In current Spider-Man comics, Spider-Man is having adventures in deep space while Norman Osborn is Spider-Man on Earth. It’s a polarizing story that challenges fans’ enjoyment of the character. Miles Morales is more relevant as Spider-Man than Peter Parker to some demographics. I’m not talking about Tom Holland’s MCU Spider-Man either. Marvel Comics has been struggling to keep Peter Parker relevant with comic book fans.
Old school comic book fans and those who read comics might disagree. But if you peruse comic book social media forums, you will find comic book readers who have been complaining about the state of Spider-Man comics for years. Comic book fans can be fickle and toxic, but there is no denying that Marvel Comics has been struggling with Spider-Man for decades.
Here are eight reasons why Marvel Comics struggles to keep Peter Parker relevant.
1. The Old Parker Luck
One thing that keeps Marvel Comics struggling to keep Peter Parker relevant is “The Old Parker Luck.” Comic books have a status quo for their characters that must always revert back when a storyline or major event is over. Peter Parker is a poor, struggling, irresponsible student or teacher from Queens, juggling a double life as Spider-Man.
Also, while he can get a date, his life as Spider-Man prevents him from having quality relationships with women. While he is quippy and cracks jokes as Spider-Man, Parker is usually down on his luck. He is also known for alienating, angering, and estranging those close to him due to his alter ego, making him lonelier. This has been the status quo for Spider-Man since his debut in Amazing Fantasy #15 in 1962.
2. Parker’s Status Quo is Unrealistic
Peter Parker is a brilliant scientist, inventor, and tech expert. It is just unrealistic that Parker is always broke, struggling, and barely getting by in life. He has the scientific mind, work ethic, and talent to be a CEO or billionaire industry titan, like Tony Stark. Keeping Parker in a place where he is always poor and scrambling for resources is always old news, creatively.
In 2013, The Superior Spider-Man comic made its debut. Peter Parker became more savage as a vigilante, got rich, and was the CEO of his own tech company. However, it was not Peter Parker. After Parker temporarily died, Dr. Octopus took over his mind and body and became the Superior Spider-Man.
The best characterization of Peter Parker in decades, which got rid of the “Old Parker Luck” issues, was not even Parker himself!
3. Spider-Man is Always Holding Back His Strength
According to the official Marvel site, Spider-Man can lift 10 tons under optimal conditions. He can probably lift more under stress and when adrenaline kicks in. However, Spider-Man often pulls his punches and holds back his full strength when fighting crime. He has the proportional strength of a spider, but often never shows off his true strength unless battling stronger villains.
There are only so many stories Marvel can tell with Spider-Man as a strictly street-level superhero, stopping bank robbers. Marvel has had a hard time balancing Spider-Man’s street-level superheroics with more ambitious storytelling. Holding back Spider-Man’s true power all the time certainly doesn’t help.
4. Miles Morales is Spider-Man for a Whole New Generation
If you are a GenXer or an older Millennial, then Peter Parker is and always will be your Spider-Man. However, many modern comic book fans don’t read comic books. They tend to enjoy comic book films, cartoons, video games, and other adapted media. While they may be aware of Peter Parker, for many younger fans and gamers, Miles Morales is Spider-Man. Morales made his debut in Ultimate Fallout #4 in 2011.
Morales was Spider-Man in the Ultimate alternate universe. He has been of the 616 main Marvel Comics universe since the 2015 Secret Wars event. While no one contests that Peter Parker is the true Spider-Man, Morales is just as popular. Video game adaptations and the highly popular Sony Spider-Verse films have made Morales a household name.
Is it any wonder that Marvel Comics struggles to keep Peter Parker relevant? Even Peter Parker was essentially a minor supporting character in the Spider-Verse films.
5. Variant Characters Take Away Attention From Parker
It is not just Miles Morales that is the problem. Marvel Comics and Sony have an obsession with introducing multiple variants of Spider-Man and diluting the relevance of the original. Peter Porker, Spider-Man, made his comics debut back in 1983. Miguel O’Hara, Spider-Man 2099, made his comics debut back in 1992.
