In an alternate world, Spider-Man’s pompous attitude and life choices are directly responsible for inspiring the man who would kill his Uncle Ben.
Spider-Man‘s journey to becoming a crime fighter has always been tied to the death of Uncle Ben and how Peter did not stop the man who would later kill his uncle. Fans already know Ben Parker’s lesson that with great power comes great responsibility. But in one reboot of Spider-Man’s origin story, the wallcrawler’s infamy as a TV star gets his uncle killed in the saddest way possible.
The 1998 comic Spider-Man Chapter One #1 by John Byrne is a retelling of the classic Spider-Man origin story from Amazing Fantasy #15, with some very drastic changes. Instead of a simple spider bite, Peter Parker is caught in a radioactive explosion caused by a random spider that gets in the middle of a dangerous experiment created by Doctor Octopus. The explosion takes many lives, but Peter is saved by the now-radioactive spider that bites him during the blast. After waking up from a coma, Peter gains his superpowers and uses them to become a one-time wrestler and then, a celebrity stuntman with a sleazy talent agent. However, Spider-Man’s obsession with fame and fortune draws the wrong kind of attention from a criminal fan.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAYClose
RELATED:Even Spider-Man Knows His Arrogance Is Out Of Control
Spider-Man Learns His Fame Comes With A Price
Spider-Man’s notoriety as a stuntman is directly responsible for the murder of Uncle Ben. As Spider-Man becomes a household name in New York, his star power grabs the attention of many fans and superheroes alike. Future allies such as the X-Men, Doctor Strange, and the Fantastic Four marvel at the death-defying stunts that Spider-Man is capable of. Spider-Man soon sparks the curiosity of a local fan and criminal who is in the process of robbing Peter Parker’s house. The blonde burglar sees Spider-Man jump out of a bedroom window and assumes the celebrity is “casing the joint” like himself. This is a mistake on Spider-Man’s account, since he is simply sneaking out for a TV appearance.
The burglar encounters Spider-Man again as he is running from the cops and mistakes Spidey for a “second story man” like himself. Much like in his classic origin, Spider-Man could stop this criminal but chooses to let the police chase after him instead. Spider-Man’s neglectfulness leads to the criminal running back to the Parker residence and Peter returning home to find his uncle killed. The murderer is said by police to have been looking for Spider-Man. Peter chases down the criminal for revenge only to find the criminal at a warehouse, beaming with joy that a celebrity is in his presence. The burglar hopes to team up with his hero Spider-Man as a criminal dynamic duo. Spidey answers the criminal with a knockout punch to the face and a valuable lesson is learned: fame has a cost.
This Origin Makes Spider-Man’s Harshest Lesson Even Worse
Spider-Man’s refusal to stop the man who would later kill Uncle Ben has always been a signature part of his origin, but the added notion that the burglar was at the Parker house specifically looking for Spider-Man makes it even more tragic. Though this story is not part of the main Marvel Comics canon, it perfectly illustrates how Peter’s recklessness and desire to make himself rich and famous created the monster who would eventually murder his father figure. This alternate take on Spider-Man may take things down a darker path than the main story, but it’s a more realistic look at how fame can lead to serious consequences. Spider-Man would have to learn that dangerous fans such as Uncle Ben‘s murderer are a product of his own vanity and that his powers must never be used for selfish gain.
