A bite from a spider somehow granted teenager Peter Parker its arachnid abilities and instead of using them for personal gain, he decided to help others with them. An orphan living with his aunt, May Parker, the boy chose to wear a mask while fighting crime so as not to burden her with his actions.

Calling himself Spider-Man and sporting a pair of web-shooting devices he’d constructed, Parker wound up in internet videos which attracted the attention of Tony Stark. The billionaire industrialist deduced Spider-Man’s secret identity and approached Parker at his and May’s home in Queens, New York with a request for aid from the hero in an upcoming confrontation with Captain America and a group of other rogue Avengers and associates. Parker was initially hesitant to even admit his secret career as Spider-Man, but the thrill of adventure and Stark’s talk of responsibility drew him in and he accepted the invitation, as well as a new, high-tech costume and web-shooters.

May Parker took her nephew in to raise him as if he was her own son and has instilled values in Peter Parker that serve him well. So close are the two that he worries over hurting May with his Spider-Man activities and feels the pain of lying to her. May is easygoing to some extent, but is quick to let her nephew know when she is unhappy with any situation he may be involved in.

As a student at the Midtown School of Science and Technology, Parker enjoys only a very small circle of friends, partially due to his extracurricular time as Spider-Man. His best friend is his classmate Ned, who discovers Spider-Man’s secret identity by accident and is in complete awe over the details of Parker’s costumed career. During Spider-Man’s first real adventure involving a major adversary, Ned provides valuable support, despite his seemingly bumbling demeanor.

Peter Parker’s kindhearted first crush, Liz, led to Peter’s shocking discovery that her father was his enemy, Adrian Toomes, and Liz’s departure not only from Peter’s school, but also from the city with her family.

After securing Peter Parker’s promise of help in the aftermath of the Sokovia Accords, Tony Stark flew the teenager to Germany under the pretense, to his aunt, of a scholarship program and internship. Once there, Parker suited up in his new Stark-created Spider-Man gear and joined the confrontation under Stark’s direction against the rogue heroes. Though a self-professed fan of Captain America, Parker temporarily stole the man’s famous shield at the onset of the battle, and later regretted having to clash with him and his companions. Overall, Spider-Man held his own against the Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and toppled a giant-size Ant-Man. He was taken out of the fight when Ant-Man accidentally struck him while falling, however. Stark ordered Parker to stand down for the rest of the action.

Finally, after growing frustrated with the lack of direct communication with Stark, and itching to be useful as Spider-Man, Parker returned to crimefighting on the streets of his neighborhood. As fate would have it, he came across a group of criminals robbing a bank with weapons left over from the alien Chitauri invasion of New York. In the process of confronting them, however, he accidentally destroyed a nearby establishment.