began to live up to his expectations for himself, defending the city from enemies like the Chameleon, Vulture, Doctor Octopus, Tinkerer, Lizard, Sandman, Fox, and Doctor Doom. He lived at home with his aunt May, and the two relied on leftover savings from Ben and whatever income Peter could manage to get by—a frequent source of angst for Peter in particular. He began working for the Daily Bugle newspaper, whose editor J. Jonah Jameson ironically saw Spider-Man as a public menace. Parker was able to make a passable income by taking advantage of his intersection of identities to take perfect photos of Spider-Man and his foes. In a similarly ironic relationship, Parker was repeatedly bullied by schoolmate Flash Thompson, who was the school's biggest fan of Spider-Man. Peter tried to go out with Liz Allan, but his crimefighting got in the way, and she began dating Flash instead. He started to bond with Jameson's secretary Betty Brant, who had dropped out of high school for the job, and who supported him in the occasional row with Jameson. Peter began looking up to the Human Torch of the Fantastic Four as a role model, though Torch and Spider-Man would soon develop a good-natured but competitive rivalry.

1964

Full article: Biography of Spider-Man, 1964

In 1964, Parker truly began to realize how difficult balancing his everyday life with crimefighting would be. May's health proved a frequent sticking point, as she suffered multiple heart attacks throughout the year. Peter began dating Betty properly, to the point that he even considered revealing his identity to her. His identity in fact was technically revealed to all when he attempted to fight Doctor Octopus while sick with a debilitating virus, trying to defend Betty. Doc Ock easily trounced him and removed his mask, causing those present to assume that Peter had simply disguised as Spider-Man in an act of brazen courage. Liz Allan suddenly became interested in Peter, but he blew her off—Flash was repeatedly upset at Liz's pursuit of Peter. Nonetheless, Liz's new and repeated interest in Peter proved a major obstacle in his relationship with Betty, as he repeatedly found himself in compromising situations with Liz. By the end of the year, Betty had left him for reporter Ned Leeds, and Peter was genuinely happy for them. Meanwhile, oblivious to these struggles, May tried in vain to set Peter up on a date with a neighbor girl named Mary Jane Watson.

Near the end of the year, Peter nearly quit being Spider-Man after realizing what a toll it was taking on the rest of his life. He fled from a couple of encounters, not wanting to endanger himself and risk May's livelihood. He was perceived as a coward, and for a brief time crime in the area began to rise. But May's health soon improved, and she told him that the Parker family wasn't one to quit in the face of adversity. Newly motivated, Spider-Man returned to the streets and began fighting evildoers better than ever. Through all of this, Flash Thompson remained the only student in school steadfastly devoted to Spider-Man, and this made Peter see him in a new light. Nonetheless, Flash hostilely rejected any attempt by Peter to smooth things over between them. Throughout the year, Spider-Man faced new foes such as Electro, the Enforcers, Mysterio, the Green Goblin, and Kraven the Hunter, and teamed up with Daredevil to take down the Ringmaster. Doctor Octopus also formed an alliance called the Sinister Six, who proved a daunting trial for Spider-Man to defeat.

See also

• Peter Parker (Earth-1610)