Don't We Want A More Witty Spider-Man?

I agree that 'the wise-cracking' is an essential quality of Spider-man.

I think that the problem people had with the humour was who it was coming from.

Peter Parker was a bit of an emotional jerk in 'The Amazing Spider-Man':

"Go to sleep Aunt May!"


SMASH



Can you see Sam Raimi's Peter Parker acting like this?

The humour would have worked better if Peter Parker was more goodhearted nerd rather than emotional introverted jerk. It's hard to get behind the hero's humour when we know that he is treating people like Aunt May like crap:

Now, I for one think that the humour is a step in the right direction; however, they need to recalibrate Peter Parker; he needs to go back to being a good hearted geek that gets the girl.

I think the humor would be good in TASM2 it wasn't really present in TASM

@JokerFanHAhaHA

True, teenagers are rebellious pains in the arse that most find highly unlike-able; ask any of their teachers or parents.

However, Spidy fans aren't big on an emotionally fueled Peter Parker. Peter Parker cuts loose as Spidy [to prevent crime] and stays calm and collected as Parker [to shelter those he loves].

Peter Parker isn't your average teenager. I think it comes down to this:



He acted irresponsible once, and he lost Uncle Ben in the process. Therefore, he acts responsible to protect those that he loves.

I understand modernizing Peter Parker into a selfish *fark* to make him more relatable to tweens (fighting with May, fighting with Thompson, and breaking his promise to Cap. Stacy), but "With great power comes great responsibility." It's what makes us like Peter Parker.

Good article, although your comic example is from Ultimate Spider-Man, and you said you didn't like that version of Spider-Man's humour. Just saying.

Anyway, I think if you consider all the bad things that happen to Peter through the course of The Amazing Spider-Man (Losing his parents, worrying about how his powers may harm him, losing his Uncle and feeling responsible for it, gaining then losing a mentor, and finally the double blow of his girlfriends Dad dying and his final wish being he break up with her for her own protection) it's a considerably sadder film, so it's probably a lot harder for him to make jokes (even though he does make more in this one sad film than Tobey's Peter made in the whole Raimi trilogy).

@Preston really, Peter doesn't fight with Flash. He's constantly beaten up and picked on by him. He then has an opportunity to humiliate him with his new powers, which happens in most versions of the mythology (breaking his hand in Raimi's film, for example). Then, on his first day back in school after his Uncle dies, the same guy approaches him - even though Flash only had good intentions at this point, Peter had no reason to trust him and pinned him against a wall. But he soon realizes that Flash wasn't there to pick on him, and lets him go, when really, he was in such a bad emotional place and had the power to really get even with him. In fact, he even manages to forgive Flash and sort of befriend him by the end of the film, which shows that he's not like other teenagers (most would hold grudges due to being emotional d-bags), and he is more responsible.

And as for breaking his promise to Capt Stacy at the end - he's still a kid. He thinks that after all he's been through in such a short time, he deserves some happiness, and he knows Gwen is the only person who could make him happy. And he probably also thinks that he's in a better position to protect her if he keeps her close to him, rather than outright avoiding her.
And Gwen also knows about his promise, because she guessed that was why he was avoiding her, but she seems just as eager, and Capt Stacy was her father - surely if anyone would be upset about him breaking his promise, it'd be her.
Of course, his decision could (and will) bite him in the ass, but it's a risk either way, because if he continues avoiding her and she's attacked (say, if a new villain managed to force info out of Dr Conners about Spidey's true identity and his loved ones), then he won't be there to save her, conversely his involvement with her could attract danger to her, but he'd be there to hopefully protect her.

Are you really using him smashing an alarm clock as a reason to show that he's an 'emotional jerk'? That scene demonstrated his initial lack of control over his new powers, particularly his strength and speed. He also accidentally destroyed his bathroom in the same scene. In the scene before that, he accidentally broke a subway-car and accidentally beat up drunk passengers, apologizing while he did so. Sure, Peter Parker's a really emotional, violent ass-hole...

As for his relationship with Aunt May, it wasn't that he was being mean to her, it was that he was unsure of how to handle his responsibility to her. He comes home every night battered and bruised after trying to capture his uncle's murderer (and by extension fighting crime as Spider-Man), and his worried Aunt keeps asking him questions. What's he supposed to do when she continues to ask him? Just tell her he's Spider-Man? He's going to get upset, because he's conflicted about what he's doing (seeking revenge), and he doesn't want to lie to her but he has no choice because he doesn't want to worry her. So he tries to avoid talking about it altogether. And this is all happening during his teenage years.

Or perhaps you forgot that in Raimi's films, they skimmed over high school as fast as possible, and he moved out of Aunt May's house right after he became Spider-Man, meaning he didn't have to lie to her, because she wasn't there to see his absences and injuries (except that one cut on his arm he lies was from being 'clipped by a bike messenger' whilst on his way to buy cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving dinner). In fact, Raimi's Peter is less responsible than you think, especially in regards to his relationship with Aunt May - he leaves the newly widowed May to live alone at the first opportunity that arises, and moves in with Harry, whereas new Peter lives with her and does try to take care of her along with everything else he does (sure, you could argue that old Peter moved across the city for college while new Peter is still in high school, but he's Spider-Man, he could easily swing to college, and he moves as soon as he graduates high school, rather than waiting til college starts and spending time with his Aunt)

The fact is: In The Amazing Spider-Man, Peter actually HAS a relationship with Aunt May - one of a kid under pressure trying to reassure his worried 'mother'. In the Raimi films, there was no real relationship between the two, and Aunt May was simply a plot device that could be used to make Peter feel guilty about something. The closest we got to a Peter/May relationship in Raimi's films was Spider-Man 2, and The Amazing Spider-Man does it much better.

