The first words Peter Parker utters in Spider-Man are "who am I?"
Good question.
We'll give it a shot: he's a high school senior about to enter the real world, which, let's be honest, is pretty terrifying. He's been in love with M.J. for more than a decade, and he's been keeping his true feelings about her on the DL for just as long.
Oh, and then there's the little matter of him being your friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man. Every day is a crisis of character for Peter as he navigates what it means to be a man and what it means to be a hero while meticulously filing away specific parts of his personality and swinging around town wearing a mask that keeps his identity a mystery.
Questions about Identity
- How does Uncle Ben's death shape Peter's character?
- Give three examples of how Harry's family's wealth informs his identity.
- Why does Pete spend the whole film hiding his love for Mary Jane?
- Plenty of superheroes (and supervillains) have secret identities. Does being a teenager bump up the difficulty level for Peter?
Chew on This
Peter's exploration of his superpowers is complicated by his exploration of who he is as a young man.
As Spider-Man and the Green Goblin both demonstrate, our identities are shaped by our decisions—good, bad, and in between.