Spider-Man

For other uses, see Spider-Man (disambiguation).

Spider-Man
Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man at San Diego Comic-Con in 2014
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962)
Created by	Stan Lee Steve Ditko
In-story information
Alter ego	Peter Benjamin Parker
Species	Human mutate
Place of origin	Queens, New York City
Team affiliations	Avengers Fantastic Four Secret Defenders Future Foundation Daily Bugle Heroes for Hire X-Men League of Realms Mighty Avengers New Avengers S.H.I.E.L.D. Spider-Army / Web-Warriors
Partnerships	Black Cat Silk Spider-Man (Miles Morales) Spider-Woman (Gwen Stacy) Iron Man Daredevil Hulk Human Torch Wolverine Deadpool Captain America Doctor Strange
Notable aliases	Spidey, Ricochet, Dusk, Prodigy, Hornet, Ben Reilly, Scarlet Spider, and Captain Universe
Abilities	Superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, agility, coordination, and balance Ability to cling to solid surfaces Accelerated healing Genius level intellect Proficient scientist and engineer Precognitive spider-sense ability Wrist-mounted web-shooters(or organic webs in some stories) Master martial artist and hand-to-hand combatant

Spider-Man is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by the writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 in August 1962. He was an orphan raised by his Aunt May and Uncle Ben as an ordinary teenager. At a science fair, he was bitten by a radioactive spider and went on to become Spider-Man, while dealing with the normal struggles of being young as well as the struggles of being a costumed crime fighter.

Spider-Man first appeared in the early 1960s, when teenagers in superhero comic books were usually only sidekicks to the protagonist. The series featured Peter Benjamin Parker, a high school student who frequently suffered rejection, inadequacy, and loneliness. Most young readers could easily relate to this. Unlike some teen heroes, such as Bucky and Robin, Spider-Man never had any adult mentors like Captain America and Iron Manto teach him how to be a superhero. He had to learn for himself that "with great power, there must also come great responsibility" (In later comics, it was changed so that the quote came from his late Uncle Ben.)

Over the years, Marvel has used Spider-Man in a lot of different comic books. In some of them Peter Parker is a nerdy high school student. In others he’s a college student or high school teacher. He’s also been a photographer.

Spider-Man also has one of the most notable rogues galleries in comics. His most notable include the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Sandman, Venom, Electro, Lizard, Vulture, Kraven the Hunter, Chameleon, Mysterio, Carnage, Shocker, Scorpion, Rhino, Hobgoblin, Hydro-Man, Black Cat, Punisher, Morbius, Molten-Man and Mister Negative.

Spider-Man is a very popular superhero. He has appeared in cartoons and movies. He has been played by actors Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Tom Holland, among others. Live-action movies include Spider-Man (2002), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man 3 (2007), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), and Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026).

Outfit

Spider-Man wears a red and blue costume, which is divided into the mask, shirt, gloves, pants, and boots. A web pattern covers the suit's red parts. Spider-Man sometimes uses other costumes, like the alien Symbiote suit, or the Iron Spider, a special suit of armor made for him by Iron Man.

Fictional character biography

In Peter Parker's first appearance, he is introduced as an orphaned teenager who loves science and lives with his aunt and uncle in New York City. He is constantly bullied by Eugene "Flash" Thompson, who calls him "Puny Parker" and humiliates him daily.

One day, while attending a science fair, he is bitten by a radioactive spider. On the way home, he discovers he can jump great heights, and is hyper-aware of his surroundings. He later designs a pair of web-shooters and a costume, naming himself Spider-Man.

As Spider-Man, he becomes a famous wrestling star on TV. One day at a studio, he refuses to stop a thief, believing that wasn't his responsibility. After returning home, Peter learns that his Uncle Ben has been murdered by a burglar. As Spider-Man, he sets out to find the killer. When he does, he finds out that the killer is the thief that he didn’t stop at the studio. Learning that with great power there must also come great responsibility, Spider-Man becomes a superhero.

Without Uncle Ben, Peter and his aunt don't have any way to make money, so Peter does freelance work at the Daily Bugle selling photos to J. Jonah Jameson, who hates Spider-Man. Peter takes photos of himself as Spider-Man and sells them to Jameson, who believes Peter is just a talented photographer.

Peter graduates from high school and goes to college where he meets Harry Osborn and Gwen Stacy. Later, Peter also finds out that Harry has a drug problem, and that Harry's father is a supervillain, The Green Goblin.

