When people think of Spider-Man they think of the very embodiment of what it means to be a hero. In universe, Peter Parker is regarded as one of the most important and influential figures to have ever lived in the superhero community. Other heroes are often in awe of who Spider-Man is and what he does, with Daredevil calling Spider-Man the best of them and Peter having been the fate-elected one to teach Hope Summers, the mutant messiah, what it means to be a hero.
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Heck, in the new Ultimate Universe Spider-Man was at the top of the list for heroes that absolutely cannot come back in his world. In Marvel, only Captain America can even come close to representing the ideals of heroism like Spider-Man does, which makes the fact that Peter used to be a massive jerk all the more important.
The first arc of volume 6 of The Amazing Spider-Man introduced Brian Nehring, a childhood friend of Peter’s that he grew apart from sometime before he became Spider-Man. They were a part of a friend group they called the Freaktastic Four, which was a group of outcasts who bonded over their shared young person angst. It’s well known that Peter had a hard time making friends when he was younger, and these buddies were there for him when he probably felt that nobody else was. However, they were definitely a bad influence on him.
There are only a few brief flashbacks in the first three issues, but in them we see Peter skipping class and getting into fights. Issue #3 showed Peter stealing Uncle Ben’s military jacket and the family getting into a fight, which ended in Peter running away from home to hang out with his friends. He very much acted like an immature jerk, not the hero we know Spider-Man is, and honestly, it was great.
Peter Parker Has Always Been Kind of a Jerk
Even ignoring this new history of Peter’s old friends, Peter Parker always had a chip on his shoulder, even from his earliest appearances. We all know the story of how Peter could have stopped the robber who would go on to kill his uncle, but chose not to because he couldn’t be bothered to do anything. What many do not realize about Peter is that his actions there were not an isolated incident. Peter Parker was always a massive nerd, and especially back in the 60s that was a social death sentence. Probably because of that, Peter was often at odds with his fellow classmates when in school. Flash Thompson is remembered for being Peter’s biggest bully, and for good reason, as he was.
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However, Peter was at least partly to blame for his own ostracization. There are times when his classmates would invite Peter to hang out with them, with popular girl Liz Allen even very clearly having a crush on the Wall-Crawler. Yet every time, Peter rejected their offers. This wasn’t just because he was busy being Spider-Man either. Peter always turned them away because he felt they weren’t worth his time. He was always the smartest person in the room by a very large margin, and with that he always saw himself as apart from others, maybe even above them a little.
Peter Parker was a young man who knew he was smart, but also had a very fragile ego, bad social skills, and a whole lot of guilt and responsibilities. Even early on in his career as a superhero Peter was very aggressive, especially with other heroes. He would get into fights with other heroes at the drop of a hat. His famous friendship with the Human Torch started as an intense rivalry, where Spider-Man attacked the Torch simply because he was jealous that Johnny had a girlfriend. Seriously, grab any random team up comic from early in Spider-Man’s career and he’s just as likely to be fighting a hero as he is a villain.
Peter Being a Jerk Actually Makes Him More Relatable
The important thing about Peter being a jerk when he was younger is that he’s not one today, not at all. Peter is one of the truest symbols of heroism today, always doing the right thing and trying to help everyone he can. He didn’t just transform from a douche to a hero overnight, either. We saw Peter grow over many years, both as a hero and as a person. Peter slowly learned lessons on how to interact with others and how they aren’t just two-bit characters, but real people who are going through their own troubles just like he is.
One of the major reasons that Spider-Man endures as a character is because he represents such a simple but important ideal; he has power, so it is his responsibility to use it for the sake of others. Peter learned that lesson with Uncle Ben’s death, but while he learned about his responsibility as a hero, he didn’t immediately learn about his responsibilities as a human being. Peter slowly learned that to be a true hero he didn’t just need action, he needed to be kind and understanding as well. He has the power of great empathy, and so it is his responsibility to empathize.
Spider-Man is a bit of an everyman hero, with the idea that anyone can be behind the mask. Anyone can learn Spider-Man’s lesson in helping others. The fact that Peter used to be a bit of a jerk makes that message hit even harder. He’s grown and changed, developed into a great person, but it wasn’t easy. It was a true journey for Peter, and it’s important to remember that. Peter wasn’t born a hero, he made himself into one through hard work and the guidance of the people close to him. Anyone can be an incredible hero, and Spider-Man’s development shows us that.
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