The Marvel Universe Doesn’t Need Peter Parker Anymore

Amazing Spider-Man 600 art

I’ve been a fan of Spider-Man for most of my life, and for the vast majority of that time, the stories I’ve read, played, and watched in the Spider-Man mythos have been of Peter Parker. Pete’s Spidey has been a constant in the Marvel universe since his introduction in 1962. Buckle up, though, because I’m about to drop a pretty spicy take: I think Marvel should get rid of Peter Parker.

I know, I know. Peter Parker has been Spider-Man for over 60 years, he’s one of the most popular comics characters ever created. I’m not trying to deny that, I think Parker has mostly stuck around for a reason, and he’s put smiles on faces for decades. But I pose this question to you: is Peter Parker popular because he's Spider-Man, or is Spider-Man popular because he's Peter Parker?

We all know Peter Parker’s story. His parents passed away and he went to live with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben, and then Uncle Ben died. Pete got bitten by a radioactive spider, got spider powers, and the rest is history. He fights against the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus, gets taken over by the Venom symbiote, gets together with Mary Jane Watson/Gwen Stacy/Black Cat, and tries to avoid getting caught by his boss at the Daily Bugle while snapping pics of Spider-Man.

We’ve seen all of these stories dozens of times across dozens of movies, TV series, comics, and video games. There have been some variations, we’ve seen Peter Parkers from different universes, each with their own little twists on the story, but it’s still the same stories, told again and again.

In recent years, the tide has started to shift. Other Spider-People like Miles Morales and Spider-Gwen have been getting more and more attention, and new Peter Parker stories don’t get much buzz unless they do something actually new and different. The recently launched Ultimate Spider-Man is one of these stories, showing an older Peter Parker getting his powers for the first time, while his Uncle Ben is still very much alive. It’s an interesting twist, and the friendship between Uncle Ben and J. Jonah Jameson is a nice touch… but it’s still a twist on the same Peter Parker story we’ve seen a million times.

Miles Morales is a far more compelling character to focus on, and Marvel knows that. That’s why he’s been the star of two very well-received movies and two very well-received games. It’s why he’s been at the forefront of Spider-Person stories in the comics for the past few years.

Spider-Gwen is also a hot property right now. She’s also in those movies as the leading woman, and while she’s not in a game yet, she is wildly popular in comics and merchandise. Her next three stories in the Marvel universe are already planned out and announced, which is more than we can say for Peter Parker.

Even smaller characters in the greater Spider-Verse are big hits with fans. Hobie Brown – the Spider-Punk – was a massive breakout hit following Across the Spider-Verse, and Pavitr Prabhakar was similarly praised. And that’s to say nothing of the relentless thirsty posting for Miguel O’Hara. There’s a huge appetite for Spider-Folk other than Peter Parker among fans, so why is Marvel still clinging to the character? Tradition? Fear of upsetting the fanbase? None of those are good enough reasons, in my opinion.

So here’s my idea, and you can have this one for free, Marvel Comics: put Peter on ice for a few years. Maybe three years, maybe five, maybe even ten. Spend a bit of time exploring these other Spider-People, telling their stories, messing things up and fixing them again. Don’t keep Peter Parker around as a safety net — take a leap of faith and commit to the characters fans desperately want to see more of without giving yourself an out if something doesn’t land.

And eventually, when enough time has passed, you can bring Peter back. Have a big triumphant return, hype it up as the biggest event of the century. Make a truckload of cash on the return of the original Spider-Man, if that’s how you need to do it, or spend a bit of time reinventing and coming at the character with a new angle. But there’s a whole Spider-Verse of characters waiting in the webs, screaming out for their stories to be told without the shadow of 60 years of legacy looming over.

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