Spider-Man’s story has become cluttered with too many characters, straying from what makes him special and relatable.
The Spider-Verse concept has overwhelmed Spider-Man’s narrative, removing stakes and tension from his grounded stories.
Spider-Man comics need to refocus on the hero’s independence, avoiding unnecessary connections to the wider Marvel Universe.
Since debuting in the 1960s, Spider-Man has been one of Marvel Comics’ main heroes. Relatable, down to Earth, and more grounded than many of the mightier Marvel icons, his comics, movies, cartoons, and other iterations have continued to be major hits. Unfortunately, the source material has been in a major rut, and this would be helped by getting the character back to basics.
Spider-Man’s web has become far too tangled lately, with the character moving further and further away from what makes him special. Crowding New York City with an endless array of Spider-People, plopping the friendly neighborhood hero into continuous multiverse stories and eradicating his central thesis, recent Spider-Man comic books feature the story but said stories don’t fit Spider-Man. Add in a Marvel Universe that’s, strangely enough, too connected, and it feels like a lot of thematic rain is washing Spider-Man out.
The Spider-Man Family Is One of the Most Bloated In Comic Books
Spider-Man Family Members
Superhero Name
Real Name
Debut
Creators
(Ultimate) Spider-Man
Miles Morales
Ultimate Fallout #4
Brian Michael Bendis, Sara Pichelli
Ghost-Spider
Gwen Stacy
Edge of Spider-Verse #2
Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez
Spider-Woman
Jessica Drew
Marvel Spotlight #32
Archie Goodwin, Marie Severin
Chasm/Scarlet Spider/Spider-Man
Ben Reilly
The Amazing Spider-Man #149
Gerry Conway, Ross Andru
Spider-Girl
Aña “Anya” Sofia Corazón
Amazing Fantasy #1
Joe Quesada, Fiona Avery, Mark Brooks
Spider-Man India
Pavitr Prabhakar
Spider-Man: India #1
Jeevan J. Kang, Suresh Seetharaman, Sharad Devarajan
Spider-Man 2099
Miguel O’Hara
Spider-Man 2099 #1
Peter David, Rick Leonardi
Spider-Man Noir
Peter Parker
Spider-Man: Noir #1
David Hine, Fabrice Sapolsky, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Marko Djurdjević
Spider-Punk
Hobart Larry Brown
The Amazing Spider-Man #10
Dan Slott, Olivier Coipel
Spider-Boy
Bailey Briggs
Spider-Man #7
Dan Slott, Humberto Ramos
The battle between Peter Parker and Miles Morales is about to be shaken up with the addition of one of Marvel’s most underrated villains.
Initially, Spider-Man was supposed to be the anti-teenaged superhero, contrasting with classic DC Comics sidekicks like Robin. Spidey wasn’t anyone’s sidekick, and he constantly went solo, while every other Marvel hero had comparatively more help. While it’s logical that this would change as the hero aged and matured, it’s now gone too far in the opposite direction.
Things were strange enough in the 1990s when an infamous storyline called “The Clone Saga” muddled up the Parker family with clones and copies. A general consensus surrounding the eventual death of clone Ben Reilly was that fans wouldn’t support two similar Spider-Men running around, even if Ben reverted to the Scarlet Spider persona. That logic was arguable back then, especially given the success of fellow spinoff character (and former villain) Venom, the symbiote Lethal Protector.
Now, all caution has been thrown to the wind: not only is Ben alive again as the villainous Chasm, but there’s also Miles Morales/Spider-Man, Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman, Bailey Briggs/Spider-Boy, Anya Corazón/Spider-Girl Cindy Moon/Silk and Gwen Stacy/Ghost-Spider. The latter and Miles Morales were both in their own universes once, and many fans felt they should have stayed there. That’s without even getting into all manner of other alternate Spider-People, including Peter Parker/Spider-Man Noir, Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099, Hobie Brown/Spider-Punk, Pavitr Prabhakar/Spider-Man India and others. Not to mention the various symbiotes that, as far as fans are concerned, started with the iconic “black suit” in the Spider-Man mythos.
There are simply too many Spider-characters for there to even be petty crime in New York City, regardless of “Parker Luck” and other plot contrivances. While killing off the Spider-Man Family might be a bridge too far, it’s time for the various heroes and heroines to find their own corner of the Marvel Universe and stay there. While it might work to keep Spider-Man’s “lost” sidekick Spider-Boy in NYC near Peter, other Spider-heroes like Miles, Gwen, Cindy, and Jessica can and should move to other locations such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Newark, London, or any other major metropolitan city. Only then will Spider-Man himself not feel redundant, and these other heroes might be able to get out of his shadow and carve their own niche.
