History of Spider-Man in Timeline
Spider-Man, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, is a hugely popular and commercially successful superhero appearing in Marvel Comics. Debuting in Amazing Fantasy #15 during the Silver Age of Comic Books, Spider-Man has since become a global icon. His adventures have expanded beyond comics into numerous other media, including television shows, films, video games, novels, and plays, solidifying his place as a central figure in popular culture.
June 5, 1962: Amazing Fantasy #15 on sale
On June 5, 1962, Amazing Fantasy #15, featuring the first appearance of Spider-Man, went on sale, marking a pivotal moment in comic book history.
August 1962: Spider-Man's First Appearance
In August 1962, Spider-Man, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, made his debut in Amazing Fantasy #15, marking his entry into the Silver Age of Comic Books.
August 1962: Amazing Fantasy #15 Cover Date
The cover date for Amazing Fantasy #15, which featured the debut of Spider-Man, was August 1962.
1962: Radioactive Spider Bite
As depicted in August 1962's Amazing Fantasy #15, Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider at a science exhibit, which gives him spider-like abilities. After ignoring a chance to stop a thief, his Uncle Ben is killed by the same criminal, teaching Peter the lesson "With great power there must also come—great responsibility!".
1962: Stan Lee conceives Spider-Man
In 1962, Stan Lee, inspired by the success of the Fantastic Four and recognizing the teenage demand for relatable comic book characters, conceived the idea for Spider-Man.
March 1963: First issue of The Amazing Spider-Man
In March 1963, The Amazing Spider-Man #1 was published, showing Peter Parker struggling with personal issues while fighting crime, beginning his work as a freelance photographer for J. Jonah Jameson, and introducing several recurring supervillains.
March 1963: The Amazing Spider-Man #1 Release
In March 1963, following the success of Spider-Man's introduction in Amazing Fantasy #15, The Amazing Spider-Man #1 was released, marking the beginning of his solo ongoing series.
1964: Annuals begin
In 1964, the summer Annuals of The Amazing Spider-Man series began.
1965: Kempton's Opinion on Spider-Man
In 1965, Sally Kempton of the Village Voice characterized Spider-Man as a "functioning neurotic" with identity problems and a fear of women.
1965: Spider-Man as a revolutionary icon
In 1965, an Esquire poll of college campuses found that students ranked Spider-Man and the Hulk alongside Bob Dylan and Che Guevara as their favorite revolutionary icons.
July 1966: John Romita Sr. replaces Ditko
In July 1966, after issue #38, John Romita Sr. replaced Steve Ditko as the penciller for The Amazing Spider-Man series.
1968: Robbie Robertson introduction and political themes
By 1968, the series introduced Robbie Robertson, one of the first Black supporting characters in superhero comic books, and began to address political controversies and student activism.
1968: Romita draws The Spectacular Spider-Man and Peter goes to college
In 1968, John Romita Sr. drew the extra-length stories in the comics magazine The Spectacular Spider-Man, the first Spider-Man spin-off publication. Also in this period, Peter graduates from high school and enrolls at Empire State University.
November 1970: Death of George Stacy
In November 1970, Captain George Stacy, Gwen Stacy's father and a New York City Police detective, was accidentally killed during a battle between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus in issue #90 of The Amazing Spider-Man.
1970: Nixon administration requests anti-drug message
In 1970, the Nixon administration's Department of Health, Education, and Welfare requested Stan Lee to publish an anti-drug message in one of Marvel's top-selling titles.
July 1971: Anti-drug story arc published
In July 1971, Marvel published The Amazing Spider-Man issues #96–98 without the Comics Code Authority's approval, featuring a story arc about the negative effects of drug use, which led to the revision of the Comics Code Authority.
1971: Kirby acknowledges Ditko's role
In a 1971 interview, Jack Kirby noted that it was Steve Ditko who "got Spider-Man to roll, and the thing caught on because of what he did".
1972: Marvel Team-Up Launch
In 1972, Marvel launched Marvel Team-Up, a second monthly ongoing series starring Spider-Man, where he was paired with other superheroes and supervillains.
June 1973: Death of Gwen Stacy
In June 1973, Gwen Stacy tragically died during Spider-Man's attempt to rescue her from the Green Goblin in The Amazing Spider-Man #121, marking a significant turning point in the series.
October 1973: Ross Andru takes over as penciller
In October 1973, Ross Andru replaced Gerry Conway as the penciller for The Amazing Spider-Man.
