60 Years Later, Spider-Man Is Redefining His Most Important Quote

The quote that has defined Spider-Man since the very beginning is that with great power, there must also come a great responsibility. These words, originally spoken by the narrator at the end of Spider-Man’s introductory issue, encapsulate everything the character is about. He has the power to do great things, and so he has the responsibility to do as much good as he can, help whoever he can. Now, over sixty years after Amazing Fantasy #15, those words are guiding Peter Parker and Norman Osborn on their quests to be better Spider-Men.

Peter is on a quest in the stars to attain a new level of strength, while Norman is picking up the broken pieces of his life to emulate the hero he hated for so long. Both are learning to embody the essential quote, but also elevate it to fit their own character in their unique ways.

Increasing Power to Match Responsibility

Ever since he realized that he could have prevented Uncle Ben’s death, Peter has lived up to the principles of this quote. Over time, however, Spider-Man became far more important than he started out as. He became the shining beacon of what it means to be a hero in the Marvel Universe, someone everyone can look up to. His responsibilities increased with that notoriety, fighting bigger and bigger threats not just to New York, but to the entire multiverse. His foes have gotten much stronger and his responsibilities much bigger, but he hasn’t gotten nearly strong enough to match. That is, until now.

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Joe Kelly’s run on The Amazing Spider-Man has focused on Peter needing to get stronger after a brutal defeat by Hellgate. The Amazing Spider-Man #13 has shown how Peter is achieving this new power. After being rescued by the insane alien biologist Xento, Peter turned the man’s ship of captives into his own Guardians of the Galaxy-style team, taking everyone wherever their home is, as well as using a special suit crafted from a dead technarch. Peter is also still training with the imprisoned Xento, needing to be better.

Norman Osborn, on the other hand, is trying to take on the responsibilities of being Spider-Man. He refused to let Peter’s legacy disappear like he did, so he put on the suit to continue doing good in the world in Peter’s name. Norman is fighting his own inner demons as he does, constantly trying to be the type of man he has to be but isn’t at all. He gets into a fight with the other Spider-people of New York, but manages to stop himself and apologize. He’s trying to be a better man.

Peter has more responsibilities than ever, and so he’s trying to gain more power to match. Norman has always had more power than he’s ever needed, and now he’s taking Peter’s lesson to heart to use it responsibly. Both of them are showcasing the best parts of what the classic quote means from opposite but equally important angles. It’s elevating a great quote into a masterclass of character development, and I can’t wait to see what happens next with this.

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