Powers, Abilities and Equipment

Spider-Man has a long list of powers. He has superhuman strength, being able to lift extraordinary amounts of weight with ease. He is also extremely fast, being able to dodge automatic gunfire. As such, he also has superhuman agility, able to dodge obstacles of any kind. Fast healing is another one of his powers, letting him be able to recover from wounds that would kill any regular person.

Spider-Man's more unique powers include wall-crawling, which allow him to climb any surface, without needing to grip onto a ledge. His most special power is the Spider-Sense, a feeling in Spider-Man's head that warns him of any danger.

While not a power, Spider-Man uses mechanical bracelets called web-shooters to spin his webs. They do not need to be charged, because they use compressed air and specialised mechanics. The webbing itself is stored in cartridges, which Spider-Man keeps spares for in his utility belt beneath his shirt. His belt also houses the spider-signal, a bright torch that shines Spider-Man's face onto a flat surface for dramatic effect.

In some stories, Spider-Man can spin webs from his wrists without needing his mechanical web-shooters. In "The Other" storyline, Spider-Man almost dies and undergoes a "rebirth", from which he emerges with new powers, such as organic webbing, and hidden stingers in his wrists.

Peter Parker is a genius, being considered one of the smartest people in the Marvel Universe. While not as intelligent as Hank Pym, Reed Richards, or Tony Stark, Spider-Man's clever ways in crime-fighting are recognised by the superhero community, despite his funny attitude.

Spider-Man in pop culture

Spider-Man is one of the most well-known superheroes ever created. With great power, there must also come great responsibility is one of the most influential quotes in fiction. He is the star of many television shows and video games.

In 2002, his first movie, Spider-Man was released, starring Tobey Maguire. In it, Peter Parker is bitten by a genetically-altered spider and discovers he has gained its powers. After becoming Spider-Man, he attracts the attention of Norman Osborn, who is secretly the Green Goblin. Osborn seeks to turn Spider-Man to his side, but he is refused. Enraged, the Green Goblin attacks Aunt May's home and kidnaps Mary Jane, but Spider-Man rescues her. Osborn attempts to kill Peter but instead is impaled by his own glider, and dies. His son, Harry, swears revenge upon Spider-Man, and Peter refuses a confession of love from Mary Jane, knowing that she cannot be safe at Spider-Man's side.

In 2004, Spider-Man 2 was released. In it, Peter meets the scientist Otto Octavius and his plans for a limitless source of power from a mini sun, but it goes terribly wrong, and Otto becomes Doctor Octopus. Peter discovers that Mary Jane is getting married, and is heartbroken. After hus powers begin to fail, he quits being Spider-Man to live a normal life. However, when Doctor Octopus is hired by Harry to capture Spider-Man, Peter's powers return after resolving his feelings. Harry discovers that Peter is Spider-Man, and Doctor Octopus sacrifices himself to stop his mini sun from destroying the city. Mary Jane leaves her fiancé at the altar and once again confesses her love to Peter.

In 2007, Spider-Man 3 was released. In it, New York has come to love Spider-Man, and throws a parade in his honor. Peter begins to let the power go to his head, and kisses Gwen Stacy on the stage, much to Mary Jane's shock. During a fight with Peter, Harry gets a head injury and forgets that Peter is Spider-Man. Meanwhile, a criminal named Flint Marko escapes prison, but accidentally falls into a large machine that turns his entire body into sand. Peter discovers that the man he confronted in the first movie was not Uncle Ben's killer, and that it was actually Flint Marko. He later discovers he has bonded with an alien symbiote, making him stronger, but also worsening his temper. Harry gets his memory back, and works to break Peter's heart by forcing Mary Jane to break up with him. Peter later removes the alien suit after lashing out at his close ones, and it bonds with Eddie Brock, turning him into Venom. Eddie teams up with Flint to kidnap Mary Jane, and Peter dons his old costume one more time to rescue her. After almost being killed, he's rescued by a reformed Harry. He's fatally wounded, and Eddie is killed by an explosion. Flint apologises for murdering Uncle Ben, and Peter forgives him. After Harry dies, Peter makes amends with Mary Jane.

A fourth Spider-Man movie was planned to release in 2011. However, it was cancelled after the director, Sam Raimi, quit the job due to the studio constantly changing the script.

