History Characters / MarvelComicsPeterParker

* BeingGoodSucks: Also the Marvel TropeCodifier for this, as no matter how much good he does, many people are freaked out by him and his loved ones tend to leave him in some manner.

* EvenTheLovingHeroHasHatedOnes: Peter's friendly and mostly laid-back nature means that he doesn't really hold animosities towards others, up to and including [[AxCrazy Carnage]], who he simply sees as a major threat to take down. However, Peter has two individuals he utterly despises; Norman Osborn for killing Gwen Stacy, manipulating and tormenting him during the Clone Saga, and generally making attempts to ruin Peter's life for the hell of it, Venom for trying to kill him and Peter blames himself for being the cause of all symbiote problems on Earth due to being the Venom symbiote's original host (none of it which is true) and Carl King, who was Peter's biggest bully in school and reveled in antagonizing him even before Carl became the supervillain known as The Thousand. The latter is notable in that not only does Peter really bother to act snarky, but he bluntly calls out on how ''pathetic'' Carl is, back in the past and in the present. Peter would eventually forgive Venom but it took Flash calling his behavior out multiple times, Venom saving MJ and helping out with the Red Goblin before Peter would finally let go of his grudge.

** Part of this could be from his rough start as a hero, having been rather arrogant and antisocial, to the extent of actually fighting the Fantastic Four in their first meeting. While he has matured since then, Peter's still overall a solo hero with MotorMouth tendencies, which can annoy some of his allies at times. That said, it's not clear why exactly he is so distrusted, since Spider-Man has already proven a worthy hero several times over. In fact, several other spider themed heroes seem to have a better reputation than him, with Miles getting along with more heroes far more easily.

* FutureBadass: Several different future continuities show Spider-Man being remembered as a great hero. Which is strange, considering how the [[UngratefulBastard general public]] usually outright refuses to acknowledge his heroics.

** This has slightly dialed down in recent years, [[spoiler:especially since JJJ has dropped his vendetta against Spidey and become a supporter]]. The average New Yorker is as likely to acknowledge Spidey as a hero as they are to think of him as a menace. Even prior to his CharacterDevelopment, JJJ has admitted, at times and usually under extreme duress, that Spider-Man is at least trying to do good.

** At times, the opposite is true, with Pete easily lifting objects several times heavier than ten tons, even flipping a train car over with one finger. In fact, he has also overpowered foes that belong in the heavy-weight class for superhumans.

* StarcrossedLovers: He and Mary Jane Watson were forced into this by ComicBook/OneMoreDay. No matter how many times they affirm their love for each other, the universe will prevent them from fully rekindling their romantic relationship.

*** Considering how this all stemmed from Ock 'subletting'' his mind though, Peter really is too hard on himself. In fact, using someone's work as basis for a research paper technically isn't plagiarism, since it's just... well, simple basis. Many scientists are well known for using other researcher's findings in their studies after all, especially in the Marvel universe. If anything, it's jarring to see Peter be demonetized so quickly for this, when others like Conners and Fisk are publicly known to have done far worse as villains but are allowed to continue working as a college professor and mayor of New York.

*** Considering how this all stemmed from Ock 'subletting'' his mind though, Peter really is too hard on himself. In fact, using someone's work as basis for a research paper technically isn't plagiarism, since it's just... well, simple basis. Many scientists are well known for using other researcher's findings in their studies after all, especially in the Marvel universe.

* AccidentalMurder: He killed Wolverine's girlfriend Charlie unintentionally, trying to stop Wolverine from performing a MercyKill on her.

* AesopAmnesia: He's repeatedly tried to ditch super heroics to be a normal guy with a normal family, only to have it drilled into him again that "[[ComesGreatResponsibility with great power equals great responsibility]]". Retcons also cause several of his other life lessons to be forgotten when the plot calls for it.

** This is reinforced when Doc Ock takes over his body as the [[ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan2013 Superior Spider-Man]]. During a fight with the Scorpion, Ock-Spidey punches Scorpion's jaw clean off, and Otto realizes that Spidey has been pulling his punches in every fight they've ever had.

