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Spider-Man
was first introduced in the comic Amazing Fantasy #15 (August
1962).
Peter Parker, a Senior at Midtown High School, receives his
powers when bitten by a
radioactive spider in a science demonstration. This bite endowed
him with the proportional
strengthand agility of a spider along with a keen "spider
sense". After discovering these powers Peterhires an agent
and tries to make some money in television. One not a he had
the chance to catch a burglar fleeing from the T.V. studio,
but he refused because he didn't
think he should try and be a hero. A few days later the aforementioned
burglar killed his
Uncle Ben. That night, as Spider-Man, Peter apprehends the murderer
of his beloved uncle
but is plagued with guilt, thinking that if he would have stopped
the burglar when he first saw
him his Uncle Ben would still be alive.
During
his time of turmoil Peter remembers something Uncle Ben once
told him,
"With great power, come great responsibilities." Peter
took this to heart and decided he
should
use his extraordinary powers for good instead for selfish reasons.
Hence the ongoing
theme of our favorite Spidey stories, a regular guy with amazing
powers and enormous
responsibilities.
Real
name: Peter Parker
Occupation: Adventurer,
freelance photographer, high-school teacher
Group affiliation: None,
formerly a reserve Avenger
Base of operations: New
York City area
First appearance: Amazing
Fantasy #15 (1962)
Height:
5'10"
Weight: 165 lbs.
Eye color: Hazel
Hair color: Brown
Powers:
Spider-Man possesses superhuman strength, reflexes and equilibrium;
the ability
to cling to most surfaces; and a sixth sense that warns him
of impending danger.
Weapons:
Spider-Man's wrist-mounted web-shooters discharge thin strands
of web-fluid at
high pressure. On contact with air, the long-chain polymer knits
and forms an extremely
tough, flexible fiber with extraordinary adhesive qualities.
History:
Orphaned when his parents were killed in a plane crash, Peter
Parker went to live
with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Although extremely bright,
his shyness and studious
nature often caused him to be branded a social outcast. Ironically,
just such a scholastic
pursuit made possible Peter's transformation into a wall-crawling,
web-slinging extrovert.
During a public exhibition on radiation, an irradiated arachnid
fell on his hand, bit him and
died. Peter left the demonstration in pain; soon he began to
manifest strange, spider-like
abilities. Rather than put his talents to just use, the teenager
followed a path dictated by
his late 20th-century upbringing: He created a costume and capitalized
on his newfound
powers to pursue TV stardom as the Amazing Spider-Man.
Leaving
the TV studio after a taping, Peter chose to mind his own business
when he
encountered a burglar fleeing the scene of a robbery. Though
he could have stopped the
man easily enough, Peter allowed him to pass -- arrogantly believing
that it was not his
responsibility to chase criminals. He returned home only to
discover that an intruder had
murdered his uncle. Learning that police had cornered the hoodlum
in a nearby warehouse,
Peter donned his Spider-Man costume and rushed off to seek vengeance.
Employing his
amazing abilities to capture the burglar, he realized that it
was the thug he had allowed to
escape at the studio. Filled with remorse, Peter finally understood
that with great power,
there must also come great responsibility -- and he vowed never
to shirk his responsibilities\
again.
Ben
Parker's death left Peter and Aunt May without a regular source
of income, save Social
Security. Peter attempted to pursue a career in show business,
but was unable to do so
because of a smear campaign mounted against Spider-Man by J.
Jonah Jameson, influential
publisher of the Daily Bugle newspaper.
Making
good on his vow, Peter began to use his powers to fight crime.
Meanwhile, he would
earn a living selling photographs of Spider-Man in action to
the Bugle. Jameson's attempts
to influence the public's perception of Spider-Man have waned
due to positive word-of-mouth
support for the wall-crawler's activities. Although he remains
a controversial figure, Spidey
has faced and thwarted a vast number of costumed criminals in
the New York City area --
including the Kingpin, the Vulture, Electro, the Sandman, Mysterio,
Dr. Octopus, the Green
Goblin, Kraven the Hunter, the Scorpion, the Rhino, Venom and
Carnage.
Peter's
costumed career has had its share of ups and downs. His first
love, Gwen Stacy,
died during a battle between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin.
Peter has lost other friends,
as well -- including Harry Osborn, son and successor of Norman
Osborn, the original Green
Goblin; and police Captain George Stacy, Gwen's father. Peter's
marriage to Mary Jane
Watson often was troubled by his crimefighting actives, and
the two have separated. But
through all his trials, he has remained steadfast in his determination
to use his powers for
the benefit of all.
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