Ben Parker

*"Remember, with great power comes great responsibility."*
―Ben Parker to Peter Parker[src]
**Benjamin "Ben" Parker** was the uncle and father figure of Peter Parker and the husband of May Parker. He died after accidentally being shot by Flint Marko. His words would eventually inspire Peter to use his powers to help others.

## Biography

### Early Life

#### Marrying May Parker

Ben Parker used to work as an electrician, before getting fired. Before this, he and his girlfriend May loved each other a lot, and one day, Ben decided to propose to May on a beach. They both swam to an island, when Ben proposed as a surprise. The pair would soon get married.

#### Taking In Peter

At some point in their lives, May and Ben took in a young Peter Parker. Peter would grow up and share a very close relationship, but they grew apart as Peter became older and try to stand out with the others.

### Peter's Changes

#### Looking for a New Job

One day, during Peter's science trip, Ben decided to fix one of the lights in the house. Eventually it worked, and decided to check the newspapers, looking for a new job. However, the only jobs he could find were about computers, and it would be hard for him as he was too old for computers and he had to provide for his family. May then told him that he was the most responsible man he knew, and both Peter and her loved him. However, during their conversation, Peter opened the door, arriving just in time for dinner. When Ben enquired about the trip and if he took some photos, Peter decided to crash for the night, telling them both that he was alright. Confused at this behaviour, Ben wondered if he was fine.

#### Peter's Big Change

The very next day, Peter woke up feeling fine. As he rushed down the stairs, he surprised Ben, who believed him sick at first. As Peter rushed to get his bag and head off to school, Ben reminded him that they were painting the fence that day. Peter then told him to not start without him, before Ben told him not to start with himself.

However, as Peter was late, Ben had already started and finished on the walls of the kitchen. Ben also wrote a note for Peter reminding him of the meat loaf and vegetables in the fridge.

#### Driving Peter to the Library

*"Peter, these are the years when a man changes into the man he's going to become the rest of his life. Just be careful who you change into. This guy Flash Thompson, he probably deserved what happened. But just because you can beat him up... doesn't give you the right to."*
―Ben Parker to Peter Parker[src]
Eventually, Ben believed that there was something bothering Peter, so he spoke with May about what was bothering Peter, thinking that he was too embarrassed to ask him. Peter then went downstairs, telling Ben that he was taking the subway to go the Downtown Library, before Ben instead opted to drive him all the way there, needing exercise.

After he drove him there, Ben decided to have a conversation with Peter, due to all the weird things that had been going on, including that fight in school with Flash Thompson. Ben then talked about how these next few years were important as he shaped up in to who he was going to be, and reminded him that just because he could beat Flash, doesn't mean he had the right to. He then told Peter that with great power comes great responsibility. Having gotten annoyed, Peter told Ben to stop lecturing him. Ben then told Peter that's not what he was trying to do, and told him he knew that he wasn't Peter's father, which Peter responded with by telling him to stop pretending to be his father. Ben then agreed, and reminded Peter that he would pick him up at ten.

#### Encounter with Flint Marko

Sometime around ten, Ben arrived at the library, about to pick Peter up. It was then he was pulled out of the car by a criminal known as Flint Marko. Marko held Ben at gunpoint and asked him for the car. Ben then tried to reason with Marko, telling him to put down the gun and go home. However, Marko saw his partner Dennis Carradine running towards him. This startled Marko, and he accidentally pulled the trigger. Marko then stayed with Ben for a few minutes, before escaping.

#### Death

*"Uncle Ben... was killed that night... for being the only one who did the right thing."*
―Peter Parker to May Parker[src]
After a few minutes later, civilians and policemen surrounded the area. Peter then joined the scene, and woke up Ben. They both held hands for a few minutes, however, Ben succumbed to the injury, causing Peter to cry. Eventually, Peter felt angry and tried to find Carradine, who was believed to be the killer. Ben was later buried in a cemetery and his gravestone was labeled: "*BEN PARKER: BELOVED HUSBAND AND UNCLE*".

