Marvel and DC have long shared a history of inspiring each other, and Spider-Man are a prime example of this surprising crossover of ideas. Though the two heroes seem worlds apart, Stan Lee himself revealed that Spider-Man's name was actually inspired by Superman.

At first glance, Superman and Spider-Man seem like they have nothing in common. Superman is an alien refugee from the planet Krypton, boasting incredible powers like super-strength and super-speed, which he derives from Earth's yellow sun. His powers are innate to his race, making him one of the most powerful heroes in the DC Universe.

On the other hand, Spider-Man was just an ordinary teenage boy who was bitten by a radioactive spider, gaining enhanced strength, agility, and his iconic Spider-Sense. While Spider-Man is undeniably strong, he's far from the strongest hero in Marvel. So how could Superman have inspired Spider-Man? It turns out, the answer lies in the name.

Spider-Man Was Officially Inspired By The Spider, Master of Men

The Spider: Master Of Men Created by Harry Steeger

Like all good creatives, Stan Lee drew inspiration from what he loved when he was a young boy. In the case of Spider-Man, this inspiration came from way back in 1933, with the character the Spider. At the time, there weren't that many superheroes around, as it was still a few years before Superman or Batman. The Spider was created as a direct competition to Street and Smith Publications' hero the Shadow, who would later be used as an inspiration for Batman. The Spider's entire deal was hunting down criminals and leaving his mark on them, literally.

The Spider wore a ring that was adorned with a spider symbol, and when he punched criminals in the face, he'd leave the imprint of the spider on them. One of the major things that stood out about The Spider, especially for the time, was how absolutely brutal he was. This was a character who was more than happy to kill criminals, oftentimes pre-emptively. This character seemed to really leave a mark on a young Stan Lee, and without the bloody adventures of the Spider, it's unlikely there would be the friendly neighborhood spider we all love today.

Superman Helped Turn The Spider Into 'Spider-Man'

Origin of Marvel Comics by Stan Lee

After the 1940s, superheroes were dominating the comic book market. Noir and romance stories were practically gone, and everything was superhero-related. This superhero dominance resulted in one of Marvel's serial comics, known as Amazing Fantasy, starting to die off. While Marvel was certainly doing well for themselves with hits like The Fantastic Four and The Hulk, they hadn't found a true mascot yet like DC's Batman or Superman, and they were looking to close down Amazing Fantasy to continue focusing on their superheroes instead.

That's when Stan Lee stepped up with an idea that wouldn't get out of his head. Stan Lee tried to pitch the idea of Spider-Man to Martin Goodman, who initially rejected the idea, telling Stan that no one liked spiders. Thankfully, Stan had an ace up his sleeve. Amazing Fantasy was to be canceled after issue fifteen, so Stan requested to put this new character into the final issue. After all, what could possibly be the harm of trying out a new superhero in a doomed comic?

Stan Lee poured everything he had into creating Spider-Man, and the character’s debut story is nothing short of remarkable. In just eleven pages, Lee captured the essence of Spider-Man perfectly—introducing Peter Parker as the nerdy high school kid, the fateful spider bite, the gaining of his powers, the tragic death of Uncle Ben, and the crucial lesson of responsibility. To weave all of these iconic elements into such a short space is a testament to Lee’s unparalleled skill as a writer and his ability to craft a hero that would resonate for generations.

But there's one very interesting detail about Spider-Man in this early issue that eagle-eyed fans may have spotted. Everyone who is a fan of Spider-Man knows that he needs his hyphen. It's the web that connects his names together, and it's just not right if he doesn't have it. But in the very first appearance, he's not referred to as Spider-Man, instead only named "Spiderman." Turns out, this wasn't just a typo. This lack of hyphen was actually a deliberate choice, and it all ties back to DC's Man of Steel.

Yes, 'Spiderman' Was A Superman Joke in The Beginning

The Connection Between Spider-Man, Superman, and Marvel's Early Jokes

While it was never an overt joke, Stan Lee does mention outright in Origin of Marvel Comics that he was inspired by Superman, saying the following: "Everybody knew about Superman–so the time had come for a competitor to make the scene; and what fun it would be to call him Spider-Man." Stan Lee was directly inspired by Superman's name and wanted something similar but also totally unrelated. The lack of a hyphen, which Stan Lee did use in his retelling of the events, was also notably absent from the comic, as it only made Spiderman's name look more similar to Superman's.

There's even an overt reference to Batman and Superman on the very opening page of Amazing Fantasy #15, referring to them as "long underwear characters" due to the trunks that are so often the source of mockery. Not only this, but Stan Lee even mentioned on X that he had originally created the hyphen to more easily differentiate Spider-Man and Superman so that non-comic readers wouldn't get confused due to their similar names.

The Hyphen in Spider-Man Is a Symbol That He Made It

Once Spider-Man Proved Himself, He Was No Longer A Joke

Stan Lee didn't really take Spider-Man seriously at first. After all, he launched him in a literally dying book. Stan just couldn't get the idea for the character out of his head and wanted to be done with it once and for all. He very likely expected Spider-Man to die along with Amazing Fantasy, but that wasn't the case. Amazing Fantasy #15 sold incredibly well and proved there was interest in the character, and that's when Stan Lee decided to really take the character seriously.

The success of Amazing Fantasy #15 proved that people really did care about Spider-Man and wanted to see more of him. This resulted in Peter getting his very own comic series. It seemed that Marvel finally had the flagship character they had been looking for. While Spider-Man started as a joke because of Superman, the joke name was gone, and he was now and forevermore known as Spider-Man.

Amazing Fantasy #15 and Origins of Marvel Comics are both on sale now from Marvel Comics!