Peter seems mean-spirited in TASM but he's really not - he's just under a lot of new pressure, and is coping with a lot of terrible things that have happened to him. Hopefully, in TASM 2, we'll see a happier Peter/Spidey (which seems to be the wishes of the filmmakers, according to the bonus features on the blu-ray) and by extension, a more friendly Peter, which will not only give us a representation of Peter which is even closer to the comics - it'll also make Gwen's death all the more tragic.

@Acira

I got to disagree with you about the Aunt May relationship, there wasn't one really. He may be a teen but Peter Parker is responsible for her pain and suffering and is causing her more worry by being out doing his thing. It therefore just seems mean to tell her to go to sleep like she's the problem. We didnt even see him try to console her or anything it was as if Peter was the only who lost Ben.

This movie set out to be different but some things needed to be fleshed out rather than assumed for example why was Flash so sympathetic had he lost a parent, or did he go through some deep soul searching after getting humiliated? We don't know.

Hopefully Marc Webb delivers with the humor in the sequel, from the TASM commentary he seems to have great ideas that just fizzle - "The movie is about a boy searching for his father", which only lasts up until he meets Connors then its about a boy in love. Even with the deleted scenes there isn't much searching done.

On a side note I found Dave from Kick Ass and Scrawny Steve Rogers to be much more relatable and fun than Pete. I just can't shake the impression that he was too cool to be uncool

I'm sorry but TASM Spidey was pretty witty. And Spider-Man is mean spirited to criminals....Especially when he suspects it could be the one that killed his uncle.... Come on @Splenda, don't be stupid. Seriously, Spidey is a smart ass. His comments are meant to bring about anger, get his enemies to stop thinking and just react. The majority of Spidey's villains are stronger than him, but he's able to out smart them. By constantly talking he's able to keep them off focus. So yes, his comments will probably be mean.

To the poster of this article, TASM had more than just the car scene. He also taunts the Lizard a lot during the high school fight. I think the movie had a nice balance. However, when goblin comes in there had better be a lot of jokes made about his looks. That is too good of a set up. Grown man in a pointy purple hat, tank top, and spanky's with pointy toed boots with green skin and ugly as sin.... Yeah there had better be some hilarious, mean spirited jokes.

@Joker and Co.

Peter Parker has always been about responsibility. He just grins and bears it .

For example:

JJ bashes 'Spider-Man” and Peter Parker smiles in his face, takes pictures while the headlines sprawled above his pictures read, “Spider-Man is a Villain.”

Aunt May reads the newspaper and thinks that Spider-Man is a menace. She loves Peter, but indirectly hates him for being Spider-Man.

Gwen Stacy blames Spider-Man for the death of her father, and she dies with that hatred and misconception of him.

He 'grins and bears' the responsibility. He is always trying to 'do the right thing' while getting criticized by the public and more heartbreakingly those that he loves.

I don't see Peter Parker as a kid who lashes out at people. He doesn't have it out with JJ because he is always being criticized by him. He keeps his identity to himself in order to protect others from the truth (see: Gwen). He keeps his word. He doesn't kill (not even a sworn enemy).

The way Peter Parker should be portrayed is a kid doing the 'right thing' but always getting the short end of the stick. And, he doesn't throw a hissy fit, he just tries to make it better after all “With Great Power There Must Also Come -- Great Responsibility!”

Regardless to the update, this is central to the character (let us not forget that):

Loved TASM, but like to see a little more wisecracking in sequel!

Tasm was extremely complex if you dont get it than im sorry but dont mock us who do

The Avengers was a popcorn flick yet everyone loved it. But everyone has an opinion I didn't like TDKR but I liked TASM someone else vise versa.

I think when you watch amazing spiderman you do here the snippets of humour on the lizard, but you can tell hes holding back because he cares about him.

i think with the next film electro needs to be a bit less personal so he can just go to town on him

If you guys want something like yhe comics why dont you read them and shut up and by the way TASM was not necessarely a comic book movie it was just based on a comic book it is a great movie and i love it and if you dont think that it is accurate compared to comic books read the ultimate spiderman

CAN SOMEONE GIVE ME AN EXAMPLE OF HIM BEING "MEAN SPIRITED"

@ Mystery, Excellent article! I love TASM, but with that and every movie I kept wondering where are the quips? Where are the actual busting out laughing moments that usually come when he's fighting? Screenwriters have more time to write than comic writers, so can't we expect Spidey in the movies to be even funnier than the comic (or cartoons)? Instead of less.

Laughed way more at Avengers than Spidey, and something's just really off about that.

@SuperSloth what you said made me think it would really help if they had some walk-on or cameo villains, then they wouldn't have that emotional pull on Peter the main villain usually has. Plus it would be more like the comics. But there's such a movement against this that's never made any sense to me, calling Spider-Man 3 sloppy BECAUSE of too many characters.

ONe of the best comments I ever read on here: Open TASM 2 with Garfield getting his a$$ beat by Rhino, would make him instantly more likable and before it got too rough would give him time for some epic Rhino quips.

Amazing had a glimpse of his wisecracking in the film, more than the original films and I'm sure he'll be going all out on Electro and Gobby in future installments