What is it that has made Spidey so successful?

**bw38** · 12-24-2006, 03:20 PM

I asked this on the Batman forum but I decided to post it here since I consider Spiderman to be one of the few Superheroes that have become mainstream.

What is it that has made the Spiderman so successful? A bunch of people have created their own super heroes and most never reach the kind of success that someone like Superman/Batman has reached. It seems that since the beginning Spiderman just clicked with the fans (more so than with other superheroes) taking him a step above into mainstream fame and my question is what is it that gave him that status? Very few superheroes become so mainstream and famous. Off the top of my head, the three I've mentioned are the only ones that have become mainstream and I can't really say much for anyone else (and that's not too knock other superheroes but it's rare to see anyone reach the kind of status these guys have). My interest is in knowing Spiderman's success and what got him to where he is today, but you can expand to what you think it takes to create a successful superhero. (I'm measuring success by popularity here, that doesn't necessarily mean how many issues of the superhero have been sold, but rather how mainstream the superhero has become). I'm guessing that he has to hold some common ground with the other two mainstream Superheroes.

**littleredhat** · 12-25-2006, 06:46 AM

He has suffered more than just about any other yet he doesn't let the darkness destroy or taint him despite how it scars him.

He remains at his core a truely good person who only wants to help others.

And he is cute.:)

**Rahul** · 12-25-2006, 06:52 AM

Lots of factors I guess:

1. That snazzy theme song from the first ever Spidey cartoon.

2. His colourful costume is pretty iconic.

3. Kids love agile and swinging heroes()atleast I did as a kid).

4. Can't forget the everyman aspect.

5. The cartoons made him far more popular than the comics.

6. The movies.

**Jadeskies** · 12-25-2006, 07:22 AM

Its very simple. Comic book readers can associate themselves with Spiderman. The character began as a nerdy teen and most comic book readers were not exactly the hotshot quarterback in school. Unlike other heroes of thier time Peter parker had real life problems on top of a villain trying to stomp all over him. He existed at a time when Batman and robin called each other chum, walked around with a goofy smile on thier faces and never really did anything outside of beating up campy villains or stopping stereotypical italian mafia guys from pulling bags of loot from banks.

**rwe1138** · 12-25-2006, 07:55 AM

Easy. Spidey was the first hero that readers could really relate to. No one had an origin like Superman. Nobody had the resources of Batman. Even the FF, who had various real world problems, could be tough to empathize with. Peter Parker was the first true everyman hero. He'd save the day, but still get made fun of in gym class. He might beat Doc Ock, but he could never beat those money problems. And who hasn't had to go to work with a cold, just like Peter swinging into battle against the Vulture while he had the sniffles. Things like that had never been done in comics before. Peter was also the first teenager to be a full hero, not just a sidekick. And since most of the audience were teenagers as well, it was a book that spoke directly to them.

Another factor is the "underdog principle." Everyone likes to root for the underdog. And in most of his battles, Peter was likely outmatched powerwise. Scorpion, Sandman & Rhino were all much more powerful than Spidey. But Peter always found a way out-smart them and come out on top. Even when fighting someone more powerful and, arguably, smarter, like Doc Ock, Peter would find a way to triumph. And he was funny. Really, other heroes sometimes quipped, but no one brought the trash talk quite like Spider-Man. (At least until Deadpool showed up, but that's another story...:D)

By the time Stan Lee left, Peter's identity and personality were so ingrained into comic reader's conciousness, it was hard for creators to do something with the character that audiences would disagree with. Even when it came to something fantastic, like marrying a supermodel, the audience accepted it. Why? Two reasons (IMHO): One, by the time they got married, MJ was an incredibly well developed character in her own right. And secondly, Peter had so many bad things happen to him by that point, it was about time something increadibly wonderful happened to him. And what better way to have a happy (not quite) ending than to marry the girl of your dreams.

Of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.

**Chris N** · 12-25-2006, 09:52 AM

Being the single most interesting character ever created in the history of comics.

And, while the history of literature as a whole has greater characters, most are not as eye-catching visually and thus able to become iconic like the super heroes.

**Tater** · 12-25-2006, 10:38 AM

Everyone pretty much nailed it. Stan Lee said it himself too. The character was an average, everyday teenage. He had the zits, and girl problems ect. Then he was tossed a ton of resposbility. And powers to go along with them. Thats what made him such a great character.

**XPac** · 12-25-2006, 01:25 PM

I truelly believe Peter Parker is the greatest comic book character ever created (Superman and Batman be damned).

This was a story about a real life character... that that had girl problems, and trouble paying the rent. The same thing which makes teen dramas like One Tree Hill or the OC and certainly Smallville today are what initially appealed comic readers to Peter Parker.

**Cody H** · 12-25-2006, 04:14 PM

As has been mentioned, all of the above. Plus, being able to shoot webs and swing from this is about the coolest super power anyone could have. Who as a kid wouldn't want to be able to web people up at a whim?

**Venom** · 12-25-2006, 05:58 PM

Pretty much what rwe1138 stated in his post. We can all relate to Peter Parker. Batman didn't even have an origin until shortly after Spider-Man was born. He was just a smiling plonker solving crimes all the time then all of a sudden they give him a tragic origin. I'm really not intending to slag off DC, but all their comics are just boring and bland. Hands down!

**Dj0rel** · 12-26-2006, 04:09 AM

Originally Posted by Jadeskies

He existed at a time when Batman and robin called each other chum, walked around with a goofy smile on thier faces and never really did anything outside of beating up campy villains or stopping stereotypical italian mafia guys from pulling bags of loot from banks.

Oh, they did more than that.
http://www.superdickery.com/seduction/73.html :D

Okay, back to the topic.
Amazing Fantasy 15 is considerd to be one of the best Spidy stories of all time. One can't say the same thing about Detective Comics 27 or Action Comics 1. So he gained popularity from the start.

**bw38** · 12-26-2006, 04:52 AM

Originally Posted by Venom

Pretty much what rwe1138 stated in his post. We can all relate to Peter Parker. Batman didn't even have an origin until shortly after Spider-Man was born. He was just a smiling plonker solving crimes all the time then all of a sudden they give him a tragic origin. I'm really not intending to slag off DC, but all their comics are just boring and bland. Hands down!

I won't say much about that except that I beg to differ. ;)

**John Nowak** · 12-26-2006, 06:55 PM

Originally Posted by Venom

Batman didn't even have an origin until shortly after Spider-Man was born. He was just a smiling plonker solving crimes all the time then all of a sudden they give him a tragic origin.

Afraid not. The two page tragic origin of Batman was recently reprinted in Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told, with a noted original publication date in 1939.