Benjamin Parker is a retired textile worker and former carnival barker who becomes caretaker to his nephew Peter Parker alongside his wife May. Together, they raise the young boy who would become Spider-Man.
From Carnival Barker to Caring Husband
Ben Parker is born in Brooklyn, New York. Ben Parker works as a carnival barker at New York’s Coney Island during his youth. During his tenure at the carnival, Ben becomes attracted to May Reilly, a beautiful but naïve woman who lived with her parents in Ben’s Brooklyn neighborhood. May, however, has her eyes set on the confident, flashy Johnny Jerome—who always seems to have plenty of money, even during terrible financial times. Ben warns May that Jerome is surely up to no good, but she listens only to her own foolish dreams.
One night, Jerome anxiously asks May to elope with him. While May struggles to decide, Ben informs her that Johnny had just robbed a jewelry store. When the police arrive, it all hits home for May, and she gives her heart that night to the wise and trustworthy Ben.
In the early years of their courtship, Ben’s little brother Richard always tags along on their dates. Ben and May marry and their life is peaceful and happy.
Model Adoptive Parent
Ben is a good-natured parental figure and reliable uncle to his nephew Peter, as well as a loving husband to May.
Killer Foe
One fateful night, a burglar seemingly stumbles on the Parker household—and though he shoots Ben dead, he could not kill Ben’s influence on the teenaged Peter. Even in death, Ben instilled in Peter one overarching lesson: With great power, there must also come great responsibility.
Close Family Connections
May becomes Ben’s wife after she realizes he is the right man for her. The couple takes in Ben’s younger brother and sister-in-law’s son, Peter, and raise him as their own. Both Ben and May fill the role of Peter’s caretakers as Peter looks up to them and their teachings. Ben’s influence gives Peter strength and courage to become the Super Hero Spider-Man.
A Life Lived
After Ben and May married, Ben’s younger brother and sister-in-law, Richard and Mary Parker—both government agents—were assigned to an undercover mission. Entrusting the care of their only child, Peter, to Ben and May, Richard and Mary left the country. They never returned.
After receiving word of Richard and Mary’s deaths, Ben and May adopted Peter and raised him in suburban Forest Hills, Queens, providing the boy who would one day become Spider-Man with unconditional love and unwavering emotional support. Much older than most parents, the Parkers got by, scrimping and saving as best they could. Ben became his nephew’s best friend, and the two were inseparable. As he struggled to find ways to boost the shy, friendless Peter’s self-esteem, Ben came upon an old box of Golden Age Super Hero comics in the attic and gave them to the young man, overriding May’s concerns regarding the effect the books’ violence might have on the sensitive boy. Ben would never know he had inspired the creation of Spider-Man.
After becoming the superhuman celebrity Spider-Man, Peter once allowed a fleeing burglar to pass unobstructed. One fateful night at the Parker residence, that same burglar came seeking hidden assets worth millions belonging to a previous owner of the Parker home, his former cellmate, gangster “Dutch” Mallone. After a small quarrel with May that night, Ben left the house to take a walk, leaving the front door unlocked. In his absence, the burglar easily entered the Parker home. Ben returned home and discovered the burglar, who manhandled May for the exact location of the cache. When Ben furiously ordered the burglar to unhand her, the burglar panicked, fatally shot Ben, and fled to a warehouse where he was ultimately caught by Spider-Man. Before May could call for an ambulance, Ben told May he loved her and died. From that day forward, Spider-Man became a devoted crime fighter as Ben’s death taught Peter about the responsibility that comes from having great power.
Many years later, Spider-Man received a reward for his role in preventing the resurrection of Dormammu—five minutes with his Uncle Ben, thanks to Dr. Stephen Strange, AKA Doctor Strange. In the time they spent together, Ben expressed how proud he was of him and that the only thing that would disappoint him is if Peter settled for less because he was afraid of reaching for more.
