Warning: SPOILERS for The Amazing Spider-Man #20Even if Spider-Man has not been a member of the Avengers for some time, his past militance in the ranks of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes gives him an unexpected but very useful power.
Spider-Man was originally a loner hero, and he has been so for the majority of his career. Despite his incredible powers and unwavering sense of duty, Spidey found it hard to work with other heroes. In fact, in some of his earliest stories, Spider-Man tried to join both the Avengers and the Fantastic Four but was rejected due to misunderstandings and the impulsive attitude he had as a young hero. Many years later, however, Spider-Man became a founding member of the New Avengers during Brian Michael Bendis’ unforgettable run as writer of the team, and the idea was so well-received that the Web-Slinger remained an Avenger for a very long time.
Spider-Man Can Use His Avenger Status To Influence The Authorities
In The Amazing Spider-Man #20, by Joe Kelly, Terry Dodson, and Rachel Dodson, Spider-Man shows off a very handy “power” that he gets from his past Avengers membership. Peter and his new girlfriend Felicia Hardy (Black Cat) have just stopped a group of employees of a tech start-up who rented the equipment and weapons of the Sinister Six. To force the company’s boss, who is hiding using Mysterio’s powers, to come out, Spider-Man bluffs that, if the employees sign over to him twenty-five percent of the company, he will convince the authorities to not send them to jail, which he can do because he is “a freaking Avenger“.
For a very long part of his superhero career, Spider-Man was not on good terms with the authorities. The New York Police would have happily arrested him, spurred by his vigilante activities and by John Jonah Jameson’s relentless campaign to paint Spider-Man as a “menace”. Since Spider-Man first joined the Avengers, however, he became a more established hero with strong ties with the most respectable members of that community, including Iron Man and Captain America. This means that he can now “pull rank” with the authorities, who no longer see him as a dangerous vigilante but as someone they can trust. This status can turn out to be very useful, not only because it leaves Spider-Man free to do his job without interference, but also to negotiate with law-breakers when needed.
Spider-Man’s Past As An Avenger Is A Sign Of His Evolution As A Character
Even if Spider-Man’s life seems to always go back to square one, especially in regard to Peter’s relationship with Mary Jane, at least his past as an Avenger remains, and has a meaningful impact on his current stories. This is one of the few signs that Spider-Man has actually grown as a character: after becoming an Avenger, Spider-Man no longer has to run away from the police or leave criminals hanging by his web (but he still loves to do that), but he can actually tell the authorities who to arrest and use this “power” to his advantage in many situations.
The Amazing Spider-Man #20 is available now from Marvel Comics.
