Peter Parker

**Relatives:** Richard Parker (Father, Deceased), Mary Parker (Mother, Deceased),
 **Played By:** Reeve Carney

**Peter Benjiman Parker** (also known as **Spider-Man**) is the title character of both versions of **Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark**. He is a superhero who gains the ability to cling to walls, shoot webs, and fight with enhanced strength and speed thanks to a bite from a radioactive spider.

## History

### Version 1.0

The story of this version's Peter Parker was conceived by the Geek Chorus. At a young age, Peter Parker was adopted by his Aunt, May Parker and Uncle, Ben Parker after the death of his parents. Growing up, Parker took a fascination in science, and developed a romantic interest in his high school classmate, Mary Jane Watson, and was bullied by other classmates, including jock Flash Thompson. Parker grew a fascination with spiders, and did a science report about the Greek myth of Arachne. Parker looked up to scientist Norman Osborn, who sought to save humanity from disaster. On a class fieldtrip to Osborn's lab, Parker was chosen by Arachne to be bitten by a genetically enhanced spider developed by Osborn's scientists. Parker gained the abilities of a spider, including the ability to shoot webs from his veins, climb walls, and sense danger. Parker also gained enhanced strength and agility. Hoping to impress Mary Jane, who'd been dating Flash, who received a car, Parker decided to buy a car himself. To get the money, he defeated wrestler Bonesaw McGraw using his super powers. After Thompson's car was stolen by a thief, Parker refused to help, as Flash had only bullied him in the past. Ben came to Flash's aid but was run over by the car by the thief. Parker felt immense guilt for his uncle's death. Just then, Arachne came to Parker in his dreams, inspiring him to use his powers for the greater, and "Rise Above" his conflict as his Uncle told him to. Arachne gave Parker a red and blue suit, with the red representing the heart that would color Parker's world red, and the sorrow in the night being the blue he could not shed. He became a superhero branded as the Human Spider, and fought crime under the suit and alias. He was hired by J. Jonah Jameson, a publisher for the Daily Bugle who used his platform to slander the Human Spider in a negative light, to get pictures of the vigilante. Jameson branded the hero "Spider-Man", giving Parker the incentive to stick with the title. The news reached Osborn and his wife/lab partner Emily, who feared that one of his former lab partners who left for lack of payment may have stolen their research to give to competitors. The evil organization Viper Worldwide convinced Osborn to fast track his mutation experiments. The experiment turned Osborn into the Green Goblin, but caused Emily to die. Parker graduated from high school the same day, and entered into a romantic relationship with Mary Jane. He investigated the destruction of Osborn's lab as Spider-Man. Jameson reported that both Osborn and his wife had perished in the explosion, writing his obituary. Just then, Marbles and Robbie Robertson reported that a green monster had been flying around the city dropping pumpkin bombs and killing scientists that had quit Oscorp, though some had been saved by Spider-Man. Parker was kidnapped by Osborn who revealed he was the Green Goblin. Osborn blamed Spider-Man for the death of his wife. He revealed that Watson was dangling off the side of the Chrysler Building, about to fall to her death. A fight ensued between the two throughout the city. A web was attached between a piano and the Green Goblin. When the Green Goblin accidentally pushed it off a building, he fell to his death. Parker saved Watson after Arachne observed what happened from the Astral Plane. Parker began a relationship with Watson, not telling her of his double life as Spider-Man. Watson grew impatient of Parker always arriving late to dates. Meanwhile, Parker's relationship with his Aunt May soured as he missed the one year anniversary of Ben's death, and his grades suffered in school as he attended Empire State University, a result of his crime fighting responsibilities. Throughout the year, Parker would fight a variety of new supervillains, added to the story by the Geek Chorus. These characters included Kraven the Hunter, a hunter who would hunt Spider-Man after growing tired of hunting animals, Carnage, a