Power and Responsibility

Introduced as a throwaway character in 1962, Marvel Comics' Spider-Man quickly became one of the most popular and influential superheroes of all time. This study explores how the Spider-Man mythos constructs ideologies of crime and justice through its portrayals of news media, law enforcement, and its compelling protagonist, Peter Parker/Spider-Man. A content analysis of three seminal eras throughout 50 years of the flagship title, The Amazing Spider-Man, reveals that the American superhero is a hegemonic paradox at the crossroads of law and order and individualized vigilante justice. What determines "justice" is the responsible use of power, not only of societal institutions like the news media and the criminal justice system, but also of citizens, scientists, superheroes, and supervillains. Through these portrayals, the Spider-Man mythos reaffirms that, like Peter Parker, the criminal justice system and the news media should recognize that "With great power...must also come great responsibility."