When you think of superheroes, odds are one of the first ones to come to your mind is Spiderman. He is wildly popular among all age groups, comic book fans of various. He has been the star of five separate movies and is set to appear in three more in the future. But why is a character who got his super powers from the bite of a radioactive spider so incredibly popular?
Well one way you could find that if is if you went into what is actually on the pages of the comic book. In any iteration of his character his costume is bright and catches the eye of the viewer, his powers are wild enough that he is incredibly unique but they aren’t so otherworldly that they are plausible. One of the major reasons Spiderman translates well off the pages of the comic books is because of his villain gallery. There are so many classic villains that have become iconic because they have come in opposition to Spiderman. Green Goblin, Doc Ock, Venom, Sandman, Electro, the list can go on and on. They all have helped to catapult Spiderman into the public eye. However, despite all these reasons, they are not the reason a character created in the sixties has become the most popular superhero of all time.
Peter Parker is the sole reason why Spiderman is so incredibly popular. He is just your normal high school kid who just wants to fit in. He is geeky, just trying to fit in and has a multitude of plagues in his life that every person has to go through at some point. Acne, girl problems, home and family issues, just to name a few. People who read or watch Peter Parker have gone through the same or similar things at any given point in their lives. Just this human aspect to him alone, causes him to be a fully fleshed out character that wouldn’t seem out of place as a actual human being in the real world.
All of his character and personality is already enthralled without any superpowers added. But to quote one of the most quotable lines of any movie ever, “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility”. With the acquisition of Peter Parker’s powers, and the death of Uncle Ben, Peter Parker then was compelled to use his powers to help out the people of New York. He assumed the mantle of responsibility that he was granted with, and stepped up to the challenge of being the quick witted, web-slinging superhero from Queens that the public knows and loves to this day. Everyone wants to believe that if a major problem or issue was to arise, that they would be able to step up and answer the call, in the same way the Peter Parker/Spiderman did in his life.
You would be hard pressed to find someone that outright doesn’t like Spiderman. He is witty, quirky, open, and kind-hearted. Spiderman is a constant good time, and easily one of my favorite superheroes in the entire world.