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After 'Spider-Man' PS4 and 'Into The Spider-Verse'—Why We Need More Older Peter Parker Stories

There's a romantic idea that Peter Parker should be a high school kid, but actually, there's so much more potential in him being allowed to grow up...

By Alex HodgsonPublished 5 years ago 5 min read
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(Credit: Sony Pictures)

Peter Parker is one of the most popular fictional characters in the world. Both as Spider-Man, and his alter-ego, Peter’s character resonates with people across the globe. If this wasn’t the case, Marvel wouldn’t have fought so hard to gain the rights to use the character in their cinematic universe. Thanks to a deal with Sony, the wall-crawler can take his rightful place in the MCU, and share the screen with the other Avengers. Tom Holland’s portrayal of the character has garnered great acclaim, deservedly so, and Marvel is delivering the most accurate big-screen depiction of the character yet.

It’s safe to say that we’re living in a golden age of superhero media. Specifically, it could be argued that we’re living in a golden age of Spider-Man media as well. The web-slinger was one of the stand-out characters in his MCU debut, Captain America: Civil War, which was swiftly followed by his own film. Not only do we have the MCU Spider-Man, but 2018 also delivered the excellent Spider-Man PS4 game and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, possibly the greatest Spider-Man film ever.

Peter Parker Should Be Allowed To Grow Up.

(Credit: Sony Entertainment)

There’s a romantic idea that the character’s appeal comes from his youth; he’s just a kid in high school, trying to find his way in the world. While, of course, this is one of the more relatable aspects of his character, this doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be allowed to grow up. The unique thing about both Spider-Man PS4 and Into the Spider-Verse was the fact that they both featured an older version of Peter Parker.

While each portrayal showed him at a different point in his life, Spider-Man PS4 he was 23, Into the Spider-Verse he was 37, both versions allowed a unique story to be told, but one that was still true to the character. His values remain deeply ingrained in him, and he’s still the awkward, relatable man he always was. However, his experiences from his years as a superhero allow him to take a different approach to things.

The reason the game decided to give us a 23-year-old Peter was that it allowed them to leave the well-trodden origin story behind, and deliver a ready-made hero. His experience as a superhero meant that he had learned from the past, and his fighting style would reflect this. As a result, this Peter uses a number of gadgets, and stresses the importance of stealth in his gameplay. But this wasn’t the oldest version of Peter Parker we met last year.

'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse'

(Credit: Sony Pictures)

Peter B. Parker is dragged into Miles Morales’s world when the Kingpin’s Supercollider activates. It’s here that he learns that he isn’t actually the one and only Spider-Man, and, in this world, his counterpart is dead. When the two spider-men meet, Peter isn’t very interested in Miles, and wants to get home. But, as the film progresses, he grows into a mentor to the young hero, and shows him that anyone can wear the mask.

When the film gives us our breakdown of this Peter’s life, we see that he hasn’t had everything easy. Unlike the Peter of Miles’s world, Peter B. has suffered his own problems such as the death of Aunt May and his divorce from Mary Jane. Because of this, he became jaded and weary, and even let himself go a little bit. Despite this, he still remained true to the character. His sense of responsibility willed him to teach Miles how to be Spider-Man, and ultimately, left Earth-1610 with a hero to be proud of.

This Isn’t The First Older Peter Parker We’ve Had.

(Credit: Fox Kids)

In the 90s there were a number of great superhero cartoons. Not least of which was Spider-Man: The Animated Series. Even today, many fans believe this is the best animated series based on the web-slinger. But it also featured an older Peter Parker; this Peter was at university, rather than high school, and is balancing his studies with work at the Daily Bugle, and his secret double life.

The comics have also allowed Peter to grow up. Dan Slott’s tenure as Amazing Spider-Man writer particularly demonstrated the value of allowing the hero to grow up. Instead of being a struggling freelance photographer, Slott allowed Peter to get a job a Horizon Labs, and to finally put that amazing brain of his to good use. There was also his time running his own company thanks to the Doctor Octopus taking over his body for a while. Peter also acts as a mentor to the many other Spider-people in the comics.

Finally, Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows features a Peter Parker who is married to Mary Jane, something which fans had been crying out for. In this comic, they have a daughter named Annie-May who discovers that she takes after her father, and the family form a crime-fighting super team.

But just who could play an older Spider-Man? The answer may well lie in the past. We’ve already had two fantastic actors take on the role of Peter Parker in live-action before Tom Holland, so why couldn’t they reprise the role? Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield both garnered a lot of praise for their takes on the wall-crawler, so it would be a brilliant nod to the fans to bring them back. When making Into the Spider-Verse, the producers discussed bringing Tobey Maguire back to play Peter B. Parker, and many fans were keen on this idea.

Despite the mixed reaction to his films, many fans agreed that Andrew Garfield was an excellent Spider-Man. Some even felt that he was unlucky to lose the part to Tom Holland, but Marvel wanted an actor who looked younger in order to keep the character young. Perhaps in Sony’s own Spider-Verse, Andrew Garfield could be the Spider-Man to Eddie Brock’s Venom for example. Or, if you’d prefer a brand new actor to take the role, perhaps Grant Gustin would be a good choice. He looks the part, and his turn as Barry Allen in The Flash, shows that he has the awkward charm Peter exudes.

While the idea of Peter Parker being a high school student is something that’s very endearing and appealing about the character, we shouldn’t be stuck with it. There are many great stories of Peter’s time in high school, but truthfully, the time when the character really took off was when he went off to university anyway. There’s a wealth of possibilities that can be explored with an older Spider-Man, so let’s see more of it, and let the character grow up.

What do you think? Do you want to see more of an older Spider-Man? Let me know in the comments!

superheroes
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About the Creator

Alex Hodgson

I'm a massive superhero fan who loves to put my thoughts down in writing. Spider-Man is my favourite, but I'm also a lover of the Arrowverse. Follow me on twitter @AlexJHodgson

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