Andrew Prince
Staff Reporter
I will try not to convince Spider-Man is the greatest superhero. Superheroes tend to be beyond human. Nearly infallible and just completely beyond us. Superman was nearly perfect and Batman was rich beyond the dreams of any man. But Peter Parker? He had trouble paying the rent. He did everything he could to protect his aunt and later on his wife as well. He always has problems. Not just super villain problems, but real problems that his readers would be able to share with him. Compared to Superman or Batman or the Fantastic Four it was like watching yourself in the comics.
Spider-Man does not give up. I can not tell you how many times I have seen Spider-Man look completely defeated. On his last legs, bleeding profusely and barely able to stand. But then he finds that last scrap of strength and pushes through. He is not invulnerable like some heroes, but he can take a lot of damage without dying. But it still hurts. A lot.
Spider-Man has a good sense of humor. I have always loved him for that. Even when all hope is lost and there is nothing left but darkness, he is still a ray of sunshine. He always finds a way to make a joke about something, or at least say something that is so awkward you want to laugh at him. He does this for two reasons. For one, it helps keep him from being afraid, if you are laughing you cannot be crying, right? It helps give him the strength to face incredible odds. The other reason is that it is frustrating for his enemies. It provides a distraction when he runs his mouth non-stop when he is supposed to be serious. Some villains just cannot handle that.
There is no other Spiderman like Peter Parker. Obviously this is less the case now that he has got about 15 different carbon copies plus a large amount of imitators. But when he came out, and for years afterwards there really was not another hero like him. He mostly operated on a street level, but with the combinations of his powers he is easily able to compete on a larger scale. A lot of that is due to his spider-sense and his agility. If he does not want you to hit him, you are probably not going to do so. He is one of the quickest non-speed heroes around and on top of that, he gets a warning message to keep him safe. Add in his enhanced strength for greater combat efficiency plus his wall crawling for stealth and evasion and you have got one heck of a threat.
Because he is still just a man. He is not a legend. No matter how powerful he is, no matter how many times he has saved countless lives, he is still just a man. At heart he does not really see himself as being super special. He is just a guy doing the best he can.
Image Credit: Getty Images
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