I flippin' LOVE Spider-Man. He is, without any doubt, my all-time favorite superhero (if you didn't already know). I collect Spider-Man comic books, watched the Spider-Man movies (no matter how bad they got...), got up every Saturday to watch the 90s Spider-Man cartoon, have Spider-Man posters and action figures...I just can't get enough of the ol' webhead!
Now, I'm aware that good ol' Spidey has had his ups and downs throughout the decades. But, y'know what? I stick by him no matter what! I've stuck by him through the Clone Saga. I've stuck by him through One More Day (burr...did it just get colder in here?). I've even stuck by him through the SpiderMobile! Nothing can deter my rampant adoration of the wall-crawler and here, in this article, I'll explain why he's better than other, popular heroes.
First on the block is...
...none other than Big Blue, himself: Superman!
Y'know...I never was fond of the big Boy Scout. I always found the concept of an invincible superhero to be...lame? I mean, come on! The big bastard is TOO perfect for his own good! There's NOTHING to relate to with this guy! He's an alien. He's got crazy superpowers that make him nigh godlike. He's got a moral code that would make Ghandi jealous. He's TOO. DAMN. PERFECT.
Now, let's look at Spidey. He's got flaws. REAL flaws...not some crazy green hunk of stone that gives regular humans cancer from being too close to it. He's human. He makes mistakes. He loses his cool. He gets scared. He can be RELATED to! It's that bit humanity that gives Spidey the edge against Supes any day of the week. Honestly, anyone that is a hardcore fan of something PERFECT needs to grow up or get their head out of their ass.
And before any Superman fans go calling shenanigans and tidal waving me with comments and messages about how Supes has "lost his cool" and "been scared" and blah blah blah, I have a rebuttal. Yes, there have been very fleeting moments of humanity in Superman's history. But not enough to make me feel like he's flawed. Deal.
Next against the web-head will be...
Now, I have more respect for Captain America than I do for Supes. Captain America fought in a REAL WAR. He's more of a symbol for this country than Supes is, even when fighting against that same country for something he knew to be wrong. However, I still don't find him better than my wall-crawler buddy!
Why, you ask? Well, it's simple. Captain America, within the realm of the Marvel universe, is LIKED. People recognize and like Cap. He doesn't have to deal with the burden of being thought of as a menace daily like Spidey does. Cap doesn't have a newspaper dedicating itself to smearing his name regularly. Despite all of this, Spidey continues to fight and do what's right...even without the fanfare.
And next up against Spidey, it's a twofer...
It's the legendary Caped Crusader, Batman, and the Tin Can Man himself, Iron Man!
Again, here comes the disclaimer. I have great respect for these two as superheroes. Batman especially. Batman is, LITERALLY, the closest thing to a perfect, non-powered human being. Iron Man, even with his many flaws (arrogance, alcohol abuse, womanizing...), is also an amazing hero in his own right, being, among other things, a technical genius. The reason Spidey is, in my eyes, better than these two is *har har* twofold.
First and foremost...money. Batman and Iron Man are millionaires. MILLIONAIRES. They can pretty much do anything that can be done with money. Their superhero alter egos are proof of this, considering both funded their personal arsenals for crime fighting. However, Spidey fights crime with barely any money to help himself LIVE, let alone even less to fund his web-fluid, costume repairs, etc. The very fact that Spidey continually does what he does without the assistance of vast wealth is inspiring.
The second reason is also simple...brainpower. WAIT! Batman fans hold it RIGHT THERE. I'm not saying Spidey is smarter or more clever than Bats. No no no. I AM saying that Spidey's mental acuity is greatly underestimated and underplayed! Bats and Iron Man are KNOWN for their smarts, but people often forget that Spidey outwitted Tony Stark WITH ARMOR TONY BUILT. It just amazes me how often people overlook the fact that Peter Parker is a scientist AS WELL as a superhero.
All right...next up....
...the Canuck himself, Wolverine!
A lot of people are drawn to Wolverine for his no-nonsense personality and anti-hero qualities. He smokes, he drinks, he kills people with his horrible horrible claws, but why would I say my favorite web-slinger is better than him?
Well, first and foremost, Wolverine's backstory is a muddled mess of jumbled memories (screw you recent comics! Wolvy was that way for DECADES), he barely has a sense of humor, he smells bad...whatever. You get the idea. I can see why people enjoy Wolverine (he's not my cup of tea, personally), but I honestly think that Spidey would win in a one-on-one fight against this guy. Not KILL Wolverine...lord knows writers have enough trouble thinking of creative ways to take Wolverine down...but knock him out. And that's the truth, bub.
And overall, what's the biggest problem I have against ALL these superheroes? They get the recognition. Every time they save the world, or a city, or mutant-kind, or the universe, or the multiverse, the people know THEY did it and praise them for it. Spidey has saved and helped save all of those things countless times and is he ever treated with any laud or praise? Is he ever treated better for his life-risking efforts? Do the people regard him as the hero he is and always has been?
No. They don't.
But what sets Spidey above the rest is that, even without the praise and recognition, the money or the invincibility, the bad boy attitude or anything else...he still saves lives. He does it IN SPITE of not having those things...and why? Because with great power comes great responsibility.
That's enough for me.
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