Spider-Man/Story and Characters for Reading Comprehension

1. SPIDER-MAN
The Story
About Peter Parker
Super Powers
Mary Jane Watson
May Parker
Ben parker

2. THE STORY
Spider-Man is a Marvel character. He is a superhero but he lives an ordinary life; he experiences difficulties with friends, family,
sweethearts and employers. His powers enable him to do good and help people, but not to solve his ordinary life problems, and it is
his simple humanity, rather than his exotic talent, that has won him millions of enthusiastic fans. He is one super-hero who has not
lost the common touch, and in fact he is frequently described as "your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man."
In his 1962 debut, Spider-Man took to fighting crime for a reason commonplace in comc books: he was motivated by the murder of a
father figure, his Uncle Ben. Yet Spidey's driving force is guilt, not revenge; he must live forever with the knowledge that he could
have prevented the killing if he had not been so self absorbed. Perhaps he suffers from a classic Oedipus complex; in any case he is
certainly neurotic, forever agonizing over the choices that confront him when he attempts to do the right thing. Despite his best
efforts, he is viewed with a touch of suspicion by those in authority, and is sometimes considered little more than a criminal himself.
As originally depicted by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, Peter Parker was just a bit of a wimp. Bright, imaginative, but
nonetheless an alienated adolescent, he might well have been a typical comic book reader. Although he has matured and gained in
confidence over the years. Spidey is still all to human. He misses appointments, catches the flu when he needs to fight, forgets to put
film in his camera and has trouble paying the rent. In short Spider-Man remains Everyman, "the super hero who could be you."

3. ABOUT PETER PARKERABOUT PETER PARKER
Peter Benjamin Parker (Spider- Man) is a shy, intelligent high school student
who lives in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, with his uncle Ben and his
aunt May Parker. He is fifteen years old when the series begins. On a science
field trip to Osborn Industries, a genetically altered spider bites Peter.
Instead of dying as expected, Peter inherits superhuman powers. During a
fight at his school, Peter blocks a punch from Flash Thompson, and breaks his
hand. He earns money to pay off the medical bill by wrestling professionally in
a costume the promoters provide. A Burglar Peter refuses to stop later kills
his Uncle Ben. Wracked with guilt, he modifies his wrestling costume and

4. SUPERPOWERSSUPERPOWERS
Spider-Manpossessessuperhumanstrength,agility,reflexesandequilibrium,theabilityto
cling to surfaces, and a sixth sense that warns him of impending danger. Peter is an
accomplished scientist for his age. Spider-Man's wrist-mounted web-shooters discharge
thinstrandsofweb-fluidathighpressure.Oncontactwithair,thelong-chainpolymerknits
andformsanextremelytough,flexiblefiberwithextraordinaryadhesivequalities.

5. MARY JANE WATSON
Mary Jane Watson is Peter´s girlfriend and next-door neighbor.
She is the first person Peter reveals his identity to, and the one
who often fixes his costume and treats his injuries. Although
Peter and May Jane love each other, Peter's life as Spider-Man is
often a burden on their relationship.

6. MAY PARKER
May parker is an independent woman in her 50s who works as a
secretary and regularly sees a therapist to deal with the death of
her husband Ben. May used to hate Spider-Man because she
believed he had no regard for innocent bystanders and hid himself
behind a mask. Finally, she learns Peter's secret identity,
something that initially makes her angry,but after some time she
accepts it. Aunt May seemed to be scared of the idea of Peter
risking his life on a constant basis, but supports him anyway.

7. BEN PARKER
When Ben's much younger brother Richard Parker and his wife Mary were killed in a plane crash,
Ben and May took in their orphaned son Peter and raised him as their own.
Ben was very protective of Peter, going as far as fighting some of the bullies that tormented young
Parker. Peter became friends with Charlie Weiderman in high school, a teen even more unpopular
than he was. However, Charlie often provoked the trouble with the other teens. One day, he was
chased to the Parker home by a group of bullies, led by and Ben intFlash Thompson ervened. Ben
told them that if they wanted Charlie, they would have to go through him. Flash tried to, but was
surprised by Ben's army training. As soon as the bullies were gone, he told the boy that he wasn't
welcome at the house or with Peter.
In high school, a radiocasete spider bite gave Peter superhuman powers. Creating the costumed
identity of Spider-Man for himself, Peter sought first to exploit his newfound powers as a masked
wrestler and then as a television star. Coming from a television appearance, Spider-Man saw a
burgler being chased by a security guard. The guard called for Spider-Man to stop the thief, but the
nascent Spidey refused on the grounds that catching criminals was not his job. The robber got
away.
When Peter later returned home, he was informed that his beloved Uncle Ben had been killed by a
burglar. Outraged, he donned his Spider-Man costume and captured the man only to realize to his
horror that it was the same burglar whom he could have effortlessly captured earlier at the studio.
As a result, Peter considered himself morally responsible for Ben's death and resolved to fight
crime as a superhero — realizing that with great power comes great responsibility — and vowing
never to let another innocent person come to harm if he could help it.

8. TO BE CONTINUED ...TO BE CONTINUED ...