Character Analysis
Superheroes Still Have to Do Their Homework
Batman's face doesn't break out. Superman has never told Lois, "Sorry, can't hang tonight. Got a test on Beowulf to cram for." When's the last time you saw Iron Man's aunt ask him to pick up some cranberries for Thanksgiving dinner?
Spider-Man is different from most of his fellow superheroes because he's a teenager. He's also a nerdy social outcast. He's a weakling. He's the reverse of Superman. Superman pretends to be bumbling wimp Clark Kent. Peter Parker really is a wimp.
Then he gets bitten by a genetically engineered spider on a field trip. Like you do.
The thing is, the superpowers Peter gets from that spider bite can't make high school any less awful for him. If anything, they make it worse.
When Flash picks a fight with him, Peter trounces him. Here's this bully who picks on him constantly, and dates M.J. and treats her like garbage, and Peter uses his super strength and reflexes to humiliate him. That should feel awesome, right?
It does. For a second. Then one of Flash's buddies says this:
FLASH'S CRONY: Jesus, Parker, you are a freak.
M.J. shoots Peter a look that echoes that sentiment. Even with a buff new bod and superpowered fighting skills, Peter Parker is still a teenage weirdo.
Packing on the Moral Muscle
As Peter transforms into Spider-Man and becomes a superhero, he also becomes a man—and we're not just talking about the 35 pounds of muscle he suddenly wakes up with after that fateful visit to the Columbia University science department. After Uncle Ben's death, Peter takes his father figure's words to heart:
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. [...] Remember, with great power comes great responsibility.
This becomes Peter's motto as a superhero, words so important that he repeats them at the end of the film:
PETER (voice-over): Whatever life holds in store for me, I will never forget these words: "with great power comes great responsibility." This is my gift. My curse. Who am I? I'm Spider-Man.
While he was out there swinging across the New York City skyline and discovering how to make the most of his newfound abilities, Peter also found his moral compass. He wants to do right not just by his beloved Uncle Ben, about whose death he feels super-duper guilty, but by Aunt May and Mary Jane, too.
Our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Dude
For all his web shooters and moral fortitude, Peter is still relatable…even if you're not 17.
He's socially awkward. He's kind of bashful. He's in love with somebody who doesn't love him back (at least, not initially). His boss is a jerk. He's thoroughly average, and this endears him to viewers. Peter wants what we all want: to make rent, to get the girl or guy, and to take care of his friends and fam. That's what makes it extra satisfying when he succeeds. He's just like us.
When he tries out his spider skills, Peter gets to be totally free and totally himself—which is something we all want. Zipping from rooftop to rooftop, the pressure to fit in, the pressure to make Aunt May and Uncle Ben proud, and the pressure to be cool, calm, and collected around M.J. are gone.
Peter can just be Peter, and he hoots and hollers like a kid who has just been turned loose in a hot-fudge factory with a pocket full of ice cream.
Caught Between Two Worlds
Ultimately, though, Peter isn't one of us. Because of his duty to the people of New York, Spider-Man can never tell Mary Jane and Aunt May who he really is. Because he's the only one who can stop baddies like the Green Goblin, the ones he loves most will always be targets for his enemies.
Or, as Peter puts it:
PETER (voice-over): No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, the ones I love will always be the ones who pay.
When Peter refers to being Spidey as his curse, that's what he's talking about. Look at what happens as soon as Norman figures out that Peter is Spider-Man: Aunt May gets attacked that same evening. And when Harry tells his dad that Pete is in love with M.J., the poor girl gets kidnapped and held prisoner atop the Queensboro Bridge.
Peter's commitment to doing what's right for as many people as he possibly can means he can't have much of a personal life, and he definitely can't have a romantic life—at least, not if he doesn't want all of his dates to end up in hostage negotiations.
Having to keep his identity from people like J. Jonah Jameson? No sweat. Having to lie to Aunt May and Mary Jane? It's downright torture.
Case in point: at the end of the film, Peter finally gets the girl after a decade of secretly being in love with her. As Peter tells us at the very beginning of the film:
PETER: But let me assure you, this—like any story worth telling—is all about a girl. That girl. The girl next door. Mary Jane Watson. The woman I loved since before I even liked girls.
After Norman's funeral, Mary Jane finally—finally!—realizes that Peter is amazing and confesses that she's in love with him, too:
MARY JANE: There's only one man who's always been there for me, who makes me feel like I'm more than I ever thought I could be, that I'm just…me. And that's okay. The truth is, I love you. Oh, I love you so much, Peter.
This is where Peter grabs M.J.'s hand and they ride off into the sunset on twin unicorns as Aunt May, the ghost of Uncle Ben, and a chorus of woodland creatures throw glitter on them, right?
Wrong. Peter ultimately comes back with this:
PETER: I will always be your friend.
Wait, what?
Peter tells the audience that he wanted to tell M.J. he loves her back, but all he tells M.J. is that he'll always have her back…because he knows that the loved ones of Spider-Man are always in jeopardy.
Want another example of Spidey's world-straddling? Sure thing.
During Spider-Man's climactic fight with the Green Goblin, a pumpkin bomb explodes in Spider-Man's face, ripping a large chunk of his mask off and sending him flying through a brick wall and into a pile of rubble.
As the Green Goblin pummels him, half of Peter's face is visible…and half of it is concealed by the mask. We see both identities at the same time.
And the guy we're looking at? He's tired. He's bloody. His best friend's dad is trying to kill him and threatening to harm the love of his life. We can see the pain of having a secret, super heroic identity right there on Peter and Spider-Man's battered face—literally—and there aren't enough Band-Aids in the world to heal that hurt.
There is kicking the Green Goblin's butt, though. That seems to help a bit.
Peter/Spider-Man's Timeline