### Legacy

Peter would go on to avenge his uncle's death, finding Carradine, who was believed to be the killer. After the death of Carradine who fell out of a window at a warehouse where he was confronted by Peter, the remorseful Peter soon took his uncle's words by heart and decided to put a stop to crime everywhere as the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and he blamed himself for the death of Ben, knowing it was his fault and he should've stopped it but he didn't. This would also haunt Marko, who would spend a lot of nights in regret of his actions.

#### Spider-Man No More

After Peter lost his powers, he envisioned Ben Parker. Ben tried to convince him to become Spider-Man again. However, Parker refused, stating that he wanted a life of his own. Ben then reminded him that with great power comes great responsibility, and asked him to take his hand. However, Peter refused, stating that he was Spider-Man no more.

#### True Killer

*"Uncle Ben meant the world to us. But he wouldn't want us living one second with revenge in our hearts. It's like a poison. It can take you over. Before you know it, turn us into something ugly."*
―May Parker to Peter Parker[src]
After a few years, the police deduced Flint Marko to be Ben's killer, and George Stacy brought up the news to Peter and May. Enraged, having bonded with the Venom symbiote that amplified his negative emotions, Parker fought Marko and tried killing him. Eventually, after a battle with him, Parker forgave Marko for this, as he had done a lot of terrible things as well, instead of putting the blame on the symbiote's influence. Peter learned that vengeance was not what any loved one would've wanted, especially his uncle and it wouldn't make him feel better.

#### Alternative Reality

Even many years later, Parker remembered the line his uncle told hm. He was transported to an alternate universe due to a botched spell, and decided to tell his younger alternate counterpart about Ben's death, who was struggling after his aunt May died at the hands of an alternate version of the Green Goblin. He told his counterpart about the incident of his uncle, and how it took him a long time to get through the darkness.

## Personality

*"You're the most responsible man I've ever known."*
―May Parker to Ben Parker[src]
Ben Parker was a very wise and responsible man who always put his family above anything else, as he loved his wife, May and nephew, Peter more than anything. He also became a father-like figure to Peter when he taught him the true meaning of responsibility, which later led to Peter becoming Spider-Man. Ben also never showed any contempt to Peter after he threw into his face, knowing that Peter didn't mean it and would be proud of him as always he was there for him. Ben also was very mature and wise when he attempted to reason with Flint Marko to give up his life of crime and go home to his family, trying to help him and make him understand that his family would never wanted him to become a criminal.

As Peter pointed out years later, Ben would be proud of him for using his powers responsibly and to help those in need as his alter-ego, Spider-Man.

## Abilities

* **Expert Electrician**: Ben was the plant senior electrician. As such, he had experience with electrical items, which allowed him to fix a light bulb.

## Relationships

### Family

* May Parker - Wife
* Peter Parker - Nephew

### Enemies

* Flint Marko - Unintended Killer
* Dennis Carradine † - Indirect Killer

## Trivia

* This was the first live-action incarnation of Ben Parker from the Marvel Comics. *Spider-Man 3* was the final film role for the late Cliff Robertson before his retirement and death in 2011.
* Ben's motto, "*With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility"*, became a famous motto for the whole of the *Spider-Man* franchise.

## Behind the Scenes

* The car Ben drives in, the 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88, is a car that director Sam Raimi uses for a lot of his films. However, in the novelization, it is a 1988 Oldsmobile Delta.
* Archival audio of Cliff Robertson from *Spider-Man* was used in the 2018 animated film *Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse*.

## References

The Spider-Man Trilogy Wiki has a collection of images and media related to **Ben Parker**.

The Spider-Man Trilogy Wiki has a collection of quotes related to **Ben Parker**.

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *Spider-Man (novel)* Chapter 5
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 *Spider-Man 3*
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 *Spider-Man*
4. ↑ *Spider-Man 2*
5. ↑ *Spider-Man (novel)* Chapter 9

## External Links

* Ben Parker on Marvel Database
* Ben Parker on Wikipedia