Spider-Man and Masculine Identity

Hi everyone, welcome to A Manly Podcast. I’m your host, Matthew. On A Manly Podcast, I talk about issues related to men and masculinity in American culture and society.

This episode today is about Spider-Man and masculine identity because Spider-Man’s masculine identity tends to be a bit more inclusive and relatable for people than say, some other superheroes like Batman or Superman.

For this discussion about Spider-Man, I’m going to be talking about the new show on Disney+, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, some about the movies, and also wanting to talk about this book the Marvel/Penguin Classics edition of The Amazing Spider-Man, which includes about the first 19 comics or so, and this was written by Stan Lee with the drawings by Steve Ditko. It includes the first appearances of villains like The Vulture, Doctor Octopus, Electro, Mysterio, and The Green Goblin, and is just really an incredible run for any comic and you can see how excited people are in the fan letters for this.

Now, when Spider-Man first appeared Amazing Fantasy #15, August 1962, he was kind of a pioneer for being the first teenage superhero, the first YA [Young Adult] superhero really. And he didn’t have that brawny, built, muscly look like Superman or wasn’t a really rich guy like Batman.

Peter Parker lives with his aunt and uncle and he’s made fun of at school. On the first page of the comic, he’s called a bookworm. On the next page, we see Peter ask out a girl named Sally and she says, “For the umpteenth time Peter, you’re just not my type . . . not when dream boats like Flash Thompson are around.” and in the next comic panel, we see her fawning over a blonde haired hunk.

Peter invites Sally to a science exhibit. And Sally doesn’t even respond, but Flash Thompson. Flash responds for her and says, “You stick to science, son. We’ll take the chicks.”

Peter is a nerd that loves science and he can’t get the ladies because he’s not a man with muscles, he’s not a hunk like Flash Thompson who can win over women with good looks and feats of strength.

This is an old, well-worn stereotype in American culture. The skinny, lanky guy with glasses who’s good at school is a nerd, and the more muscly man with a varsity jacket and a nice face is the hunk. Flash Thompson’s meathead masculinity is greater than Peter Parker’s nerdy masculinity.

Peter’s nerdiness, or rather his intelligence drives him to the science exhibit though where he’s bitten by the spider that gives him his superpowers. His first inclination though isn’t to be a superhero that protects people from villains and saves people from crime. It’s to make money by wrestling. Peter’s first thoughts are to get famous by showing off his spidey skills and to make money by fighting people.

Unlike Tony Stark or Professor X, Batman or Captain America, Spider-Man isn’t a guy with a lot of resources at his disposal. In an early fan letter to Spider-Man, a Bill Schmuck from British Columbia writes, “I think you should give him his own headquarters and maybe a Spider-jet with his insignia on it.” The response, I assume from the writer Stan Lee is, “We’re all for it, Bill, but where is a super hero without any dough gonna get his own Spider-jet?? Last we heard, he was trying to raise the down payment on a bike!”

Spider-Man’s aunt and uncle don’t have a lot of money. Then his uncle dies and they really don’t have a lot of money. His second appearance and first stand-alone comic turns tragic. Aunt May is having trouble making rent and Peter spies her pawning jewelry.

Determined to make money, he ends up finding his classic gig as a freelance photographer for the tabloid newspaper The Daily Bugle run by J. Jonah Jameson. Peter is now taking photos of himself as Spider-Man fighting crime and defeating villains. Jameson is a high-strung old school newspaper man who has his toxic moments yelling at his staff in the office or low-balling Peter on stellar photos. But Spider-Man always gets the best of him because despite Jameson writing negative op-eds about how Spider-Man is a menace, Spider-Man always proves him wrong because he defeats the villains and saves innocent people from crime, death, and destruction.

He’s an average guy getting by in New York City with complicated friendships, relationships with women, and oh yeah, his side hustle as a superhero. Billionaire Bruce Wayne has time to sleep off his nightly crime fighting during the day. Spider-Man has to get to class.

Lee and Ditko create a nice dichotomy in the early comics between Peter’s soft, nerdy masculinity and how that transforms when he puts on the iconic blue and red suit as Spider-Man. And is able to become that more traditional manly man, still in the same body, still in that lanky soft, masculine body but now he’s nimble, fast, strong, he’s a fighter who can defeat even the most cunning of villains.

There are many scenes in the early comics where he shows his softer masculinity. In Spider-Man #14 for instance, the first appearance of the villain The Green Goblin, the Goblin devises a plot, he’s going to get Spider-Man to sign up for a film with a Hollywood producer, and along with this group called The Enforcers, they’re going to attack and kill him on a remote film shoot location in New Mexico. Spider-Man does agree to appear in the film, but Peter Parker only a senior in high school. He has to get his aunt’s permission to go shoot this film.

He promises to dress warm, eat three good meals a day and take his allergy pills every morning. “Please, Aunt May, this means so much to me!” He says. She agrees, but skeptically and reminds him of how fragile he is.