** He is ultimately the most lovable human being in Marvel and is the prolific easy-going superhero. Throughout the entire Marvel community, he has teamed up and allied with almost every character based on his modesty, compassion, his sense of humor, and his devotion to being responsible. Plus, most stories about him when he's all grown up (considering even the main continuity Spidey, the oldest mainstream depiction, is still only about 24) depict him as "the greatest hero of all".

** Post-''ComicBook/OneMoreDay'', Peter and Mary Jane remained best friends throughout ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderManDanSlott'', albeit with the ship repeatedly being teased and sunk. However, in ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderMan2018'', their lingering feelings for each other proved unignorable and they finally got back together, with recent issues hinting that their marriage may even be restored to continuity in the near future.

* ArbitraryScepticism: During the Spider Totem story arc, Ezekiel Sims tries to explain to Peter that the origin of his powers, the bite of a spider irradiated during an experiment, was not just an accident, but that a greater force personally chose him to be the next spider-man; Peter, however, refuses to believe it, even after Ezekiel reminds him that he has fought against and alongside gods, sorcerers, and cosmic entities.

* AscendedFanboy: In recent events, he's finally able to use his technical skills to make a living -- and a ''good'' one at that. Peter is now the CEO of his own company, Parker Industries -- employing most of his former colleagues from Horizon Labs -- and gets paid a very sizable salary to develop new technologies. When he started at Horizon, Aunt May recalls him asserting his dreams of working as a scientist to Ben [[MythologyGag as seen in one of the older comics.]]

* BeingGoodSucks: Also the Marvel TropeCodifier for this, as no matter how much good he does, many people are freaked out by him and he loses friends and love interests.

* BornUnlucky: Poor Peter tends to see himself as being very unlucky, so much so that he would complain that it's taken this long for him to be mentioned. He's even mumbled the page quote more than a few times. It should be noted his poor luck has been both PlayedForLaughs and [[PlayedForDrama done seriously]]. A good deal of the ol' Parker luck is self-inflicted due to his secret identity as Spider-Man, whose duties often interfere with his civilian life, and despite his bad luck he has a loving family, a circle of friends, and as a few supervillains have enviously noted, a love-life entirely filled with gorgeous women.

* CantCatchUp: Although it may seem incredible, when the character was originally created he was considered one of the physically strongest heroes, only surpassed in strength by a small number of heroes. But as other characters with super strength achieved more exaggerated feats such as lifting thousands of tons or even mountains, Spider-Man stopped being so special in terms of physical strength, being demoted to being a Mid Tier.

** After OMD, Peter's made into a StaticCharacter, {{flanderiz|ation}}ed from different eras of his high school, college and grad school periods. His new characterization is as a funny, unlucky ButtMonkey, who easily lets a little success to go to his head, is a bit of a ManChild. Once he and Mary Jane (now his long-time live-in girlfriend and ex rather than his wife) break up, he starts a new relationship with Carlie but refuses to tell her his secret once it gets serious because he wants to be liked as "plain ol' Pete" an entirely new wrinkle since in the classical era his biggest problem with relationships was precisely that his girlfriends (Betty and Gwen) hated Spider-Man. This ends up blowing on his face in ''ComicBook/SpiderIsland'' when she finds out and dumps him for lying to her (which MJ [[CassandraTruth warned him about before]]).

* CreateYourOwnVillain: Venom never would've existed if Peter didn't try to kill the Venom symbiote after finding out that it was alive and wanted to bond with him. Even after Venom's HeelFaceTurn, it took nigh-on thirty years for Eddie and Peter to fully bury the hatchet thanks to Peter holding a grudge.

* DarkAndTroubledPast: Besides losing his parents at a young age, canonically Peter was sexually abused as a child by his babysitter Steven "Skip" Westcott though this has never been acknowledged since it was introduced in a 1984 comic. Also no adaption of the character even alludes to this part of the comic version's history, meaning they [[AdaptationalAngstDowngrade lack this part of his backstory]].

