Spider-Man has long been one of Marvel’s greatest heroes, facing down some of the most terrifying villains in New York City. It’s impossible to deny the impact that Spider-Man has had on the heroic community. It goes beyond just being a costumed vigilante, as Spider-Man has always been looked up to, even when he was little more than a child. Spider-Man has been through a lot over the years but he’s always ready for more.
One of the most mystifying things about Spider-Man is the extent to which he’s squandered his potential. He’s an intelligent, skilled hero and yet there have been plenty of time over the years he hasn’t lived up to what he should be.
10 His Failure To Control His Symbiote Led To Untold Suffering
Spider-Man was the first human to wear a Klyntar symbiote, gaining it after his costume was damaged in the fighting during the first Secret Wars. It would be a big help to him over the years but when it tried to bond with him, he rejected it. Feeling spurned, it would bond with Eddie Brock and become Venom, which would lead to Carnage and other dangerous symbiotes.
If Spider-Man had been able to control his symbiote and handle bonding with it, countless lives would have been saved. Symbiotes are extremely powerful and there’s a chance that an older, more experienced Spider-Man would have made a better decision.
9 He Never Found A Way To Monetize His Intelligence
Marvel heroes like Mister Fantastic and Iron Man have found ways to use their prodigious intelligence to become extremely wealthy, creating and growing massive financial empires respectively. Peter Parker is often considered to be in their class when it comes to intelligence and yet he’s never been able to make it work for him.
One of Parker’s biggest problems in his life is lack of finances, and yet he was able to invent his webshooters with equipment and chemicals readily available to a fifteen year old. The fact that he was never able to make it big like other heroes is a massive disappointment.
8 He Rarely Used His Connections To Make His Life Better
Spider-Man is known for teaming up with everyone regardless of how he feels about them. It’s one of the reasons he’s so respected among his peers in the Marvel Universe, but he’s rarely used his network of friends to really help himself out. The one time he did was when he joined the New Avengers but that ended with him being manipulated by Iron Man as the poster boy for the Superhero Registration Act.
Spider-Man has some of the best connections in the Marvel Universe and yet he doesn’t ever seem to put those connections to good use. There are so many things he could have done if he would have used his friendships to his advantage, allowing him to use his scientific skills and his superhero ones.
7 He Couldn’t Figure Out A Way To Save Parker Industries
Otto Octavius’s time as Spider-Man did a lot for Peter Parker and one of the biggest things was Parker Industries. Putting his intelligence to work, Octavius created an industrial empire that Peter inherited when Otto “died.” While he would do a good job running the business for a bit, eventually, the dreaded Parker luck would strike and he’d lose it all.
He was eventually forced to sabotage the company to stop the Carrion virus. The fact that he couldn’t figure out how to stop it or get help from his friends shows that maybe he wasn’t ready for that kind of responsibility, even if he seemed like he was.
6 He’s Lost Every Good Job He’s Had
His failure at Parker Industries wasn’t the first time Spider-Man messed up his life when it comes to work outside of being a superhero. For years, Peter Parker was able to find better than jobs then freelance photographer and yet always ended up losing them at some point or another. For some reason, he couldn’t capitalize on his own success.
Peter Parker constantly failing, even at careers that he was perfect for like when he was a teacher— a job he had twice— or science editor at the Daily Bugle is yet another example of him not being able to make both sides of his life work in concert, regardless of how good he is.
5 He Didn’t Start Using His Place In The Superhero Community To Mentor Others Until Recently
Spider-Man has been respected for a long time because of all of the experience he gained as a hero. Even as young man, Spider-Man was one of the best heroes in the city but it took him ages to pass on his wisdom to others. While he was fine with teaming up with anyone, he rarely took any young heroes under his wing until recently.
Spider-Man has proven over the years that he is a born teacher and mentor and yet it took forever for him to overcome his own self-doubt and actually help the younger generation of heroes. He’s proven to be good at it, so the fact he didn’t start ages ago puts a spotlight on his wasted potential as a mentor.
4 He’s Let His Self Doubt Control Him For Years
Beyond the dreaded Parker luck, the biggest thing holding Spider-Man back is his severe lack of confidence. Spider-Man has been defined by this, as Peter Parker allowed his years of being considered a nerd to control how he saw himself. Spider-Man was his way out from these feelings, as he could be the person he always wanted to be— but that self-doubt was always there.
Even with all he’s accomplished over the years, Spider-Man still lets his low confidence define him in a lot of ways. He doesn’t self sabotage nearly as much as he used to because of it, but that nagging voice is always there, ready to ruin everything for him.
3 He Traded His Married Life For His Aunt Because Of Fear
One More Day is infamous among Spider-Man fans for a lot of reasons, but one thing that is rarely talked about is what it says about Spider-Man, and Mary Jane for that matter, psychologically. Spider-Man’s mania to save Aunt May regardless of the consequences, and Mary Jane’s coddling of this hidebound desire, say a lot about both of them.
Spider-Man’s desire to live in a world where he never moves forward and always has his aunt there to coddle him is a childish attitude. The fact that Mary Jane indulged him, making the final decision in the matter, compounds the whole thing, as she’s willing to let him live that way instead of making him move forward.
2 It Took Him Forever To Really Take His Place In The Marvel Universe
In recent years, Spider-Man has finally started to join the big teams of the Marvel Universe, becoming an Avenger and finally taking his place as one of the premiere heroes on Earth. The thing about it is that he’s always been on that level, it just took forever for him to actually realize it.
Spider-Man has always been a top tier hero but he wouldn’t allow himself to take his place among his actual peers, staying a mostly street level hero when he easily could have been hobnobbing with the big boys. He’s grown so much since joining the Avengers, but he could have been doing that for years if he just believed in himself more.
1 He Never Took The Leadership Role He Should Have
One of the great thing about all of Spider-Man’s recent development is that it’s proved just how great of a leader he can be. From taking the lead with the Avengers, to teaching at the Jean Grey School after Wolverine’s death, to mentoring Miles Morales and leading the charge of Spider powered heroes in NYC against all manner of threats, Spider-Man has proven to be a great leader.
But he’s always been one. He’s always had the potential to be great in the lead, but he never allowed himself to live the role like he should have.
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