One of Spider-Man’s greatest powers is his will. His ability to make the right choice when the decision is difficult is as much of a superpower as wall-crawling. His reputation for doing what’s good, fair, and right has led him to receive praises from the likes of other Marvel heroes and characters, such as Deadpool, H.E.R.B.I.E., and many more. Even Captain American has said that Spider-Man is one of the “greatest men he’s ever known.”
Throughout his superhero career, Spider-Man has saved countless lives. In many different universes and forms of media, one thing that fans can count on is that Spider-Man is going to pull through and be the good guy when it matters most.
Spider-Man Gave Up The Homecoming Dance To Stop Vulture (Spider-Man: Homecoming)
As far as priorities go, going to the Homecoming Dance with the dream date is about as high on the list as it gets for most teenagers. That’s why when Peter runs out on his date to stop a supervillain from stealing millions of dollars worth of destructive weapons, it was clearly tough to make the wholesome decision.
Leave it to Parker to drop everything he’s hoped for in order to do what is right. The sadness is written on his face as he admires Liz from across the dance floor, which makes it one of the best examples of Peter’s good-hearted nature. Had he made the less noble choice and stayed, Vulture’s plane would have been successful, changing the course of the MCU forever. Peter gave up the romantic night he’s been longing for to keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of deadly individuals.
He Almost Died Saving Vulture’s Life (Spider-Man: Homecoming)
Adrian Toomes didn’t hold back any fatal tactics in the final moments of Spider-Man: Homecoming. Still, despite the fact he attempted to kill Spider-Man, the web-slinger made one of the most wholesome decisions that someone can make by using his last bit of strength to save his enemy’s life.
In contrast, Spider-Man could have been victorious just by letting Vulture fall to his death. It would have been a safer and easier option. However, it isn’t like Peter to let anyone die. Instead, Peter pulled the Vulture back down closer to the ground. In typical Spider-Man fashion, Peter cried out desperately, “I’m trying to save you!” It was a touching and defining moment that showed fans how pure he is.
He Kept Norman Osborn’s Secret (Spider-Man)
In Spider-Man, when the Goblin tries to deliver a fatal blow with his glider, Spider-Man avoids it, causing the glider to impale the Goblin. With his last breath, Norman requests that Peter doesn’t tell his son, Harry. In one of his most honorable acts, Peter respects Norman’s wish.
This was especially wholesome because he knew his best friend would lose all trust for Spider-Man. Although Norman was secretly an evil and deadly monster, Peter didn’t want Harry to feel the hurt and shame that would come from knowing. Peter’s act of respect caused Harry to hate Spider-Man instead of his father. It’s a tremendous price that Spider-Man had to pay to grant Norman his dying wish and do what was best for Harry, making it one of his most upstanding choices.
Peter Brought Down Parker Industries (Marvel Comics)
In The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 4 #31, Peter proves how truly selfless he is. He gives up Parker Industries, a multibillion-dollar corporation, in order to thwart Doc Ock’s plan for world domination.
This moment stands out among others because Peter knew that, in addition to losing everything he has, he’d be to blame for thousands of people losing their jobs. Perhaps not everyone agreed that this was the right choice. Even the heartbroken Aunt May asked “…how could you?”. Ultimately, this is one of his most benevolent moments, because he did what had to be done to save the world, despite how negatively it impacted him.
Spider-Man Attempted To Save Dozens Of Criminals And Murderers (Marvel Comics)
During the Hunted story arc in The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 #16-23, Spider-Man and over a dozen of Marvel’s rogues were trapped in Central Park being hunted for sport. Even though they were criminals and murderers, Spider-Man still risked his life trying to save theirs.
As villains were being slaughtered all around him, Spider-Man thought to himself “they don’t deserve to die.” Most of the time, villains are repulsed by heroics. That was not the case this time, making it a pivotal moment in the Marvel Universe. Spidey’s goodness was so moving, Kraven had a change of heart. It created a renewed look at Kraven that Spider-Man and comic readers had never expected to see.
Peter Was A Friend And Inspiration To His High School Bully, Flash Thompson (Marvel Comics)
Ever since 1962’s Amazing Fantasy #15, Flash was extremely cruel to Peter Parker in high school. In The Spectacular Spider-Man Vol. 2, when Flash was overcoming a near-death experience, Peter frequently visited him and helped him. Peter’s kindness and compassion not only helped keep Flash alive, but also rubbed off on him.
In the long run, Peter’s choice to not give up on him led to Flash becoming a superhero over a decade later. He looked to Spider-Man for inspiration. Many lives were saved thanks to Peter befriending Flash. Most recently, Flash played a major role in saving the Marvel Universe during 2021’s King In Black story arc.
Peter B. Parker Sacrificed Himself To Save Miles Morales And Shut Down The Super-Collider (Sony’s Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse)
Peter B. Parker entrusted Miles with a flash drive that can shut down the dangerous Super-Collider. Despite being near death, Peter convinced Miles to go, telling him that he’d be ok.
Someone less virtuous than Peter probably could have used Miles as a diversion, but Spider-Man is better than that. He made the hard, yet the responsible choice to put others before himself. This was one of Spider-Man’s most important wholesome moments because it resulted in his death. His selfless action saved Miles’ life and subsequently led to the rise of Miles Morales as a new Spider-Man to carry on the legacy of great responsibility.
Spider-Man Put His Life On The Line To Take Down The Vedomi Network (Marvel Comics)
Spidey and other heroes discovered how they could take down a world threat, but doing so would require a great deal of risk. In Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man Vol 1. #306, Spider-Man risked his own life when no one else was willing to.
It’s a major example of Spider-Man giving up the advantage to do what’s right. Peter came to find that he would not make it back from the mission. He proceeded to carry out the task regardless of what he would endure, making it one of the most wholesome things that he, or any hero, has ever done.
He Made A Deal With Mephisto To Save Aunt May (Marvel Comics)
In the One More Day story arc, Aunt May was dying in the hospital. There seemed to be no hope that she’d make it, and Peter felt responsible.
While it’s debatable that making a deal with the devil is a moral thing to do, in Peter’s situation, it was the only option at the time to save Aunt May. Peter and Mary Jane made the decision to undo their marriage and prevent their daughter’s birth in order to save Aunt May. It was a selfless sacrifice rather than the stereotypical deal with Mephisto that many would make for personal gain. It’s a decision that is still affecting Peter (and his fans) to this day with the recent Kindred story arc.
He Sacrifices Aunt May’s Life To Save Thousands (PlayStation’s Marvel’s Spider-Man)
In a tragic conclusion to Marvel’s Spider-Man, Spider-Man must choose between saving countless lives or delivering a cure to his Aunt May. Spider-Man makes the tough decision to save as many lives as possible, even though this results in the death of Aunt May.
In most storylines, Spider-Man finds a way to not only save the day, but also keep those closest to him safe. The fact that he chose the lives of thousands over the person closest to him speaks volumes of Parker’s character. Peter showed how moral and righteous he is. Already dealing with the pain from losing his parents and his Uncle Ben, choosing to put himself through more loss was the most wholesome thing he’s done to date.
