15 Worst Decisions Peter Parker Made In Spider-Man Movies

:0:0

All three live-action iterations of Peter Parker are renowned for their heroism in the Spider-Man movies, but they all make several poor decisions during their respective superhero careers. Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland each portray unique versions of Marvel’s flagship superhero, embodying, among other things, the naturalism that Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee was famous for in his comics. While Spider-Man’s adventures may include fantastic superpowers and impossible gadgetry, Peter Parker and the New York he inhabits are intended to be as relatively realistic as possible.
All iterations of Peter Parker ought to depict a naturalistic teen (or young adult) who accidentally receives superpowers and soon learns the importance of using them responsibly. The core of Spider-Man’s characterization is found in issue 15 of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s Amazing Fantasy, but the web-slinger’s further adventures must also continue to depict him as a flawed and down-to-Earth character, regardless of their fantasy elements. Fittingly, the three live-action film versions of Spider-Man all make their fair share of mistakes. Here are the 15 worst decisions made by Peter Parker throughout the three Spider-Man film franchises.
15 Letting Dennis Carradine Go (Spider-Man/The Amazing Spider-Man)

Although Spider-Man’s origin has been told many times, adapting it remains extremely important, as the death of Uncle Ben teaches Peter Parker that “with great power, there must also come great responsibility.” 2002’s Spider-Man adapts the Amazing Fantasy origin quite faithfully, and 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man alters it but retains its core message. Both iterations of Peter Parker can stop Dennis Carradine with their newfound powers, yet both allow him to get away after committing a robbery, directly resulting in their adopted father’s death.
14 Not Telling Harry Osborn The Truth (Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2)

Willem Dafoe’s comic-accurate iteration of the Green Goblin dies at the end of 2002’s Spider-Man, using his last moments to tell Peter “don’t tell Harry” about his murderous alter ego. Peter Parker honors Osborn’s dying wish and allows his best friend to blame him for his father’s death. Peter continues to hide the truth throughout Spider-Man 2, allowing Harry’s hatred to fester, leading him to become the New Goblin in Spider-Man 3. While Peter Parker arguably lacked the time to give Harry a complete explanation at the end of Spider-Man 2, he could have prevented years of conflict by not honoring Norman Osborn’s dying wish.
13 Not Telling MJ The Truth (Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2)

Watson confesses her love for Peter, not Spider-Man, at the end of the 2002 film, yet Peter falsely claims to only see her as a friend, keeping his secret and distancing himself from Mary Jane to keep her safe. This leads to further tension between the two in Spider-Man 2, where Peter’s unexplained absences strain their friendship. Mary Jane ultimately discovers Peter’s secret by the end, and the two begin a romantic relationship, proving that, while understandable, Peter should not have lied to her in the first place.
12 Kissing Gwen Stacy (Spider-Man 3)

While Peter’s choices to lie to Harry and MJ could be justified, there is no excuse for him kissing Gwen Stacy upon receiving the Key to the City in Spider-Man 3. Spider-Man’s upside-down kiss with Mary Jane Watson is not only one of the most iconic moments in the Spider-Man films but also a key moment in both of their lives. Peter Parker let his newfound fame go to his head in the worst way, and he trivialized his relationship with Mary Jane, creating significant tension between the two for much of the film’s remainder.
11 Refusing MJ's Help (Spider-Man 3)

Peter Parker made matters far worse upon learning that Flint Marko was the criminal who fatally shot Uncle Ben (though he later learns that this still would have been prevented if he had caught Dennis Carradine in the first place), sending him into a growing vengeful rage. Despite their ongoing turmoil, Mary Jane visits Peter in his apartment to offer help, but Peter coldly rejects her attempts to support him. Peter wastes an opportunity to make amends for his previous mistakes and grow closer to MJ again, driving the two further apart.
10 Using The Symbiote Suit (Spider-Man 3)

