Like many superheroes blessed with abilities purely physical in nature, fans have long argued that Spider-Man’s genius should be his primary method of helping the world, but one comic proved that this isn’t such a great idea. In a world full of colorful supervillains, sometimes the great responsibility that comes with your great power has to involve punching the Green Goblin in the face.
There is some logic to the argument, of course: Peter Parker's intellect is almost always less emphasized than Spider-Man’s actual superpowers, having created his own web fluid formula, and managing to save the day countless times thanks to his quick thinking. Peter might not technically be on par with the super-geniuses like Reed Richards, Hank Pym, or Tony Stark, but he’s still absurdly smart with a penchant for technological innovation. So it stands to reason that, like the aforementioned geniuses, Peter dedicating his life to improving the world via his genius could make the Marvel Universe a better place for it. But one recent story directly counters this idea in a future where the argument came true.
In Spectacular Spider-Man Vol 1 #304-305 by Chip Zdarsky and Adam Kubert, it is shown that if Peter Parker had abandoned being a superhero to make the world better through technological innovation, Spider-Man's most famous villains would have run rampant, leading to a dystopia. This works as a refutation of the idea that heroes would improve the world more if they simply dedicated their time and resources to improving societal ills. What fans who argue this point often refuse to understand is that comics are not accurate depictions of real life. Marvel might purport to be ‘the world outside your window,' but the real world doesn’t feature the Green Goblin or Carnage. True to life depictions of the world do exist in comics, but to expect them in mainstream superhero comics featuring supervillains often feels a little unfair.
Peter Parker Failed To Save New York With His Brain
This isn’t to say that superheroes couldn’t do more with their technologies and scientific genius to solve the world’s problems, but this runs up against another real-life difficulty: the status quo. Comics in Marvel and DC’s ‘canon’ universes have to adhere close enough to real life to be ‘relatable’ and ‘recognizable’ that fixing real-life problems via Peter Parker’s, Reed Richard’s or Tony Stark’s super-science simply becomes unwise to write. Alternate universe stories by Marvel and DC do often scratch that itch, however, with a pertinent example being Chip Zdarsky and Mark Bagley’s Spider-Man: Life Story. The conceit of the comic taking place in real-time over decades shows just how a world where Marvel’s scientists have improved things would operate.
However, some modern in-continuity stories have shown that Peter does have the ability to balance improving the world via tech with his superheroics. The ‘Big time’ era of Dan Slott’s Spider-Man run, starting with Amazing Spider-Man vol 1 #648 by Slott and Humberto Ramos, sees Peter put his intelligence to use working for tech company Horizon Labs. This theme continues throughout Slott’s tenure on the Spider-books, especially once Doctor Octopus, controlling Peter’s body, founds Parker Industries in Slott and Giuseppe Camuncoli’s Superior Spider-Man vol 1 #20.
Peter’s continuation of Parker Industries after his recovery demonstrates that superheroism and public improvement of lives don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Spider-Man might not always publicly change the world in a way some fans want, but he’s done more for it than many might think.
