Orphaned as a baby when his parents were killed overseas in a plane crash as U.S.

government spies, only child Peter Parker was raised by his elderly Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Academically gifted, Peter displayed an uncanny affinity for science that was nothing short of genius. Socially, however, he was painfully shy and the target of much cruelty by his peers at Midtown igh School. Attending a public science e!hibit when Peter was "#$ years old, he was bitten on the hand by a radioactive spider accidentally irradiated by a particle beam, empowering Peter with the arachnid%s proportional strength and agility, and the ability to cling to almost any surface. Most incredibly, he had gained a si!th sense that provided him with early warning of impending danger. &isguised, Peter tested his new$found abilities defeating professional wrestler Crusher Hogan in the ring, and earning some cash. Using his scientific prowess, he constructed a pair of artificial web$shooters that attached to his wrists. 'ith an agent, a costume, and a new name, Spider$Man became an overnight sensation on television. Unconcerned with the rest of the world, he vowed to use his powers only to take care of himself and his aunt and uncle. After his first () special ended, he allowed a burglar that he could have easily restrained to run past him and escape. A few days later, Peter returned home to find his beloved Uncle *en had been shot and killed. 'hen Spider$Man confronted the killer hiding in the old Acme 'arehouse at the waterfront, he discovered to his horror that his uncle%s murderer was the burglar he apathetically allowed to pass.

+onsumed with guilt, he became aware at last that with great power comes great responsibility, ,ust as his beloved uncle had once said. (o help his Aunt May with finances, Peter took a freelance ,ob at the &aily *ugle selling pictures of himself as Spider$Man to publisher J. Jonah Jameson. &espite Spider$Man rescuing his son, astronaut -ohn -ameson, from a malfunctioning space capsule, -onah used his newspaper to publicly condemn Spider$Man as a menace. Unlike heroes like the Fantastic Four or the Avengers, Spider$Man was mistrusted and feared by the public. At school, his popularity was no greater, as Peter fre.uently clashed with bully Flash Thompson and his followers. /lash%s girlfriend, Liz Os orn, often complicated matters, harboring a crush on 0Puny Parker0, making /lash ,ealous. Spider$Man soon found himself facing a rogue%s gallery of powerful thieves, gangsters, and megalomaniacs including the Chameleon, the Tin!erer, the "ulture, #octor Octopus, the $an%man, #octor #oom, and &lectro. 1n /lorida, he befriended &r. +urtis +onnors after administering an antidote to reverse his transformation into the terrible Lizar%. (hough he had many enemies, he also shared adventures with the Fantastic Four 2including rival the uman (orch3, the Avengers, the '(Men and #are%evil. At the &aily *ugle, he discovered a friend and his first love, -ameson%s secretary, Betty Brant. 4ven more villains clashed with Spider$Man including the )reen )o lin, the *ig Man and the 4nforcers, Mysterio, and *raven the Hunter. &ating *etty became awkward after her brother, *ennett, was murdered in a clash between &octor Octopus and Spider$Man. *etty at first held Spider$Man responsible. (hough she later recanted, the thought of Spider$Man reminded her of losing her brother. At home, Aunt May suffered a heart attack, causing Spider$Man to abandon a fight with the 5reen 5oblin. /or a while after, the public viewed Spider$Man as a coward, before he made a comeback. May%s fragile health and poor finances, however, remain a lingering concern. /rustrated by their defeats at the hand of Spider$Man, si! of his top villains gathered forces under &octor Octopus to form the $inister $i+. (hrough wits and determination, Spider$Man defeated the group one at a time. Peter Parker6s confidence gradually increased. At the same time, his relationship with *etty crumbled as handsome reporter 7ed 8eeds stole her heart. -ameson took his campaign against Spider$Man to a new level, sponsoring the creation of the deranged $corpion, under &r. /arley Stillwell. (hough the Scorpion turned on -ameson, the publisher persisted with attacks against Spider$Man, and rented the first of a series of robotic Spider Slayers invented by &r. Spencer

