Excellent post.But Peter has rarely been incompetent, he was just trying to balance his personal life with superheroics and that's why his science acumen got pushed to the side. At least the public application did, because he used mad science skills to take down various supercriminals.
The classic superhero model has all but been erased, but there's a solid concept behind the secret identity, the guy who seems like he's a flake because his life has been compartmentalized and no one sees every side of it. That's very true to life. There are days where your professional life suffers because you're trying to keep everything together at home, and vice versa.
That's why I like Peter as a grad assistant or a teacher. It's one of those jobs that people pay lip service to, but they're often thinking, "If Peter had really applied himself, he could be doing real science." At the same time, what could be more important than teaching a new generation of kids to love science?
Most of us would like to believe that we're special, that we've accomplished things that people won't always see the same way we do. No one really cheers you on for making it through the day when you've got a migraine, after all--but sometimes those feel like the most monumental victories of all.
Peter has always had a lot to be proud of, but even more so because he's not looking for credit. He just does the right thing even though it costs him a lot and makes him appear flaky.
I don't think having Nick Fury and other heroes recognize Peter's greatness has served the Spider-Man mythos well. And looking at Spider-Man these days, it's gone well past Charlie Brown kicking the football, as he's suddenly become Tom Brady.