The Amazing Spider-Man was released in 2012, focusing on a new version of the character, portrayed by Andrew Garfield. He was intended to be a lot more realistic, and his new costume was designed with the budget of a teenager in mind. In this film, Peter Parker is bitten by a genetically-altered spider, and after a fight on the way home, discovers he's gained strange powers. After storming out of the house following a fight with Uncle Ben, he lets a store thief escape, as the store owner insulted him. The thief later shoots and kills Uncle Ben, leaving Peter wanting revenge. He hunts down criminals matching the thief's description, and eventually creates his own costume. After fighting the Lizard, Peter reveals his identity to his crush Gwen Stacy. Hunted by the police, Peter is unmasked by Captain Stacy, Gwen's father, and pleads with him to help stop the Lizard. Despite being shot in the leg, Peter makes it to Oscorp in time, before the Lizard can unleash a deadly lizard virus upon the city. After being fatally wounded, Captain Stacy makes Peter promise to break up with Gwen to keep her safe.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 released in 2014. In it, Spider-Man has become an intense topic of debate amongst the city, with most people coming to accept him as their protector. An Oscorp engineer named Max Dillon fantasises about being Spider-Man's best friend, but falls into a vat of electric eels at Oscorp, giving him with their powers. Meanwhile, Peter is haunted by visions of the deceased Captain Stacy, and forces himself to break up with Gwen. Peter later goes to meet with his childhood best friend Harry Osborn. A confused Max finds himself in Times Square, and begins absorbing all of its electrical energy. Spider-Man confronts him, and despite talking him down, a stray sniper bullet causes Max to retaliate in anger, and he is arrested. Harry reveals to Peter that he is dying, and asks that he request Spider-Man to visit him in order to have some of his blood, which he believes will heal him. Spider-Man confronts Harry, and refuses to give him his blood, saying it's too dangerous. Harry is torn apart with anger, and is expelled from Oscorp by the board of directors. He breaks Max Dillon from prison to get revenge on Spider-Man. Max, now Electro, faces off against Spider-Man but is defeated, as is Harry. However, after Spider-Man attempts to save Gwen from a fall, she dies after he reaches her too late, and is heartbroken. He quits being Spider-Man, until Aleksei, now the Rhino, rampages through the streets. Returning to his role as New York's protector, Peter battles the Rhino as Spider-Man once more.

A third Amazing Spider-Man film was planned to feature the Sinister Six, but it was scrapped after Sony and Disney made a deal to introduce Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The second trailer for Captain America: Civil War ended with a surprise reveal of Spider-Man, portrayed by Tom Holland. In the movie, Peter Parker has been Spider-Man for six months, and is recruited by Tony Stark to help arrest Captain America.

In 2017, Spider-Man: Homecoming was released, starring Tom Holland. The movie was different from previous ones as Spider-Man learned to focus on helping ordinary folk rather than fighting city-threatening supervillains. In it, Peter tries to prove himself to Tony Stark, wanting to help with more serious threats, leading to he and his best friend Ned tampering with his new suit to unlock hidden functions. After losing the suit due to his recklessness, Peter learns the importance of his duties and turns down an invitation to the Avengers, wishing to remain a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

Spider-Man later appeared in Avengers: Infinity War, and is made an Avenger by Iron Man. They, alongside Doctor Strange and the Guardians of the Galaxy, fight Thanos in order to prevent him from getting all six Infinity Stones. They fail, and Peter dies after Thanos snaps his fingers and erases half of all life in the universe.

He is brought back to life when in Avengers: Endgame, the Avengers use the Infinity Stones to bring everyone back to life, and he helps them fight Thanos and his alien army. Tony Stark uses the Infinity Stones to defeat them, and in his wake, names Peter as his successor.

Spider-Man: Far From Home released in 2019, and focused on Peter's struggle to live up to everyone's expectations of him as Iron Man's successor. After travelling to Europe for a trip, he's approached by Nick Fury to help defeat a recurring threat of monsters, with the aid of Mysterio. However, Mysterio later tricks Peter into handing over a pair of advanced glasses left behind by Tony Stark, which has total control over Stark Tech. His crush MJ reveals that she knows Peter is Spider-Man, and he later defeats Mysterio, who then dies to a bullet wound from his own drones. However, Mysterio's friends leak a faked video of Spider-Man killing him, and expose his identity as Peter Parker.

In 2021, Spider-Man: No Way Home released, taking place in the aftermath of Spider-Man's identity being revealed. After a failed magic spell by Doctor Strange to make everyone forget Peter's identity, Spider-Man captures and seeks to cure villains from other universes, with help of Ned and MJ. When the Green Goblin from the Spider-Man trilogy kills Aunt May, Spider-Man is helped by the Spider-Men from the first two movie series(Tobey Maguire & Andrew Garfield) to cure the villains and send them back to their home dimensions. Doctor Strange casts a new spell that makes the world forget about Peter Parker, including Ned and MJ.

