Spider-Man is one of the most popular superheroes in the world. He’s one of the most accessible, most relatable Marvel characters created. There’s 8 or so movies, a cartoon TV show, action figures, costumes, and so many comic titles and Spider-Man adjacent or alternative versions of himself that I can’t even keep track. He’s everyone’s favorite bug. But how much do you really know about Spider-Man? Today, we’re sharing with you some of the most interesting facts that we think all fanboys should know. Though, I’m sure if you’re a REAL fanboy, you already do.
Multiple Origin Stories. God rest Stan Lee, but he told multiple stories behind Spider-Man’s inspiration. He told Larry King in 2000 that the idea came from observing a fly. Lee said, what if a person could stick to the wall like an insect? He also said the pulp character “The Spider” from the 30’s and 40’s also inspired the character’s name. Other reports Lee saying that he began considering different “bug-man” names such as, “Fly-Man,” “Mosquito-Man,” and “Insect-Man,” but continued on with wall-crawling bugs until he reached “Spider-Man,” which he said sounded “mysterious and dramatic.” We don’t know if one is true or they’re all true. But we’re just happy Spider-Man did eventually come into existence.
Peter Parker’s peers aren’t the only ones who rejected him. Martin Goodman, Stan Lee’s publisher, rejected the idea of a Spider-Man because he said, “Everybody hates spiders.” So, he shelved the idea. He finally told Spider-Man’s story in the final issue of Amazing Fantasy.
Little but mighty. Spider-Man’s first appearance was only a 12 page comic!
Peter who!? In the first issue of The Amazing Spider-Man, Stan Lee mistakenly refers to Peter as “Peter Palmer.” Elsewhere in the issue he’s “Peter Parker.” As well as in Amazing Fantasy. Whoops.
Those darn censors! “In 1971, the Comics Code Authority refused to approve The Amazing Spider-Man #96 through #98 because the story depicted drug use. But because it showed drugs in a negative way, Stan Lee felt it was important to run the story anyway, so all three issues were published without the approval of the CCA.”-Inverse.com.
Spidey’s iconic black costume was a fan’s idea. Spider-Man’s black costumed came out early in 1984, in Amazing Spider-Man 252. It was designed by a fan named Randy Schueller who entered a contest by Marvel for aspiring writers and artists in 1982. He was paid $220 for his work. (The new suit wasn’t explained until months later in Secret Wars.)
Hyphenated. The correct way to spell Spider-Man is with he hyphen. Stan Lee insisted so in order to differentiate even more so from Superman.
Forget the black costume! Spider-Man 300 was the issue where Spidey got rid of the black costume. Todd McFarlane was working on the title at the time and he didn’t want to draw the black costume. He said in an Instagram video he “wanted to draw the red and blue!” So, they got rid of the costume.
Enter Venom! Venom’s origin story was based on that decision. McFarlane said issue 300 was the origin of Venom. But simultaneously was the plot they came up with just to get the black suit off of Spider-Man.
Missed opportunity. In the 1990’s James Cameron wanted to make the Spider-Man movie. The project fell through due to rights issues. Cameron later wrote, “Spider-Man is the greatest movie I never made.”
These are only 10 interesting facts surrounding Spider-Man. I didn’t get into the movie-making choosing to stick to the comics. But there’s so much more of Spider-Man to explore! How many facts did you already know?
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