For nearly 60 years, Peter Parker's great power has thrust great responsibility upon him. Throughout these decades, being Spider-Man has often proven a difficult burden to carry, even for one of the world's greatest heroes. Peter has suffered through the loss of several loved ones and faced one tragedy after the next, yet he still manages to endure and be the hero the world needs him to be.
However, on several occasions, the pressures of being Spider-Man became too great of a burden. There have been a few times when Peter has nearly given up his web-slinging career for good.
SPIDER-MAN NO MORE
Stan Lee and John Romita Sr.'s classic story, "Spider-Man No More!" is the first and most iconic time Peter relinquished his Spider-Man identity. In this issue, J. Jonah Jameson leads a massive anti-Spider-Man campaign, making Peter question why he continues to put his life on the line for an ungrateful public. On top of this, being Spider-Man leaves no room for Peter's personal life. Deciding to throw in the towel, Peter throws away his costume and leaves Spider-Man behind. Later, when Peter sees a security guard being attacked by criminals, he leaps in to save the old man. Peter realizes that the guard reminds him of Uncle Ben, which in turn reminds him of why he's Spider-Man in the first place.
THE SIX ARMS SAGA
In this seminal issue, by Stan Lee and Gil Kane, Peter once again grows tired of his life as Spider-Man. Things were getting quite serious with longtime love Gwen Stacy and Peter couldn't let the specter of Spider-Man come between them. Desiring to settle down and marry Gwen, Peter devises a "cure" for his irradiated blood. Taking the cure, Peter then undergoes a series of hallucinations, fighting off his deadliest foes. Peter then awakens to find that the serum backfired, further mutating him by giving the web-head six arms. The next few issues deal with Peter's new mutation, as he ultimately rids himself of his extra appendages but keeps his spider-powers.
THE CLONE SAGA
This infamous event from the '90s saw the return of Ben Reilly, Peter's clone from 1975's the Amazing Spider-Man #149, by Gerry Conway and Ross Andru. Peter and Ben discover that Peter is the clone and Ben is the original Peter Parker. With Peter and Mary Jane trying to start a family, and since he believes Ben is the original, Peter relinquishes his title and Ben becomes the new Spider-Man. Later, Norman Osborn aka The Green Goblin returns, revealing that he manipulated Peter: Ben is indeed the clone, as confirmed when Ben dies and turns to dust. After defeating Osborn once more, Peter reclaims the mantle of Spider-Man.
IDENTITY CRISIS
During this Spider-Man's "Identity Crisis" storyline, Norman Osborn frames Spider-Man for the murder of a low-level criminal. Additionally, footage is released showing Spider-Man attacking Osborn, resulting in a five million dollar reward for the web-slinger's capture. Deciding that he can no longer be Spider-Man until his name is cleared, Peter takes on four separate identities: Dusk, Hornet, Ricochet and Prodigy. Peter adopts multiple identities in order to divert suspicion that any of these vigilantes are Spider-Man. While Hornet and Prodigy are heroic guises, Peter uses Dusk and Ricochet to infiltrate the criminal underworld. Together, all four of these identities are used to clear Spider-Man's name. As soon as Peter's alter ego is cleared of any accusations, he returns to the role of Spider-Man.
THE FINAL CHAPTER
Acting as a sort of ending for the Spider-Man titles, "The Final Chapter" sees Peter face off against the Green Goblin one last time. Several loose ends are tied up, as Peter rescues his Aunt May from Osborn's captivity. Additionally, Spider-Man saves the Daily Bugle building from collapsing as a pumpkin bomb detonates. Peter then declares to Mary Jane that he is quitting his role of Spider-Man, burning his costume. Months later, however, during Howard Mackie and John Byrne's new volume of the Amazing Spider-Man, Peter returns as Spider-Man. When Mattie Franklin, a future Spider-Woman, takes up the spider mantle and endangers herself, Peter comes out of retirement to save her.
Clearly, Peter Parker has gone through a plethora of challenges as a superhero. Yet at the end of the day, Peter will always be Spider-Man. As long as he has great power, Peter Parker will always have a great responsibility.