1974: First Appearance of The Punisher
In 1974, the Punisher, a murderous vigilante, made his first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man series.
December 1975: Len Wein became the new writer
In December 1975, Len Wein took over as the writer for The Amazing Spider-Man.
1975: Gerry Conway leaves as primary writer
In 1975, Gerry Conway stepped down as the primary writer for The Amazing Spider-Man.
December 1976: Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man Series Debut
In December 1976, a second solo series, Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man, began running parallel to the main series, The Amazing Spider-Man.
June 1978: Len Wein replaced
In June 1978, Len Wein was replaced as the writer for The Amazing Spider-Man, initially by Bill Mantlo and later by Marv Wolfman.
July 1978: Parker Proposes to Mary Jane
In July 1978, Peter Parker proposed to Mary Jane in issue #182. However, she turned him down an issue later.
July 1978: Ross Andru's departure
In July 1978, Ross Andru's run as penciller for The Amazing Spider-Man came to an end.
1984: Spider-Man Adopts Black Costume
From 1984 to 1988, Spider-Man wore a black costume with a white spider design, originating in the Secret Wars miniseries.
October 1985: "The Death of Jean DeWolff" Storyline
October 1985 in The Spectacular Spider-Man featured the beginning of a storyline inspired by film noir called "The Death of Jean DeWolff".
1985: Web of Spider-Man Launched
In 1985, a third Spider-Man series, Web of Spider-Man, was launched to replace Marvel Team-Up.
1986: Lee discusses Spider-Man's creation
In a 1986 interview, Stan Lee discussed his arguments with Marvel publisher Martin Goodman regarding the creation of Spider-Man.
1986: "The Death of Jean DeWolff" Storyline
The storyline inspired by film noir called "The Death of Jean DeWolff" continued through 1986 in The Spectacular Spider-Man.
June 5, 1987: Mock Wedding at Shea Stadium
On June 5, 1987, a real-life mock wedding was held at Shea Stadium with Stan Lee officiating to promote the wedding of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson in the comics.
July 1987: Peter Proposes to Mary Jane
In July 1987, Peter Parker proposes to Mary Jane in The Amazing Spider-Man #290, and she accepts two issues later.
November 1987: "Kraven's Last Hunt" Crossover
From October to November 1987, the "Kraven's Last Hunt" storyline crossed over among the three Spider-Man titles.
1987: Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson Get Married
In 1987, Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson got married in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21.
March 1988: Todd McFarlane Becomes Artist
In March 1988, Todd McFarlane became the new artist of The Amazing Spider-Man, known for his unique rendition of Spider-Man.
1988: Black Costume Revealed as Symbiote
In 1988, the black costume Spider-Man had been wearing was revealed to be an alien symbiote, which later became the villain Venom.
1988: Eric Stanton interview on Spider-Man's creation
In a 1988 interview with Theakston, Eric Stanton, who shared a studio with Steve Ditko, recalled that his contribution to Spider-Man was "almost nil", though he and Ditko had "worked on storyboards together and I added a few ideas."
1990: Launch of Spider-Man Title
In 1990, the "adjectiveless" Spider-Man title was launched with the storyline "Torment," written and drawn by Todd McFarlane.
1990: Simon autobiography disputes Kirby's account
In his 1990 autobiography, Joe Simon disputed Jack Kirby's account of Spider-Man's creation, asserting that Black Magic was not a factor and that Simon devised the name "Spider-Man".
April 1995: Aunt May's Apparent Death
In April 1995, Aunt May's apparent death occurred in The Amazing Spider-Man #400.
1995: Mary Jane Announces Pregnancy
In January 1995, Mary Jane announced in The Spectacular Spider-Man #220 that she was pregnant with Peter's baby.
1996: The Sensational Spider-Man Created
In 1996, The Sensational Spider-Man was created to replace Web of Spider-Man.
1996: Ben Reilly's Death
In December 1996, Ben Reilly was killed while saving Peter in Peter Parker: Spider-Man #75, confirming he was the clone.
1998: Spider-Man: Chapter One
In 1998, writer-artist John Byrne revamped Spider-Man's origin in the 13-issue limited series Spider-Man: Chapter One.
1998: Aunt May Kidnapped by Norman Osborn
In November 1998, in issue #97 of Peter Parker: Spider-Man, Parker learns Norman Osborn kidnapped Aunt May, and her apparent death in 1995 had been a hoax.
