Spider-Man Is Even More To Blame For Uncle Ben’s Murder Than Fans Realize

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Spider-Man Is Even More To Blame For Uncle Ben’s Murder Than Fans Realize

In an alternate world, Spider-Man’s pompous attitude and lifestyle choices are directly responsible for inspiring the man who would kill his Uncle Ben.

Spider-Man’s journey to becoming a crime fighter has always been tied to the death of Uncle Ben and how Peter failed to stop the man who would later kill his uncle. Fans already know Ben Parker’s lesson that with great power comes great responsibility. But in a reboot of Spider-Man’s origin story, the wallcrawler’s infamy as a TV star gets his uncle killed in the saddest way possible.

John Byrne’s 1998 comic Spider-Man Chapter One #1 is a retelling of the classic Spider-Man origin story from Amazing Fantasy #15, with some very drastic changes. Instead of a simple spider bite, Peter Parker is caught in a radioactive explosion caused by a random spider who finds himself in the middle of a dangerous experiment created by Doctor Octopus. The explosion takes many lives, but Peter is saved by the now radioactive spider which bites him during the explosion. After waking up from a coma, Peter gains his superpowers and uses them to become a former wrestler, then a famous stuntman with a sleazy talent agent. However, Spider-Man’s obsession with fame and fortune attracts the wrong kind of attention from a criminal fan.

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Spider-Man learns that his fame has a price

Spider-Man’s notoriety as a stuntman is directly responsible for killing Uncle Ben. As Spider-Man becomes a household name in New York, his star power is attracting the attention of many fans and superheroes. Future allies such as the X-Men, Doctor Strange, and the Fantastic Four marvel at the death-defying stunts that Spider-Man is capable of. Spider-Man soon piques the curiosity of a local fan and criminal who is robbing Peter Parker’s house. The blonde burglar sees Spider-Man jump out of a bedroom window and assumes the celebrity is “breaking the joint” like him. It’s a mistake on Spider-Man’s part, because he’s just sneaking in for a TV appearance.

The burglar encounters Spider-Man again while on the run from the cops and mistakes Spidey for a “second floor man” like himself. Just like in his classic origin, Spider-Man could arrest this criminal but instead chooses to let the police pursue him. Spider-Man’s negligence leads to the criminal returning to the Parker residence and Peter returning home to find his uncle killed. According to the police, the murderer was looking for Spider-Man. Peter pursues the criminal for revenge and finds him in a warehouse, beaming with joy that a celebrity is in his presence. The Burglar hopes to team up with his hero Spider-Man as a dynamic criminal duo. Spidey responds to the criminal with a punch to the face and a valuable lesson is learned: fame comes at a cost.

This Origin Makes Spider-Man’s Hardest Lesson Even Worse

Spider-Man’s refusal to arrest the man who would later kill Uncle Ben has always been a hallmark part of his origin, but the added notion that the burglar was at Parker’s house specifically looking for Spider-Man makes him even more tragic. While this story isn’t part of the main Marvel Comics canon, it perfectly illustrates how Peter’s recklessness and desire to make himself rich and famous created the monster that would eventually murder his father figure. This alternate version of Spider-Man may take things down a darker path than the main story, but it’s a more realistic look at how stardom can have serious consequences. Spider-Man should learn that dangerous fans like Uncle Ben’s killer are a product of his own vanity and that his powers should never be used for selfish ends.

More: Uncle Ben Just Became Spider-Man’s Ultimate Villain

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