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Characters : Spider-Man Himself

Peter Parker was orphaned at an early age, and went to live in Forest Hills, Queens, New York with his elderly Aunt May and Uncle Ben. He grew up as a shy, be-spectacled studious boy, with a real talent for the Sciences. It was at a scientific demonstration of a new radiation technology, that the incident happened which was to change his life forever.

Unperceived by the crowd, a spider had crept into the beam of radiation being generated by the experiment. It dropped down onto the hand of our erstwhile genius, Peter Parker, and (glowing strangly all the while) bit him upon the hand.

Feeling unnerved, Peter left the building, and wandered home in a daze. When a car almost clipped him, he lept without thinking, up high, and onto the side of a building, where he stuck, like a Spider. Indeed, this young boy had gained the Powers of a Spider - speed, strength, wall-sticking, and an unerring sixth-sense which warned him of danger just before it occured.

This basic tale of Spidey's origin from Amazing Fantasy #15 has been reprinted many times. Check out Al Sjoerdsma's Origins Retold Rave. For a more modern rework, try the comics archive for John Byrne's Chapter One, or the far more convincing Ultimate Spider-Man translation.
Since that time, Spider-Man has appeared in, or directly inspired over 2000 comics or books, nearly all of which are detailed over in the Comics section. He has also inspired Shows, and a couple of truckloads of Trading Cards and Computer Games.

More Detail

This entire site is concerned with Spidey, but here's a few sections which delve into a little more detail about the character himself...

Powers Image
Powers & Abilities
Costume Image
Costume & Identities
Equipment Image
Equipment & Weapons

There's so much more to tell, that it's hard to know where to start. Spidey's physical description is given in the Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe:

Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 165 lbs
Eyes: Hazel
Hair: Brown

His parents, family, friends and foes can all be found on the Characters Page. But if you really want to know about the all the things that Peter Parker has been through in the last 30+ years, then you'll just need to sit down and read some Comics. Of course, you'll find some reviews on this site, to give you general idea, and help you sort the wheat from the chaff.

If you think you know Spidey already, then why not try a Simple Spider-Quiz, or Quiz #2, Quiz #3, or Quiz #4.

This page is Un-Official. It is not associated with Marvel. It uses content copyright by Marvel, Without Permission. This material is used for the purposes of informed discussion, and is not intended to interfere with Marvel's right to use said material for their own commercial goals.