Why Don’t Marvel’s Heroes Like Spider-Man?

Spider-Man is in many ways the “main” hero of the Marvel Universe, and he’s certainly remained the most popular hero among comic book fans. More so than the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and perhaps even the X-Men, he’s a globally successful property that eclipses other superheroes. However, this success isn’t matched in the Marvel Universe, with Spidey very much being an unlucky loner.

It’s to the point where many Marvel heroes outright dislike Spider-Man or avoid working with him. This is due to his boisterous nature and how much he’s used to only bouncing off walls instead of other people. Add in how much the media has been against him, and it’s no wonder he’s not popular for others to work with.

Spider-Man Is Almost Always Looked Down Upon By Other Heroes

Perhaps Spidey’s most notable trait is his gift of gab, with Peter Parker suddenly becoming a sarcastic, witty wisecracker whenever he throws on the red and blue costume. This completely throws off his enemies, be they random thieves and criminals or diabolical, costume-wearing supervillains like the Green Goblin. It annoys the latter, who are just as aggravated by Spider-Man’s sense of humor as by his sense of heroism. Of course, Spidey doesn’t know exactly when to shut this off whenever he’s in costume, which can rub some people the wrong way. Peter Parker’s more smart-mouthed persona was a defense mechanism when he first became Spider-Man. It allowed him to finally mouth off sarcastically after years of being put upon by others and gave him an edge against superhuman bullies.

Of course, this diarrhea of the mouth isn’t exactly endearing around other superheroes (many of whom are a good bit older). Instead, Spider-Man’s humor annoys other heroes, some of whom see him as a jokester who can’t take things seriously. Ironically, this is exactly how Spider-Man views Deadpool, who actually admires the web-slinger. Since he’s now so used to acting this way, he doesn’t realize how he comes off towards his peers. Thus, they keep him at arm’s length in situations that rely on more heroes. It’s arguably unfair given the personality quirks of some of the Avengers, namely the neurotic Hank Pym or the sometimes arrogant Iron Man and Thor. Likewise, Spidey has more than proven himself as able to take down threats without these characters’ help, so it’s not like he’s a complete joke.

Not helping his case is how he first interacted with certain teams. His first two encounters with the Fantastic Four were examples of his early showboating personality, to the point where even the Human Torch didn’t initially like him. The same went for how he met the classic “Fab Five” X-Men. Ironically, these two groups became his main allies in the heroic community. Thus, if he gave a less than adequate-first impression on those groups, it’s no wonder heroes such as the Avengers give him a wide berth.

The Media Has Put Out the Hit On Spider-Man

One of Spider-Man’s worst enemies isn’t Green Goblin, Venom or Doctor Octopus, but someone who’s completely human: J. Jonah Jameson. Running the Daily Bugle as his own personal fiefdom, Jameson is known for dragging his enemies in the mud through the paper. His most common target is Spider-Man, who’s constantly criticized as a menace and a threat to society. Jameson’s paper makes Spidey out to be a threat that’s no better than the villains he faces, with some articles even erroneously stating that the wall-crawler is working alongside his worst enemies. There have been cases where Jameson and the Bugle have had to recant their stories concerning Spider-Man, but it’s far more common for the paper to slander the hero with reckless abandon.

Given the reach of the Daily Bugle, it’s no surprise that many people in New York are swayed by its less-than-unbiased journalism. Thus, the overall opinion of Spider-Man isn’t the same reverent tone given to other superheroes. Even average citizens on the street might look at him dismissively, given how the media portrays him. Such misconceptions also extend to the superhero community, with Spidey seen as less than heroic by his peers due to how the media talks about him. It’s no different from heroes immediately attacking villains they see on the street due to hearing about their exploits on the news. Ultimately, it’s not the most nuanced way to judge the hero’s character, but it has put a wedge between Spider-Man and others like him.

Spider-Man Has Mostly Operated As a Loner

Though modern stories involving the “Spider-Verse” and the fact that there’s a seemingly endless assortment of Spider-People in New York show otherwise, Spider-Man isn’t exactly known for being a social character. He’s largely stayed within his own realm of NYC, a sort of in-between of over-the-top superheroics and street-level crime. He’s known for teaming up with the X-Men, the FF, and even other street-level Marvel heroes (sometimes referred to as the collective “Marvel Knights”), but for the most part, his stories are very much his own. More than any other major Marvel character, his most definitive relationships are those within his own mythos and supporting cast instead of the wider Marvel Universe.

This is also a reflection of Spider-Man’s own popularity, with his success easily eclipsing the other Marvel heroes beyond the X-Men. To this day, his iconic storylines far outnumber many of the Avengers. Modern Spider-Man comic books and the Marvel Cinematic Universe have associated him with them more, but he’s entirely independent of their brand. This creates a somewhat tenuous situation where the Avengers are supposed to be Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, yet it’s Spidey and the mutants (with a few other exceptions such as Daredevil, The Punisher and Hulk) who really attract readers. Thus, to wrestle with this incongruence of popularity, the heroes mostly don’t interact, at least in older stories.

Nowadays, the Marvel Universe feels smaller due to the heroes interacting more with each other. Thus, it’s been slightly more “overt” that other characters outright avoid Spider-Man. This is sometimes done through plot contrivances, including the villainous crimelord The Kingpin, essentially ruining Spider-Man’s reputation by supporting him when he was the mayor of New York City. It’s not the most organic way to handle this, but it showcases how much Spidey avoids interacting with these other capes and cowls to focus on helping others.