Spider-Man is like any one of us.
The web-slinging protector of New York City is one of the best heroes in comic books, and in the real world, he’s the most popular, with some five million people Googling him each month. But his fantastic powers alone cannot explain his popularity. Rather, it’s his ordinariness that draws us to him.
Peter Parker, the alter ego of Spider-Man, is a nerdy teenager from humble beginnings [1]: he lives with his Aunt May, and together they do their best to get by each month, scraping up enough money to pay rent. He’s not financially stable, and on top of that, he’s frequently bullied, but takes comfort in the close bond he shares with his few friends. He also does his best to help out his community by treating every person equally and with respect, and volunteering where he can. Although he often struggles balancing school, family, friends, and being Spider-Man, he always tries his best.
He carries this same everyman [2] attitude with him when he fights crime as Spider-Man, making sure always to help out the little guy [3] when big bads threaten the peace. He is as humble and forgiving as Peter as he is as understanding and inspired as Spider-Man; he is motivated purely by the desire to give back as a citizen and a hero, since “with great power, there must also come great responsibility.”
With or without powers, Spider-Man is relatively normal unlike other heroes, such as Batman or Iron Man, who are both incredibly wealthy, or Valkyrie and Wonderwoman, who come from mythological origins. It’s because of this humility that the world loves Spider-Man—his temperament is relatable. Not only that, Spider-Man is one of a few heroes whose costume covers every part of his body. It’s this feature that makes Spider-Man that much more relatable, for a more subtle reason. Take it from Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee:
“You know the greatest thing about Spider-Man’s outfit, his costume? He is completely covered. So any kid could imagine he’s Spider-Man because no color of his skin shows. And that wasn’t done purposefully, it was done accidentally, but I think it’s the best thing we did, making him so that he could be anything under that costume.”
So, we’re all much closer to being Spider-Man than say, Thor, Supergirl, or the Hulk. Those heroes have been depicted in a way that somewhat bars many people from seeing themselves in those heroes’ shoes. But with Spider-Man, we could all be under that mask. And with Peter, we could all be (or were) that angsty teenager who just wants to help out. In other words:
Spider-Man could be any one of us.