* EvenTheLovingHeroHasHatedOnes: Peter's friendly and mostly laid-back nature means that he doesn't really hold animosities towards others, up to and including [[AxCrazy Carnage]], who he simply sees as a major threat to take down. However, Peter has three individuals he utterly despises; Norman Osborn for killing Gwen Stacy, manipulating and tormenting him during the Clone Saga, and generally making attempts to ruin Peter's life for the hell of it, Venom for trying to kill him and Peter blames himself for being the cause of all symbiote problems on Earth due to being the Venom symbiote's original host (none of it which is true) and Carl King, who was Peter's biggest bully in school and reveled in antagonizing him even before Carl became the supervillain known as The Thousand. The latter is notable in that not only does Peter really bother to act snarky, but he bluntly calls out on how ''pathetic'' Carl is, back in the past and in the present. Peter would eventually forgive Venom but it took Flash calling his behavior out multiple times, Venom saving MJ and helping out with the Red Goblin before Peter would finally let go of his grudge.

* TheFriendNobodyLikes: ZigZagged, since it's very much a case of DependingOnTheWriter. On the one hand, Peter is an experienced hero who has many allies in the superhero community who do respect him, most noticeably with the Fantastic Four and Daredevil. However, it's made very clear that the vast majority of heroes find him annoying ''at best'' or outright hate and distrust him at worst, one example being in ''ComicBook/SpiderManAndTheXMen'' where none of the X-Men seem to consider Peter a trustworthy individual (though granted recent events in the comics at the time could explain this situation). Part of this might be because for the majority of his career Peter has been a loner, having started out very arrogant and antisocial during the early comics which led to him actually fighting the Fantastic Four in their first meeting. While he has grown to be more of a team player and lost some of his rougher edges, he's still overall a solo hero whose MotorMouth tendencies can annoy his allies as well as his foes, so it's understandable why many don't like him when compared to other heroes, especially Miles who noticeably gets along with more heroes far more easily.

* FriendToAllChildren: Spider-Man has to deal with a lot of crap from adults, but not kids. Kids love their Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. He also finds himself serving as a mentor for inexperienced young superheroes, like Kamala Khan. He's also considered an honorary uncle of sorts by Franklin Richards, who considers him ''way cooler'' than his actual uncle, the Human Torch.

* FutureBadass: Several different future continuities show Spider-Man being remembered as a great hero.

** It's also mostly useless against those who can simply tear it off, a la Incredible Hulk and Hercules. Mister Hyde also attempted this, but it turns out his SuperToughness is not up to mark, resulting in him [[FacialHorror tearing the skin off his face]].

** In the mid-2000's he was revealed to be the avatar of a totemic spider-god, though he later lost his connection to it and the powers it bestowed, which was acquired by his antiheroic clone, Kaine.

** 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. That being said, he does have a number of fans (how often they show up depends on the writer, however), and most of the other heroes, at least nowadays, do show him considerable respect, enough that he was made an honorary member of the Fantastic Four and was offered a spot on two teams of the Avengers.
** This has dialed down in recent years since while JJJ continues to harbor an irrational (almost obsessive) hatred for Spider-Man, the average New Yorker is as likely to think of Spider-Man as a great, if not the greatest, hero as they are to think of him as a menace. Even JJJ has admitted, at times and usually under extreme duress, that Spider-Man is at least trying to do good.
** A villainous example also occurs with Thanos when Peter sees the Mad Titan decimating a superhero team and he responds by fleeing, too scared to fight. Although Peter would eventually come back to fight him alone, the damage to his reputation is done. As far as Thanos is concerned, Spider-Man is a DirtyCoward and not worth his attention.
** Deconstructed during ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderMan2018'', where J. Jonah Jameson points out that all Spider-Man had to do to clear this up was ''talk'', and that his constantly harassing JJ didn't help matters at all.

* HisOwnWorstEnemy: It's pretty much his central character flaw, as for all of Peter's intelligence and amazing powers he could never truly become greater for all of the constant mishaps that happen in his life, whether if it was out of his control or not. As Otto can attest in ''ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan2013'', it is that [[HiddenDepths Peter secretly acknowledges his superiority to other people]], but willingly sabotages himself to ease the horrible guilt he feels from the price that came with it.

