I covered this in the Missed Opportunities thread in the General Marvel forum, and it really got me thinking, how true is this, and what do you think of it?
Quote:
This came after I said a missed opportunity was in Dark Reign, where Norman Osborn's rise from being Spider-Man's villain to the big bad of the General MU did not have a reverse effect on Peter in a similar way. Osborn grew out of the corner and menaced everyone, while Spider-Man remained in that corner the whole time. The end of Dark Reign was the traditional "Avengers suit up and defeat the bad guy" story of many events, whereas Spider-Man was there but was just another character despite Osborn being his eternal nemesis. We did get a bit of fanservice with Spidey shutting Osborn up with a punch to the face, but that was after he had already lost. Spidey could've elevated in a reverse level similar to Osborn, where he became a big good like figure to counter him. That... didn't happen.
I even said that the Parker Industries arc could've had potential if it was handled better than how Slott did it, because that was a chance for Spidey to really branch out and become something new. But it was done badly, and illusion of change set in.
So that brings me to the main point. Spider-Man in-universe may occupy his own corner that's massive to us, but not to the others. He's just another hero, rather than some big A-lister. It's interesting because, as mentioned in the quote, it directly contrasts how DC let the real world popularity of Batman influence his standing in the universe to the point where he's "that guy" of DC. Spider-Man just isn't quite "that guy" of Marvel even with a comparable popularity to Bats. I don't think there's ever been a big crossover event where Spider-Man was absolutely essential to saving the world and was a major character.
On one hand, I do like it because it allows the universe to feel complete without anyone being "that guy" like Batman, and the different areas of Marvel feel distinct as they should be. Plus, I like Spidey as a humble, small steps hero who might be the strongest street leveler there is. On the other, I would like Peter to finally catch a break and be something greater because the "Parker Luck" of constantly seeing him down can make you feel bad. Hence, it's a mixed bag.
What are your overall thoughts? Do you think this is better, or should Spider-Man's status elevate? Is it a mixed bag to anyone else? Discuss.