More Than a Hero
From comic books, movies, TV shows, and video games, Spider-Man has remained one of the most popular superheroes in all of comic fiction. Decades after his first comic book, the character has had many stories over time, each evolving over time. Why is Spider-Man so popular even to this day?
Stan Lee, the creator of Spider Man, said, "Then I figured, to make him different -- I'd make him a teenager. And to make him even more different, I'd give him a lot of personal problems. I thought, 'Oh man, this is going to be a hit!'"
Stan Lee’s idea for Spider-Man was built on something that separated the character from any other superhero at the time, relatability. Rather than creating a hero who had everything together, Lee wanted a character who faced problems and situations like any normal person would. Peter Parker was not just Spider-Man, he was a young man trying to navigate his social life, relationships, and the responsibilities that came with growing up. Even after gaining such extraordinary powers. Peter still struggled with ordinary problems, making him a character audiences could recognize themselves in. More than six decades later, Spider-Man has remained one of the most popular heroes of all time. From new movies, tv shows, and video games, he dominates over almost every Marvel hero and heroes alike, but how?
While Spider-Man's popularity has a lot to do with his relatability, part of his charm with fans is how he has evolved over time. Peter Parker started out as a brilliant but socially awkward and sometimes self isolated teen. This made it harder for him to fit in, making him an outcast to others except his friends. It also did not help that he was prone to quick anger and talking back to people. Steve Ditko was more in charge of personality aspects for Peter and Spider-Man at the time.
When he was Spider-Man, Peter felt a lot more confident and more prone to quipping and the occasional joking with his villains or critics such as J. Jonah Jameson. Compare this to today's portrayal of Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Peter nowadays is a lot more aware of his emotions and how he talks, he is also often written as a more dorky and awkward smart kid. When he is Spider-Man, he remains often the same, depending on who is writing him, Spider-Man can be a mixture of Peter and Spider-Man or give into his double life and be more confident and strong.
Besides personality, Spider-Man has grown with audiences over time with how movies and games will portray the character. In earlier movies directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man, Peter was a mixture of a mature young adult over the three movies. He struggled a lot with jobs, his love life, bills, and relatable normal people things. Now with modern portrayals like with Tom Holland's Spider-Man, his first three movies showed a long development over the three movies. From a quirky and lame teen to a mature and overall thinking young adult, Peter has grown and takes situations much more seriously.
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The more modern day approach to Spider-Man has also helped the popularity of the character grow. One of these approaches is with Insomniac's first ever Spider-Man game: Marvel’s Spider-Man PS4. The game stars Yuri Lowenthal as Spider-Man and it skyrocketed in popularity. It was a much more different Spider-Man narrative, it skipped the high school life of Peter and put him in a story where he is much older and still struggles with everyday problems. The game also has a much more street level grounded story. No end of the world and universe destroying villains, but familiar Spider-man villains with modern day writing and changes.
The game also kicked off one spinoff and a sequel game to the 2018 game. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Spider-Man 2 PS5. While the games didn't do as well critic and audience wise, the games sold a combined 32 millions copies worldwide and gained the attention of Insomniac. It's safe to say that Insomniac struck gold with its Spider-Man games, making the character able to be played in a much more open world and insane gameplay for both players and video game mechanics.
Dean student, Joseph Trapani said, “First of all and just an underrated opinion on why spider man is loved is his suit, it's awesome and so cool for Peter Parker. There's also variants like Miles and Gwen getting their own suit. Also over the years artists are able to reinvent the classic design while putting their own spin on it while staying true to the character. The character is just so relatable to all ages especially teenagers and middle age people."
The most recent Spider-Man piece of media has proven just how much this character means to people. Released on July 31st, Spider-Man: Brand New Day quickly became the biggest movie of all time. Following the release of 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, fans were very eager for Tom Holland's Spider-Man to finally return to the basics. It is a more street level Spider-Man movie and with Peter's character facing a lot of issues, fans could not wait.
Yet something happened, Brand New Day had brought MCU Spider-Man back to basics, but it was more than just the mask. Peter Parker was finally alone for almost 4 years. No friends, family, or interactions with anybody for a long time. Spider-Man: Brand New Day told a story that while has been done before was told in a much more modern day style.
In an interview with GQ, Director Destin Daniel Cretton described the film as a story about connection. Peter has been alone for so long that the only thing he had left was Spider-Man. So he wore the mask almost always, dedicating his time to something else rather than seeking help or connection with others. People can be so overcome by school, work, or helping friends that they overlook their own relationships and well being. However, it doesn't mean anyone should have to go through anything alone.
By the end of the film Peter realizes just how much the city loves Spider-Man, and that he has made a new connection with old friends and new ones. He isn't going to do this alone anymore, he is going to rebuild his life, and his social life. The film ends with the idea that a fresh start does not mean everything is suddenly fixed. It will take time and trust, but it will be worth it. Audiences young and old left the film with that in mind. Showing audiences, critics, movie goers, and superhero fans alike that Spider-Man remains one of the most relatable and amazing heroes ever.
Dean student Verbatim Rodriguez said, “I thought the movie was really a spectacular return to form for Spider Man as a character. It was so grounded in New York and honestly made me appreciate Tom Holland's portrayal much more. I think it’s really important, especially at this time to show a struggling young adult trying to find himself and learn to be okay with allowing himself to be vulnerable and not okay. I think the message of your not alone really shines through.”
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