Summary
- Uncle Ben’s significance in Spider-Man lore lies in his role as a mythic figure who embodies the phrase “With great power, comes great responsibility.”
- Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man makes passing references to Ben Parker, maintaining his legendary status as a father figure for Peter Parker.
- Including Uncle Ben on-screen would diminish his mythic stature, as he would become just a regular character rather than a larger-than-life hero for Peter to emulate.
It doesn’t matter if it’s Tobey Maguire or Tom Holland, if it’s animation or comic books, if it’s Peter Parker or Miles Morales. One phrase defines Spider-Man: “With great power, comes great responsibility.” And who taught Spider-Man this all-important lesson? Ben Parker.
Despite Uncle Ben’s monumental importance to Spider-Man lore, he rarely actually appears in any story. That includes the latest offering about the ol’ web-head, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, which has only made passing references to Ben Parker. Some viewers may want to see Uncle Ben’s story play out on screen, finally showing what happened to this version of Peter Parker’s beloved father figure. But that’s a mistake that would strip Ben’s power as a mythic figure for the young hero in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.
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Who is Uncle Ben in Spider-Man?
Ben Parker made his first appearance in the same issue that introduced Peter and Aunt May. Written by Stan Lee and penciled by Steve Ditko, 1962’s Amazing Fantasy #15 brought Spider-Man into the world, a tragic hero whose act of selfishness cost Ben Parker his life. The story resonates even today, but anyone looking for rich characterization will be disappointed. In that first issue, Ben mostly stands next to May and smiles, offering approval to Peter, but not much else. In fact, it’s not even Ben who says the famous line. The phrase “With great power there must also come — great responsibility!” (the original wording) only appears in a caption box.
And that was basically it for Ben for the next sixty years. Occasional flashbacks and alternate reality tales would give readers another glimpse of Ben, but he didn’t do anything new. Just smile, nod, and die. That was the life of Ben Parker.
Ben’s story started to change in 2002, when director Sam Raimi finally made a big screen Spider-Man movie. Actor Cliff Robertson made Ben a compelling figure in the first act of the movie: a working-class guy whose big heart could not be dulled by a run of bad luck. Raimi and his co-writers wisely gave Ben the inspirational line (and also edited the statement from Lee’s wordy concoction), making him more than just a guy who dies to inspire the hero. Now, he’s the model that Peter tries to follow.
Raimi and Robertson redefined Ben for the future, making him a more important character in the lore and inspiring other takes. Even the MCU movies, in which Ben doesn’t get mentioned and the important line is given to Aunt May, understand what an important figure he is. That importance makes Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man‘s decision to only make passing reference to Ben confusing — and compelling.
Is Uncle Ben in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man?
The first episode of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man begins with Aunt May driving Peter Parker to school. Ever the compassionate kid, Peter thanks May for the help, and acknowledges how hard it’s been “since everything with Ben.” Peter doesn’t say anything else, but that doesn’t bother most viewers. Everyone knows that Peter refused to use his powers to stop a burglar, and that burglar later killed Ben.
But then, something surprising happens. A Venom/Kraven hybrid appears, followed soon by Doctor Strange. To the shock of viewers, Peter doesn’t join the fight, but he has a reason for staying on the sidelines. This Peter hasn’t yet been bitten by a radioactive spider, and therefore doesn’t have his powers yet.
The fact that Peter gets his powers after the fight has massive implications for Uncle Ben’s role in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. In this universe, Ben didn’t die because Peter wouldn’t use his powers to help others. So why did this Uncle Ben die?
At this point, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man hasn’t tipped its hand on Ben’s fate. Peter and May have mentioned him directly more than once, and it’s clear that he has died and isn’t just missing. (At least, Peter and May clearly think he’s dead.) But they aren’t saying how. Instead, they just let Ben Parker linger in the background, larger than life.
Should Uncle Ben Appear in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man?
With its fresh twist on classic Spidey stories, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is having fun remixing Marvel’s most popular character. That approach allows the show to set up arcs that will certainly lead to twists that the viewer sees coming before the characters do. For example, Norman Osborn seems like Peter’s new mentor, but he’ll surely turn on Spidey. Likewise, the lovable Lonnie Lincoln is already heading toward the tragic turn that will make him into Tombstone.
It stands to reason, then, that Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man would also have a big reveal for Uncle Ben. The creators knew what they were doing when they messed around with the events in Spidey’s origins, so they might be planning to use Ben in a new way.
But they really shouldn’t. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man retells Spidey’s origin, with special emphasis on his role in the community. By connecting Peter to friends such as Lonnie, Nico Minoru, and Harry Osborn, the series never lets viewers forget that he’s part of a larger group of people and not a lone hero. The series makes that point in its first episode, when Peter brings a thief back to the shop he robbed, only to ask the shopkeeper to show some grace. It’s clear that Peter learned that compassion, in part, from Ben. Ben looms large in Peter’s imagination, acting as the boy’s larger-than-life hero. And it makes sense. Of course, a young teen like Peter would mythologize a relative who has passed.
If the actual Ben ever appears on-screen, then he becomes less of a legend, in the eyes of Peter as much as in the eyes of the viewers. He would no longer be the standard that Peter is trying to achieve. He would just be a guy doing his best — a best that Peter quickly outpaces because of his spider-powers.
The One and Only Uncle Ben Parker
Already Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has shown a willingness to eschew the usual Spidey supporting cast. There’s been no Mary Jane, no Gwen Stacy, no Ned Leeds. And that works because it allows Peter to form new friendships, building a bigger web of care.
Yet, as seen here with Norman Osborn and as seen in the MCU with Tony Stark, no one should replace Ben. If the series keeps that principle in mind, and keeps Peter feeling like he cannot replace his uncle, then Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will be richer and more tragic.