Claim: Spider-Man's secret identity is Peter Parker, a decision which broke ground by making the hero relatable to young readers.

Spider-Man is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko , and first appeared in the anthology comic book Amazing Fantasy # 15 -LRB- Aug. 1962 -RRB- in the Silver Age of Comic Books . Lee and Ditko conceived the character as an orphan being raised by his Aunt May and Uncle Ben , and as a teenager , having to deal with the normal struggles of adolescence in addition to those of a costumed crime-fighter . Spider-Man 's creators gave him super strength and agility , the ability to cling to most surfaces , shoot spider-webs using wrist-mounted devices of his own invention , which he calls `` web-shooters '' , and react to danger quickly with his `` spider-sense '' , enabling him to combat his foes .   When Spider-Man first appeared in the early 1960s , teenagers in superhero comic books were usually relegated to the role of sidekick to the protagonist . The Spider-Man series broke ground by featuring Peter Parker , the high school student behind Spider-Man 's secret identity and with whose `` self-obsessions with rejection , inadequacy , and loneliness '' young readers could relate . While Spider-Man had all the makings of a sidekick , unlike previous teen heroes such as Bucky and Robin , Spider-Man had no superhero mentor like Captain America and Batman ; he thus had to learn for himself that `` with great power there must also come great responsibility '' -- a line included in a text box in the final panel of the first Spider-Man story but later retroactively attributed to his guardian , the late Uncle Ben .   Marvel has featured Spider-Man in several comic book series , the first and longest-lasting of which is titled The Amazing Spider-Man . Over the years , the Peter Parker character has developed from shy , nerdy New York City high school student to troubled but outgoing college student , to married high school teacher to , in the late 2000s , a single freelance photographer . In the 2010s , he joins the Avengers , Marvel 's flagship superhero team . Spider-Man 's nemesis Doctor Octopus also took on the identity for a story arc spanning 2012 -- 2014 , following a body swap plot in which Peter appears to die . Separately , Marvel has also published books featuring alternate versions of Spider-Man , including Spider-Man 2099 , which features the adventures of Miguel O'Hara , the Spider-Man of the future ; Ultimate Spider-Man , which features the adventures of a teenaged Peter Parker in an alternate universe ; and Ultimate Comics Spider-Man , which depicts the teenager Miles Morales , who takes up the mantle of Spider-Man after Ultimate Peter Parker 's supposed death .   Spider-Man is one of the most popular and commercially successful superheroes . As Marvel 's flagship character and company mascot , he has appeared in countless forms of media , including several animated and live action television series , syndicated newspaper comic strips , and in a series of films . The character was first portrayed in live action by Danny Seagren in Spidey Super Stories , a The Electric Company skit which ran from 1974 to 1977 . In films , Spider-Man has been portrayed by actors Tobey Maguire -LRB- 2002 -- 2007 -RRB- and Andrew Garfield -LRB- 2012 -- 2014 -RRB- , while Tom Holland portrays the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe , first appearing in Captain America : Civil War in 2016 . Reeve Carney starred as Spider-Man in the 2010 Broadway musical Spider-Man : Turn Off the Dark . Spider-Man has been well received as a superhero and comic book character , and he is often ranked as one of the most popular comic book characters of all time , alongside DC Comics ' most famous superheroes , Batman and Superman .