Spider-Man

: Spider-Man is a Marvel Comics character. For other uses see Spider-Man (disambiguation).

Character history

Peter Benjamin Parker was born to Richard Parker and his wife Mary Fitzpatrick-Parker, both of whom were agents of the CIA and later of S.H.I.E.L.D. (a fictional secret agency). Their last assignment was the infiltration as double-agents of the organization of Albert Malik, who had taken on the name of Red Skull in the absence of the original. Malik found out about their plans and arranged a plane-crash that resulted in their deaths.

Related Topics:
CIA - S.H.I.E.L.D. - Red Skull

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After his parents' deaths, the infant Peter Parker was left in the care of his Uncle Ben and Aunt May (Richard's older brother Benjamin Parker and his wife May Reilly Parker), who lived in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens, New York City. Though Peter was always loved by the aging couple, he was unpopular among those of his own age. Over time he grew to be a lonely, timid teenager. The exceptionally bright Peter showed more interest in his studies, especially science, than in any kind of social life. He was often the target of jokes by more popular fellow students like Flash Thompson, the high school's star athlete. In addition, Aunt May made him wear non-prescription glasses to protect his eyes, since she was worried that his constant reading would have a negative effect on his eyesight. When these glasses were broken in a schoolyard fight with Flash Thompson, he didn't bother to get new ones, since they were never really needed in the first place and only made him look awkward. (Note: In virtually all retellings of his origin, Peter's eyesight really was poor and somehow got fixed by the spider bite, but this is not the case for the original comic book series.)

Related Topics:
Uncle Ben - Aunt May - Forest Hills - Queens - New York City - Teenager - Science - Flash Thompson

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When he was 15 years old, Parker attended a science exhibit where he was bitten by a spider which had been irradiated. The spider bite gave Parker an array of spider-like powers. In addition to his physical powers, Spider-Man used mechanical web shooters of his own design to spin webs in a variety of ways. In current Spider-Man continuity, he produces his webs from organic spinnerets in his wrists and no longer requires the mechanical web shooters.

Related Topics:
Spider - Irradiated - Spider-like powers - Continuity - Spinneret

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Upon the discovery of his powers, Parker designed a costume and adopted the identity of Spider-Man in order to win money as an entertainer. Debuting as a wrestler, Spider-Man quickly hired an agent and began making lucrative television appearances. One night, after a show, Spider-Man refused to help stop a thief that ran past him in the hallway, insisting that he was only going to look out for "number one." But his beloved Uncle Ben was later killed by the same thug he had allowed to escape. Realizing that stopping the thug when he had been given the chance would have prevented his uncle's murder, Spider-Man devoted himself to fighting injustice, driven by the realization that "with great power there must also come great responsibility".

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Spider-Man consistently tries to do the right thing, but is viewed with suspicion by many authority figures. He is often considered little more than a lawbreaker himself, thanks largely to a smear campaign by J. Jonah Jameson, publisher of the daily newspaper the Daily Bugle. Ironically, Parker works as a freelance photographer for Jameson, selling photographs of himself as Spider-Man.

Related Topics:
J. Jonah Jameson - Daily Bugle - Freelance - Photographer

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As originally conceived by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Peter Parker was something of an everyman character. However, as with many characters spanning a lengthy publishing history and handled by multiple creators, Spider-Man's history is somewhat convoluted. He continued working as a freelance photographer for the Daily Bugle and living with his elderly and somewhat fragile Aunt May until he graduated from high school. He enrolled in the fictional Empire State University where he befriended Harry Osborn ? who was in fact the son of his arch-enemy the Green Goblin ? and Gwen Stacy, with whom he would have a lengthy romance before she was killed by the original Green Goblin.

Related Topics:
Everyman - Empire State University - Harry Osborn - Green Goblin - Gwen Stacy

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After a lengthy on-again off-again relationship with cat burglar and sometime crimefighter Black Cat, Parker eventually wed his long-time girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson, a fashion model and actress. Later, the stresses of Parker's dual identity, combined with Mary Jane's tempestuous career, led to a separation, but the couple later reconciled.

Related Topics:
Black Cat - Mary Jane Watson - Fashion - Actress

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Currently, Parker works as a science teacher for his old high school. Recently, an altercation with a former classmate turned superhuman, Charlie Weiderman, led to the arson of both his apartment and his aunt May's house. Thanks to Spider-Man's membership in the latest incarnation of the Marvel Universe superhero team the Avengers, Peter, Mary Jane and Aunt May were able to move into Tony Stark's Avengers Tower.

Related Topics:
Avengers - Tony Stark

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