“He’s a criminal, that’s who he is!” – JJJ
This article is, hopefully, going to show you guys who Peter Parker/Spider-Man actually is. At least, from what I picked up after 52 years of Spidey mythology... (No, I'm not an old man. I'm 19.)
This article is mainly for the "Webb" Heads. I'll keep it short and sweet...
Peter Parker is a bookworm, not a cool guy. He’s not the type of guy who would kiss Gwen on stage and high-five the principal. He’s the kind of guy who has trouble getting dates and making money. Out of the costume, he’s a shy, nerdy guy. Sure, you could say that he was in the moment when he high-fived the principal and kissed Gwen on stage, but that's not Peter Parker. He doesn't get all confident and cocky just because he knows that he can break people in half. As Spider-Man, yes, but not as Peter Parker.
He’s not the type of guy who would use his powers while unmasked in a high-tech, state-of-the-art, multi-billion dollar corporate building filled with security cameras. He would also never web-swing in public, out of costume, in broad daylight just to catch up with Gwen. He’s the type of guy who would trip over a pebble on purpose just to keep his alter-ego a secret.
He would also never let a truck run over other cars while mocking the guy driving it for a good 20 seconds. He would take care of the situation ASAP and then mock the guy after.
He's the kind of guy who would point out mistakes in a certain eight-limbed scientist's fusion experiment, instead of having to watch YouTube videos on how electricity works. Just let that sink in for a second... PETER PARKER, the GENIUS, needed to watch YOUTUBE VIDEOS on how ELECTRICITY worked.
Peter would also NEVER break a dead man’s promise. That’s why he didn’t tell Harry about Norman in the Raimi trilogy. In Webb’s, Peter broke Captain Stacy’s promise, which is why Gwen died. BUT in the comics, just before Captain Stacy died, he told Peter (and he DID know that Peter was Spider-Man), and I quote:
“… After I’m gone, there’ll be no one to look after her [Gwen]. No one, Peter, except you! Be good to her, son! Be good to her. She loves you so very much…”
Then Peter says:
“I’ll love Gwen, and cherish her, as long as I live!”
Do you "Webb" Heads get what I mean? Gwen died later on, but it WASN’T because Peter broke his promise to her dad. It was cause he kept it…
Oh, and the REAL Peter Parker is actually RESPONSIBLE. For example, in Marc Webb's 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2', Peter quit being Spider-Man for five months because Gwen died, while his powers were perfectly fine (unlike Sam Raimi's 'Spider-Man 2'). But wait, what happened to the whole "great power/great responsibility" thing? Oh yeah, that's right - Webb completely misunderstands the character.
And let's not forget that Peter Parker is not supposed to be a douche.
The only thing Webb’s movies got right about the character was that he told jokes. That’s it. Raimi’s movies captured everything else about the character that TRULY matters.
Now, I'm not saying that Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker/Spider-Man was perfect. All I'm saying is that his was much closer to the PP/SM we know from the source material than Andrew Garfield's was.
Let me know what you guys think!
Thanks for reading,
Henry
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