Smythe. Spider$Man was able to use his technical know$how to defeat the Slayer. 'hile Aunt May persisted with attempts to introduce Peter to Mary Jane ,atson, the niece of neighbor Anna 'atson, Spider$Man tackled organi9ed crime led by the +rime Master and the 5reen 5oblin. (ired of the *ugle%s harassment, Peter tried selling pictures for the &aily 5lobe but gave up when the 5lobe%s editor proved too nosy. After capturing a new foe, the Molten Man, Peter Parker graduated high school and earned a science scholarship to 4mpire State University 24SU3 for achieving the highest scholastic average in Midtown igh%s history. +ollege brought a fresh start with new peers including the wealthy Harry Os orn, son of industrialist 7orman Osborn, and beauty .ueen of Standard igh, 5wen Stacy: /lash (hompson followed Peter to 4SU on an athletic scholarship. +onsumed with worry about his aunt%s hospitali9ation, Peter was misunderstood as an unfriendly snob by arry and 5wen. *ecause a previous transfusion of his radioactive blood to Aunt May was slowly killing her, Spider$Man enlisted aid from #r. Connors. (he antidote that had been called in to cure Aunt May was stolen, and Spider$ Man fought like a madman to retain it. *efore Spider$Man could deliver the antidote, 1SO$;<, he was trapped under rubble in a battle with the 0Master Planner= 2revealed to be &octor Octopus3. Spider$Man courageously forced his way out to administer the eli!ir to Aunt May. 'hile Aunt May convalesced, Peter rela!ed and befriended arry and 5wen. Soon after, the 5reen 5oblin negated Spider$Man%s spider$sense, and kidnapped him. (here, the 5oblin revealed himself to be arry%s father, 7orman. (he two battled, but Spider$ Man triumphed knocking the 5oblin into live wires and chemicals. 7orman was left with partial amnesia, blocking his memories of being 5oblin and of Spider$Man%s identity. (he Avengers invited Spider$Man to ,oin their ranks, but after facing the ulk, he declined the offer, preferring the freedom of working alone. Meanwhile, Peter could no longer evade meeting Mary -ane. Assuming the worst, Peter was stunned to discover she was both gorgeous and vivacious. (heir first date involved riding into the city on Pete%s new motorcycle take pictures of the >hino. After another battle with the 8i9ard and new foe, the Shocker, Peter moved into arry%s apartment, rent free. &espite his new found independence, happiness eluded him. 'orn out by -ameson%s editorials, the

public%s fear of him, Aunt May%s fragile health, slipping grades, and floundering love life, Peter decided to become Spider$Man no more. 'hile Peter en,oyed time studying, and being with friends and family, crime escalated as the ?ingpin%s initiated his master plan to oversee the criminal underworld. After Peter rescued a watchman resembling Uncle *en from two robbers, he renewed his vow to never let an innocent come to harm because he failed to act. Subse.uently, Spider$Man battled the *ingpin, &octor Octopus 2who became Aunt May%s boarder3, a new )ulture, a new Spider Slayer, and Mysterio. e and the Human Torch went to ollywood where they tackled Mysterio and the ,izar%. (hough Peter dated M- on occasion, he soon fell for the more serious$minded 5wen, causing tension between arry and himself. Peter met 5wen%s father, retired police +aptain )eorge $tacy, who studied Spider$Man, and .uestioned Peter about his first$hand e!perience. (he ?ingpin brainwashed +apt. Stacy 2using 7orman Osborn%s e.uipment3 into stealing police records. After Peter published pictures e!posing Stacy, the ?ingpin kidnapped 5eorge and 5wen. Spider$Man and Osborn rescued the two, but the ?ingpin escaped. (he ?ingpin ne!t focused on stealing a legendary stone tablet but Spider$Man retrieved it, and left it with +apt. Stacy. (he Shocker stole it back, and &r. +onnors was forced by Man Mountain Marko to translate it for an aged gangster, $ilvermane. +onnors revealed a formula for a youth potion. Silvermane drank the li.uid, and became a young man again. (ragically, he could not stop the de$aging process, and shrank so small, he ultimately disappeared. Meanwhile, the stress on &r. +onnors triggered a transformation again. After a fierce melee across the city, with unwelcome help from the uman (orch, Spider$Man rescued +onnors. (hough Peter%s fre.uent une!plained disappearances as Spider$Man have caused friction with 5wen, their love for each other gave Peter hope for a happy future together. As the bond between Peter and 5wen grew ever stronger, it was approvingly observed by 5wen%s father, Police +aptain 5eorge Stacy, who also supported the efforts of Spider$Man. *ut tragedy struck when +aptain Stacy was crushed by a falling chimney, saving an innocent child during a battle between Spider$Man and &octor Octopus. 'ith his dying breath, +aptain Stacy told Spider$Man, 0take care of 5wen, Peter0. Spider$ Man had lost a great ally. 5wen blamed Spider$Man for her father%s death. Peter%s conscience, already tormented by the ever present need to lie to 5wen, became even more troubled. @et

