History Characters / SpiderManTheCharacter

* SamaritanSyndrome: Big time. After [[DeathByOriginStory Uncle Ben]], Pete has taken much more responsibility for the safety of New York than a hero of his modest power set should have. Other heroes respect the hell out of him for it, but consider it unhealthy.

* PoweredArmour: Peter's worn several and built most of them himself: The Iron Spider, Big Time Stealth Suit, Big Time Spider-Armor, and Ends of the Earth Suits, to name a few.

* BenevolentBoss: He took over as CEO of Parker Industries, but his happy-go-lucky attitude ended up working against him..

* HeroesWantRedheads: Pete's love interests have varied quite a bit in hair color over the years, but the woman he eventually married and his most prominent love interest to date, was the redheaded Mary Jane. Until ''OneMoreDay'' that is... [[ShipTease Or maybe even beyond]].

* HeroWithBadPublicity: He saves countless people, the entire city, and even the entire universe many, many, many, times, but he will still not get the credit he deserves.

** Originally it was a choice between "mature" brunette secretary Betty Brant (athe Betty) and the more girlish, flighty blonde Liz Allen (Veronica).

** Peter (Archie) was caught in between Gwen Stacy (Betty) and Mary Jane Watson (Veronica).
** Later on, he is in a triangle with Mary Jane Watson (Betty) and Felicia Hardy (Veronica).

** BadassAdorable: Despite being incredibly agile and a super-powered daredevil, he's just so damn cute and fun when being in any situation with his life as a hero and a normal guy. The guy defines [[IncorruptiblePurePureness Moral Pureness]] for the entire Marvel community.
** BadassBookworm: Unanimously Marvel's definitive geek turned epic hero example. Also likely the most powerful street-level hero.

* BenevolentBoss: Now that he's [[spoiler:CEO of Parker Industries]].
* BettyAndVeronica: Peter (Archie) was caught in between Gwen Stacy (Betty) and Mary Jane Watson (Veronica).

* BoxingLessonsForSuperman: Peter spent a bit of time as a successful show-wrestler, learning how to fight using his powers and his webs before ever trying to fight crime.

* CloudCuckoolander: He's more than a little odd.

* ClothesMakeTheSuperman: Spider-Man's symbiote costume (and subsequently, Venom and the other symbiotes) were retconned to have enhanced his powers [[TheCorruption at a price]].

* CreepyGood: He was often seen as creepy by many fellow heroes in the Marvel Universe, even as recently as TheNineties, as seen when he and ComicBook/{{Nova}} fought the Tri-Sentinel. Also, while it isn't canon, WonderWoman mentioned he was creepy during his second CrossOver with Franchise/{{Superman}}. This is often due to Spidey's costume, his ability to cling to any surface, and his knack for [[StealthHiBye showing up out of the blue]], to say nothing of the fact that he is often a HeroWithBadPublicity.
** His above tendencies, coupled with a knack for often frightening contortions and a face concealing bug-eyed mask, were likely what ''led'' to his becoming a HeroWithBadPublicity, after which it just became a vicious cycle.

* DatingCatwoman: Literally, with the Black Cat becoming Spider-Man's girlfriend for a couple of years before he married Mary Jane.
** It was only a few years in real time, as Mary Jane was only out of Peter's life for a few months in Marvel continuity.
* DeaderThanDead: Not only is he killed once in Amazing ''Spider-Man #700'', but his spirit/ghost was also erased in ''Superior Spider-Man #9''. And then he returned thanks to Otto's desperate attempts to remember something that could help him prevent a crisis.

* DistaffCounterpart: At last count, Spider-Man has had no less than five of them, including [[ComicBook/SpiderGirl his own daughter]]. Unlike most versions, none of them had any major connections to Peter and stood on their own. In fact, in an odd inversion, when the second SpiderWoman was introduced in ''ComicBook/SecretWars'', the Marvel EIC at the time wanted him to have a black costume similar to hers. Thus, the black costume was made, leading to the creation of Venom years later.
* DorkKnight: Peter is socially awkward and quirky, but he's one of the best heroes in the Marvel Universe.
* DoomMagnet: Page quote AND picture.

