Spider-Man

Spider-Man is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in 1962. The Spider-Man comics were considered groundbreaking from their inception in that the hero's alter-ego, Peter Parker, often faced personal struggles more closely associated with everyday life than usual superhero fare. Notably, Parker has held a wide variety of jobs, depending on his status at the time, ranging from photographer to dishwasher to high-school science teacher. He is also notably not humorless, unlike many superheroes such as Batman--some fans have called his ability to enrage enemies through endless taunting his "extra superpower".

Peter Parker was a physically unimposing youth deeply interested in science who was bitten by a radioactive spider. This being the 1960s, radiation worked differently than it does today, and the bite imbued him with "spider-powers"--the proportional strength, agility, and endurance of a spider; the ability to stick to walls, ceilings, and other surfaces; and a "spider-sense", what seemed like limited ESP, allowing him to sense incoming danger a moment before it would become unavoidable. He also designed devices called "web-shooters" that shot a chemical concotion of his own devising, which acted as webs, allowing him to net criminals with a flick of his wrist.

Spider-Man is, along with Batman and Superman, one of the most famous and widely-recognized characters of the superhero genre. 2002 saw the release of a major Hollywood film based on the character, directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire. The film was a financial success, and two sequels followed.

Unlike many superheroes, Spider-Man is fully religious, a Christian Protestant, known to pray during moments of great emotion--whether in desperation during a pitched battle or in quiet gratitude while lying in bed watching his wife sleep.