How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Spider-Man.
Quote #1
PETER: Some spiders change colors to blend into their environment. It's a defense mechanism.
HARRY: Peter, what makes you think I would want to know that?
PETER: Who wouldn't?
Peter and Harry spot Mary Jane.
HARRY: You gonna talk to her now?
PETER: Oh, no. Come on. You talk to her.
Getting bitten by a genetically engineered super spider gives Peter a host of superpowers, like web shooters and precognition, but one power Peter already had was his ability to blend in. As a social outcast who's secretly been in love with M.J. for more than a decade, the dude has compartmentalizing different aspects of his identity down cold.
Quote #2
UNCLE BEN: No, you're not supposed to run away, but—Pete, look. You're changing. I know; I went through exactly the same thing at your age.
PETER: No, not exactly.
UNCLE BEN: Peter, these are the years when a man changes into the man he's gonna 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.
Uncle Ben's advice game is strong here. Unfortunately, Peter's petulant teenager game is just as fierce. Ben is trying to tell him that the decisions we make shape our identities, but Peter is too angsty to really hear him—in this moment, at least. After Ben's death, his advice takes on a new significance for Pete.
Quote #3
RING ANNOUNCER: If he can withstand just three minutes in the cage with Bone Saw McGraw, the sum of $3,000 will be paid to—what's your name, kid?
PETER: The Human Spider.
RING ANNOUNCER: The Human Spider? That's it? That's the best you got?
PETER: Yeah.
RING ANNOUNCER: Oh, that sucks. The sum of $3,000 will be paid to the terrifying, the deadly, the amazing Spider-Man!
In addition to being a wink to the long-running Amazing Spider-Man comic, this exchange shows how Peter's identity as Spider-Man is still forming and how much he needs some guidance as it develops. We're with the ring announcer on this one. The Human Spider? For real?