1 Spider-Man Power Was So Hard to Control He Almost Didn't Become a Hero (2024)

Warning! Contains spoilers For Spider-Man: Shadow of the Green Goblin #1!When Peter Parker first got his powers, the young Spider-Man was so afraid of his new strength that he almost gave up being a hero. People don't often consider just how absurdly difficult it would be to suddenly have superpowers. One day, the force required to gently open a door could be enough force to rip the door off its hinges. This isn't a problem that comics often talk about, but it's one that Spider-Man had to deal with in his early years.

Spider-Man's early years were full of learning and making mistakes. Peter tried his best to make a difference, but as a 15-year-old kid, he struggled with the choices he had to make, as well as learning his powers. While some fans might think web-slinging would be the hardest thing to learn, it was his super strength that took the most getting used to. In Spider-Man: Shadow of the Green Goblin #1 by J.M. DeMatteis and Michael Sta. Maria, set just a month after Uncle Ben's death, Spider-Man admits that he struggles to control his increased strength.

Still in his early career, Peter accidentally puts a young criminal in the hospital after punching him too hard. This is such a scary thing for Peter that he admits he doesn't know if he's a hero or a monster.

Peter's Wild Strength Nearly Killed Someone When He Started Out

Having super strength certainly sounds like a fun power to have, but it would completely ruin most aspects of life. With super strength, it would be difficult to do things like open a jar without instantly shattering it. Spider-Man's strength is pretty great, allowing him to lift absurd amounts of weight in times of peril. The most famous example of this is seen in 1965's Amazing Spider-Man #33 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko,when he is trapped in Doctor Octopus' collapsing base and manages to lift a huge amount of concrete that's fallen on him. But it took years of training and getting used to his strength for Spider-Man to be able to do this.

Doctor Octopus Learns The Hard Way Just How Strong Spider-Man Is

Years later, in Amazing Spider-Man #700 by Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos, Doc Ock has taken up his role as the Superior Spider-Man when he accidentally learns just how hard super strength can be to control. During a fight, Doc Ock, while in Spider-Man's body, punches Scorpion. What follows is a horrifying realization that Peter has been restraining himself all these years, as Octavius ends up punching Scorpion's jaw clean off. As brilliant as Doctor Octopus is, he still needs to go through an adjustment period to use Spider-Man's strength correctly, and he is a full-grown man. Peter had to go through this adjustment as a teenager.

Even characters like Superman have commented on the drawbacks of super strength, once stating that he feels like he lives "in a world of cardboard." This is especially true of Spider-Man. The majority of criminals that Peter Parker fights are just street thugs, some of whom only resort to crime out of desperation. Accidentally putting someone in the hospital by breaking all of their bones is a massive excessive use of force, and it's one that almost made Spider-Man reconsider being a hero.

Spider-Man: Shadow of the Green Goblin #1 is on sale now from Marvel Comics!

Spider-Man: Shadow of the Green Goblin #1 (2024)
	Writer: J.M. DeMatteis Artist: Michael Sta. Maria Colorist: Chris Sotomayor Letterer: Joe Caramagna Cover Artist: Paulo Siqueira and Rachelle Rosenberg