serial killer possessed by a red alien symbiote with the ability to slice up anyone in his path, Swiss Miss, a woman whose whole body is made of knives, Electro, a supervillain with the ability to wield electricity, the Lizard, a scientist hoping to regrow a lost limb, but instead mutated into a giant reptile, and Swarm, a former Nazi scientist whose body was now made of mutant bees. After Spider-Man defeated them multiple times, they formed the Sinister Six but were defeated again, this time all dying. Arachne sensed that Parker was growing tired of balancing two lives. She came to him in his dreams and invited him to leave his world to join her in the Astral Plane. Just then, Parker awoke to discover he had missed the debut of Watson's Broadway show, The Fly. Watson expressed deep disappointment to Parker, leading him to quit his life as Spider-Man, angering Arachne, who summoned her Furies, a group of lackeys with similar spider powers to Arachne, to assist her, and take control of the story from the Geek Chorus. Jameson celebrated after he was delivered Spider-Man's costume from a trash bin, and Parker mended fences with Watson at a nightclub. Just then, television sets were highjacked by live footage of the Green Goblin, who had been presumed dead up to that point. What followed was a worldwide blackout. The Green Goblin and the Sinister Six, also believed dead, wreaked havoc across the world, destroying national landmarks and terrorizing major cities across the globe. Little did they know, that the blackout and the destruction caused by the villains who were believed to be dead were all illusions from Arachne, who hoped this would convince Parker to return as Spider-Man. Instead, it caused Parker to propose to Watson, making Arachne angrier and more envious. She requested the Furies loot shoe stores, hoping to emulate Watson and take the form of a human. Upon doing so, she blackmailed Jameson into writing positive stories about Spider-Man, hoping this would inspire his return. She threatened to decapitate Jameson if he did not comply and webbed him to a chair. Arachne told Robertson to run the story, and he did so. While Parker felt guilty, he opted not to return as Spider-Man. Arachne invaded his dreams again, implanting images of her and Parker getting married in his mind. This made Parker more on edge, not knowing what was real, but Watson agreed to stand by him regardless. Just then, the Sinister Six kidnapped Watson. Parker tried to follow them up a building but fell off. The Green Goblin taunted him, revealing he had given up his powers. A hopeless Parker realized he needed to become Spider-Man once more, accepting this as apart of his life. He stole his costume back from the Daily Bugle. When he was berated by Jameson, Spider-Man tried to web his mouth shut but was unsuccessful, as he was still powerless. He managed to defeat the Sinister Six, but was unsuccessful in stopping the Green Goblin, who dropped Watson off a bridge. In a fit of despair, Parker jumped after her to his death, as the city exploded. Just then, Parker and Watson were transported to the Astral Plane by Arachne who revealed the destruction throughout the world, the return of dead villains and the strange dreams he had were merely illusions she had created, blaming Parker for throwing what she deemed to be away a gift she granted him. Parker learned Arachne was suffocating Watson to death in a webbed cocoon. Arachne only agreed to free Watson if Parker agreed to join her in the Astral Plane and marry her, or kill her, and end her eternity of punishment. Parker refused both options and fought her. He regained his powers, and managed to defeat Arachne, but she still refuse to release Watson, declaring Parker would have to kill her. Unable to do this, Parker agreed to join Arachne, so long as she freed Arachne. Shocked and moved, Arachne instead freed both Parker and Watson, allowing them to live their life together, not wanting him to experience the same loneliness she had experienced for centuries. Arachne's act of selflessness allowed her to finally be free to go to Heaven on the noose she hanged herself on. Parker told Watson they had much to discuss now that she knew his secret, but she agreed to stand by him no matter what. Just then, he heard sirens in the distance, and Watson told him to go investigate as Spider-Man. Just then, he swung off into the distance.