* FriendToAllChildren: Spider-Man has to deal with a lot of crap from adults, but not kids. Kids love their Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

* FirstGirlWins: Averted. Spider-Man's earliest love interest Betty Brant DIDN'T become his long term love and the two characters have basically settled into being "best friends". Some try to use this fact in the "MJ vs. Gwen" debates to argue that Gwen was Peter's first "true" love or his "one" true love, but the books weren't as simple as that.

* [[TheGadfly The GadSpider]]: '''The''' Ultimate Superheroic Troll for {{Marvel}}, which is why his Marvel Team ups with Marvel's greatest characters are great and memorable. Peter basically pokes fun and teases his friends and foes for the [[AffectionateParody tongue in cheek]] obviousness we as fans would get.

* GuiltComplex: His guilty conscience make him his own worst enemy at times.
** [[spoiler:Otto says this is what separates him and Peter the most. Deep down, Peter knows he's better and smarter than other people, but it came at such a high cost that he willingly sabotages himself to ease the horrible guilt he feels.]]
* HappilyMarried: Well, he ''was'' (for about ''twenty years'' [[RealLife real-time]]) to Mary Jane Watson. But then JoeQuesada decided that made him feel too old and boring and retconned the marriage. The backlash of ending the marriage was so bad that even StanLee didn't fully agree with the new direction, and kept him married in the newspaper strip.

* HeroicHost: He was the first host of the ComicBook/{{Venom}} symbiote, until he found out what it was and rejected it out of fear and disgust. [[{{Yandere}} It]] still wants him, [[PuppeteerParasite one way]] or [[ToServeMan another]]...

* HesBack: Peter got his body back from Doc Ock in March 2014, just in time for the ''Amazing Spider-Man 2'' movie.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Harry Osborn and Johnny Storm. He also has signs of this with Daredevil.
** With [[ComicBook/{{Venom}} Flash Thompson]] too, surprisingly enough. [[NeverLiveItDown Everybody knows him]] as [[JerkJock the bully]] who picked on "Puny" Parker solely in his high school years and [[LovesMyAlterEgo ironically was Spidey's biggest fan]], [[CharacterDevelopment but after college and spending time in the military]], he met with Peter Parker and they're now the best of friends.

--> '''Chameleon''': Does Parker know anyone who ''isn't'' a stunningly beautiful woman?

* HurtingHero: Just exactly HOW many ribs has he had cracked? (70% or better caused by Venom — to the point it becomes a BrickJoke).

** The [[ComicBook/{{Venom}} Black Suit]] is his second-most iconic costume, which he still wears a synthetic replica whenever he gets pissed off.
* IdiotBall: Spider-Man is tossed one of these nearly any time he is taken by surprise by an attack, considering that his comic named the trope for [[SpiderSense the ability to sense when something potentially dangerous is about to happen]].
** It makes sense considering that the SpiderSense is not infallible. Pete has misinterpreted it at times and been too distracted or in too bad of a condition to pick up on it clearly at other times. It is danger precognition... not omniscience. At one point it was triggered by his own sneezing when he was suffering a truly awful cold.

* InSeriesNickname: "Spidey", "Webhead", "webslinger" or "wall-crawler", "Your Friendly Neighberhood SpiderMan" or any combination thereof.

* ImprobableWeaponUser[=/=]ImprovisedWeapon: He often has to get creative with his webbing in a fight.

** SuperLoser: Despite having super-powers, Peter often struggles to make ends meet.
** ThisLoserIsYou

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: While Peter's powers were initially stated to be derived from radioactive spider venom altering his DNA, Creator/JMichaelStraczynski posited that his powers - and those of the various other spider-related superheroes as well - stem from an arachnid-related supernatural force called the Web of Life and that that the spider that bit him was actually the avatar of a totemic spider deity. Araña's comic series and the ''Grim Hunt'' and ''ComicBook/SpiderIsland'' arcs support this supernatural origin story, but it is noted in ''The Other'' that the two origin stories aren't mutually exclusive.

** When Aunt May was shot by a sniper hired by the Kingpin after Peter had outed himself as Spider-Man during the Civil War, Peter put his black suit on and hunted Fisk down. After listening to Fisk mock him, Peter [[CurbStompBattle brutally beat him to a pulp]] and promised to come back and finish him off if his aunt died.