1999: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 2 Begins
In January 1999, after the original The Amazing Spider-Man ended, The Amazing Spider-Man started with volume 2, #1.
October 2000: Ultimate Spider-Man Debut
In October 2000, Ultimate Spider-Man, an alternative interpretation and updated re-imagining of the character written by Brian Michael Bendis, was released.
June 2001: Straczynski Becomes Writer
Beginning in June 2001, J. Michael Straczynski became the primary writer of The Amazing Spider-Man.
2002: Aunt May Discovers Peter is Spider-Man
In January 2002, Aunt May discovers her nephew Peter is Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2, #37.
2005: Spider-Man Joins the Avengers
Beginning in 2005, Spider-Man joined the Avengers and appeared in the New Avengers series written by Bendis.
June 2006: Spider-Man Reveals Identity
In June 2006, in Civil War #2, Spider-Man publicly revealed his true identity due to the Superhuman Registration Act.
2006: Aunt May Wounded
In December 2006, Aunt May was critically wounded, leading to the events of "One More Day".
2007: Ongoing Series Canceled
At the end of 2007, previous spin-off series were canceled by Marvel.
2007: Michelinie Discusses Marriage Decision
In 2007, David Michelinie, who scripted the marriage of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson, expressed that he didn't think they should have gotten married.
2007: "One More Day" Storyline
In 2007, the "One More Day" storyline undid Peter Parker's marriage to Mary Jane Watson through a deal with the demon Mephisto.
January 2008: The Amazing Spider-Man Published Thrice Monthly
Beginning in January 2008, Marvel published The Amazing Spider-Man three times monthly, starting with issues #546–548.
June 2008: Jameson Becomes Mayor
In June 2008, J. Jonah Jameson becomes the Mayor of New York City in The Amazing Spider-Man issue #591.
2008: Mary Jane Returns
In January 2008, after the events of "One More Day", Mary Jane returned and was cold toward Peter.
November 2010: The Amazing Spider-Man Expanded
In November 2010, The Amazing Spider-Man expanded from 22 pages to 30 pages per issue, and was published twice a month.
2010: Lee discusses cover art for Spider-Man
In 2010, Stan Lee explained that he commissioned Jack Kirby to sketch a cover for Amazing Fantasy #15, because he had a lot of confidence in Kirby's covers, leading to Ditko inking Kirby's cover sketch.
January 2011: Slott Becomes Writer
In January 2011, Dan Slott became the primary writer of The Amazing Spider-Man.
2011: Death of Ultimate Peter Parker
In 2011, a storyline in Ultimate Spider-Man narrated the death of the alternative version of Peter Parker, who was replaced by Miles Morales.
December 2012: The Amazing Spider-Man Ends
In December 2012, The Amazing Spider-Man temporarily ended with issue #700 and was replaced by The Superior Spider-Man.
2012: Doctor Octopus Body Swap
In 2012, Doctor Octopus orchestrated a body swap with Peter Parker following the "Dying Wish" storyline, leading to Peter's apparent death and Doctor Octopus becoming the Superior Spider-Man.
2012: Avenging Spider-Man Launched
In 2012, Marvel launched Avenging Spider-Man as the first spin-off ongoing series in addition to The Amazing Spider-Man.
April 2014: Peter Parker Returns
In April 2014, Peter Parker returned in a newly relaunched The Amazing Spider-Man #1 after the Superior Spider-Man storyline.
November 2014: Spider-Verse Storyline Begins
In November 2014, the Spider-Verse storyline began, introducing new variants of Spider-Man, such as Spider-Man Noir and Spider-Gwen.
2014: End of Superior Spider-Man
The story arc that began in 2012 where Doctor Octopus swapped bodies with Peter Parker concluded in 2014.
2015: The Amazing Spider-Man Relaunched
Following the 2015 Secret Wars crossover event, The Amazing Spider-Man was relaunched, focusing on Peter Parker running Parker Industries.
2099: Recruiting Mission in 2099
During a mission to gather more recruits in 2099, Spider-Man encounters a group of spider-people led by a time displaced Superior Spider-Man.
2099: Spider-Man 2099
The comic book Spider-Man 2099, featuring Miguel O'Hara as the Spider-Man of the future, was published. The exact start date is not mentioned, but 2099 indicates the future setting of the character.
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