Every Time Spider-Man Quit

Being a super hero requires constant sacrifice in order to save the day and protect those unable to defend themselves—but perhaps no hero in the Marvel Universe is more acutely aware of those sacrifices than Spider-Man.

The ultimate everyman hero, Peter Parker cracks wise as a spectacular super hero while struggling to maintain his personal and professional life. As a result, Peter has left the role of Spider-Man behind on more than one occasion, before the responsibility that comes with his great power inevitably leads him to reclaim his super hero mantle once more. 

As he ditches the mantle again in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2022) #65 by Joe Kelly and Cafu, let’s revisit all the times Peter Parker quit being Spider-Man in the main Marvel Universe.

THE END OF SPIDER-MAN

In his personal life, Peter cares for his elderly Aunt May, who often finds herself in precarious health situations. These have a tendency to come up at the most inopportune times for Peter’s activities as Spider-Man. The first major instance took place in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #18, where May fell gravely ill. Peter grew distracted from caring for her thanks to sudden appearances by the Green Goblin and Sandman, while Spider-Man had to retreat to attend to May. 

Frustrated by the way his super villains took him away from the ones he loved, Peter decided to quit being Spider-Man until May recovered. When May returned to good health, Peter resumed being Spider-Man, proving to his enemies that he wasn’t a coward and that the city could depend on him. This remains one of the earliest and briefest times that Peter nearly quit being a hero, but it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

SPIDER-MAN NO MORE

May’s fragile health struck again in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #50 along with other complications in Peter’s personal life, including his poor grades at Empire State University. With his super hero responsibilities taking a glaring toll on his life, an overwhelmed Peter ditched his costume and declared he would be Spider-Man no more. The costume was discovered in the garbage and recovered by J. Jonah Jameson, who proudly displayed it in his office as proof he had outlasted his web-slinging foe.

With Spider-Man no longer around to save the day, the crime rate in New York soared, something that weighed heavily on Peter’s conscience. After saving an innocent bystander, Peter recalled his vow and decided the city still needed Spider-Man. He stole his Spider-Man suit back from Jameson, then officially swung back into action again.

THE SIX ARMS SAGA

As Peter’s relationship with Gwen Stacy grew more serious, their unresolved grief from the death of Gwen’s father, Captain George Stacy, hung over them. Peter, in particular, carried enormous guilt over the incident. 

To add insult to injury, Jameson’s constant barrage of negative press about Spider-Man constantly reminded Peter of his failures. This came to a head in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #100, where Peter developed an experimental serum intended to permanently remove his powers so he could focus on his relationship with Gwen, free of Spider-Man. 

Instead, the serum caused Peter to grow four additional arms, which put its own strain on his personal life as he attempted to conceal this development from Gwen, May, and Jameson. Working with Curt Connors, Spider-Man hunted down Morbius for a unique enzyme in the living vampire’s blood, which could potentially cure them both of their genetic ailments. 

After successfully using the blood sample to cure themselves, Peter decided to maintain his super hero responsibilities as Spider-Man—thankfully, as a hero with only two arms this time.

THE CHOICE AND THE CHALLENGE

After Peter moved out of his childhood home, May found love again with the elderly Nathan Lubensky, and the two eventually became engaged. However, after Nathan ended up in the hospital following an encounter with muggers, Peter blamed himself for not being able to take care of him. Coupled with his role in the reality-shaking SECRET WARS II (1985), this guilt led him to contemplate quitting his role as Spider-Man again in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #275.

This decision came in the midst of Hobgoblin’s interference with Kingpin’s operations. Although a news broadcast alerted Peter and Mary Jane Watson that Hobgoblin had taken a hostage, Peter was initially reluctant to leap into action. However, after Mary Jane reminded him of his responsibilities, Peter donned his Spider-Man costume and set out to confront the villain.

SPIDER-MAN VERSUS WOLVERINE

When the police opened fire on him after he stopped a rogue gunman in Times Square, Peter decided to quit being Spider-Man again in SPIDER-MAN VERSUS WOLVERINE (1987). This happened shortly before Jameson sent Peter on an assignment in Berlin alongside his colleague Ned Leeds, leading Peter to deliberately leave his Spider-Man costume behind for the trip. 

In Berlin, Peter met Wolverine as the X-Man investigated an attack on a spy ring. Logan quickly deduced that Peter was Spider-Man despite his lack of costume.

