Since 1962, fans of all ages have thrilled to the adventures of the amazing, the spectacular, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. People love the Wall-Crawler. And what's not to love?
Peter Parker is the ultimate everyman, the most relatable of superheroes. He's been the star of page, film, screen, and stage. Kids love him, adults him, Disney bean counters love how much merch they can put him on. He's easily one of the greatest heroes in Marvel... but is he the greatest hero of them all? This list is going to look at the reasons why he is and isn't.
10 Not The Greatest: The '90s
The '90s have gone down as a time of bad comics. While this isn't exactly true- DC and Vertigo were putting out some of the best comics ever- and though Marvel had definitely fallen in quality across the board, they were still putting out some good stuff (Larry Hama's Wolverine is an unsung classic). Spider-Man's books were not in that good part of Marvel.
That's not to say there were not good Spider-Man books in the 90s – "Maximum Carnage" is much better than people remember and the Harry Osborn as Green Goblin stories in Spectacular Spider-Man are great, but Peter's parents returning? The Clone Saga? John Byrne's failed reboot? The '90s are best forgotten for Spider-Man fans.
9 The Greatest: The Costume
There are some comic characters that go through costumes like a teenager goes through clothes. There are some who don't have to. Spider-Man is one of those. Steve Ditko caught lightning in a bottle when he designed the Web-Slinger's suit.
There have been small changes to it over the years- some artists don't like the web wings (they're wrong, by the way). Some draw the eyes larger. These little modifications don't change just how great the design is. It's a timeless classic that will be around forever.
8 Not The Greatest: Enforced Stagnation
Some people think that the only good Spider-Man is the one they grew up with. To them, the only good Spider-Man stories involve down on his luck Peter Parker, the guy who can't get a girlfriend and even though he's a genius with superpowers is always on the verge of poverty.
Sometimes, these people gain positions of power within Marvel and mandate that a story should come along that undoes years of Spider-Man's character development because they don't want to read about an adult Spider-Man. Joe Quesada, for example, chased away a lot of readers by taking away the Spider-Man they grew up with.
7 The Greatest: That Parker Wit
Spider-Man has been through a lot over the years. His superhero career began in tragedy and the hits would keep coming over the years. Whether it be the death of his uncle and first love because of him, financial woes, Aunt May being in the hospital for the umpteenth time, or just getting beat on by the bad guys, Spider-man has gone through some bad stuff over the years.
However, it's his constant jokes that keep the book and character from becoming a grimdark slog. There have been times when writers tried to go gritty with Spider-Man, but they never stuck because one of the things that makes the character so great is that he never lets the world get him down. Things may be falling apart, but he'll always have a joke to make it a little better.
6 Not The Greatest: The Parker Luck
One of the main Spider-Man storytelling tropes is "the Parker luck". Basically, it means that whatever Peter Parker does that seems like it will be good and change his life gets ruined for some reason. It's pretty much the main method writers use to inject any kind of drama into Spider-Man comics.
Tropes aren't always bad, but this one is. The problem is that it inhibits any kind of character growth. Good things need to happen to a character; it can't just be a cavalcade of misery. While Spider-Man deals with misery better than most, that doesn't mean that readers only want to read about him being put through the emotional ringer constantly.
5 The Greatest: The Villains
Spider-Man has some of the greatest villains of any comic character. There's something for everyone- insane super-geniuses who have bedeviled the entire Marvel Universe? Check. Monstrous psychopaths who are only it for the killing? Check. Evil scientists? Check. Hilarious Z-listers? Check.
Spider-Man's villains run the gamut of motivations and personality types and present the Wall-Crawler with some of the most interesting foils in comics. There's a villain for every taste and story and it keeps his adventures fresh and relevant.
4 Not The Greatest: Aunt May
Aunt May is an important part of the Spider-Man mythos. She and her husband Ben raised Peter and molded him into the person he would become. After Ben's tragic death, she was the only family Peter had left. However, the pathological need for writers to keep her alive is baffling.
It's not like Aunt May centric stories are any good. She doesn't really add anything to modern Spider-Man stories except some cheap drama when she has yet another health scare that everyone knows she'll get better from. The one time she was killed off in the 90s, in one of the better Spider-Man comics of the era, it was retconned to it being an actor and all part of Norman Osborn's plot. She's also responsible for one of the worst Spider-Man stories of all time. More on that soon.
3 The Greatest: That Catchphrase, Though
"With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility" is easily one of the best catchphrases in comics. It's right up there with Wolverine's, but it has more meaning. Wolverine's classic catchphrase is only about him and how good he is at killing. Spider-Man's catchphrase is a series of words that anyone can live by.
Peter Parker learned the hard way that one has the obligation to look out for those weaker than themselves. These six little words are basically the cornerstone of what it means to be an American in microcosm and because of Spider-Man, generations of kids have grown up learning to help those that can't help themselves. That's pretty great.
2 Not The Greatest: "One More Day"
And now we get to it. "One More Day" is one of the worst Spider-Man stories of them all and that's saying something. Not that Spider-Man has a lot of very bad stories, but that "One More Day" can somehow be worse than The Clone Saga is an infamous achievement.
It ruined Spider-Man for a generation of readers who had grown up reading the character in the '80s and '90s. Spider-Man trading his marriage to Mephisto, so his Aunt May could survive, is... well, how is it that in a universe where people can use magic and create all kinds of amazing science and have people with healing powers that the only person Peter Parker can find to save his Aunt's life is the devil?
1 The Greatest: One Of The Linchpins Of The Marvel Universe
Spider-Man was the first big solo hero for Marvel back in the Silver Age. He and Thor debuted in the same month, but Spider-Man got his first solo book before Thor, whose adventures would still be played out in Journey Into Mystery for a while longer.
Spider-Man was a huge success right out of the gate. He appealed to so many different audiences and still does. Kids love him because he's funny and has amazing adventures. Adults love him for the pathos and the laughing in the face of death and danger. Without him, there's a big possibility that Marvel wouldn't have taken off like it did in the '60s.