Peter Parker on a Quest?
How the Spiderman story fits the heroic quest archetype
Welcome to From the Teacher’s Desk, where we take turns further reflecting on our episodes and applications to the classroom.
I love a good hero’s journey story.
I actually blame one of my favorite English professors in undergrad. She had us study Joseph Campbell and the hero’s journey in conjunction with Star Wars, and the lesson stuck. From that point on, I saw the hero’s journey everywhere: in movies, in books, and even in music. And I was determined to bring those lessons home to my students every chance I had.
The basis for much 20th and 21st century discussion of mythology is Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces. This study of the monomyth does not mean that every quest story is exactly the same or follows the same arch, but the similarities across cultures and centuries are hard to deny. Why is discussing this important with our teenage students? They are often in their own quest for self-discovery as they move from adolescence to adulthood. They can find parallels between their own lives and the mythological patterns that have developed during human history, demonstrating a very real application of the literature we are studying in the classroom.
One glance through our many episodes over two seasons shows our love for both Marvel and aspects of this monomyth. And one of my favorites? Spiderman. So how can teachers help students see the hero’s journey through their personal love of the various versions of Spiderman?
Call to adventure and leaving the “ordinary” world
Every version of the Spiderman story, from the classic comic books to the stunning animated Across the Spiderverse, begins with a teenager (usually Peter Parker) getting bit by a mutated spider that infects the teenager with spider traits that completely transform their body. The Peter Parker character suddenly finds themselves transformed from the ordinary to the extraordinary, a transformation that leads them to adventure.
A mentor guides the hero across a guarded threshold
In the most recent rendition of Spiderman, Tony Stark serves as Peter’s first mentor, but through all of the stories we see an evolution of mentors as the characters change and get older. Mentors have included Uncle Ben (or at least the memory of him), Aunt May, Happy, and most recently, Doctor Strange. These mentors have at different times guided the Peter Parker character from childhood to adulthood and the responsibility of being a hero in a complex world where initial hero/mentors can be transformed into villains, such with the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and Mysterio.
Hero enters a road of trials
As with all good stories, the Peter Parker character encounters a host of trials, from the supernatural to the mundane. These trials are what help him to grow from a child who sees his abilities as almost a toy to an adult who sees the responsibility that comes with his abilities.
The hero is assisted by allies
Throughout the stories, the Peter Parker character is surrounded by friends who both help and hinder his growth, from best friends like Harry and Ned to best friends/love interests in Mary Jane, MJ, and Gwen Stacy.
The hero faces an ordeal
The ordeal isn’t the catalyst for the journey but instead the reason for the journey. It usually involves the Peter Parker character having to save several people while making ethical decisions about who to save and how to save them in hopes that the damage will be minimal.
The hero experiences a metaphorical death and resurrection
Through the Avenger’s films, the latest version of Peter Parker experiences this metaphorical death and resurrection in a very real way when he becomes one of the half of the universe that disappears thanks to Thanos. He experiences this again in Spiderman: No Way Home when he willingly allows his friends and family to forget his existence even though he has not disappeared. It is this final step in the journey that seals the hero’s position as a true hero before they are sent on more adventures with a greater understanding of their role and responsibility.
This Crash Course video can also help you better understand and explain to your students the hero’s journey and monomyth:
Alicia and I have a particular love of the Spiderman story and the many versions that have been produced over the years, and we particularly love the transformation of Spiderman as he embarks on his hero’s journey. His story is just one of many modern tales that can be used to show the timeless nature of the monomyth.
What about you? What are your favorite hero’s journey stories? You can listen to our conversation about Spiderman: No Way Home here.
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Indeed, I quite like the Spiderman story and I've written about it myself a few times. It's definitely a fantastic heroes journey but also a coming of age story.