A new Spider-Man movie named Spider-Man: Brand New Day is set to release on 31 July 2026. It focuses on a back-to-basics Peter who has now fully embraced his life as Spider-Man, following the spell that made the world forget about Peter Parker.

Television

In animation, Spider-Man appeared in a 1967 television series named after him. In it, he fought classic supervillains and an impostor of himself.

Spider-Man later appeared in "Spidey Super Stories" on The Electric Company in 1974. In this, Spider-Man teaches important lessons to children, and eats a rubber-glove sandwich.

Spider-Man appeared in a Spider-Woman animated series in 1979, as a supporting character to Spider-Woman.

Spidee-Man was also the star of a 1981 animated series again simply titled Spider-Man. This later tied into an animated series called Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends, where Spider-Man fought crime alongside the superhero Firestar and the X-Men member Iceman.

In 1994, a new series titled, once again, Spider-Man was released, inspired by the success of Batman: The Animated Series. This series was a lot more serious than the previous shows and introduced the concept of the "spider-verse", a trend across the multiverse of spider-themed heroes.

This show recieved a spin-off in 1999 called Spider-Man Unlimited, in which Spider-Man has a sleek nanotech suit. The series takes place on Counter-Earth, where Spider-Man seeks to rescue the astronaut John Jameson. He would later appear in the 2023 film Across the Spider-Verse.

Loosely based on the Sam Raimi movies, there was an animated series of Spider-Man on MTV in 2003 called Spider-Man: The New Animated Series, featuring a more modern portrayal of the character. The show ended on a cliffhanger, where Peter Parker got rid of his costume and quit being Spider-Man. Another season intended to reverse this decision, but it was scrapped by MTV.

In 2008, there was an animated series called The Spectacular Spider-Man. In this series, Spider-Man struggles to make time for his friends and romantic interests, and at one point considers drinking a serum to get rid of his powers forever, before remembering his Uncle Ben's lesson, and resolves to continue being a superhero. This version of Spider-Man later appeared in Across the Spider-Verse, in which he offers reluctant advice to Miles Morales.

Spider-Man made brief appearances in the 2009 show The Super Hero Squad Show, a child-focused series based on the Avengers and the X-Men merged into one team, the Super Hero Squad.

Ultimate Spider-Man released in 2012, and was the longest-running Spider-Man show. It was based on the Ultimate Spider-Man comics, and featured Spider-Man working with other teenage superheroes, and S.H.I.E.L.D.

In 2017, Marvel's Spider-Man(not to be confused with the video game Marvel's Spider-Man) was released. It featured a teenage version of Spider-Man and focused on a more modernised setting, with new portrayals of villains and allies as well as a focus on other spider-heroes.

In 2025, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man was released on Disney+. Initially intended as portraying Tom Holland's character, it was eventually reworked into its own thing. In this series, Spider-Man is bitten by a spider from another universe and is mentored by Norman Osborn, who builds suits and gadgets for him. A second season is in the works.

In live-action, there have only been two dedicated Spider-Man shows. The Amazing Spider-Man aired in 1977-1979, starring Nicholas Hammond. It was intended as a mix of superhero action and soap drama, balancing out scenes of both Spider-Man and Peter Parker. This series also recieved two TV movies; Strikes Back, and The Dragon's Challenge.

In 1978, a tokusatsu series titled Spider-Man(Supaidamãn) was released in Japan. Instead of Peter Parker, it featured Takuya Yamashiro, a motorcross racer whose father is killed by the evil Iron Cross Army. Swearing revenge, Takuya is granted powers by an alien from the planet Spider and is given a bracelet containing a Spider-Man costume. He also has a car called the Marveller, and a giant robot called Leopardon, which he uses to fight giant monsters called Kaiju. Takuya would later become a major character in the Spider-Verse comic series.

Supaidamãn is credited for being the first in the trend of giant robots being utilised by heroes in Super Sentai.

Movies

Main article: Spider-Man in movies

• Spider-Man Strikes Back (1978)
• Spider-Man The Dragon's Challenge (1979)
• Spider-Man (2002)
• Spider-Man 2 (2004)
• Spider-Man 3 (2007)
• The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
• The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
• Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
• Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
• Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)
• Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse (2027)