It’s become something of a running joke over the years that Spider-Man’s greatest enemy isn’t Green Goblin, Dock Ock or any other member of his extensive rogues gallery, but Marvel editorial themselves. After all, Spider-Man comics do seem intent on keeping Peter Parker as miserable as possible, sometimes to an excessive degree. However, there’s no doubt that one of the wallcrawler’s most endearing qualities is his ability to overcome the odds and do the right thing, even in spite of his tumultuous personal and professional life.

Given the somewhat bittersweet ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home – in which Peter Parker is able to repair the multiverse at great personal cost – it’ll be interesting to see whether or not Marvel Studios delve deeper into this important aspect of the character in the upcoming Spider-Man 4.

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Peter Parker needs to struggle with being Spider-Man

Up until the latter half of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the MCU’s version of Peter Parker had a surprisingly breezy go of things – aside from becoming a victim of the Snap, of course. In fact, the character’s journey so far has been somewhat reflective of his youthful innocence, with Peter being able to develop and maintain supportive friendships and relationships with a large group of close friends, family and mentors, all while succeeding as New York’s Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

Following the climax of No Way Home, however, Peter has none of that anymore – and for the first time in the MCU, Peter Parker is completely alone. Without being able to rely on the assistance of Stark technology, other superheroes or even his ‘man in the chair’, the stage is set for Spidey to truly come into his own as a hero in Spider-Man 4, boiling the character back down to his most basic elements and thrusting him into the harsh world of adulthood.

This is a good thing for several reasons. Not only does it fix what is perhaps the most prevalent criticism of the MCU’s iteration of Spider-Man – that his over-reliance on Stark tech makes him feel like a different character entirely – but it also marks the start of a compelling character arc for the wallcrawler. Marvel has already found similar success in exploring the complex psyches of its other heroes – with Thor’s mental health struggles following Avengers: Infinity War and Tony Stark’s PTSD in Iron Man 3 standing out as particularly memorable examples. This would also line up well with Spidey actor Tom Holland’s personal hopes for the character, as the actor told Collider:

For every Spidey victory, there needs to be a Peter loss

Sacrifice has always been one of the most important aspects of Spider-Man’s character. Despite his considerable strength, agility and intelligence, what separates Spidey from most other heroes is the sheer amount of pain he’s willing to take – both physically and emotionally – in the pursuit of heroism. It’s this selflessness that lies at the heart of Uncle Ben’s famous ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ speech, and as such, has become a deeply personal mantra for Peter Parker.

Perhaps the most infamous example of this is 2007’s “One More Day” storyline, in which Peter makes a deal with Mephisto in order to save Aunt May’s life, but is forced to erase his marriage to Mary Jane Watson in the process. Funnily enough, the story bears a lot of similarities to the ending of No Way Home, though the former was criticized for being overly cruel and reversing Peter’s character growth, while the latter was generally met with praise. The key difference between these two stories lies in balance. For every loss Peter Parker faces, there should be a tangible reason for him to keep moving forward, while his victories should also not be free of consequences, even if those consequences are relatively small, personal ones. For instance, rather than dramatically losing a loved one every time he squares up against a supervillain, he could miss an important job interview instead. It’s this give and take that makes Spider-Man such a magnetic character, with even Stan Lee himself citing Spidey as his favorite hero for this exact reason.

Naturally, nobody wants to see the ordinarily wise-cracking Spider-Man become brooding and miserable – he’s not Frank Castle after all – so it’s important that Spider-Man 4 levels the playing field a little. While the consequences of No Way Home should remain firmly intact, there also needs to be a strong sense of hope present, allowing Spidey’s unmatched ability to overcome adversity with optimism and humor to shine through. It’s this quality that ultimately makes Spider-Man feel so human despite his incredible power.

With no solid release date as of yet, it seems fans still have a long while to wait for Spider-Man 4 – but with any luck, the movie will take the time to fully explore the wallcrawler’s new status quo rather than rushing to reverse the dramatic implications of Spider-Man: No Way Home’s ending.

Spider-Man

Spider-Man is one of the biggest names in entertainment today. The superhero first appeared in the Marvel comic Amazing Fantasy #15 before becoming a leading figure in the Marvel comic-book universe.

Spider-Man has also featured in numerous films and a plethora of video games, most notably Insomniac Games' Spider-Man (2018) and Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

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