We review the different stories of Spider-Man and select the six most impressive sagas that decade after decade have written the history of the wall-crawler in the Marvel Universe
Over the last 60 years, Spider-Man has had more than one lifetime of adventures. From his teenage exploits to the cosmic heights of Secret Wars (1984) and Spider-Verse (2014), Peter Parker has faced spectacular challenges. And he’s fought countless battles as Marvel’s premier wall-crawler.
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With his spider-like powers, incorruptible morality, super-intelligence, and searing sense of humor, the web-crawler has established himself as one of pop culture’s most enduring icons.
In celebration of Spider-Man’s diamond anniversary, let’s take a look back at some of the Web-Slinger’s most memorable, important and impactful adventures from each decade of his wall-crawling history.
The 60’s: If this is my destiny
Even decades after their debut, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s early Spider-Man stories remain some of the most essential Web-Slinger adventures. In The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #31-33, the creators of Spidey gave Peter Parker one of his most iconic triumphs.
Shortly after Peter Parker started college and met Harry Osborn and Gwen Stacy for the first time, Aunt May fell ill due to a radioactive blood transfusion. Meanwhile, Doctor Octopus – operating as a mastermind – stole some ISO-36, a rare serum that could save May’s life.
After tracking down Doc Ock, Spider-Man was trapped under several tons of steel machinery in a flooded room. However, his ruthless determination to save May gave him the strength to break free in time to save the day in a riveting sequence in The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #33.
With Peter finding the motivation deep within himself to overcome impossible obstacles, this heavy lifting sequence and the story that precedes it perfectly captures the essence of Spider-Man.
At the height of their powers, Ditko and Lee masterfully developed tension and suspense during the early parts of this story.
At its climax, Ditko’s tight panels and Lee’s dramatic narration and dialogue give way to the dynamic and iconic image of Spider-Man gleefully breaking free. Even today, this stands as one of Spider-Man’s closest victories and a character-defining moment that repeats itself throughout the decades.
The 70’s: The Night Gwen Stacy Died
One day in 1973, Peter Parker caught a cold, an inconvenience that led to a horrible tragedy in The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #121-122. At the end of those classic numbers by Gerry Conway, Gil Kane, John Romita and Tony Mortellaro, both Spider-Man’s girlfriend Gwen Stacy and her nemesis Norman Osborn’s Green Goblin lose their lives.
Before that fateful story, Osborn knew Spider-Man’s secret identity, but forgot it in a fit of amnesia. Once those memories returned, Norman donned his Green Goblin costume and kidnapped Gwen.
After a fierce battle with Osborn atop the George Washington Bridge, Spider-Man was too late to save Gwen from falling to her death, with his ill-timed web line apparently snapping her neck mid-fall.
After mourning his late love, an enraged Spider-Man tracked down Osborn and beat him up mercilessly. Spider-Man came to his senses, but the Green Goblin accidentally impaled himself on his glider and died in front of a stunned Spider-Man.
As with Uncle Ben, Gwen Stacy’s death is one of Spider-Man’s most profound failures. When these comics were published, the unexpected murder of a major supporting character like Gwen was unthinkable, and this shocking story still resonates today.
Despite Osborn’s death, Gwen’s death cemented the Green Goblin as Spider-Man’s eternal archenemy. While Ghost-Spider’s high-flying adventures from Earth-65 keep Gwen’s spirit alive today, her enduring death cast a lingering shadow over nearly all of Spider-Man’s subsequent adventures.
The 80’s: Kraven’s Last Hunt
During Secret Wars (1984), Spider-Man began wearing a black suit which was later revealed to be an alien symbiote, eventually becoming known as Venom. In 1987’s Kraven’s Last Hunt, one of Spider-Man’s classic foes donned a cloth version of Spidey’s black suit in a grim tale of obsession and psychological torment.
Beginning with Web of Spider-Man #31 (1985) by JM DeMatteis, Mike Zeck and Bob McLeod, this six-part epic saw Kraven the Hunter avenge his past defeats with a searing assault on Spider-Man that included shooting him, burying him alive, assume his identity and hunt down Vermin.
After two weeks underground, Peter Parker fought his way out of his own grave and was confronted by Kraven, who ultimately took his own life.
Throughout the 1980s, comics such as Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s Daredevil (1964) classic Born Again, used superhero comics to encompass darker, more mature themes.
Kraven’s Last Hunt proved that Spider-Man could perfectly fit in with that more serious style of storytelling, spinning a hair-raising, hallucinogenic story that featured some of the most dynamic moments in web-slinging history.
While Kraven the Hunter has threatened Spider-Man since the 1960s, Kraven’s Last Hunt certified him as one of the most serious threats in the Web-Slinger rogues gallery and set the stage for his subsequent reappearances to be. events in their own right.
