Spider-Man has been one of Marvel’s most iconic comic properties since his debut in 1962. In the 2000s, this popularity increased further with the genesis of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy. In terms of comics, the decade offered a more mature and humanized take on the wall-crawler.
From revealing his identity in Civil War to grieving over Gwen Stacy’s death in Spider-Man: Blue, this phase in Spidey’s life has been a tumultuous one. He’s plagued by his sense of responsibility while questioning his own heroism. In more ways than one, the 2000s marked the formative years of the modern versions of Spider-Man.
Civil War (Limited Series)
Civil War is an ambitious crossover event involving several Avengers. The titular conflict refers to the clash between Captain America and Iron Man as they differ in their views on government control on superheroes.
Spider-Man plays a major role in this storyline. Firstly, he joins Team Iron Man and gets to don the Iron Spider costume designed by Tony Stark. He even goes on to unmask himself to the public in support of the Superhero Registration Act. Later on, a change of heart compels him to join Captain America’s side. His internal dilemmas add further context to Peter Parker’s constant struggle to balance ‘great power’ with ‘great responsibility.’
Spidey Meets The President (The Amazing Spider-Man #583)
Released a week before Barack Obama’s Presidential inauguration in 2009, this one-shot story finds Spider-Man among the many attendees at the White House. But when an ‘impostor’ Obama arrives at the scene (Chameleon in one of his disguises), it’s up to Spidey to save the day.
It is a simple and straightforward storyline but the real-world setting makes it unique. The cover featuring Obama and Spider-Man in one frame also stands out.
Spider-Man: Blue (Limited Series)
The color blue in this limited series refers to the melancholia that plagues Spider-Man after the tragedy in The Night Gwen Stacy Died. Unable to protect her from the clutches of Green Goblin, he spends his days alone and imagines talking to Gwen.
Instead of focusing on any fast-paced action, Spider-Man: Blue takes an introspective approach to its protagonist’s past. It goes on to show how even superheroes can have a tough time handling their own personal issues. With similar storylines on other characters like Daredevil: Yellow and Captain America: White, Blue also makes for an essential collector’s item.
Back In Black (The Amazing Spider-Man #539-543)
Set in the aftermath of the Civil War, Peter Parker deals with the death of Aunt May. Determined to find her shooter, he takes on his symbiotic black suit and engages in uncontrollable violence.
Back In Black is a major story arc as it shows how even Spider-Man can give up his morals for once. The rage that he feels with May’s death drives him to his breaking point. Usually, the web-slinger is associated with a kiddish and humorous persona. But in Black In Black, his thirst for vengeance resembles that of other morbid Marvel heroes like The Punisher.
Shed (The Amazing Spider-Man #630-633)
While Spider-Man’s storylines might be depressing at times, Shed takes up the sadness a notch higher with one of the most shocking deaths in Marvel Comics. Curt Connors forms the focus of the story as he’s unable to control his Lizard personality, giving rise to a new personality called Shed. This condition gets worse to the point when Shed ends up devouring Connors’ own son. Unable to bear the remorse of his actions, Connors finally gives in and leaves his human form.
The horror aside, Shed also shows readers Spider-Man’s own failure at saving innocent civilians. Even with his powers and responsibilities, he can’t save everyone. The death of Curtis Connors haunts Spider-Man just like Gwen Stacy’s case.
Spider-Man: The Other (Crossover)
In an alternate scenario, Peter Parker wakes up to his death. This only turns out to be a trigger event for some new powers that turn Spider-Man into ‘The Other.’
The subsequent events provide certain moments of introspection for the hero. Peter has been prone to grief for a long time with the deaths of his loved ones. Before transitioning to The Other, he just bears his death with a sense of acceptance. The crossover series showcases Spider-Man’s maturity while painting a mellow picture of his life.
Flowers For Rhino (Spider-Man’s Tangled Web #5-6)
The underrated Spider-Man villain Rhino is usually depicted as a foolish and brawny supervillain. In Flowers for Rhino, he grows ashamed of such qualities when he falls in love with a woman who judges his intellect. This prompts him to go through a brain alteration process that makes him intellectually superior to do a lot of new things, from creating his own criminal empire to rewriting Hamlet!
Even though Spider-Man plays a supporting role in taking down Rhino’s mob business, this is primarily its titular antagonist’s story. It makes for an interesting read as fans might have never seen such a soft and romantic side to the Rhino before.
Spider-Man With Great Power (Limited Series)
A limited series within the Marvel Knights imprint, With Great Power documents the period right after the spider bite that changed Peter Parker’s life. The storyline then ends with Uncle Ben’s death and Peter’s decision to don his costume.
The same, old superhero origin story has been told countless times in film and literature but With Great Power seems to add a touch of teenage innocence to Peter’s high-school misadventures. Instead of focusing on any high-octane heroics, the plot features daily coming-of-age observations. The art style and Parker’s ‘nerdy appearance also serve as tributes to the character’s debut in Amazing Fantasy #15.
New Ways To Die (The Amazing Spider-Man #568-#573)
Spider-Man is a fugitive in New Ways To Die as the Norman Osborn-led Thunderbolts team hunts him down. This prompts him to strike an unlikely alliance with former adversary Eddie Brock. Even though Brock was once the host for the Venom symbiote, he turns into the antihero Anti-Venom.
The storyline is notable for introducing Anti-Venom who went on to appear in many other Spider-Man comics in the future. Brock’s transition is another indicator of how multi-dimensional Spider-Man comic book villains can be.
Venom Vs. Carnage (Limited Series)
Venom’s offspring Carnage creates yet another symbiote called Toxin (marking its comic book debut). What follows is a darkly humorous clash between its titular villains as they fight for raising the child. Spider-Man and Black Cat also join the fight as mitigators.
Both Venom and Carnage are already major members of the Spider-Man mythos. Toxin’s introduction goes on to provide space for exploring the two symbiotes even further. And with Venom: Let There Be Carnage releasing in theatres, it only serves as a timely read.