their love prevailed through life%s challenges $ including arry%s drug addiction, and Spider$Man%s aborted attempt to remove his own powers, that instead resulted in him being transformed into a si! armed freak. 1n the end, it was death which separated the two lovers. (he 5reen 5oblin kidnapped 5wen, and dropped her off the *rooklyn *ridge. Spider$Man tried, but failed to save her. 1n the vicious battle which followed, 7orman was accidentally impaled by his own 5oblin 5lider. is apparent death was secretly observed by his son, arry, who swore his own revenge on Spider$Man. arry soon succumbed to the Osborn 8egacy, kidnapping those whom Peter loved most, only barely being stopped from finishing the work that 7orman Osborn had started. Meanwhile Peter and 5wen%s college Professor, Miles 'arren, had begun his own deadly schemes as the Jac!al. Miles blamed Spider$ Man for the death of 5wen, whom he had himself fallen in love with. (he clima! of the -ackal%s plan was his creation of a Spider$Man clone, but at the conclusion of the final battle, both the -ackal and the clone were killed. 'ith their departure, Peter%s life returned to normality, as much as it ever could for a college student who was secretly a costumed super$hero. 1n the meantime, Peter and Mary -ane reali9ed that their relationship had become far more than ,ust friendship. So much so that, shortly before his college graduation, Peter proposed to Mary -ane. *ut she had seen too much pain in her own family, and she turned him down. She left 7ew @ork to pursue her modeling career in /lorida, and Peter Parker moved on to post$graduate studies. 1t was a time for new challenges, and new friends. *ut one thing would never change: the ever$present responsibility he faced as Spider$Man. 4ntering his post$graduate studies, Peter%s close college friends began to find their own lives. Liz Allan was dating 2later to marry3 a recovering arry Osborn. /lash (hompson was looking for a life after football and the army, with his girlfriend Sha Shan. *etty *rant had married *ugle reporter -e% Lee%s. 4ven Peter%s Aunt May had found romance with -athan Lu ens!y, fellow occupant of the convalescent home she had moved into. 'ith his friends all in co9y couples, Mary -ane%s departure was all the more unsettling. *ut it was not long before Peter began dating again. e en,oyed several dates with +issy 1ronwood. Also, departmental secretary &eborah 'hitman was attracted to Peter, but failed to win his heart. &awn Starr, undergraduate student, pretended to date Peter though actually wanting to sneak a look at an upcoming e!am. Amy Powell tried to use Peter to make fiancA 8ance *annon ,ealous. (hese women had one thing in common $ Peter Parker. *ut when Felicia Har%y, crossed Spider$Man%s path, things were different.