### Version 2.0

This version of Peter Parker's story started out similar to the 1.0 version, with the exception of the Geek Chorus, who no longer dictated the tale. That is until his Uncle Ben was shot by a mugger in this version rather than killed by a car accident. Parker blamed himself for this, as he was at the wrestling match at the time of Ben's murder. Arachne appeared to console him, and inspired him to become the superhero Spider-Man with the costume she had made for him. This Parker's story continued to remain almost completely identical to that of the other Parker until Osborn's experiments turned him into the Green Goblin and killed his wife Emily. In this version, the Green Goblin kidnapped many former Oscorp employees who left the company over pay disputes. The transformed into Electro, Kraven the Hunter, Carnage, Swiss Miss, the Lizard, and Swarm. One night, Parker took the night off from his duties as Spider-Man to focus on his budding relationship with Mary Jane. His decision led to the Green Goblin and and the Sinister Six wreaking havoc throughout New York City, and Parker nearly losing his job at the Daily Bugle for taking pictures of the event. As Spider-Man, he defeated the Sinister Six, but the mantle of Spider-Man interfered with life, as he showed up late to dates with Watson, who went out with Thompson at one point, angering Parker. After defeating the Sinister Six, he was threatened by the Green Goblin, leading him to get his Aunt May to hide indoors for a time. Later that night, Parker had a nightmare where the Green Goblin dropped Mary Jane off of a bridge, with Spider-Man helpless to stop her. The incident made Parker consider giving up the mantle of Spider-Man, but Arachne appeared to him once again in his dreams and encouraged him to continue being Spider-Man, saying that he had a responsibility, regardless of the cost. This lead him to miss Watson's debut in The Fly on Broadway. As a result, he quit being Spider-Man, and handed his costume to Jameson, who celebrated the news. He also gave up his job there, as Watson encouraged him to as a response to the Daily Bugle's negative coverage of Spider-Man. Parker improved his relationship with Mary Jane, but was once again threatened by the Green Goblin. Parker told Mary Jane they couldn't be together and realized being Spider-Man was his destiny. He found the Green Goblin on the Chrysler Building, playing a piano, where he revealed he knew Spider-Man's identity as Peter Parker after noticing Parker took all pictures of Spider-Man for the Daily Bugle. He also revealed Mary Jane was on a rope 1000 feet above ground, which was about to snap and kill her. Spider-Man fought the Green Goblin throughout the city. When the Green Goblin returned to the piano, Spider-Man webbed him to it in an attempt to save him from falling. The Goblin pushed the piano over, stuck to it, and dropped the ground, dying. Spider-Man saved Watson, who deduced that Parker was indeed Spider-Man. The two forged a new life and future together as Parker swung off to aid someone as he heard a wailing siren.

### Spider-Verse

After defeating the Green Goblin, the Version 2.0 Peter Parker fought alongside other multiverse variants of Spider-Man to fight the Inheritors, a family traveling the multiverse to kill ever version of a person with spider powers.

## Powers and abilities

Parker has the ability to shoot webs out of his wrists. He can cling to walls. Additionally, he has enhanced strength and speed.

## Trivia

-The Spider-Man costume has more blue on it and a more detailed spider on the chest when compared to the classic suit. This is because Arachne created the suit for him, as opposed to the comics where Parker himself makes the suit.

-Parker's arc is more similar to that of the movies *Spider-Man (2002)* and *Spider-Man 2 (2004)*, in that Parker meets a scientist who he looks up that later becomes a villain in an experiment that kills his wife, pursues Mary Jane Watson, who in this version is a neighbor Parker has loved since childhood, fights bullies with his newfound powers, takes the name of the "Human Spider" to win a wrestling match with Bonesaw McGraw to win money to buy a car that will impress Watson, gives up being Spider-Man, leading to Jameson obtaining his suit and in the original version of the show, temporarily loses his powers.

-In the show, Parker has the ability to shoot webs out of his wrists. This ability differs from most versions of the character, where he needs a device to shoot webs. The change was mostly inspired by the original *Spider-Man* movie trilogy, where Parker can produce webbing organically.

-Parker does not sing any songs while he is in his Spider-Man costume.

-The second version of *Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark* is one of the few pieces of Spider-Man media where Parker is not responsible for the murder of his Uncle Ben.

-Actor Jim Sturgess was director Julie Taymor's original choice to play the role of Peter Parker. Sturgess was one of the leads in Taymor's movie, *Across The Universe (2007)*. Sturgess did a workshop reading for the play in 2008, but ultimately decided against playing the part. Taymor cast newcomer Reeve Carney in the part instead.