Marvel Is Destroying Spider-Man’s Reputation, And I Don’t Know How He Can Ever Recover

WARNING! Spoilers for The Amazing Spider-Man #1Spider-Man may not be the most beloved hero due to people like J. Jonah Jameson claiming that he’s a menace, but Peter Parker has officially become even more unlikable than his superhero counterpart. Recent events have caused Peter’s reputation to plummet in both the business world and his personal life, and it remains unclear whether Marvel will course-correct.

In The Amazing Spider-Man #1 by Joe Kelly and Pepe Larraz, Peter Parker sets out on a mission to land a job, but his quest to remedy his unemployment doesn’t go as well as he’d hoped it would. One employer he speaks with ends up calling him out for his shortcomings, particularly when it comes to his past career mistakes.

Peter tanked his company and lost his chance at a doctorate due to accusations of plagiarism, and though he has perfectly reasonable explanations for these incidents as Spider-Man, the average person sees his civilian self as a failure.

Spider-Man Has Destroyed Peter Parker’s Reputation Among Civilians

Peter Parker May Have a Worse Reputation Than Spider-Man

Spider-Man can be called many things, but “lucky” definitely isn’t one of them. The concept of “Parker luck” exists for a reason, after all, and his forays into the business world have only solidified this idea. While Peter typically has a decent position with the Daily Bugle, he’s also pursued his own endeavors, albeit with horrible results. He briefly became the CEO of a company called Parker Industries, and he appeared to be paving the way for technological advancements that would make Tony Stark jealous. However, the company had one major caveat: it had been founded by Doctor Octopus during his time controlling Spider-Man’s body.

Related

Spider-Man’s Secret Identity Is an Objectively Bad Idea Whether Peter Admits It or Not

Spider-Man having a secret identity has as many pros as it has cons, but can an argument be made that going public has financial benefits for Peter?

Once Spider-Man regained autonomy over his body, he tried to keep Parker Industries afloat, only to discover that Doc Ock had doomed it from the start to further his dastardly ends. To prevent the villain from using the company’s technology for evil, Peter destroyed it all, thereby bankrupting Parker Industries. Additionally, Doc Ock had also attempted to finish Peter’s doctorate in nanotechnology during his time as the Superior Spider-Man. The degree was then revoked because Otto had technically plagiarized himself to write it. Since Peter can’t explain the true reasoning behind these incidents, he’s stuck with black marks on his record that employers haven’t taken kindly to.

Spider-Man’s “Parker Luck” Has Left Him in a Rough Position

In His Work Life and His Personal Life, Peter Parker Has Hit Rock Bottom

Peter’s work life isn’t the only area where he’s dealing with hardship and a fractured reputation, as his romantic life has also taken a blow. His relationship with Shay Marken got off to a promising start when he chose her over crime-fighting, which he never fully committed to doing with past partners, but things haven’t gone swimmingly for them since then. In The Amazing Spider-Man #66, Peter succumbed to depression as the guilt of being Spider-Man caught up to him, and Shay distanced herself from him and told him to see a therapist so that he could work through his problems.

Shay is Spider-Man’s best new love interest since his break-up with Mary Jane, and he’s nonetheless come close to ruining his chances with her due to his own missteps. In this issue, though she and Peter have reunited, Shay reveals that she doesn’t consider her and Peter to be exclusive yet. His negative attitude – in addition to the fact that, unbeknownst to Shay, he rekindled his spark with Black Cat not long after their falling-out – has damaged her perception of him. Even if he tries to win Shay over, it’s apparent that Peter Parker isn’t as respectable among those around him as he once was.

Is It Possible For Spider-Man to Bounce Back? Time Will Tell

Peter Parker’s Life May Turn Around Thanks to New Developments

Luckily, all is not lost for Spider-Man, even though his civilian image has lost its luster over the years. Peter manages to score a job at Rand Enterprises thanks to an old childhood friend, Brian Nehring, who vouches for him despite his aforementioned history with business ventures. Moreover, as complicated as things are between Peter and Shay, she does seem to imply that he can earn her favor back with time. Spider-Man is no stranger to being backed into a corner, and if he can fight his way out of confrontations with villains, then he can surely rebuild his reputation as Peter Parker.

The Amazing Spider-Man #1 is available now from Marvel Comics!

Spider-Man

First Appearance

Amazing Fantasy

Alias

Peter Parker, Ben Reilly, Otto Octavius, Yu Komori, Kaine Parker, Pavitr Prabhakar, William Braddock, Miles Morales, Kurt Wagner

Alliance

Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Secret Defenders, Future Foundation, Heroes for Hire, Mighty Avengers, New Avengers, Web-Warriors

Race

Human

Expand