Is Spider-Man Currently The Least Interesting Character In His Own Comic?

[Snoop Dogg]

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #26

It's all smooth Spider-Sailing!

Is this bad? Have we had a drought of Peter-centric arcs since #1-5? Are other characters having more interesting developments than the main one?

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Peter was at the center of HUNTED, especially near the end, and his whole fear and baggage was central to ASM#24.

So no...Peter's not the least interesting character in his comic. He isn't Hal Jordan.

[WebSlingWonder]

Yeah, he's far from the least interesting person in his comic. It's just that Spencer does such a good job of developing the world around Peter that it feels packed, which is good.

[Snoop Dogg]

Peter was at the center of HUNTED

[Frontier]

Are we sure we're talking about the current era and not the last one ?

So no...Peter's not the least interesting character in his comic. He isn't Hal Jordan.

Which Hal Jordan we talking about here?

[WebSlingWonder]

Yes, he was. And is the current center of this comic. I honestly feel like this thread was started on a flimsy assumption without grounds presented.

[Snoop Dogg]

Yes, he was. And is the current center of this comic. I honestly feel like this thread was started on a flimsy assumption without grounds presented.

I got the idea from a discussion on Spider-Talk. While yes, Spider-Man was one of the main characters of Spider-Man event Hunted, he was not in half of it, he doesn't drive the plot until the last third of it, the Lizard's actions are primarily what resolve the conflict, and out of all the other major characters such as the Kravinoffs, Felicia, and the Connors, he comes out the least affected and the most unscathed. Going back to pre-Hunted arcs, after #5 they were meant to build-up the supporting cast and spin them off in new directions. From Fred becoming baby, Jonah becoming Norah's co-conspirator, Mary Jane becoming big movie star, Felicia earning her Girl Scout badge, May re-opening FEAST while having cancer, Curt coming to peace with his son and himself, Tony and Eric's love being reaffirmed, Mysterio's dream coming true, the Kravinoff reshuffling, Vulture having a squad, Kingpin looking for Brad Pitt's wife's head, Beetle's feminist revolution, and Kindred coming for everyone's ass, everyone has their own personal goal or new direction going on while Peter's status-quo shifts have been to drop a romance patch and move back to the school server, things we may or may not have already gotten years of. Peter's just kind of... coasting through the book with not much going on in his life. And the book knows it and says it. Smooth spider-sailing! And that's not going to last very long, but is it happening at all? Is the 2099 arc going to be any different?

[PCN24454]

I second this. You could honestly take Peter out of the story without having to change much. He’s been pretty ineffectual, but that’s nothing new by this point.

[Snoop Dogg]

I second this. You could honestly take Peter out of the story without having to change much. He’s been pretty ineffectual, but that’s nothing new by this point.

Well, because of the ideological conflict and the history, I don't think there's anyone better than Peter to play his part, but hypothetically you could retool the cast and keep the same plot for a more average story in a different franchise. I think it's a great story, but I'm also not really bothered if Peter takes a backseat or the structure's unconventional.

[WebSlingWonder]

I second this. You could honestly take Peter out of the story without having to change much. He’s been pretty ineffectual, but that’s nothing new by this point.

Wait a minute...don't you not like Spencer's run to begin with?
As for the prior Snoop statement, those developments, from what I understand, are to rectify the damage and stagnation caused by Slott for the past ten years. Peter's is clearly the long game, and I'm sure Spencer has a plan in motion for him and his motives. While he may not be the "most interesting", he's still driving the book because it's his dang book.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Which Hal Jordan we talking about here?

All of them. I despise Geoff Johns' run for trying to make Hal Jordan happen. Actually I dislike a lot of Geoff Johns stuff in general. The Green Lantern stuff is interesting as a corner but never with Jordan around.

I got the idea from a discussion on Spider-Talk.

I figured as much. I follow those guys but in any case that assertion is made in their regular review and not overall. Like they said that during HUNTED's early issues but the end of that makes it clear that it's Peter's story. The whole point of Hunted is that Peter and his example, his compassion, brings out the best in everyone. Whether it's Felicia, Connors, even Black Ant to some extent, and in the end Kraven. Also Mary Jane. It's also the case with Jonah, where that 2 Part Jonah story has him becoming a better person too thanks to his truce, friendship and bond with Spider-Man. The climax of HUNTED gives a concrete answer as to why so much of the story focused on the supporting cast as much as Peter, because at the end of it, it's still Peter's story, it's just that Peter shares it with a bunch of different people.

And Gvozden and Ginocchio's talk about agency is a little too Screenwriting 101. Which unfortunately seems to have penetrated a lot of criticism these days. A character having agency is important but the nature of that agency need not be obvious and apparent at the start. In the case of Hunted, Peter's agency is revealed at the end, because again Spencer is telling his story in an unconventional manner. Peter's actions ultimately cause the dome to be lifted, it causes Kraven to stand down, and directly and indirectly it drove actions and consequences. Peter choosing to look for May rather than Rhino in the Pre-HUNTED issues lead to Rhino siding with Vulture. Black Cat's redemption is driven in part by Peter telling his identity to her. Agency isn't always going to be direct and in-your-face. Likewise, HUNTED is a homage to KLH and even there Peter didn't have agency for the first 3 issues or so.

[Frontier]

All of them. I despise Geoff Johns' run for trying to make Hal Jordan happen. Actually I dislike a lot of Geoff Johns stuff in general. The Green Lantern stuff is interesting as a corner but never with Jordan around.

I guess it's the complete opposite for me. I love Geoff's work and his stuff with Hal really got me into the GL mythos and into mainstream comics .

But different strokes and all that .

[Vortex85]

Nah, my vote would be Aunt May.

[Frontier]

To be honest, I appreciate that Spencer seems to be trying to keep Peter a more relevant and integral, if sometimes indirectly, to the story, going on even as he spotlights the supporting cast fairly prominently alongside it.

Especially compared to the past era where it felt like he took a backseat to his supporting cast and several guest heroes practically every issue.

[NC_Yankee]

Nah, my vote would be Aunt May.

News Flash: Aunt May is almost always the least interesring character in Spider-Man. The only reasons I said almost is. 1: Peter was the most uninteresting under Dan Slott ( I always felt Slott liked Spidy but not Pete). 2: I like Marissa Tomei ( especially in My Cousin Vinny) and 3: Aunt May has had some good interactions with Doc Ock and MJ down through the years. But usually Aunt May is like Jello or Tofu: No substance and very predictable