Spider-Man will always have a special place in my heart. After all, he was my introduction to the wonderful world of Marvel. To my 6-year-old mind, Peter Parker was the ultimate OG: an underdog who becomes a superhero by accident but never loses his charm or innocence. And it’s not just me saying this: pick up any Marvel comic book, and you’ll find that through the years, Spider-Man, or Peter Parker, has managed to gain the respect and love of not just his fans, but also his superhuman buddies.
So, here are 8 things that make Spider-Man our favorite friendly neighborhood superhero:
1. He would die for his friends. Literally.
In the Death of Spider-Man arc, Spider-Man protected Captain America by taking a bullet for him. His selflessness compelled Cap to remark that Peter would be the “best of all of them.” Sadly, though, Peter fought Norman Osborn immediately after and later succumbed to his injuries.
*cue tears*
2. He’s loved not only by his fans but also his peers.
In the Ultimate Fallout arc that followed Death of Spider-Man, Spidey’s funeral was supposed to be a small, private affair. However, when news spread that Spidey had died, thousands of people turned up to the church to grieve their favorite superhero.
*more tears*
3. He’s basically every millennial ever.
When Tony Stark decided to recruit Spider-Man into the Avengers in the 2012 issue, he only needed to say these words: “We have money.” Since Spidey had grown up cutting corners wherever possible, that was all it took to make him go flying into Tony’s arms (literally).
4. Also, seeing how proud he is of being a nerd gives us all hope.
In the Amazing Spider-Man #663, Peter’s paper is published in the American Science Journal and well, it makes him go shooting off the walls like a little kid (again, literally). Isn’t that what we did when we got an A on our tests as kids?
5. In his own adorkable way, Peter always wants to prove himself.
Back in 1966, during the Amazing Spider-Man Annual #3, The Avengers finally decide to officially induct Spidey into their ranks. They invite him to their headquarters but can’t decide what test to put him to. Poor Spider-Man thinks that the real test is to prove his fighting prowess, and thus tears through the group in no time. Talk about awkward.
6. He always stands up for what he feels is right.
We know by now that Spider-Man was so Team Iron Man during Civil War that he even revealed his identity to the public. Upon finding out, however, that Tony had a hand in jailing the superheroes on the opposite team (Team Cap, that is), he refused to stand by Iron Man’s side and later fought him in the very suit that the latter had made for him.
7. As if that wasn’t enough, his sass will leave your pride wounded.
In the Marvel Adventures Avengers #26 arc, The Avengers faced off against Galactus, who was planning to wipe all life using the Nullifier. Galactus even said that because of the Nullifier’s destructive powers, the Avengers wouldn’t use it on him. But what did Spidey do?
He pressed the button. On a device that could obliterate creation.
8. SpideyPool. Enough Said.
Listen, if you haven’t read any Spider-Man/Deadpool comics, please do. Deadpool has mentioned numerous times that he considers Spider-Man his best friend and wishes he could be more like him. In short, they’re both goofs and need to be protected.
Well, I could go on fangirling, or we could both just take the easy way out by participating in OPPO’s new campaign. You see, OPPO has teamed up with Sony & Marvel to promote their latest movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming, in India. As part of this and ahead of the movie’s July 7th release, the brand held an exclusive screening of the movie for fans in Mumbai. That’s not all, though.
Along with the release of the movie, OPPO will run an online campaign from July 7th-14th. Buy an OPPO F3 (oh, you know, the brilliant piece of tech that has two separate cameras for individual selfies and group selfies) during the week, upload your selfie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with the hashtags #OPPOxSpiderMan and #OPPOF3, and you may stand a chance to win free tickets to the movie.
Get cracking!