The Spider-Verse Concept Needs to Die
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It’s almost ridiculous that a character whose entire shtick has been to be more grounded than other Marvel heroes has now, in the modern day, been defined by the multiversal “Spider-Verse” concept. While this is fun for a story or two, the Spider-Verse has become far too overwhelming for Spider-Man.
It also raises the issue of the multiverse in fiction, as the idea removes stakes and tension. Suddenly, more relatable ideas, such as Peter’s relationships or financial troubles, play second fiddle to a world-threatening scope wildly out of proportion with what the character should be about. The irony is that the similar nature of Judas Traveller, the seeming antagonist of “The Clone Saga,” was once rightfully described by fans and writers as not fitting in a Spider-Man story.
Any stories involving time travel or going to other dimensions and alternate universes need to be relegated to the comic books of the Fantastic Four or the Avengers, where they belong. Once again, Spider-Man needs to have a foundational, status quo-establishing run, and it’s hard to do that in the modern day amid a miasma of messy multiversal stories with no real impact on anything going forward. It’s best to avoid these, even for crossovers and events, and keep things much more low-key. This way, those types of stories will have an actual impact when they happen. More importantly, Spider-Man can get back to the kinds of stories that made him popular when he debuted, which are similar to the current Ultimate Spider-Man comic books.
Spider-Man Has Power But No Responsibility In Modern Comics
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A major complaint about the infamous “One More Day” was that it robbed Spider-Man of his sense of selfless responsibility. He selfishly rewrote Marvel’s canon by choosing to give up his marriage with Mary Jane and bring his dying Aunt May back to life. This story is nearly two decades old, yet it still has yet to truly be touched upon in terms of its consequences. It’s one of the most egregious examples of the comics making Spidey/Peter Parker as infantile as possible instead of letting him grow up with the readers.
Thus, Uncle Ben’s famous quote involving great power and responsibility seems to have fallen on deaf ears. Many modern comic books since “One More Day” have doubled down on the idea of the character being a slacker and a slob, all to keep any positive momentum from happening. This can even be seen in his love life, which lacks stability or maturity. While most fans want him to return to the arms of Mary Jane Watson and have their former marriage and its continuity restored, this is more unlikely than ever.
Not only has there been a major passage of time since “One More Day,” but the new Ultimate Spider-Man books feature a Peter Parker who’s married to MJ and has two children with her. If nothing else, Peter needs to move on with his life and truly develop, as this would allow his stories to go back to their roots without feeling repetitive. It’s not that the exact same type of Spider-Man stories should be told, but that new ones should be written in the thematic vein of the past. All the while, the character stays familiar and lovable while changing his personal life. However, that will only be accomplished if he’s moved past the “manchild” stage that he’s been kept in for nearly 20 years.
Spider-Man Stories Should Return to Avoiding the Wider Marvel Universe
3:13
Spider-Man almost always comes out on top, though deadly villains like Jackal, Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus have each claimed their own victories.
Spider-Man has always been a part of the Marvel Universe, as shown by the first issue of his solo comic book. There, he tried to infiltrate the Fantastic Four’s headquarters in a misguided attempt to join their ranks. While these elements have always been a part of his history, the character works best when he’s more independent and alone.
Unsurprisingly, the 1970s, 1980s and even 1990s were ruled by the X-Men and Spider-Man, with both characters/franchises becoming stronger. On the other hand, the Avengers characters were commercially weakening, with many major heroes having one book (at most) while Spidey and the mutants boasted several. Their success made it clear that neither the web-slinger nor the X-Men “needed” the rest of the Marvel Universe, and this fact was arguably proven by the infamous “Heroes Reborn” event.
The wider Marvel Universe must be ignored to build up Spidey’s world again. If things feel too connected, the comics might face the same issues as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU version of Spider-Man, in particular, was seen as being far too reliant on Avengers characters, most of whom he’s historically been far more popular than. By ensuring that his stories, love interests, supporting cast members, and villains are all his own, writers can build a definitive status quo for Spider-Man for a new generation.
This will again require returning to the formula of the older comics, wherein Spider-Man wasn’t constantly intermingling with the Avengers’ business. Doing this can also help those other heroes’ properties, as they can develop without needing to be bolstered by the wall-crawler. It’s the best policy for the entire Marvel Universe, and it’s necessary to get Marvel’s main mask back on track.