* ICantSenseTheirPresence: One of the things that makes Venom such a threat is that he doesn't trigger Spider-Man's SpiderSense. The SpiderSense also can't detect the Spot's TeleportSpam or Spidey's clones.

* IronicNickname: Something that is lost on account of Spider-Man's fame, but Spider-Man's nickname as "the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" is a major one since before most people saw spiders as [[SpidersAreScary creepy house pests]]. Spiders aren't supposed to be part of a neighborhood and certainly not part of a friendly one, or be considered friendly themselves. Peter being your friendly neighborhood spider-man inverts that completely.

** His treatment of the Venom symbiote was rather unwarranted, at least before it was retconned.
** He has no kind words towards Deadpool either despite him wanting to be friends. They eventually develop into an OddFriendship even after finding out Deadpool was hired to assassinate Peter Parker and TookALevelInJerkass, but Deadpool's sacrifice to save his soul from being corrupted fully runs on it.

** Jameson was a jerk to both Peter and Spider-Man (and actually to most people), but he did like Peter more, and during ''Civil War'' proclaimed betrayal that someone who [[LikeASonToMe he saw as his own son]] had been essentially lying and undermining him all these years.
** Aunt May in the classical era loved Peter but hated Spider-Man albeit she mellowed down later, and in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #400, claimed to have been a SecretSecretKeeper for some time. When this was retconned it was back to the same old same old until JMS had her learn his secret leading her to overcome her suspicions over Spider-Man, making up for it (by cancelling her subscription to the Daily Bugle), becoming closer to Peter, and then when that was retconned, her Post-OMD version on the whole has no animus against Spider-Man's identity, and likewise, Spider-Man now has public favor anyway.

** His SpiderSense alerts him of danger, but it does not tell him ''why'' something is dangerous. Sometimes his foes have taken advantage of this by presenting an obvious danger so he does not notice a subtle one at the same time.
** His SpiderSense can also be rendered useless or even a drawback if faced with overwhelming danger from multiple sources. Iron Man also proved that if Peter can build a tracer that emits a signal detectable by his Spider-Sense, then others can build devices to trigger false positives in his Spider-Sense, rendering one of his greatest advantages useless.
** Peter was the main host to the Venom symbiote for a while before he got rid of it. The close connection meant that the symbiote has an understanding of every part of his physiology, including the Spider-Sense, and has adapted itself to not set it off. Venom is one of the few foes who Peter can't see coming.
** The sense isn't very specific, and can thus be fooled by misdirection. For instance, in one ComicBook/WhatIf story, the Punisher set a trap with a Dr. Octopus dummy and a bomb. Spidey assumed that his Spider-Sense was going off because he was about to tangle with Doc Ock and never realized the real threat until it was too late.
** It also isn't touched on much but his Spider-Sense only identifies immediate, direct, danger/potential danger to Peter. It won't warn him of things that might hinder him but otherwise don't pose a threat nor will it warn him when something is a potential threat until it's activated like a bomb that was not active when he entered a room but then suddenly turned on. He won't know he's in trouble until trouble is basically knocking on his door or about to put its foot up his ass.

* NotSoDifferentRemark: In regards to Alpha, MJ points out to Peter their similarities. Deep down, Peter knew that if it weren't for the tragedy of losing Uncle Ben, he'd probably be doing exactly the same things Alpha was doing then.

* OddFriendship: What he develops with Deadpool in the ''ComicBook/SpiderManDeadpool'' run, and he's finding out he doesn't hate him that much.

* PalsWithJesus: So far, Peter is the only character in the entire Marvel Multiverse to ever have The One Above All go after him to have a chat, a meaningful one; others looked for The One Above All and some talked to him, but Peter was the only one who was looked after by the man himself; in all, Peter seems to have a tendency to intrigue multiverse beings, good and bad, to sometimes take their precious time to talk with him.