* ProWrestlingIsReal[=/=]ProWrestlingEpisode: When Spider-Man first got his powers, he entered a wrestling tournament and beat a wrestler by the name of Crusher Hogan. Interestingly enough, Crusher came back years later, publicly stated that wrestling was fake, and that he [[BlatantLies purposefully threw the fight to Spidey]].

* SecretIdentity: Spider-Man's identity was originally secret, before the Green Goblin found out. Since then, a handful of Spidey's RoguesGallery have found out that it was Peter Parker, Peter unmasked after proposing to Mary Jane, Aunt May walked in on an unconscious and bloody Peter in costume, and it gradually became an open secret amongst part of the superhero community. Then ComicBook/CivilWar came, and Spider-Man publically unmasked, before ''OneMoreDay'' erased the knowledge of Spider-Man's identity from everyone. Since then, none of his villains have found out his identity, but he has revealed it to the Fantastic Four and the Avengers.

* {{Sidekick}}: Subversion. Stan Lee never liked the idea of sidekicks, and decided to make a character who had all the makings of one, but was instead the hero. Given his popularity, this may explain why ''so many'' super heroes are now young adults.
* SignatureMove: Spidey has always liked to shoot a small patch of webbing at his foes eyes to blind them.

* SociallyAwkwardHero: TropeCodifier.
* SpiritAdvisor: An interesting example, to say the least. Though Otto didn't know he was there, Peter is keeping him from crossing the line.

* StarcrossedLovers: With Mary Jane.

* SuperpowerLottery: Given to him by [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane a radioactive spider-bite and/or a supernatural force with a spider fetish]].

*** SwissArmySuperpower: There is little he can't do with his webs. Possibly justified -- in real life, spiders do tend to be pretty brilliant with them.

** [[RequiredSecondaryPowers Superhuman Agility and Dexterity]]: Peter is roughly 40 times more agile and more than twice as flexible as a normal human.

* UpbringingMakesTheHero: Thanks to Uncle Ben and Aunt May.
** To drive the point home: in ''Bullet Points'', the very same upbringing sans Uncle Ben (and, therefore, without a fatherly figure) resulted in Peter being a total jerk instead.

* WorkingClassHero: In the original Creator/SteveDitko stories, Peter Parker was very much this. Later, he became less so, and now as the CEO as his own company, it's much less of a factor, though given the rising costs of living in New York it's probably less likely for Peter Parker to continue operating in New York believably as a low-wage earner than the 60s version of the character did.

** OOCISSeriousBusiness: If Spidey isn't snarking, [[OhCrap bad things are happening]] or [[BewareTheNiceOnes he's really, really pissed off]].

*** GreenLanternRing: There is little he can't do with his webs. Possibly justified -- in real life, spiders do tend to be pretty brilliant with them.

* HeroicSpirit: Spider-Man is capable of pushing himself far beyond his normal limits when he's motivated enough. Notably, his ''MarvelZombies'' incarnation was the only infected character who refused to accept his HorrorHunger, even when ''[[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica Colonel America]]'' had completely given in. It could be argued his greatest superpower isn't his strength, spider-sense, or agility, but that he simply will not stay down no matter how hard you try to break his spirit, mind and body. Peter Parker always gets back up one more time.

* RapeAsDrama: Was revealed to have happened to a young Peter in two comics in the 1980s, as was detailed in [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19799_5-creepy-superhero-origin-stories-movies-wisely-left-out.html this Cracked article]]. The first issue of ''Spider-Man and Power Pack'' revealed that Peter was abused as a child by a [[PaedoHunt pedophile]] named Skip whom he had befriended. Peter eventually told Uncle Ben and Aunt May what had happened, so although the comic didn't mention it, they most likely put a stop to it. Peter [[ItsAllMyFault blamed himself]] for it for years and remained haunted by what happened, until he helped a boy named Tony in a similar situation and in doing so finally realized that what had happened to him wasn't his fault. Peter being molested by Skip was referenced three years later in the first issue of ''Spider-Man: National Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse''. Given that it isn't ever mentioned again, it might not be canon anymore... or else Peter just doesn't like to mention it, or even [[InnerMonologue think]] about it, [[JustifiedTrope which would make sense]].