In Spider Man #7, Peter Parker hits it off with J. Jonah Jameson’s secretary Betty Brant. Ben Saunders, editor of the Marvel/Penguin Classics edition says that Peter and Betty’s relationship subversively reverses the superhero formula of Lois Lane’s adoration for Clark Kent’s rugged manliness. Instead, Betty likes Peter’s softer masculinity and when he tells Betty he was hiding in a closet because he was scared during Spider-Man’s fight with The Vulture, Betty relates to this and actually likes it because she says “Oh, that’s great Peter. That’s safe. You did the right thing by hiding in that closet.

Many of the villains in Spider-Man, like Peter have nerdy masculinities and are scientists. Now others are more blue-collar workers and have more traditional masculinities, but still their bodies or minds are altered or deformed in some way due to work accidents.

Dr. Kurt Connors, a giant lizard, and Dr. Otto Octavius who has eight steel titanium tentacle arms attached to the back of him that he can control with his mind are both disgruntled researchers who become monstrous through experiments gone wrong. They have their funding pulled for some reason and then they choose to do a drastic experiment. They can no longer now be respected for their work and have reputations as scientists. They are very passionate researchers though and now that they have these new superpowers, they take extraordinary measures to continue their work.

Often, they put people’s lives at risk. Sometimes, they have to kill a few people along the way or even cause city-wide terror to achieve these scientific accomplishments or take revenge against the people who have wronged them. Another villain, Electro is a disgruntled worker for the electric company that is electrocuted on a telephone poll and gains superpowers conducting electric energy.

In the 2014 Amazing Spider-Man 2, Electro is played by Jamie Foxx. And he’s an architect and electric maintenance worker on the electric grid for Oscorp Corporation, he’s accidentally electrocuted when a co-worker refuses to help him with a maintenance issue. There is a racial commentary throughout the film about how people of color in corporations and companies are unseen and overlooked maybe in their jobs, even though they make important contributions.

Another villain, Mysterio is a disgruntled special effects worker on a film set. He uses his skills and tricks in special effects to try and defeat Spider-Man after studying his powers. I feel like Mysterio is kind of the biggest nod to the form of comic and film-like storytelling because of the illusionary nature of the villain. Of how fiction creates this magical escapism that transports us into another place, but also gives us social and cultural commentary at the same time.

What we learn about Spider-Man when his villains push him to the edge or he considers not being Spider-Man anymore is that this kind of nerdier, softer masculinity pushes him to improve and learn and grow as a person. It’s what allows him to become a better Spider-Man, a better fighter and protector of New York City. And it’s also something for us as an audience is more relatable. Many superheroes hold their masculinity a little too close to their chest, their too stoic, too mean, their too tough and they have that “don’t mess with me” attitude like Wolverine, Batman, or Captain America.

Spider-Man tends to be more of just a regular guy, and Spider-Man superhero films tend to have strong romances or love stories in the films because he’s an everyday guy with real relationships. The story of the romance, Spider-Man’s happiness in the film grows directly in relation to the villain’s growing grudge, growing hatred against him and this is a well-worn recipe for a good Hollywood film.

In the first comic, Amazing Fantasy #15, Peter wins $100 at his wrestling match and is very pleased with himself. A comic panel shows a thief running by him while a security guard chases. The security guard asks why he didn’t trip him. Spider-Man says, “Sorry, Pal! That’s your job! I’m done being pushed around by anyone! From now on I just look out for number one, and that means ME!

In the first Spider-Man film with Spider-Man played by Tobey Maguire, he wins his wrestling match and the wrestling event promotor ends up stiffing him. Just a few moments later, the wrestling event promoter is robbed and the thief runs right by Peter. The guy asks why he didn’t stop him and he says, “Sorry, not my problem pal.”

This moment in Spider-Man’s origin story is his first and most important lesson because that thief ends up killing Uncle Ben, bringing tragedy to his aunt’s life and more trauma to his.

I remember one of the marketing taglines for the first Spider-Man film was, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Through the grief and sadness that comes with losing his uncle, Spider-Man learns that he has to use his powers for good. He can’t use them recklessly for just making money or showing off his powers for fame.

He starts choosing instead to use his powers selflessly for other people. Even though in the early comics J. Jonah Jameson through op-eds that sway public opinion negatively amongst New Yorkers, Spider-Man is resilient and he still believes that he has an opportunity to prove himself among the people of the city and that he can be someone who defeats villains others are overwhelmed by. He feels like he has a responsibility to his community to make it a safer, happier place. The Amazing Spider-Man films with Andrew Garfield really emphasize Spider-Man’s role as a positive and inclusive masculine role model.

In Spider-Man: Homecoming where Spider-Man’s played by Tom Holland, his nemesis in that film, The Vulture played by Michael Keaton topples a concrete building on top of him. Spider-Man at this moment screams out with anguish, unable to move. He is stunned because The Vulture has tricked and trapped him. He calls for help, he feels like giving up, but then he hears Tony Stark’s voice, who is his mentor in this film. And the voice echoes and says something like, ‘If you don’t believe in yourself without the suit, then you don’t deserve it,’ because earlier in the film he was given a fancy Spider-Man suit and used it irresponsibly and Tony Stark took it back.

