Ambrose Tardive is a writer, editor, educator and life-long comic reader. He earned his MFA from Randolph College and is a published fiction author.
Marvel knows it has a problem with Spider-Man, but it’s not willing to take the drastic measures necessary to fix it. Ask hardcore Marvel fans, and they’ll tell you Spider-Man lore went off the rails nearly twenty full years ago, but the problem has compounded since, and the only true solution remains obvious: a full reboot.
The best 21st-century Spider-stories have all practically been alternate continuity tales, taking place outside Marvel’s mainstream canon. Or, they have featured Spider-heroes that aren’t Peter Parker. This has made Marvel’s “flagship” Spider-Man titles increasingly irrelevant. Yet Marvel isn’t particularly inclined to address the issue, seemingly viewing it as a feature and not a bug. Spider-Man Needs A Reboot, A Reset, A Recalibration; Call It What You Want, The Hero's Been Stuck For Too Long The Main Continuity Peter Parker Hasn't Gone Anywhere In Decades Multiple creative personnel at Marvel, from top writers to senior editors, have acknowledged that the best stories starring Peter Parker, the OG Spider-Man, haven't appeared in the main Marvel Universe for a while. The hero has been stuck in creative stasis for decades; Marvel considers non-canon stories perfectly suitable for trying new things with the hero while the original languishes. Spider-Man lore is messy, and Spidey a cornerstone of the Jenga tower that is Marvel canon. The simplest answer to making Peter Parker matter again is a full reboot of Spider-continuity, but in this case, simple doesn't mean easy. Yet let's consider what it would look like if Marvel did decide to make such a big move with its beloved Webslinger. First, Marvel could always kill Peter Parker off. Not"permanently," but even a few years off the table would help reinvigorate interest in the main Marvel Universe version of Spider-Man. That doesn't mean Peter Parker would go anywhere, of course. It's just that Marvel could focus on the outside-canon stories that it knows are the best modern Peter-as-Spidey stories. Spider-Man Isn't Special Anymore, And It's Making Marvel Fans Lose Interest In Peter Parker Marvel Needs Peter To Be Its #1 Protagonist Again Peter Parker's extended creative rut has coincided with an explosion in the population of Spider-heroes in the Marvel Universe. With too many Spider-characters to count, the original Spider-Man is no longer novel. And while Spider-Man used to be the centerpiece of his own franchise, now that's arguably not the case any longer. Subscribe to the newsletter for Spider-Man reboot analysis Join the newsletter to unpack Spider-Man’s continuity crisis: in-depth analysis of reboot options, Peter Parker’s place in Marvel canon, and how a reset could reshape the flagship myth—contextual coverage that sharpens your view of these debates. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. That makes a reboot especially tricky. Marvel would need to find a creative way to reset canon Peter Parker without banishing its other popular Spider-heroes from Marvel's main canon. Except that exposes a deeper issue: Spider-Man is better off not having to fight for the spotlight with other derivative characters. So, really, making Peter Parker the only Spider-Man in the Marvel Universe would actually be best for the character. It's not going to happen, though, at this point. That means Marvel has to figure out some other way to do something daring and innovative with its original Spider-Man before fans tune out completely. Spider-Man Created By Stan Lee, Steve Ditko First Appearance Amazing Fantasy Alias Peter Parker, Ben Reilly, Otto Octavius, Yu Komori, Kaine Parker, Pavitr Prabhakar, William Braddock, Miles Morales, Kurt Wagner Alliance Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Secret Defenders, Future Foundation, Heroes for Hire, Mighty Avengers, New Avengers, Web-Warriors Race Human Franchise Marvel, Spider-Man
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