Since then, there have been countless Spider-Man variants introduced in the comic books and Sony animated films. This includes, but is not limited to, Spider-Noir, Spider-Punk, Peter Parker, a dinosaur Spider-Man, and so on. That is just a few, there are many, many more. How can Marvel Comics keep Peter Parker relevant when they keep introducing endless, interesting, and sometimes more compelling variants?
6. Marvel Does Not Know What to Do With Peter and Mary Jane
Peter Parker and Mary Jane got married in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21 back in 1987. All Marvel did was swap one status quo for another. Instead of Peter Parker being a hapless loner, he was now a down-on-his-luck husband. Mary Jane was a worried wife for a very long time. Marvel tried to retire Peter and Mary Jane permanently with the Spider-Clone Saga in 1994. The fan backlash brought them back.
The characters got stuck in a marriage rut narratively. So, the marriage was undone via a deal with the Devil in 2007’s “One More Day” storyline. It is one of the most polarizing and controversial storylines ever. Since then, Marvel has been keeping Peter and Mary Jane apart in the most uninteresting and odd ways. Mary Jane got a boyfriend and imaginary children for a while. She is now the host for Venom.
Mary Jane and Peter have been nothing but narrative chaos and confusion in the comics for years. That is no way to keep Parker relevant.
7. Marvel Knows What to do With The Variant Peter and Mary Jane
In 2024, Marvel Comics would launch Ultimate Spider-Man in a new update of the Ultimates Universe. A middle-aged Peter Parker and Mary Jane have children and live ordinary lives. Parker has never been Spider-Man in this world. However, recent events have changed that fact, and Parker is now Ultimate Spider-Man. While critics say the comic drags sometimes, fans love how Marvel found a way to make a Peter and Mary Jane marriage work in a Spider-Man comic.
This begs the question, why can Marvel make a variant of Peter Parker relevant and relatable to fans, but not the 616 version? This popular series proves Marvel can, but seems unwilling to do it.
8. Marvel Keeps Disappointing Fans – Spider-Man’s Current Cosmic Adventures
In the current Spider-Man comics, Peter Parker is humbled in battle by a new villain, Hellgate. So, Parker then travels into deep space to challenge himself, train, and better prepare for future threats. Peter believes he must train harder and face bigger threats before his next fight with Hellgate. Peter also gets a new variation of his iconic suit for the millionth time and some new powers.
Also, Peter is hanging with Rocket Raccoon and is now a member of a Guardians of the Galaxy-type team. Meanwhile, Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin, is the new Spider-Man for some reason. Osborn has betrayed and ruined Parker’s life too many times to count. So, it is ridiculous to see Osborn playing the hero when fans know the status will return sooner or later.
Is this story interesting? Besides pretending Osborn won’t revert to his crazy self, it is readable and interesting. It’s not bad. However, the last thing I, a devout Spider-Man fan, want to read is the cosmic adventures of a lost-in-space Peter Parker with depression and confidence issues. This does not feel like Spider-Man.
If you want to check out the current storyline, buy the latest issue of Amazing Spider-Man #15 for $4.99 on Amazon now. Judge it for yourself.
Spider-Man: The Complete Black Costume Saga Omnibus
Spider-Man: The Complete Black Costume Saga Omnibus is a 992-page hardcover. It collects all of the Black Costume alien symbiote saga issues from the early 1980s. Buy it now on Amazon for $99.
I am not suggesting that you give up on Spider-Man. I’m just saying Marvel dropped the ball on his relevancy long ago.
I can attest as a devout comic book reader that Spider-Man comics have been disappointing for decades. For every high point in Spider-Man comics lore, there are multiple low points. I think Spider-Man 616 comics will get good again, one day. Marvel certainly figured out the formula for 2024’s Ultimate Spider-Man.
Until that day arrives, I highly recommend that you read some of Spider-Man’s greatest past storylines. Sometimes, the oldies are the best goodies.
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