The 90’s: The clone saga
In The Amazing Spider-Man #149, a mad scientist named Jackal created a clone of Peter Parker who apparently died after his first encounter with Spider-Man. That innocuous story became the basis for “The Clone Saga,” a sprawling saga that engulfed the world of Spider-Man from mid-1994 to late 1996.
When Aunt May was in the hospital, Peter’s clone returned and was revealed to be Ben Reilly in Web of Spider-Man #117 by Terry Kavanagh, Steven Butler, and Randy Emberlin. As Ben began operating as the heroic Scarlet Spider, Peter began to wonder if he was really the clone while the Jackal and Kaine, a homicidal clone of Parker, went on a rampage.
Peter even briefly retired and passed on his alter ego to Ben, who posed as Spider-Man for several months. Ultimately, Ben’s status as a clone was confirmed, Peter became Spider-Man again, and the entire ordeal was revealed to be a convoluted plan on the part of a resurrected Norman Osborn.
Although The Clone Saga may be best known for its considerable length and complex plot, this story saw Peter Parker confront and overcome his greatest doubts as he faced various milestones of adulthood.
While it did ultimately reaffirm Peter’s identity, The Clone Saga was the first major exploration of the idea that someone other than Peter could wear Spider-Man’s mask, which has become more relevant in recent years. Under a legion of creators who worked on this story and its follow-ups, Ben Reilly and even a redeeming Kaine became fan-favorite wall-crawlers.
The 2000’s: A new day
In the 2000s, Spider-Man discovered his supernatural connection to the Web of Life, joined the Avengers full-time, publicly revealed his secret identity during Civil War, and even sacrificed his marriage to save Aunt May.
But beginning with Dan Slott, Steve McNiven and Dexter Vines’ The Amazing Spider-Man #546, Peter Parker went beyond all that when he entered A New Day. This story channels the spirit of classic Spider-Man adventures with a single Peter struggling and trying to juggle his personal life with his web-slinging responsibilities.
While A New Day explored the return of a long-absent Harry Osborn, it primarily emphasized new characters such as crime boss Mr. Negative, forensic scientist Carlie Cooper, Goblin-esque villain Menace, and mysterious new hero Jackpot.
Thanks to Ultimate Spider-Man (2000) and other media, Peter Parker was redefined as a young character in the 2000s. A New Day reinvigorated the original Peter Parker. Giving him an approachable, forward-thinking status quo and a youthful energy that matched his newer counterparts.
With a rotating roster of writers and artists, the origin story of “Brand New Day” and the era it ushered in helped The Amazing Spider-Man (1999) flourish for years with a mix of new characters, familiar friends and enemies, and fascinating mysteries. that reaffirmed him as the center of the Web-Slinger world.
2010: Spider-Verse
While Peter Parker will always be the original Spider-Man, he’s not the only Spider-Hero in the Multiverse. Back in 2014 and 2015, the Spider-Verse brought together nearly every variant of the Spider-Hero for one massive multiversal event.
Following the prelude to 2014’s Edge of Spider-Verse, Peter Parker teamed up with his Multiversal counterparts in Dan Slott and Olivier Coipel’s The Amazing Spider-Man #9. While Morlun and the supernatural Inheritors killed and consumed several of the Spider-Heroes of the Multiverse. Peter Parker finally rallied the spider warriors to save the day.
In a decade where Doctor Octopus became the Superior Spider-Man and Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy Ghost-Spider emerged as the heroes of their respective worlds. Spider-Verse and its sequels underscored the idea that really anyone could be a Spider-Hero.
For the rest of the 2010s and into the 2020s, this idea became a central feature of Spider-Man’s adventures in comics, television, and film.
Peter Parker traditionally considered himself a loner, the Spider-Verse explored the wide web of amazing heroes his spectacular example directly or indirectly inspired throughout the Multiverse.
Along with its follow-ups, this story helped pave the way for a new generation of Spider-Heroes like Silk. And Miles to take his place as new elements in the Marvel Universe, while reaffirming Peter’s importance as Spider-Man at the center of the tangled web of the Multiverse.
You can also read: The best Spider-Man origin stories
Source: Marvel
Celebrate the legacy of Spider-Man with Mighty Marvel Masterworks!
In the Mighty Marvel Masterworks Collection, read the spectacular stories from which one of your all-time favorite superheroes was born!
Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and their friends from the Marvel Bullpen invented an exciting new way to approach comics. Together, they created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Avengers, and many of the world’s greatest superheroes!
This volume celebrates the first appearance of the wall-crawler and its 60th anniversary. Mighty Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1 collects Amazing Fantasy #15 & The Amazing Spider-Man #1-10.
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