Peter’s Life Has Always Been Brutal
Can Spider-Man ever catch a break? Despite being a friendly neighborhood nice-guy, Peter’s life has rarely been friendly back. Across comics, movies, and games, he’s lost loved ones, watched enemies destroy his life, and made impossible choices that would break most other heroes. Not to sound masochistic, but that’s why fans love him: he always gets back up, even though that doesn’t make his worst moments any easier to revisit.
1. Uncle Ben Was Murdered
Even if you’re not a fan of Spider-Man, you know all about Uncle Ben’s death. Come on, it’s the tragedy that turned Peter into Spider-Man! No matter which version you’ve heard, just about every one comes for the heart because Peter could have stopped the burglar earlier.
2. Gwen Stacy Died In His Arms
It’s hard to keep loved ones safe when you’re fighting crime, and you don’t need to go further than Gwen for proof. Her death in The Amazing Spider-Man #121–122 remains one of the most devastating Spider-Man stories ever published. Green Goblin throws Gwen from a bridge, and Peter’s web catches her too late, leaving him to wonder whether the fall or his rescue attempt ended her life.
3. Green Goblin Made His Life Personal
Speaking of Green Goblin, Norman Osborn has been buzzing around like a mosquito with bombs for years. In one particularly egregious case, he learned Peter’s identity, attacked his loved ones, killed Gwen Stacy, and kept returning whenever Peter seemed close to peace. Plenty of villains hate Spider-Man, but Norman made hurting Peter way too personal.
4. Kraven Buried Him Alive
Kraven’s Last Hunt gave Spider-Man one of his darkest defeats. Long story short, Kraven shot him, buried him alive, and then wore his costume. Okay, yes, Peter eventually clawed his way out, but there’s no clawing your way out of the psychological damage.
5. The Symbiote Took Over
At first, the black suit seemed like a major upgrade, didn't it? It changed clothes on command and boosted Peter’s abilities, so it seemed like a win-win. Then Peter discovered the symbiote was just using his body while he slept and trying to bond with him permanently…which, you know, made the whole thing not worth it.
6. Venom Learned Everything About Him
Eddie becoming Venom was bad enough, but the symbiote’s knowledge of Peter’s identity made him uniquely terrifying. Venom knew where Peter lived. He knew exactly who he loved, and how to bypass his spider-sense. Peter couldn’t punch or joke his way out of the problem, and it was always horrifying to think about.
7. He Publicly Unmasked During Civil War
Hey, hey, hey. Masked identities are part of the whole superhero gig, so Peter revealing his identity quickly became one of his worst decisions. Once the world knew he was Spider-Man, enemies had a straight path to his family, his home, and every private piece of his life. It was the kind of moment that made just about every fan’s heart drop.
8. He Gave Up His Marriage To Save Aunt May
One More Day forced Peter and Mary Jane into a deal with Mephisto after Aunt May was critically injured. Naturally, Peter had to make a terrible choice, which resulted in Mephisto saving May’s life—at the price of Peter and MJ’s marriage, which was erased from reality.
Beatriz Pérez Moya on Unsplash
9. Doctor Octopus Stole His Body
Dying Wish ended with Doc Oc swapping minds with Peter, leaving him trapped in Otto’s dying body. It was a race against the clock, and Peter failed to reclaim his life before that body died, allowing Otto to walk away with Peter’s face, powers, and memories. The Superior Spider-Man era had its fans, but Peter being replaced by one of his worst enemies was pure nightmare fuel.
Roger Murmann from Eppertshausen, Deutschland on Wikimedia
10. His Parents Came Back As Fakes
Happy day! Peter finally seemed to get his parents back in the 1990s! Except he didn’t. It didn’t take long for him to piece together the truth: they were artificial constructs created as part of a scheme involving the Chameleon and Harry Osborn.
11. The Clone Saga Shattered His Identity
The Clone Saga didn’t just give Peter another Spider-Man in Ben Reilly; it made him question whether he was the original Peter at all. For a while, he was actually led to believe he might be the clone, which undercut his memories and sense of self. It might not sound like much in comparison, but even by superhero standards, that was just a cruel plot twist.
12. Ben Reilly Died In Front of Him
Ben was essentially a brother with the same pain, humor, and sense of responsibility. So, when he sacrificed himself during the final battle with Norman Osborn, Peter watched another version of his own life collapse. The tragedy was especially painful because Ben had finally started carving out a future that wasn’t just Peter’s shadow.
13. Jean DeWolff’s Life Was Taken
Captain Jean DeWolff was one of the rare police officers who legitimately respected Spider-Man. So, naturally, she was killed off. In The Death of Jean DeWolff, Peter found out she had been killed by the Sin-Eater, which pushed him into one of his angriest spirals. It took Daredevil of all people to help pull him back because Peter was that close to crossing a line he couldn’t uncross.
14. The Jackal Tormented Him
Miles Warren, better known as the Jackal, became obsessed with Gwen Stacy, and we all knew that wouldn’t end well. Sure enough, he used cloning to reopen Peter’s deepest wounds. He brought back reminders of the person Peter failed to save, and that villainy was especially nasty.
15. Mary Jane Was Presumed Dead
In the late 1990s, Mary Jane was believed to have died in a plane explosion, leaving Peter devastated and isolated. Sure, she later turned out to be alive, but Peter didn’t know that when the loss hit him. Even at that point, Spider-Man fans were used to fake-out deaths, but watching Peter lose MJ after everything they’d survived hit particularly hard.
16. Harry Osborn Became His Enemy
Harry Osborn was Peter’s best friend, which made his transformation into the Green Goblin way too personal. We all had to watch as Harry’s grief and addiction struggles (not to mention his anger over Norman’s death) twisted him into someone who just wanted Peter to suffer.
17. The Burglar’s Identity
Though Peter eventually learned more about the man who killed Uncle Ben, those revelations never brought him a clean closure. Stories like The Amazing Spider-Man #200 forced him to face the burglar again and wrestle with whether revenge would actually mean anything, and that’s always a hard lesson to watch someone go through.
18. He Was Hunted By Morlun
Morlun wasn’t a usual Spider-Man villain with a grudge. Forget the silly costume or funny gimmick—he hunted Peter as part of a larger spider-totem mythology, beating him with terrifying persistence. Their battles pushed Peter physically and spiritually, especially when Morlun’s attacks tied into the brutal events of The Other.
19. Ultimate Peter Parker Died Saving His Family
Ultimate Spider-Man gave Peter Parker a heroic but heartbreaking ending during Death of Spider-Man. If the name didn’t tip you off, after being shot, Peter still rushed home to protect Mary Jane, Gwen, Aunt May, and the others from Norman Osborn. He won the fight, but he lost his life in Mary Jane’s arms, which is about as Spider-Man as tragedy gets.
20. The World Forgot Peter Parker
Spoiler alert if you haven’t seen the movie, but Spider-Man: No Way Home ended with Peter asking Doctor Strange to make everyone forget him. Why? So that the multiverse could be repaired. The spell worked, but his selfless choice left MJ, Ned, Happy Hogan, and the entire world with no memory of Peter Parker.
