Thanks to the Daily Bugle, Spider-Man is always in the spotlight. He's one of the most public heroes, but he's also one of the most hated. Despite constantly risking his life to battle minor crimes in New York and world-ending threats, Spider-Man can't catch a break. It's no wonder he's always stressed out, and that stress often comes out in his personal life.
Peter Parker has a huge supporting cast of friends and family, and over the years, has managed to be rude to each and every one of them. Whether it's tied directly to his professional life as Spider-Man or the personal demons he's battling, there have been many times when Peter Parker has been a jerk.
10 He Joked While Liz Allan Vented To Him
Liz Allan is one of Peter's oldest friends, and despite having known him since high school, Liz was none the wiser about his alter ego. It wasn't until Spider-Man was unmasked in Civil War that Liz found out, and they talked things over.
With her step-brother being the Molten Man and the death of her husband Harry Osborn leaving her a single mother, Liz has had it rough. She explained this to Peter, including the fact that he had been lying to her for years, and all Peter did in response was make a joke.
9 He Used His Powers On Flash Thompson
Peter's first recurring antagonist wasn't any supervillain; it was his schoolmate Flash Thompson. Flash bullied Peter throughout his entire high school career. In Amazing Spider-Man #8, Peter decided that enough was enough and they would need to fight it out.
Peter and Flash proceeded to have a boxing match. Peter recognized that his spider strength gave him the advantage, so he decided to go easy. However, it turned out Peter wouldn't soften his punches, as he hit Flash so hard he sent him flying out of the ring.
8 He Was Unprofessional With A Prospective Employer
The Daily Bugle is Peter's go-to place to sell Spider-Man photos. However, there was a time when Peter had enough of Jameson's low pay and general grumpiness. In Amazing Spider-Man #27, Peter decided to sell his pictures to a rival newspaper: the Daily Globe.
Daily Globe editor Barney Bushkin was impressed with Peter's pictures, so naturally, he asked Peter loads of questions regarding his technique. Peter, always careful not to divulge any information that might out his identity, didn't answer any of Bushkin's questions. In fact, Peter simply and rudely walked out on him.
7 He Implied Betty Brant Might Be A Criminal
The Untold Tales of Spider-Man series returned to Peter's time as a high school student by day and a superhero by night. He was dating Betty Brant at the time, and their relationship was full of turmoil. Betty's brother fell in with the wrong crowd and wound up being killed.
When dealing with her grief, Betty turned to Peter. When criminals further targeted Betty, Peter callously pointed out that due to her brother's association with criminals, it isn't hard to imagine Betty being involved in crime as well.
6 He Ignored A Doctor's Warnings Concerning An Ailing Aunt May
Since the death of Ben Parker, Peter became the only person who could take care of May Parker. Sometimes, Peter would disregard her to be Spider-Man.
Aunt May's health took a dive, and Dr. Bromwell had to make regular visits to her. He relied on Peter's help to take care of her, but in Amazing Spider-Man #40, Peter left her side to fight the Green Goblin. Unaware of Peter's other responsibilities, Dr. Bromwell lectured him. From the doctor's POV, Peter was being negligent when it came to caring for his aunt.
5 He Was Condescending To Gwen Stacy
Needing to compete with television, J. Jonah Jameson decided to boost sales of the Daily Bugle by doing an article on the Savage Land. He figured that he needed a pretty girl as a model, so he offered to bring in Gwen Stacy on his expedition.
Peter and Gwen were an official couple, and Peter was protective of Gwen. He knew the risks of the Savage Land, so Peter shot down Jameson's offer before Gwen could even respond. Gwen called him out on it and said he was a male chauvinist pig.
4 He Dissolved Parker Industries
During Superior Spider-Man, Otto Octavius inhabited the body of Spider-Man. He wanted to outdo Peter Parker in every way, so he ended up creating a company, Parker Industries.
It wasn't long after Peter regained his body that he had to deal with Hydra attacking Parker Industries. Seeing no alternative, Peter shut down Parker Industries, causing numerous people to lose their jobs and robbing the Uncle Ben Foundation of funding and support. Given how this was done without warning, the public that once loved and supported Peter now hated him.
3 He Threw Glory Grant To J. Jonah Jameson
Peter first met Glory Grant when he moved into the apartment building where she had been living. Glory was outgoing and friendly to Peter, so naturally, he repaid her kindness by introducing her to the most vicious, ill-tempered man he knows.
J. Jonah Jameson was going through assistants left and right. Glory needed a job, so Peter arranged for her to be Jameson's new secretary in Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #2. Unfortunately for Glory, Peter didn't warn her about Jameson's legendary anger and tossed her into her new job without any preparation.
2 He Didn't Treat His Marriage As A Priority
It was a bumpy road, but Peter and Mary Jane were married at one point. Peter did his best to juggle his duties as a husband and his responsibility as Spider-Man, but emergencies often caused him to break promises to Mary Jane.
Mary Jane decided she needed a break and temporarily moved to Los Angeles. After giving her some space, Peter then went to LA to try to salvage his marriage. Even when trying to win MJ back, Peter still ended up admitting that his job as Spider-Man was his highest priority.
1 He Abandoned Harry Osborn When He Was At His Lowest
The Green Goblin may be one of Spider-Man's worst foes, but his son Harry Osborn was one of Peter Parker's best friends. One of the worst encounters Spider-Man ever had with the Green Goblin ended up being one of his worst encounters with Harry as well.
Harry had been battling a drug addiction, and the effects of LSD had left him bedridden. Peter, who had been tracking Norman Osborn, went to see if Harry knew anything. Finding Harry no help, Peter left him, despite Harry's agitated state and desperate pleas for help.