5 Ways Spider-Man Is the Ultimate Comics Vigilante, Even the MCU Hasn’t Shown His Full Potential

Marvel Comics made a huge splash in the ’60s, but Spider-Man is the one who was able to bring them to the next level. At their distinguished competition, a character like Spidey would be a sidekick, but Stan Lee and Steve Ditko decided to make him the star of his own book, making him like the readers. This worked like gangbusters and it led to the Wall-Crawler becoming one of the most popular superheroes ever. He faces off against the most dangerous villains you can imagine and is always there to protect civilians. He learned the hard way that with great power comes great responsibility and has devoted himself to being the friendly neighborhood vigilante of New York City.

When you think of vigilantes, you think of someone like Batman or, in the Marvel Universe, Daredevil. However, you should think of Spider-Man. An argument can be made that he’s less a vigilante and more of a superhero, thanks to his powers, but he’s more than proven his worth as a protector of the innocent, patrolling the streets to make sure they’re safe for everyone. In fact, I would go so far as to say that he’s the ultimate vigilante. Here’s five reasons why Spider-Man is the greatest vigilante of them all, with the comics doing a better job than the MCU at proving this.

5) His Sense of Humor Is a Sign of His Dedication

Spider-Man is Marvel’s most relatable hero and his sense of humor is a perfect example of why. Peter Parker is constantly making jokes and has become known for his quips. Some heroes find his mile-a-minute delivery a bit annoying, but his humor is an important part of showing just how dedicated he is to being a vigilante. People who joke a lot are often using humor to deal with their anxiety and that’s Parker in a nutshell. He’s constantly worrying, whether it be about his aunt or his financial situation or whatever supervillain is within his sight, and this is intensified when he’s got the costume on. He’s constantly trying to figure out how to save the day and this leads to him joking the whole time in order to mitigate his fears. He can seem less severe than someone like Daredevil, or even Luke Cage, but his sense of humor shows just how serious he is about being Spider-Man.

4) He Never Gives Up

Spider-Man faces the most dangerous villains in New York City, giving his all to save the day. Nowadays, we get a lot of talk about how much Spidey “holds back” (I’m sure everyone has seen the “Holdsback-Man” memes), but when it comes right down to it, he’s not exactly the most powerful. However, his lack of strength has never held him back. It doesn’t matter who or what is in front of him – the Wall-Crawler never gives up. He throws himself into every situation with seeming reckless abandon and it doesn’t matter how hard he’s beaten or how weak he is; he’s not stopping. Over the years, there have been numerous stories where Spidey, basically half-dead, keeps going far beyond when it would have been prudent to give up (my favorite is from Avengers vs. X-Men #9, where he uses the fact that he can take a beating to turn Magik and Colossus against each other). His tenacity is one of his strongest attributes and he’s more than earned the respect of some of the greatest superheroes out there.

3) His Sense of Responsibility

Spider-Man has one of Marvel’s best superhero origins. We all know the story by now – Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider, gains superpowers, and decides to use them to aggrandize himself. He neglects stopping a thief when the wrestling show he worked was robbed and pays the ultimate price for it, as his beloved uncle is killed by the same crook. Once he discovered this, Peter realized that the more you have, the more responsible you have to be, something Uncle Ben had been trying to teach him. Spidey learned the hard way about being responsible and has never forgotten it. This sense of responsibility is what makes him the best vigilante; he’ll never stop going out and fighting for the innocent. His powers allow him to do more than others and he believes with all of his heart that it’s his obligation to use them to help others.

2) He’s Completely Fearless

The Hulk is the strongest one there is, which might seem like a weird way thing to talk about in a Spidey list. Spider-Man and the Hulk aren’t the kind of rivals as the Thing and the Jade Giant or Wolverine and the Green Goliath, but every time Marvel’s most momentous monster makes his way to New York City, Spidey jumps right into the fight with a person who could squash him like a big. This is Spider-Man’s MO in a nutshell. He has no fear whatsoever. This is someone who would see someone like Venom or Carnage or the Lizard and jumps right into the fight. It doesn’t matter who is front of him; if people are endangered, the Wall-Crawler is in the fight to the very end. There are times when he knows that he’s walking in to almost certain death but does it without hesitation. There is no fear in him and he’s proving it every time he puts on his costume and wades into battle.

1) He’s Faced the Strangest Situations and Always Wins

Being a vigilante in a superhero universe is one of the most difficult jobs you can imagine. Sure, it might seem straightforward – find a criminal, punch them until they fall down, tie them up – but that’s before you get to the chaotic element of the supervillain. Villains brings a certain je ne sais quos to the life of a vigilante, especially the ones that Spidey faces. He has gone up against every kind of gimmick villain you can imagine, being thrown into situations that boggle the mind. However, it doesn’t matter what’s thrown at him, he wins. He can figure his way out of just about anything you can imagine, using his powers and intellect to deal with every situation. It doesn’t matter if it’s a bank robbery or if the Lizard has decided to try and transform everyone into a reptile so he won’t be alone anymore, Spidey is going to win. He’ll always figure out a way to save the day, which is crucial to being a vigilante.

Why do you think Spider-Man is the best vigilante? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!

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