/elicia was beautiful, talented, and determined. She was also an unrepentant burglar who had a romantic fascination with her web$ slinging hero. Spider$Man persuaded /elicia to turn away from crime, and the two of them became lovers $ and crime$fighting partners. /elicia urged Peter to spend more and more time in costume. (he glamorous *lack +at could never bear to see her super$hero living the s.ualid life of post$grad student. *ecoming Spider$Man was made easier since Aunt May had recovered enough to return home and open the Parker residence as a boarding home for retired people, aided by 7athan. Aided by the *lack +at, Spider$ Man faced &oc Ock and the O.l $ a battle which nearly cost /elicia her life. Peter was brought crashing down to earth. e reali9ed that without super$powers, /elicia was ,ust like the others from his past, who had so often paid the price for Peter being Spider$Man. 'hen Mary -ane returned from /lorida she found Peter and the *lack +at in a shaky and tempestuous relationship. /elicia could not bear the thought of Peter not allowing her to accompany him into battle, and she embarked on a secret search for super$powers at any price. (ricked by the ?ingpin, and twisted in her own deceit, the *lack +at and Spider$Man finally parted ways. 1n contrast, Mary -ane was determined not to let lies come between her and Peter Parker. She finally told Peter that she had known for some time about his secret identity. 'ith Spider$Man%s secret finally out in the open, Peter and Mary -ane%s relationship found new depth. +ertainly there always was plenty of action for Spider$Man in 7ew @ork, especially with the appearance of the deadly Ho go lin, and Peter%s troubles with his symbiotic black costume he obtained after being whisked away to the $ecret ,ars, a battle on a far away world between the 4arth%s greatest heroes and villains orchestrated by the enigmatic Beyon%er. is costume shredded, Spider$Man thought he obtained a new black and white costume 2similar in design to the new $pi%er(,oman3 from a costume making machine. After returning home to 4arth, he discovered his costume was actually a living entity. (hanks to Mister Fantastic, the costume was removed by sonic blasts, and captured. 1t escaped, still emotionally dependant on Spider$Man and reattached itself. Spider$Man forced it off by the loud noise atop the bell$tower of a church 2where the alien costume would later attach itself to 4ddie *rock forming "enom3.

As Spider$Man, Peter faced the death of his good friend /olice Captain Jean #e,ol00 at the hands of the $in(&ater. e watched /lash (hompson be taken for a criminal, and 7ed 8eeds killed, both for their involvement with the obgoblin. *ut things were different now $ he had Mary -ane by his side. Peter proposed for a second time, and was accepted. As newlyweds, Peter and Mary -ane shared happiness, but faced many perils also. Mary -ane was menaced by both ?raven the unter, and by )enom, both of whom knew Peter%s identity. Mary -ane loved Peter, and had deep respect for his sense of responsibility. *ut she was unprepared for the loneliness, the fear for his life, and the nagging doubt that perhaps Peter needed Spider$Man far more than he needed her. &uring this time, Spider$ Man gained the cosmic powers of Captain Universe making him virtually indestructible, able to fly, shoot cosmic energy blasts, and possess unimaginable strength. (his temporary augmentation allowed Spider$Man to defend himself against a new assortment of foes 2including )raviton, Magneto, Titania, and #ragon Man3, as villains attempted to aid each other by targeting each others% enemies. At the opposite e!treme, Spider$Man temporarily lost all of his powers under the trickery of the Chameleon, but was aided by the *lack +at in restoring his abilities. Spider$Man, along with the Hul!, )host 1i%er, and ,olverine briefly formed an unofficial ad$hoc /antastic /our team, while the real /antastic /our were captured by Skrulls. (he group .uickly disbanded. Amongst the daily battles with 7ew @ork%s villains, and the challenges of keeping his marriage alive, Peter was soon to face the ine!plicable return of his parents, Mary and 1ichar% /ar!er. 8ong since believed dead, they claimed to have lost their memory of the intervening years. Aunt May was not ready to accept them, but Peter finally believed them to be what they claimed to be, even showing them his identity as Spider$Man. *ut Peter%s heart had over$ridden his instincts. (he pair were eventually revealed as robot agents of the +hameleon, part of a plan prompted by arry Osborn, recently returned as the 5reen 5oblin. Spider$Man was filled with anger at this deeply personal attack. 1t seemed to him that those he loved were fated to die, while the evil in his life would always return to haunt him. A darkness began to fill Spider$Man%s heart, like never before. Still brooding over the +hameleon%s invasion of his life, and arry%s subse.uent suicidal attack on both the Osborn and Parker families, Peter was then faced with Aunt May%s serious heart attack. May was in hospital, and not e!pected to recover. Peter%s frustration at life%s in,ustices boiled over into violence. 4ncountering the recently reformed and powerless Scorpion, Spider$Man cruelly beat his former foe close to death $ ignoring his victim%s pleas for mercy.

