Spider-Man's Best High School Stories

Before Peter Parker suited up as Spider-Man, he was just another student at Midtown High School. After his fateful encounter with a radioactive spider, Peter had to juggle his amazing web-slinging adventures with the high school world of homework, homeroom, and homecoming dances. Even though Peter is a fully grown adult in the Marvel Universe today, his life is still defined by the friends and enemies he made as a sensational teenage hero and a spectacular student.

Just as teenage Peter Parker starts slinging webs in Marvel Animation's upcoming TV series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, let’s take a closer look at some of Spider-Man’s most memorable moments as a teenager. We’ll spotlight stories set in the Marvel Universe, the original Ultimate Universe, and beyond as the teenage web-slinger jumps into action in the comic YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN (2024) #1 by Christos Gage, Eric Gapstur, Jim Campbell, and VC's Joe Caramagna.

SPIDER-MAN’S FIRST APPEARANCE

Over just 11 pages, Peter Parker transformed from an average high school student into Spider-Man during his first appearance in AMAZING FANTASY (1962) #15 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. This iconic origin shows the beginning of Peter’s evolution from a selfish teenager with few concerns beyond his own life into a hero who understands the responsibility that comes with his power. 

Despite its brevity, this story highlights the rejection the young Peter feels from his Midtown High School classmates, but it also captures the warmth of his home life with Uncle Ben and Aunt May. While Spider-Man has grown into a mature hero since then, this story shows how far he’s come.

SPIDER-MAN VISITS HIGH SCHOOL

Long before Flash Thompson became the hero known as Agent Anti-Venom, he was Peter Parker’s high school bully. Early in Spider-Man’s career, one of Flash’s pranks went too far and drew the attention of Doctor Doom in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #5 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. 

After Peter badmouthed Spider-Man to distance himself from his alter-ego, Flash—one of Spider-Man’s biggest fans—tried to scare Peter by impersonating the web-slinger. Just as Flash suited up in a fake Spider-Man costume, Doctor Doom attacked Midtown High and accidentally abducted its star football player after mistaking him for the real deal. 

Although Spider-Man almost left his bully to the mercy of Doom, he confronted the villain and saved Flash with a last-minute assist from the Fantastic Four. Peter hoped that this would embarrass Flash, but this experience only made Flash more popular. 

GRADUATION DAY

Before Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson, Peter Parker crushed on his classmate Liz Allan. Even though his web-slinging activities kept him away from his homework and his classes, Peter still managed to graduate Midtown High School with Liz, Flash Thompson, and the rest of his classmates in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #28 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. 

During his final moments in high school, Peter had his first showdown with Mark Raxton, the Molten Man, and endured a graduation speech from J. Jonah Jameson. However, neither of those prepared Spider-Man for his awkward conversation with Liz. As the Midtown High students said goodbye, Liz told Peter she secretly had a crush on him and walked away before he had the chance to respond.

UNTOLD TALES OF SPIDER-MAN

Long after Peter Parker graduated and aged into adulthood, UNTOLD TALES OF SPIDER-MAN (1995) revealed several previously unseen stories from his teenage years. Kurt Busiek and Mike Allred’s UNTOLD TALES OF SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL (1996) #1 followed up on a webbed heart Spider-Man left the Invisible Woman after one of his first team-ups with the Fantastic Four, which resulted in a “date” with Sue Storm. 

While both heroes only went on the date to aggravate other members of the Fantastic Four, the Human Torch recruited Namor to ruin their big night out. But even after a battle with the Sub-Mariner wrecked his date, Spider-Man still found a way to get the last laugh on the Human Torch. 

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN’S ORIGIN

The original Ultimate Universe reimagined Spider-Man and the rest of the Marvel Universe for a new era that began with ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN (2000) #1 by Brian Michael Bendis, Bill Jemas, and Mark Bagley. This fresh take on Peter Parker’s early days as Spider-Man took a more grounded and modern approach to the web-slinger, with a special focus on his life at Midtown High and friends like Mary Jane Watson and Harry Osborn. 

This story also spent more time with Uncle Ben and Aunt May at the Parker home, which made Ben’s murder more resonant than ever. This era-defining story made key tweaks to Spider-Man’s origin that saw him face off against a monstrous, super-strong Green Goblin on one of his first adventures. 

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN’S CONFESSION

In the Ultimate Universe, Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson were friends before they were a couple. When Peter’s time as Spider-Man started interfering with the rest of his life, the teenage hero revealed his secret identity to MJ in ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN (2000) #13 by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley. 

During a lengthy conversation in his bedroom, Peter awkwardly told Mary Jane about how he got his powers and gave her a close-up demonstration of his wall-crawling abilities. After Peter made MJ swear to secrecy, the teens shared a tender moment and confessed their feelings for each other. However, an annoyed Aunt May ended their study date prematurely. Peter and MJ’s first kiss may have been stolen, but their connection remained undeniable. 

SPIDER-MAN: BLUE

Just after he started college at Empire State University, Peter Parker began a doomed relationship with Gwen Stacy, the first great love of his life. While Spider-Man has long since moved on with other loves following her tragic death, Gwen holds a special place in the web-slinger’s heart, as seen in SPIDER-MAN: BLUE (2002) #1 by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. 

This stylish miniseries shows how the teenage Peter and Gwen met and fell in love, even as Spider-Man fought through early encounters with Kraven the Hunter, Vulture, and Green Goblin. Set on a dreary Valentine’s Day, this story also details how Mary Jane stepped into Peter’s world. 

MARVEL ADVENTURES: SPIDER-MAN

In one alternate reality, teenage Emma Frost and her fellow runaway mutant, Chat (Sophia Sanduval), befriended Peter Parker when he was still in high school. While this young Emma had her usual telepathic powers, Sophia possessed the mutant ability to communicate with animals, which she used after debuting in MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN (2005) #53 by Paul Tobin and Matteo Lolli. 

After Spider-Man impressed the runaway mutants, they learned his secret identity with Emma’s powers. When Sophia became a student at Midtown High, she and Peter became fast friends and soon began dating. But after Emma developed feelings for Peter too, she tried to telepathically keep her the teenage superhumans apart.

SPIDEY

On the action-packed world of Earth-16220, a young Peter Parker struggled to balance his web-slinging adventures as Spider-Man with the everyday challenges of teenage life in SPIDEY (2015) #1 by Robbie Thompson and Nick Bradshaw. Even though he could take down villains like the White Rabbit as Spider-Man, Peter needed a little bit of help in his history class, and he got that help from his new student tutor, Gwen Stacy. 

As Peter and Gwen helped each other in their worst subjects, their study sessions revealed they were more than just friends. Despite the best efforts of frenemies like Flash Thompson and villains like Doctor Octopus, this world’s Peter and Gwen starred in a charming story of young love. 

YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN

In the prequel to the all-new Marvel Animation TV series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Peter Parker is still settling into his new role as the web-slinging Spider-Man. Just after he was bitten by a radioactive spider, Peter meets Midtown High School’s newest student, Nico Minoru, in YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN (2024) #1 by Christos Gage and Eric Gapstur. 

Following a mysterious attack that damaged their school, Peter and Nico team up to investigate what happened, only to find themselves in the crosshairs of some serious villains like Silvermane and the Enforcers. Inspired by Captain America, Spider-Man learns the ropes of crime-fighting and web-swinging as he enters his freshman year.

Peter Parker's high school adventures continue in YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN (2024) #2, on sale now!

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