The following thoughts are my own. Generally speaking, I don't believe in right or wrong when it comes to someone's taste or creativity. I, in no way, mean to offend anyone with my opinion of the subject matter, or on anyone else's thoughts on the topic.
So, a new Spiderman movie. One that I haven't seen, but would certainly like to. A movie that seems to contain everything fans have wanted from the character for decades, including funny quips, acrobatic adventure, teen drama, and even the odd cameo or two. Tom Holland is said to have pulled off the role amazingly well (no pun intended), and the movie itself is getting rave reviews.
Just like the first Toby Maguire one. Just like the first Andrew Garfield one.
It sort of made me wonder what it IS about this character that people just absolutely love, at first. Why is it that people are perfectly content to see him portrayed over, and over, and now over, again? Sure, each actor gives us a slightly different portrayal, as shown through a different director's lens, while embarking on a different writer's adventure. But how is the character so enduring, yet so quick to fade from our minds? Each sequel has done worse than the previous. This last movie, while opening incredibly well, also has had the sharpest second week drop in MCU history. Why?
I think it has to do with the character himself, and which part of our emotions he taps into. Peter Parker, ultimately, is every nerd's fantasy alter-ego. He's one of them, geeked out and bullied, socially awkward, and lives in a lower income bracket. His family life is different from the standard nuclear family, raised by a (usually) ancient aunt, who he presumes would never understand what it's like to be a young man in this day and age. But, at the exact same time, he's gifted in every way his fans wish they were. He's the smartest guy on the block, sometimes portrayed in the same echelon as Tony Stark or Reed Richards. His powers give him varying degrees of super strength (the better to beat his bullies), and super agility (the better to avoid the attacks of said bullies). Even more, and perhaps a more integral part of the character, Peter Parker is witty in the way we all wish we were, able to come up with just the right thing to say in nearly every situation. With all of this, he's like the nerd messiah.
But, all of that gets old. I think just like high school ends, and all that drama and social battling fades away, so too does much of the allure of Peter Parker's core strengths. Peter exists best as a teen dream, living in that world, and the moment he, or more importantly his fans, step out in the wider world of adulthood, he seems somehow... stunted? Yes, he winds up getting the job at the paper as a photographer, and continues the nerd fantasy by eventually marrying the impossibly sexy Mary Jane Watson, but the areas in which we related to him fall away. He's no longer the champion of the disillusioned, but rather that guy who gets ALL the breaks. He's that guy at work who just always seems to win. He's never around, but produces the best work there. He's so good at his job that he never gets in trouble, and gets away with things no other employee would. And when he's done for the day, he goes home to his actress wife, who clearly sees something in him the rest of the world doesn't. It's just a strange disconnect from what made us like him in the first place.
I think that is why Spiderman in TV and movies is always being portrayed in that high school drama genre. While in the comic books he went on, and they continue with his adult life, it seems those outside his core fandom really only relate to him when he is that younger hero, struggling against those very familiar obstacles. I also think that is why Ultimate Spiderman, Mile Morales, gained so much popularity as well. They introduced a new version of the character that, while certainly being different in many regards to Peter, hit all the same notes of youthful struggle. They found a way to stay within that theme, while also keeping grown up Peter for those who didn't want to see yet another reboot to the character (a fairly ingenious idea, really).
At the end of the day, Spiderman is still an interesting character, who we all seem to love and root for. I just personally think that, if we really look at it, Peter Parker's real power is nostalgia, and his ability to bring it out of all of us.
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