+alling himself 0the Spider0, it seemed that Peter was even beyond Mary -ane%s powers to heal him. 1n the end, his salvation came at the hands of Ju%as Traveller, a psychologist with most unusual methods. Peter%s recovery from his dark madness coincided with the return of a figure from Peter%s distant past $ his clone, created by the -ackal. (he clone had survived, and had wandered the U.S. using the adopted name 0*en >eilly0. 8earning that Aunt May was very ill, the clone returned to 7ew @ork, ,ust in time to see her pass away. e adopted a costumed identity as the 0Scarlet Spider0, and portrayed himself as Peter%s long$lost cousin. Peter and *en became friends, even almost brothers. (he -ackal himself had also survived. imself deceived at the hands of 7orman Osborn, the -ackal declared that in fact *en was the original, and Peter the clone. *en subse.uently took over the role of Spider$Man, leaving Peter and Mary -ane free to en,oy a 0normal0 life. Peter returned to his scientific career, though hampered by having never completed his doctorate. e and M- also tried moving to Portland, until they reali9ed that 7ew @ork was where they truly belonged. *ut all too soon, their new world was shattered when 7orman Osborn burst back into their lives. e also had survived his apparent death, and was the mastermind behind all of the -ackal%s schemes. 7orman killed *en, revealing him to be the clone after all. *ut 7orman%s schemes went even deeper $ Peter%s Aunt May was still alive. (he woman that had died was an actress, part of a subtle plot which was never carried to fruition. >eunited at last, Peter, Mary -ane, and Aunt May moved into a lu!urious apartment. /urthermore, the appearance of an new Spider$Man 2actually Mattie Fran!lin3 allowed Peter to promise Mary -ane that he would give up being Spider$Man. *ut Peter could not seem to keep his word. 'hile Mary -ane was being increasingly threatened by an anonymous stalker, Peter was breaking his promise, and returning to web$slinging. Mary -ane was distraught. She no longer felt needed, no longer felt part of Peter%s life. Perhaps things could have been resolved, but the chance vanished when the plane carrying Mary -ane e!ploded. Peter felt lost. Aunt May returned home, while Peter found a place of his own, and returned to his bachelor lifestyle. e became reac.uainted with his old friends >andy >obertson and )lory )rant, now a couple. is attractive neighbor, +aryn, also intrigued him. *ut with Peter still emotionally adrift, 7orman picked the perfect time to drug Peter and incite him to becoming his heir. *ut even lost and confused as he was, Peter proved that his could not be tempted so easily. Meanwhile, Mary -ane was not dead, but had been kidnapped by her stalker. Spider$ Man managed to rescue Mary -ane, only to discover that she had made her choice about Peter, and she could no longer stay with him. Mary -ane left for the 'est +oast, leaving Peter to struggle

with a loss almost as traumatic as her apparent death. Peter turned to his Aunt May, but it was she herself who discovered Peter%s greatest secret, visiting unannounced, and finding him asleep in costume after his grueling victory against Morlun. After coming to terms with the fact, May is now Peter%s strongest supporter, and the two are closer than ever. May also prompted Peter to take up teaching. Peter returned to Midtown igh, now a poor urban school, where he teaches chemistry part$time. 'ith renewed hopes, Peter and Mary -ane have recently agreed to try once to make things work between them. After their time apart, Peter%s earnest promise to Mary -ane was that he truly needs in his life.