Though Peter felt overwhelmed when he faced the Soviet operatives, he swung into action when Ned was murdered, as he believed the spies to be responsible. Since he was so far from home, Peter was forced to improvise by wearing a cheap imitation Spider-Man costume. Spider-Man and Wolverine came to blows before Peter returned to New York and, shaken by his experiences in Europe, resumed his super hero career.

NO MORE THE HERO

The return of Peter’s clone Ben Reilly created confusion over which of them was the genetic original and which was actually the clone developed by the villainous Jackal. This debate was seemingly resolved in PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #226, with a genetic test indicating Ben was real while Peter was a clone. Unbeknownst to the two, the results had been secretly doctored by Norman Osborn as part of his longstanding vendetta against Peter.

This deception followed the revelation that Mary Jane was pregnant with Peter’s child, leading him to consider retiring to build a family with her. After they stopped the new Doctor Octopus together, Peter realized the Spider-Man legacy would be secure in Ben’s hands. In PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #229, Peter gave Ben his blessing to continue as Spider-Man in his place while he turned his full attention to his life with Mary Jane.

SPIDER-MAN: THE FINAL ADVENTURE

Even though Peter relinquished the role of Spider-Man to Ben Reilly and relocated from New York with Mary Jane, adventure followed him and his family to their new home. In Portland, Peter began working for an experimental genetics company with links to the spider that first gave him his powers. Then, Peter found himself suiting back up when two super villains—Dryrot and Tendril—emerged from the experiments conducted by his company in SPIDER-MAN: THE FINAL ADVENTURE (1995).

Despite Mary Jane’s misgivings about him leaping back into action, Peter stopped the new villains and returned them to normal at the apparent cost of his own powers. He returned his focus to his family life with Mary Jane, though his powers became reactivated in PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #237 following a near-death experience. Peter reclaimed his super hero mantle after learning he was the real Spider-Man and Ben Reilly was the clone all along.

IDENTITY CRISIS

In SPIDER-MAN (1990) #88, Spider-Man was framed for murder, with a multi-million bounty placed on his head. Facing immense pressure on all sides, Peter decided to temporarily retire the Spider-Man persona. With help from Mary Jane and Hobie Brown, he created four new costumed alter egos until he could clear Spider-Man’s name.

This time, Peter’s decision to leave the Spider-Man mantle behind wasn’t intended to be permanent; instead, he used this time away to learn who set him up. With each of his new personas exploring different parts of the criminal underworld, Peter eventually learned Norman Osborn and Trapster were responsible for the murder and his subsequent framing. After clearing Spider-Man of wrongdoing, Peter resumed using his classic super hero identity in PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #258.

THE FINAL CHAPTER

Of all the super villains in Spider-Man’s rogues’ gallery, nobody puts him through the wringer like the Green Goblin. After completing a ritual known as the Gathering of Five, Green Goblin renewed his vendetta against Spider-Man in PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #262. Then, following a series of skirmishes, Green Goblin faked May’s death and used her as the centerpiece in his latest plot to break Peter’s spirit.

Though Peter stopped Green Goblin with the help of Reed Richards, he decided the risk to his family was too great and burned his Spider-Man costume in SPIDER-MAN (1990) #98. As Peter reprioritized his domestic life with Mary Jane and May, he left the responsibility of being Spider-Man to Mattie Franklin. However, when the villainous Shadrac defeated Mattie, Peter reluctantly suited back up as Spider-Man in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1999) #2, ready to defend New York once again.

THE EIGHT DEATHS OF SPIDER-MAN

Death has always been an unfortunate companion to Spider-Man, both as an extension of his role as a super hero and the inevitability of life. However, in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2022) #61, Peter’s personal history with death came back to haunt him when Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Doom tasked him to serve as his champion and battle the eight Scions of Cyttorak. To assist Spider-Man in this deadly gauntlet, Doom enchanted Peter with eight lives, which painfully come into play whenever Spider-Man is killed by one of his magical opponents.

As Spider-Man took on the fifth Scion in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2022) #65, he experienced visions of how each of his friends and family will eventually die, despite his best efforts. These visions led Peter to become completely disillusioned about his impact as Spider-Man on the lives of those closest to him. Though Doctor Strange encouraged him to stay in the magical contest for the greater good, Peter decided to quit, overcome by the toll death has taken on him throughout his years as Spider-Man.

Peter reflects on his decision to quit Spider-Man (again) in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2022) #65.DEATHS, on sale January 15!

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