It’s time Spider-Man grew up for real. Here’s how.

Everyone knows about Spider-Man. He’s Peter Parker, the New Yorker who was bitten by a radioactive spider and had the trajectory of his life changed forever when his Uncle Ben died. While trying to balance the responsibility of his daily life, he has a never-ending sense of responsibility to save lives. And, sure, his love life is a little messy, but he’s incredibly charming, resilient, and arguably the most relatable superhero. But what makes him truly relatable? Is it his imperfections, his inability to reach the age of 30, or his ability to inspire readers? Well, it depends on who you ask. And if you ask me, Peter Parker is losing his audience.

Over the last two decades, Peter Parker has gone through an incredible amount of change — perhaps maybe more than other characters will ever get. Peter has gone from being happily married and a science teacher who can’t seem to be on time to a man running his own company to then being possessed by his enemy Doc Ock and then back to being broke but dating the love of his life and subsequently moving in with her to once again being all alone with the sole friendship of none other than Norman Osborn to console him. (And that’s even skipping some stuff!) Though each era of Peter’s recent life couldn’t be more different than the last, it’s found the love of some fans: there’s some Spider-Man for everyone. But how does that impact the character?

 

Despite the best intentions of the forces that be, that the restrictions on the long-lasting development of the character have begun to hold Peter back. It’s been noted that it’s a balancing act: Peter Parker cannot be happy when Spider-Man is and visa versa. But what this has caused is a convoluted history of a character. One might say “But, Michael, all of comics are convoluted! That’s the point!” Sure. But I can easily jump into Daredevil without getting a migraine because everything that has happened still fits in seamlessly together. Nothing remotely similar to Spider-Man exists at DC Comics, where everything has to fit the current timeline of pre-Crisis/post-Crisis, New 52, Rebirth, etc. The closest would be Batman, but even then, writers have worked hard to make sure everything fits. 

At Marvel, there has been a brilliant acceptance of the idea that everything that has happened simply has happened. Yet, it’s confusing to understand what’s going on with Spider-Man insofar as why his growth has begun to stagnate over the same few principles of 1) overcoming adversity, 2) being pushed to the brink of no return, and/or 3) starting over from scratch. As a result of this continuous rewriting of where Peter is in his life, I believe that his history and approachability has become more complicated. So complicated, in fact, that writers have been vocal about not wanting to approach the character. And that seems like an issue for a story driven by our plucky hero. 

Now, this isn’t about complaining. It’s about assessing the facts of the character and thinking how to move forward. I love Spider-Man, and I have no doubt that every creator who has interacted with his various titles has a love for him and his mythos. But to truly move forward, I think it’s best to have a  definitive approach to the character. In short, Peter Parker has to grow for Spider-Man to remain as magical as he’s capable of being. He has to move forward beyond this cycle of abuse he’s found himself in where he takes one step forward and two back.

Embracing the character as one of the most important heroes in the Marvel Universe, while pushing him toward new challenges and embracing his past, may be the key to unlocking his next phase in comics — while also maintaining approachability of the character that is both reader friendly and manageable for creators to tackle. But what does that look like? Well, I think the key lies in his relationship to Mary Jane Watson. Outside of Uncle Ben, I believe it’s MJ that has made the greatest impact on the character. Her relationship with Peter is paramount to finding balance between delivering a captivating story about Spider-Man and Peter Parker simultaneously.

Simply, Peter Parker needs to enter the next stage of his life and allow the characters around him to flourish alongside him. Otherwise, he may be left in the dust as the middle-aged guy struggling to buy a bagel for the rest of his existence. Surely, there is more to Peter Parker than that. So, what does this look like? How could Peter Parker’s life be streamlined? He has been, and will always be, relatable to the reader.

The problem with having decades of history is now there are a lot of different readers. Simply put, the Spider-Line (essentially meaning the main heroes under this umbrella: Peter, Miles, Gwen, Miguel, Ben, and other popular characters) need to share the responsibility of being relatable to the reader. See, responsibility cuts both ways! Maybe it’s time for Miles, for example, to shoulder the responsibility of being the young Spider-Man trying to get his life together, or that Ben Reilly stories centralize on what it means to balance the identity of being Spider-Man with being someone outside of the mask, et cetera.

In addition, having books made to add depth to characters in Peter’s life without overcrowding the mainline book may also be beneficial. At a point in time, both Mary Jane Watson and Felicia Hardy both had an ongoing book to further flesh out the characters outside of their appearances in Amazing Spider-Man. Where does that leave Peter, then? Look no further than the book selling like hot cakes: Ultimate Spider-Man (2024), where Peter is married with kids and focuses on what it means to shoulder the responsibility of being a hero with the responsibilities of life: work, relationships, expectations, and balancing a weathered outlook on life with an enduring sense of hope. Maybe, Peter Parker’s ability to connect with the reader can be found through that. Maybe the “will they/won’t they” trope needs to be left behind so Peter Parker can face new responsibilities instead of the same ones.

But Spider-Man needs to be relatable! Peter Parker can’t get married! He has to stay forever young! But does he? Comparatively, it’s not like Marvel is historically opposed to character progression. Look at Daredevil, where everything fits. Matt’s been a new attorney balancing his responsibilities, exposed as a hero to the public, practiced law as Daredevil, and even served time after breaking the law. Or the X-Men, where, despite a long-complicated history, one can track the development of Magneto from creation as a villain into one of the most endearing saviors of Mutant society. Altogether, these characters have had their entire history fit into a cohesive thread that one can feasibly track and enjoy when a new writer brings that character to a new point in life.