(he mysterious &ze!iel, who shared similar spider$like abilities, made Peter .uestion the source of his powers, implying a mystical reason the spider chose to bite him. 49ekiel had stolen his powers through an arcane ceremony and needed to sacrifice Spider$Man to keep them. 'hen his ritual ,oined their minds, however, 49ekiel reali9ed Spider$Man was the worthy hero and sacrificed himself. *ack home, Spider$Man fought the two adult children of his e!$love, 5wen Stacy. @ears before, 5wen had an affair with 7orman Osborn, subse.uently became pregnant and rapidly gave birth to twins, )a riel and $arah. After his own apparent %death,% Osborn found the pair, who were aging rapidly due to their genetic inheritance of the 5oblin formula. Osborn told them that Peter was their father and had killed their mother but Spider$Man eventually made them face the truth. Osborn also revealed Spider$Man%s identity to the Scorpion, and had him kidnap Aunt May. Osborn had been publicly revealed as the 5reen 5oblin and ,ailed after murdering ,ournalist (erri ?idder. e knew big businesses had been conspiring since the "B#Cs to create super$villains and, as a potential whistle$blower, was an easy target in prison. Osborn wanted Peter to break him out in return for May%s freedom, but when Peter did, a battle erupted

with the $inister T.elve, including 5argan himself $ now a new )enom after bonding with the alien symbiote. Spider$Man, with the help of the Avengers, was able to defeat the Sinister (welve and save his Aunt May. Around this time, Spider$Man met the 2ueen who had powers allowing her to control the world%s insects, eventually causing Spider$Man to mutate into a giant spider. She planned to detonate a bomb that would kill everyone e!cept those with the insect gene but Peter returned to his human form and stopped her, albeit with enhanced powers. >ecently, after a breakout at the 1a0t $ecurity /rison, Spider$Man ,oined the Avengers 2newly formed in the aftermath of the $carlet ,itch%s attack on her own team3. An old classmate of Peter%s named Charlie ,ei%erman went on an insane rampage after his e!periments covered him in )ibranium, and burned down the Parker%s home in /orest ills. Peter moved into (ony StarkDs tower with Aunt May and Mary -ane. /or this and various other reasons, Spider$Man%s secret identity was shared with many of the world%s heroes including the Avengers and the /antastic /our, providing him with an venue to communicate among his peers.

Morlun returned again, viciously beating Spider$Man, removing an eye, and hospitali9ing him. Mary -ane tried to stop Morlun from finishing off her husband. *ut when Morlun threatened to kill her, Spider$Man gave the last of his energy to protect her. 'ith stingers that burst from his wrists, Spider$Man slayed Morlun. Spider$Man then apparently died: however, a new Peter Parker emerged from the old corpse, now more fully embracing his 0other0 self $ his spider personae. >etaining his stingers, he discovered other new abilities including night vision, greater control of his skin adhesive properties, and enhanced sensory perceptions, such as being able to sense the vibrations traveling through his webline. Tony $tar! looking at Peter as his protAgA, gave Spider$Man a new technologically advanced costume with a red and gold color scheme as a gift. 1n the aftermath of a tragedy in Stamford, +onnecticut, in which a band of televised heroes were unable to prevent the villain -itro from killing an entire elementary school full of children and parts of the surrounding community, the U.S. government propelled forward the Superhuman >egistration Act re.uiring the superhero community to register themselves as living weapons of mass destruction, and reveal their identities to the government. (he act

was supported by (ony Stark, who became the leader of the Pro$ >egistration side. (he superheroic community was split between registering or refusing and becoming an outlaw. 8eading the opposition to the act was Captain America, in defense of heroes% right to privacy. (o support 1ron Man, and perhaps obtain the ever$ elusive respect from the public by compliance with the Act, Spider$ Man made the difficult decision 2with support from May and Mary -ane3 to reveal his identity to the world during a press conference. As Spider$Man now faces the danger of public e!posure to his family and loved ones, and the prospect of having to capture his renegade friends in what has become an all$out Civil ,ar in the superpowered community, Peter regretted his decision. After witnessing a prison in the 7egative Eone for super humans who refused to register, Parker fled Avengers (ower with his family, clashing with 1ron Man during his e!it.