Ethics of Spider-Man: Egoism, Altruism, and Moral Identity

Introduction: An Ordinary Hero With Extraordinary Power

Spider-Man is a foundational superhero of the modern era. His history and life demonstrate the development of an ordinary — and some would say "un-cool" — young adolescent into a superhero by a twist of fate: being bitten by a genetically modified spider on a science field trip. The early life of the Spider-Man character, as depicted in comic books, television cartoons, and both animated and live-action films, portrays a young man who stumbles upon great power and then struggles with how to use it.

In the 2002 film depiction, and true to the comic storyline, Peter Parker's ethics are developed as he struggles with his newfound powers. He seizes the opportunity to use them for personal gain by attempting to win money as an amateur wrestler in a contest — a contest he wins, only to be cheated out of his prize by the promoter. When that same promoter is subsequently robbed, Peter does not intervene. His lack of action leads directly to the death of his uncle, who had been his surrogate father and moral compass ever since Peter was orphaned at a young age. Uncle Ben's death, and his words of wisdom — "with great power comes great responsibility" — become Peter's moral guide and, in many ways, determine his ethical goals as a fledgling superhero (Lee, 1962).

Religious Belief and Normative Ethics in Peter Parker's Character

Although Spider-Man/Peter Parker is never overtly depicted as a churchgoer, his character is an exception among superheroes in that he openly engages with religion while maintaining a strong ethical and moral orientation. Parker is depicted in several works as someone who prays to a single deity — a believer in the mainstream Christian God. One example appears in The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2, issue #46, pages 6–8, written by J. Michael Straczynski, where Parker is shown praying for guidance in a deeply personal scene: "Hey, God? It's Peter again…" (p. 8). The religious dimension does not overwhelm the character, but it supports his believability and likeability in the same way that his ordinariness does.

Parker operates through a combination of personal normative ethics, becoming a believable character caught in a constant pull between using his powers for himself — for instance, to win the affection of his chosen love, Mary Jane — and using them to protect her and others from the dangers that come with knowing him. The remainder of his heroic interventions in the world are depicted as altruistic: he saves the world from utter destruction time and again, first from the Green Goblin (who happens to be his best friend Harry Osborn's father), whom he comes just short of killing in a duel, yet is nonetheless blamed for killing by Harry.

The No-Kill Principle and Street-Level Moral Choices

The moral and ethical standard of not killing is reinforced through Parker's unnamed, everyday acts of saving individuals from street crime. As he grows in strength and public notoriety, he never kills his enemies — he simply leaves them conveniently confined for the police. His moral and ethical agony over killing illustrates an ethical line he has drawn based on his normative values, reflecting membership in a dominant — if not overtly religious — ethical tradition.

His street-level crime-fighting, along with his larger confrontations — battling the Green Goblin in the 2002 film and Doctor Octopus in the 2004 film — demonstrates his personal struggle with egoism and altruism. His ongoing desire to maintain a friendship, and hope for something more, with Mary Jane Watson, and his complicated friendship with Harry Osborn, regularly force him into difficult ethical choices with real consequences for the people he cares about.

Conclusion: Spider-Man as a Universal Ethical Everyman

The underlying current of the Spider-Man stories is clearly one of normative ethics — a question of what you would or should do if, as an average person with realistic problems and a realistic life, you were suddenly faced with the ability to wield great power. Should you use that power for the good of all, fighting crime and stopping villains and disasters from harming people? Or should you use it to improve your own life, filling it with pleasure and personal fulfillment? Parker's quest is to combat egoism with altruism the way any ordinary person would. He sometimes chooses wrong and is promptly shown — through the character's adaptation of a divine presence — to have taken a poor course of action, a slide toward the dark side of his egoism.

The whole conception of Spider-Man as a character can be applied to the struggle any person faces with ethical and moral choices. Across the many contributors to his story over the decades, he wrestles daily with a modern sense of doing the right thing, coupled with the constant, nagging awareness that he simply does not have all the answers — and that even God will not give them up freely. As a character, he must rely on himself to choose the best ethical and moral actions, and then live with the consequences.

References

Lee, S. (1962). Amazing Fantasy, Vol. 1, #15.

Jenkins, P. (September 2002). Peter Parker, Spider-Man, Vol. 2, #48, "The Big Question."

Raimi, S. (Director). (2002). Spider-Man [Motion picture]. Columbia Pictures.

Raimi, S. (Director). (2004). Spider-Man 2 [Motion picture]. Columbia Pictures.

Raimi, S. (Director). (2007). Spider-Man 3 [Motion picture]. Columbia Pictures.

Straczynski, J. M. The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 2, issue #46. Marvel Entertainment Group.