* SaveTheJerk: Spider-Man has often found himself coming to J. Jonah Jameson's rescue due to the latter being a target of supervillains, [[CreateYourOwnVillain some of which were created by Jameson himself]]. Despite this, [[UngratefulBastard Jameson rarely, if ever thanks the Wall-Crawler]] and is more likely to continue his crusade against the hero than admit he is wrong about Spider-Man. Spidey has saved Jonah's behind so many times - with absolutely no gratitude from Jonah after all of it - you have to wonder why he bothers.

* ShipTease: Both this and ShipSinking. Ever since ''ComicBook/OneMoreDay'', the writers have been mercilessly teasing the possibility of Peter and MJ getting back together... only to sink the hell out of that ship and make it float again. Lather, rinse, repeat. Both in and out of universe. Notable examples are the build-up to ''ComicBook/OneMomentInTime'', the ending of ''ComicBook/SpiderIsland'' followed up by ''ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan2013'', and again the build-up to ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderManRenewYourVows'' and the "Power Play" story arc. [[spoiler:The cycle was maintained for over a decade until it was finally broken by ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderMan2018''.]]

* StarcrossedLovers: He and Mary Jane Watson were forced into this by ComicBook/OneMoreDay.

* StrongAsTheyNeedToBe: Not as blatant as most examples, but Spider-Man's strength level tends to fluctuate as well. One comic might have him struggling to lift a car. Another might have him holding up part of the ''Daily Bugle'' [[http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11117/111171885/4095689-6498192420-Amazi.jpg flipping a train car over with one finger]], and [[http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/9/97334/2777205-spideyliftstrain15mmhi5.jpg tearing another train car off the tracks with both arms to use as a weapon.]] It should be noted that this goes hand-in-hand with AfraidOfTheirOwnStrength above.

* AesopAmnesia: He's repeatedly tried to ditch super heroics to be a normal guy with a normal family, only to have it drilled into him again that "[[ComesGreatResponsibility with great power equals great responsibility]]".

** Peter originally was TheEveryman in the classical sense, in that he was flawed, a little quick to anger, and had a fixation on fame and celebrity, and said that he only cared about the people he loved (and who loved him back) such as Uncle Ben and Aunt May, while the rest as he says it in ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15, "can go hang for all I care". When his TragicMistake leads to the death of his beloved Uncle Ben precisely because of his selfishness, he slowly starts maturing into a more moral and selfless person, and someone who never ceases to help out even those he dislikes such as Flash Thompson (in the early issues).

** After he and Mary Jane become confidants and later get married, Peter now having someone with whom he could share his identity with, starts mellowing out and relaxing albeit his period of marriage also coincides with issues of a young struggling couple starting a two-income household where MJ earns more than him. The issues of being a superhero while having a wife and negotiating different responsibilities as an adult also makes Peter think more and more about his long-term future prospects then as a young man. During JMS' run, when Aunt May finds out that Peter is Spider-Man, and also becomes his confidant, Peter opens up even more, and this also makes him more trusting and open to joining teams and sharing his private life with other heroes (with Mary Jane citing how little a part she has in Spider-Man's life as opposed to Peter's which she as his wife has a right to share), leading him to join ''ComicBook/NewAvengers'', which ends tragically with ''ComicBook/{{Civil War|2006}}''.
** Originally, the symbiote did not boost Spidey's powers or turn him evil and he simply tried to kill the symbiote when he found out that it was alive and trying to bond with him. When later writers decided to use revist that era, they gave the previous story a quick {{Retcon}} based on the symbiote's portrayal in the 1994 animated series, (though instead of outright making Peter evil, it instead made him more agressive) giving Peter a better excuse. However, this later became DependingOnTheWriter where some writers would return to using the orginal depection of it not affecting his behavior but with addition of it boosting his powers.

** During ''ComicBook/{{Judgment Day|MarvelComics}}'', the Progenitor Celestial is outright ''[[WowingCthulhu amazed]]'' with how all-loving Peter is. With it alright calling it "beautiful" and even going as far as to momentarily bring back [[PetTheDog Gwen Stacy]] to see his heart open up even more.

