A world without Spider-Man is almost unimaginable today. But almost, the superhero didn’t exist.
Nowadays, Spider-Man is indispensable in the comic world, but also in the movie and gaming world. Peter Parker’s alter ego is perhaps the most popular Marvel hero of all time.
But while the teenager with the spider powers is probably known to everyone today, the first idea of the superhero was not well-received at all.
Stan Lee often told this during his lifetime in various interviews. One such example can be seen here, from a keynote at the University of California (via YouTube).
Stan Lee invented Spider-Man, and the boss didn’t like him at all
This is how Spider-Man was created: As Stan Lee recounted, his publisher told him to come up with a new superhero. The main thing was the superpower – and when the comic artist saw a fly stuck to the wall, he thought: That could work.
Now he needed a name and after Fly-Man and Mosquito-Man, he landed on ‘Spider-Man’. Then he took an unusual route: Not only was his hero Peter Parker a teenager, which was very unusual at the time. He also had a whole series of everyday problems, like homework, trouble at school with classmates, financial difficulties, and, of course, the death of Uncle Ben and the situation at home.
This was to make Spider-Man a relatable hero, someone people could identify with. And with that, Stan Lee went to his boss.
This was the reaction: Stan Lee’s boss called the hero the “worst idea he had ever heard of.” Furthermore, people would hate spiders, which is why the name was not a good idea, and teenagers in the superhero world were at most sidekicks.
And regarding the personal Parker problems, the boss supposedly said, according to Stan Lee: “Stan, do you know what a superhero is?”
Accordingly, the idea was off the table for the time being.
So something finally came of Spider-Man
Stan Lee simply couldn’t let the idea die. Therefore, he included it in the last issue of “Amazing Fantasy” – a magazine that wasn’t selling and was set to die. Because there, as Lee said, no one cared what was inside.
Thus, Stan Lee wrote the first Spider-Man story – the one with the spider bite, the wrestling match, the unpaid wages, and the gangster who was supposed to kill Uncle Ben – for Amazing Fantasy 15, and Spidey was also featured on the now legendary cover.
Because: The issue sold incredibly well. Stan Lee had basically forgotten the magazine, but the publisher who initially rejected Spider-Man came into his office and said, “Stan! Do you remember the character we thought was great? Spider-Man? We need to make a series out of this.”
Thus, Spider-Man got his own magazine – and would over the years become a success story. Stan Lee created many other iconic characters during his lifetime that are now deeply embedded in pop culture. However, there were also a few characters that you might not be so aware of. One such example is the Impossible Man – read about it here.