In this moment, we feel Spider-Man find that self-belief that he needs get out of the rubble and go and defeat The Vulture. He finds the confidence he needs to be comfortable in his masculine identity. He doesn’t need to try and be something he’s not. He’s comfortable and confident in his masculine identity and just needs to be himself.

The newest animated films and newest show on Disney+, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man that just came out is bringing the superhero to a whole new generation with more inclusive expressions of masculinity and people of diverse backgrounds.

Peter Parker is a high school student again but this time around the origin story happens right outside his high school as Dr. Strange comes through in a time portal and at the same time, a spider slips through and onto the back of Peter’s neck. The colors are so vibrant and rich in this new animated show that it really brings a depth to New York City, and it also brings a depth to the characters body language and emotional expressions.

The show sets up the genre trope of the hunk, meathead masculinity vs. Peter’s softier nerdy masculinity, but then subverts it with deeper characters and more nuanced expressions of masculinity.

Peter has a crush on the girl Pearl Pangan, but Lonnie gets their first and asks her out to the dance. Pearl accepts. She likes Lonnie and there seems to be a chemistry between the two. Lonnie is the high school quarterback, but he’s not your typical high school quarterback. He’s also smart at science and math. He seems to feel a little awkward around Peter, because he knows that Peter likes Pearl and Peter’s a little jealous, a little insecure around him. And I think Lonnie even feels a little guilty maybe. Lonnie doesn’t understand Peter’s jealousy though. Lonnie’s black and we see him take the subway home where a mother and child eye him suspiciously. We hear him get off the subway, walk the few blocks home in Harlem. There’s a window smashing, there’s a bottle smashing somewhere, people yelling, cops with not sirens but lights on eye him suspiciously. He is sad, depressed on this journey home.

But then once he gets home into the safety of his house, he perks right back up. He is surrounded by family, looking forward to the dinner his mom cooked, and he tells her about how he can fix a part on her car so she doesn’t have to pay a mechanic to fix it. And also looking forward to helping his younger sibling with their homework.

Peter on the other hand is half free spirit as Spider-Man, half star student at his new internship at Osborn Corp. He sneaks out during a 15 minute work break to help save people from a burning building, but then gets caught being out too long. He also promises to meet his best friend Nico at a party, but is too busy and then forgets. Peter and Lonnie’s life are different in many ways.

In this show, Spider-Man is learning to be a good guy. He’s very much a teenager in this show, not someone who looks like they’re in their 20s. He’s making mistakes at work and in personal relationships that hopefully he’ll learn from as the series goes on. At the end of episode 2, Peter is summoned to CEO Norman Osborn’s office, where he’s praying that he’ll get to keep his internship, but it turns out Norman Osborn has caught him on surveillance footage changing into his outfit as Spider-Man.

Now I know people have strong opinions about Marvel characters and the MCU does get confusing, constantly changing and revising their story lines. For me though, I love adaptation, and I love seeing how stories can be reiterated from new perspectives that provide innovation and creativity. I’ll definitely be watching the rest of this show.

One thing that came to mind for me writing this is how narrow our definition of masculinity in mainstream American culture and society can be because Peter Parker doesn’t fit that, but he’s still a heteronormative, cisgendered white man. I mean, I was basically the same as Peter in high school too, but when I went to high school it wasn’t the 1960s either. You know, everyone in my high school wanted to get into good colleges and how smart you were didn’t necessarily sway people’s perceptions or determine people’s perceptions of your masculinity. But definitely, if you were an athlete, if you played football or baseball, you were seen as more masculine than a scrawnier guy like myself.

Our narrow definitions of gender box people into corners of trying to fit into these traditional ideas of masculinity that most men generally don’t fit into. Not all guys of course are white straight men with muscles. Not all guys are athletic and sociable. Some are lanky, some have muscle, some are introverted, some enjoy having a lot of friends, some like being funny and some like being serious. Men come in all colors, shapes, sizes and personalities. Understanding instead of judging or censoring a person’s expression of their personal identity, understanding how different men express their masculine identity can open up our world to thinking about it in unexpected ways. In other words, don’t be the meathead Flash Thompson bullying Peter. I mean, the irony is Flash Thompson actually loves Spider-Man and has created his own Spider-Man fan club. I have a feeling that Stan Lee and Steve Ditko enjoyed their digs at toxic men.

Spider-Man today is one of the most popular superheroes in the world, and what that says for me is that masculinity and masculine identity isn’t so much determined by our looks and appearance as much by our character and actions. Spider-Man jokes with his enemies even when he’s outmatched. He protects and saves New Yorkers from crime. And he’s well intentioned with family and friends. Peter and Spider-Man aren’t perfect, but they’re good guys who try to put kindness and happiness back out into the world around him.

Thank so much for taking the time to watch or listen to this episode of A Manly Podcast. Please like and subscribe here on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

I talk about a topic related to men and masculinity each week. On my next episode, I’ll be talking about masculine identity at The Super Bowl.

Till next time. Bye!