Warning: Spoilers for The Amazing Spider-Man #39!
Despite the countless incredible feats Spider-Man regularly achieves, one area of heroism where the Webslinger lacks experience is leading a superteam. Peter Parker is chock-full of spectacular qualities, which make it easy to see why he’s the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man to so many people, and to others, their favorite superhero. One thing that the original Spider-Man has never been, however, is a natural leader.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2022) #39 – by Zeb Wells, John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, Marcio Menyz, and VC’s Joe Caramagna – puts Peter’s poor leadership skills on display as a city-wide “Gang War” looms over the city of New York. The crossover event finds Spidey putting together a superteam of his own for the first time, seeking to put a definitive end to criminal activity in New York City.
However, despite Peter asserting himself as the one to lead the charge, none of his assembled superhero colleagues seems willing to follow orders from him. This moment makes it apparent that Peter is the furthest from being a super-effective leader to a collection of strong-minded heroes.
All 40 Versions Of Spider-Man, Ranked From Weakest To Most Powerful
Marvel has created dozens of different versions of Spider-Man over the years, but which variant, successor, or clone is the most powerful?
No One Listens To Spider-Man
Following directly after the events of The Amazing Spider-Man Gang War: First Strike #1, Amazing Spider-Man #39 opens with Peter having called in the cavalry, after New York is set ablaze. By his side are Miles Morales, She-Hulk, Spider-Woman, and Elektra, operating as Daredevil. Having assembled this Spider-squad, Peter Parker clearly envisions himself as the leader of the group, but the other heroes’ response to his directions indicates otherwise. Gathered on a rooftop observing criminal activity, Peter begins to outline a plan – which Elektra-Daredevil promptly ignores, jumping into action of her own accord. Miles and Jessica quickly follow suit, telling Peter they plan to go after Crimemaster.
When the dust settles, Peter tries once more to give his teammates orders, but again, everyone would rather tell their so-called leader what they plan to do themselves. “Hell’s Kitchen is no place for amateurs,” Elektra demeans Peter. “I’ll handle it … alone.” And so she does. Similarly, Spider-Woman tells Spider-Man that she’s going downtown to track down Diamondback and HYDRA. Jessica tells Peter to call her if he needs help in NYC. Meanwhile, Miles, still cross with Peter for ghosting him, insists on going after Hobgoblin, promising Peter he’s been doing fine without him, leaving She-Hulk as Peter’s sole remaining “teammate.”
Peter Parker Lacks Natural Leadership Qualities
Spider-Man has been a member of super-teams in the past, including the Avengers. However, Peter Parker has rarely been depicted as a leader. Even during the Spider-Verse event, Peter wasn’t the main Spidey in charge, ceding leadership responsibilities to the Superior Spider-Man. There’s nothing wrong with being the supporting player of a major team, but clearly, that’s where Peter works best, rather than fronting a group. Spider-Man doesn’t exhibit the qualities of a leader, despite his years of hero experience and, thus, no one respects him as one. The “Gang War” crossover is the latest example of why Earth-616’s Spider-Man usually isn’t positioned as a leader – he’s not cut out for it.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2022) #39 is available now from Marvel Comics.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2022) #39 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