[[Characters/MarvelComicsSpiders Other Spiders]] | [[Characters/SpiderManSupportingCharacters Spider-Man's Allies]]\\F

[[Characters/MarvelComicsSpiders Other Spiders]] | [[Characters/SpiderManSupportingCharacters Spider-Man's Allies]]\\

* StrongAndSkilled: He started out as UnskilledButStrong due to [[HowDoIShotWeb unfamiliarity with his powers]], but he eventually becomes the most proficient Spider-based hero due to his years worth of experience above his successors.

* BigBrotherMentor: Peter's never taken any long-term sidekicks, but if he runs into any new teen heroes, he usually ''tries'' [[http://atopfourthwall.tumblr.com/post/127479759428 to act like this.]]

* WillfullyWeak: Whenever he fights normal humans, he constantly holds back and pulls his punches to avoid accidentally killing someone. When Dr. Octopus, having [[GrandTheftMe stolen Peter's body]], punches the Scorpion in the face so hard that his jaw snaps clean off, he's absolutely ''shocked'' at just how powerful Spider-Man truly is.

* BreakingTheFourthWall: Not quite as much as [[Characters/MarvelComicsDeadpool Marvel's]] [[Characters/TheUnbeatableSquirrelGirl usual]] [[Characters/SheHulkTitleCharacter examples]], but [[http://segamarvel.deviantart.com/art/Bonified-4th-wall-breaker-419114915 occasionally]].

* JuxtaposedHalvesShot: During UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks, when Peter Parker's SpiderSense is triggered while he's in civvies, we often see his face half normal and half in his costume's mask.

* WideEyedIdealist: While he's got a very misplaced reputation for being whiny and angsty (coming from the second two Raimi films playing up his Woobie points and the nineties being, well, [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks the nineties]]), Peter Parker's main reason for being so popular isn't because of his powers, but because he'll always do the right thing, [[ThePollyanna no matter what the]] [[{{Determinator}} world throws at him.]]

* StockShonenHero: A [[OlderThanTheyThink precursor]] of sorts. He's a FunPersonified PrimaryColorChampion who's one of the most frequent mascots for the Franchise/MarvelUniverse and initially (and often) depicted as a KidHero. A key difference between Spidey and the typical Stock Shonen Hero is that he's [[GeniusBruiser very intelligent]], and his ineptitude instead comes from being a social outcast as a teen in many adaptations. Naturally, Spidey is one of the most popular Marvel heroes in Japan.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: One of his recurring pet peeves is people spelling "Spider-Man" as all one word or without the hyphen. Somehow he can even tell when people are ''saying'' it wrong, despite it being pronounced otherwise identically.

* TheFriendNobodyLikes: ZigZagged. On the one hand, Peter is an experienced hero who has many allies in the superhero community who do respect him, most noticeably with the Fantastic Four and Daredevil. However, it's made very clear that the vast majority of heroes find him annoying ''at best'' or outright hate and distrust him at worst, one example being in ''ComicBook/SpiderManAndTheXMen'' where none of the X-Men seem to consider Peter a trustworthy individual (though granted recent events in the comics at the time could explain this situation). Part of this might be because for the majority of his career Peter has been a loner, having started out very arrogant and antisocial during the early comics which led to him actually fighting the Fantastic Four in their first meeting. While he has grown to be more of a team player and lost some of his rougher edges, he's still overall a solo hero whose MotorMoth tendencies can annoy his allies as well as his foes, so it's understandable why many don't like him when compared to other heroes, especially Miles who noticeably gets along with more heroes far more easily.

** In the ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' series, everyone has an equal amount of punches and kicks due to there being buttons for both. Come the third installment, which decreased the buttons to three for general attacks, and he becomes a RareMaleExample for KickChick, using almost exclusively that.

* MoneyDearBoy: This is what Peter Parker first thought of using his spider-powers for before it resulted in Uncle Ben's death. Even then, the first issue of his regular series features him attempting to join the Fantastic Four because he thinks the members get paid.

* LightningBruiser: So far as street-level heroes go, Spider-Man is one of the fastest, strongest, and most durable -- to the point that he deliberately holds back against opponents to avoid killing them.