Ever since One More Day, Peter has faced only a handful of points of crucial development, and some of these aren’t even talked about anymore. This stagnation over the last few decades has become strikingly apparent that Peter is…not being truly challenged anymore. Moreover, since it has been shown to be more than feasible for a character to embrace their decades of history and continue to be put in new places, then this is something that could certainly be a way to put Peter in a new position that readers can still enjoy. In essence, reject stagnation and embrace…everything. With that, getting married isn’t unbelievable of a concept.

 

Another strong argument one may pose is, “Michael, if you want to read married Peter, go read that dang Ultimate Spider-Man book you raved about, read the J.M. DeMatteis run, or some J. Michael Straczynski!” Well, sure, I could do that. But I would, as a lifelong reader, love to read my Spider-Man experience a promising future beyond the same archetype’s he has been locked in. This is a common argument that people pose for why Peter can’t get married. Why does he has to forever be on the verge of getting fired or evicted?

Even now, with the upcoming new Amazing Spider-Man #1, Peter is once again down on his luck and looking for a job. Now, I started this essay months ago, long before this announcement, and somehow the universe has provided another example of just that: keeping Peter in a circular direction stagnates growth. In fact, if I ask you, how many people spend their lives like this? Otherwise, aren’t we failing our responsibilities that we owe to not just ourselves, but the one’s who supported us along the way?

To further elaborate on this, let’s look at parts of the first pitch of the last few eras of Spider-Man.

• “The new run finds Peter without a job and looking for gainful employment…” (2025)
• “Ben Reilly has returned to NYC and has fully taken back the mantle of Spider-Man, but what does this mean for Peter Parker? ” (2021)
• “WHAT DID SPIDER-MAN DO?!” (2022)
• “Spider-Man goes back to basics courtesy of Nick Spencer and the Marvel debut of Ryan Ottley!” (2018)
• “Spider-Man has gone global!” (2015)
• “The Greatest Superhero of All Time Returns! ” (2014)

Now, this isn’t about judging a book by its cover (or synopsis), but what one can clearly see is that each has offered something different for the character to push him in a new direction. Yet it doesn’t feel like much has happened — possibly because not much is followed-up on from each preceding era. Which is understandable to say the least, but if things are left unanswered, they can feel hollow. Moreover, despite each new run attempting to offer something new and promising, it unfortunately doesn’t feel like much has happened to develop Spider-Man recently. 

But the point is, eventually, Peter has to keep his job. He has to make up his mind about the relationships around him. Otherwise, aren’t we, the reader, reading decades of repetitive stories with no real movement?  How many stories talk about a Peter who finally lets his guard down, because he’s happy and things are going well? How many times can Peter be pushed to the edge under the same set of circumstances before the writing is on the wall that we know how this ends? Not to mention, this opens the door for stories that were never fully explored or have been left in the past. How does Peter manage being a hero and responsible father if that is never explored? Will we ever explore the idea that Nick Spencer hinted that Mephisto orchestrated the events of One More Day to prevent Mayday Parker from destroying him?

I for one, would love to see this convergence. Maybe Peter and Mary Jane will never get remarried. But why wouldn’t this story be told? One More Day is heralded for bringing about Brand New Day, and yet a story that combines the past and present events and could potentially push the character to a new stage is…not followed up on whatsoever? Regardless of your opinion on One More Day, it’s arguably one of the most important Spider-Man stories, and having a direct follow up (no, not One Moment in Time) may help fans find closure on this event.

Now all of that said, it’s not like Spider-Man fans are the easiest to please. (And I say that as a Spider-Man fan.) I mean, this is the same group that harassed Insomniac Games until Tobey Maguire’s suit was just perfect. Heck, even beloved writer Chip Zdarsky has admitted the reason he won’t write the mainline title is due to Spidey fans. Given that, it’s also more than worth acknowledging that there might not be anything that will please readers. And that’s a very real possibility, if not a fact of the business.

Still, I do empathize and understand that every creative team on the Amazing Spider-Man label is trying their best to deliver a memorable story with their own twist on things. And with that, I think it’s worth acknowledging that sometimes, we can’t always get what we want. However, if the reception and sales of Ultimate Spider-Man are any indication, there is some medium between a creative team’s intentions and meeting fan satisfaction. Although there may never be a way to please everyone, I do believe some effort could be made to, as mentioned before, reach outside of the generic box that Peter Parker has been stuck in, and deliver a new exciting direction that pushes his development one step forward without any steps backward.  

I believe that Mr. Parker is currently facing an irritatingly endless loop of contriving stories that almost push him forward but pull him back each time. This can be solved by embracing his long history and accepting that readers come in all shapes and sizes; that assuming the only way to be relatable is for Peter to barely have a job and fumble relationships is insulting. Rather, the character can flourish by actively embracing his necessity to move forward in life and allow other characters to share their stories where they face problems maybe Peter has faced, but in a new way.

After all, if anyone can wear the mask, then anyone can face the burdens of being a Spider-Hero and hopefully one day have an actual life worth living.