The death of Thomas and Martha Wayne, as they served as fuel to power the resolve and determination for some of the greatest superheroes comics have ever known. But in the case of Uncle Ben, his memory and his famous words of wisdom "With great power comes great responsibility" are known to everybody, even people who aren't regular comic book fans.
When the Spider-Man: Noir, a different reality which takes place in 1933 during the Great Depression, this version of Peter Parker was raised by his Uncle Ben and Aunt May but his lifestyle and gruesome death served to motivate Peter in a different direction when fate chose him to become Spider-Man.
In the Spider-Man: Noir story by David Hine, Fabrice Sapolsky, and Carmine Di Giandomenico Ben Parker was a former Great War pilot and veteran who later served as a social activist alongside his wife and nephew Peter. Ben's words and ability to motivate the homeless and frustrated masses into action deemed him a threat by the comfortable and corrupt forces that ruled the city so a deal was made and executed by Norman Osborn, who assumed a Wilson Fisk-like role within the city's power structure along with his posse which included iconic Spider-Man foes such as Vulture, Chameleon, Kraven the Hunter and the Enforcers. Ben was kidnapped and taken somewhere where he was beaten and tied down while wild dogs were set upon him, tearing and mutilating his body to the point of death. This is all told to reporter Ben Urich by his new assistant, Peter Parker who discovered what was left of his Uncle's body at that time. It is later revealed in Ben Urich's flashbacks that it wasn't dogs that killed Ben Parker, his murderer was the Vulture whose background in old fashioned freak shows had given him a taste for human flesh. It was the Vulture who maimed and murdered Uncle Ben as Osborn's men watched, a crowd that included a horrified Urich.
His uncle's memory and his anger at the extent of the corruption within the city was a sharp contrast to his defeated and disillusioned mentor whose struggle with addiction helped to keep him in Osborn's pocket. ing his Uncle Ben's words "If those in power can't be trusted, its the responsibility of the people to remove them," proved to be a different take on the classic mantra but regardless it helped motivate this future Spider-Man. Peter's interception of a lead on Osborn's criminal activities put in in the place where he would inherit his unique spider powers. After his dismissal of Ben Urich due to his dealings with Osborn, Peter lost his second father figure when Ben was murdered after it was discovered he was planning to expose Osborn and his criminal empire with years of collected evidence to the Daily Bugle. At that time, a motivated Peter uncovered his Uncle's old aviator uniform and service pistol and re-imagined them as his uniform as the city's newest crusader Spider-Man.
In his efforts as the new Spider-Man, Peter would not only avenge his Uncle Ben's death but also Ben Urich's death as well. He shot and killed Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse film where he appeared voiced by actor Nicholas Cage. It would appear that regardless of the circumstances or direction of his life, Uncle Ben would always be involved in Spider-Man's story as his memory continues to inspire greatness, even in those who don't wear a red and blue costume. Nuff said.