* TrashTalk: The king for Marvel U. {{Deadpool}} rivals him though.
** Deadpool has been described as a Spider-Man clone as a result of this.

* TakeUpMySword: This seems to be Spidey's thing concerning super hero teams. He joins the ComicBook/NewAvengers after this disastrous ''ComicBook/AvengersDisassembled'' storyline, he joins the Fantastic Four after [[spoiler:Johnny Storm was thought dead]] and he's set to join the Jean Grey School as one of Wolverine's last wishes.

* OneOfUs: He's a superpowered nerd. He even plays ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''. {{Invoked}}.

* AlmightyJanitor: He is a freelance photographer who constantly struggles to pay rent. He is also a superhero who regularly saves the city, and sometimes the whole world, from danger. In the 2010's, this gets subverted as Peter eventually becomes [[spoiler:CEO of Parker Industries.]]

* BackFromTheDead: Was killed by Morlun, but was reborn by embracing the supernatural side of his powers. [[spoiler:Lingers on in ''ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan'' as a spirit. Peter can exert enough control over Otto to keep him from killing a helpless foe with Otto none the wiser. Peter also vows to take control of his body back, but gets erased for good this time... at least until Otto's desperation to remember something of Peter's past brings him back. And now he's back for realsies.]]

* DeaderThanDead: Not only is he killed once in Amazing ''Spider-Man #700'', but his spirit/ghost was also erased in ''Superior Spider-Man #9''. [[spoiler:And then he returned thanks to Otto's desperate attempts to remember something that could help him prevent a crisis.]]

* GenreSavvy: His .M.O. for most of his quirky and comical scenes, defining him as the King of Deadpan Snarking. The 2000/2010s crop of Marvel writers often tend to use this as the reason why Spider-Man fits on the Avengers. He knows almost everyone in the superhuman community at this point, both heroes and villains, and is often the guy who sneaks off into the background to get the real work done while everyone else is involved in the big fight scene. Recent examples thereof involve his guest appearances in ''Avengers vs. X-Men'', ''Annihilators'', and ''Agents of ATLAS''.

* TheChosenOne: He has an odd tendency to discover there are ancient prophecies about him. He was, for instance, destined to stop the "Bend Sinister" (alongside Dr. Strange), and no less a pair of personages than Lord Chaos and Master Order claimed to have guided his life to defeat Thanos. The Uni Power chose him as its host to stop the Tri Sentinal, and he's also the one destined to train Hope Summers. Then there's the whole "totemic spider god" thing with Ezekiel, Ero, and Morlun...

* NextTierPowerUp: When he is infected by the Spider-Queen's venom in ''Disassembled'' he grows organic spinnerets, can talk to spiders, and his strength gets boosted to 15 tons. After becoming the receptacle of the Other in... ''The Other'', he develops night-vision and venomous [[WolverineClaws stingers in his forearms]], and his strength gets boosted a second time to 20 tons. He's reverted back to his original power set by Mephisto.

* OneWingedAngel: On at least four occasions, Peter has been transformed into an anthropomorphic spider-like monster called Man-Spider, and even completely into a giant spider.

* PoweredArmour: The Iron Spider, Big Time Stealth Suit, Big Time Spider-Armor, and Ends of the Earth Suit, to name a few.

* BewareTheQuietOnes: When Peter stops cracking jokes, he's seriously pissed off. Poked fun at in ''The Amazing Spider-Man Annual'', where D-list villainess Ruby Thursday remarks that as long as Spider-Man is cracking jokes the world is all right. Seconds later Spider-Man shows up and doesn't respond to their prompts, causing Thursday to mutter [[OhCrap Uh-oh.]] [[spoiler:He just had laryngitis.]]

* AlmightyJanitor: He is a freelance photographer who constantly struggles to pay rent. He is also a superhero who regularly saves the city, and sometimes in the whole world, from danger. In the 2010's, this gets subverted as Peter eventually becomes [[spoiler:CEO of Parker Industries.]]

* AlliterativeName: Peter Parker. Both his first and last name begin with the letter '''P'''.

** EmpoweredBadassNormal: He had no powers, strength or awesome abilities at first, until he got bit by a spider and became a crime ass kicking hero.