Spider-Man

**Spider-Man** is a superhero created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in the anthology comic book *Amazing Fantasy* #15 (Aug. 1962) in the Silver Age of Comic Books. He appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, as well as in a number of movies, television shows, and video game adaptations set in the Marvel Universe. In the stories, Spider-Man is the alias of **Peter Parker**, an orphan raised by his Aunt May and Uncle Ben in New York City after his parents Richard and Mary Parker died in a plane crash. Lee and Ditko had the character deal with the struggles of adolescence and financial issues, and accompanied him with many supporting characters, such as J. Jonah Jameson, Harry Osborn, Max Modell, romantic interests Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson, and foes such as Doctor Octopus, the Green Goblin and Venom. His origin story has him acquiring spider-related abilities after a bite from a radioactive spider; these include clinging to surfaces, superhuman strength and agility, and detecting danger with his "spider-sense." He then builds wrist-mounted "web-shooter" devices that shoot artificial spider-webbing of his own design.

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, a high school student from Queens 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 Parker.

Marvel has featured Spider-Man in several comic book series, the first and longest-lasting of which is *The Amazing Spider-Man*. Over the years, the Peter Parker character developed from a 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. 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. 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. Miles is later brought into mainstream continuity, where he sometimes works alongside Peter.

**Miles Gonzalo Morales** is a fictional superhero appearing in publications by the American publisher Marvel Comics, and is one of the characters known as Spider-Man. The character was created in 2011 by writer Brian Michael Bendis and Italian artist Sara Pichelli, with input by Marvel's then-editor-in-chief Axel Alonso.

Miles Morales first appeared in *Ultimate Fallout* #4 (Aug. 2011), following the death of Peter Parker. The 13-year-old biracial teenage son of a Black American father and a Puerto Rican mother, he is the second Spider-Man to appear in Ultimate Marvel, an imprint with a separate continuity from the mainstream Marvel Universe. He was featured in the *Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man* comic book series, and after Marvel ended the Ultimate imprint in 2015, Miles was made a character in the main Marvel Universe, beginning with stories under the All-New, All-Different Marvel branding that debuted that same year. The character was not the lead character in the *Ultimate Spider-Man* animated TV series on Disney XD but he was later added to the main cast, and the main protagonist in the 2018 feature film *Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse* which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Reaction to the character varied, with some, including Spider-Man's co-creator, Stan Lee, approving the creation of a positive role model for children of color. Others expressed displeasure at the replacement of Peter Parker, with *The Guardian*, Fox News, and Culture Map Houston reporting that some fans viewed the decision as an attempt by Marvel Comics to exhibit political correctness, and that the introduction of a minority Spider-Man was simply a publicity stunt to attract more readers, a charge Alonso denied. Alexandra Petri of *The Washington Post* called for the character to be judged on the quality of his stories, which garnered positive reviews.

The character possesses powers similar to those of the original Spider-Man, which were derived from the bite of a spider genetically engineered by Spider-Man's nemesis Norman Osborn in an attempt to duplicate those abilities.

Spider-Man is one of the most popular and commercially successful superheroes. 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, Andrew Garfield, and in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Tom Holland. Peter Parker was voiced by Chris Pine and Jake Johnson, while Shameik Moore voiced Miles Morales in the animated film *Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse*. Reeve Carney starred originally 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 and iconic comic book characters of all time and one of the most popular characters in all fiction.

## Items in Collector Corps

* **Items featuring Spider-Man have appeared in 8 Collector Corps boxes.**