The alien symbiote chooses to bond with Spider-Man at the peak of his turmoil, augmenting his powers while simultaneously intensifying his worst traits. Peter discovers the potential dangers of using his symbiote suit shortly after it initially bonds with him, yet he willingly dons it twice to exact revenge on Sandman and New Goblin, respectively. Each time he uses the suit, its effects worsen, and his ability to resist it lessons, causing him to act out and cause even more damage to his relationships.
9 Humiliating Flash Thompson (The Amazing Spider-Man)

While Peter Parker’s fight with Flash Thompson in 2002’s Spider-Man was simply Peter defending himself, he actively humiliates him in The Amazing Spider-Man. Thompson is a particularly violent bully in the film, but Peter’s use of his newfound powers is anything but responsible, tying his behavior into his character arc. That said, it is still a mistake that, in hindsight, might have endangered his secret identity.
8 Putting The Name Peter Parker On His Camera (The Amazing Spider-Man)

Peter makes a critical oversight when attempting to take pictures of The Lizard later in The Amazing Spider-Man. Peter rigs his camera with webbing in a sewer, but he is overpowered by The Lizard, who then finds his camera. The camera is labeled “Peter Parker,” exposing Spider-Man’s secret identity and leading to a potentially-deadly fight in Peter Parker’s high school.
7 Preparing To Leave New York With Gwen (The Amazing Spider-Man 2)

In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Gwen Stacy prepares to leave New York to attend college in Oxford, presenting a possible end to her and Peter’s romantic relationship. Towards the end of the film, Peter prepares to move to Oxford with her, but considering his responsibility as Spider-Man, this would have been a mistake. The potential action is worsened by the rising threat of new supervillains equipped with high-tech Oscorp gear, making Peter’s potential relocation nearly spell doom for New York.
6 Disabling Tony Stark's Spider-Man Suit Failsafe (Spider-Man: Homecoming)

In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter Parker hopes to impress Tony Stark and find a place within The Avengers in addition to protecting New York, but he soon gets in over his head. With Ned Leeds’s help, Peter disables Stark’s failsafe features on his Spider-Man suit, switching off its tracker and unlocking its various onboard gadgetry. This includes an “instant kill mode,” which could have inadvertently had dire consequences for Spider-Man, who normally avoids using lethal force against his enemies.
5 Pursuing Vulture (Spider-Man: Homecoming)

Not only does Peter Parker potentially endanger lives by unlocking his Stark Suit’s full potential, but he also gets in over his head by going after The Vulture. This is especially evident towards the end of Homecoming, when Spider-Man’s botched attempt to capture The Vulture results in an experimental weapon bisecting a ferry, threatening all its passengers. Had Iron Man not arrived to help, there might have been numerous innocent casualties.
4 Nearly Killing Brad Davis With Tony Stark's Glasses (Spider-Man: Far From Home)

Posthumously gifted with Tony Stark’s E.D.I.T.H. glasses in Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter Parker once again comes dangerously close to a catastrophe. After Brad Davis takes an embarrassing photo of him, Peter accidentally orders a drone strike on Davis, narrowly avoiding killing a classmate by destroying the drone at the last moment. While not a conscious choice, Peter was careless with an extremely dangerous Stark Industries device.
3 Giving Mysterio Tony Stark's Glasses (Spider-Man: Far From Home)

Later on, Peter Parker, who has been deceived by Far From Home's Mysterio, trusts the villain with Stark’s E.D.I.T.H. glasses. This, once again, is a careless mistake that endangers numerous innocent lives, but Peter defeats Mysterio by the end of Far From Home, destroying the Stark drones. His mistake comes with a major cost, however, as a dying Mysterio reveals his secret identity to the world.
2 Interrupting Doctor Strange's Spell (Spider-Man: No Way Home)

With his secret identity now public, Spider-Man’s personal life and those of his friends and family members are ruined in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Hoping to give his best friend, Ned, and his girlfriend, MJ, a chance at getting accepted to MIT, Peter Parker seeks out Doctor Strange to help undo Mysterio’s revelation. Doctor Strange attempts to use the Runes of Kof-Kol to erase the world’s memories of Peter’s superhero identity, but Peter repeatedly interrupts Strange, accidentally causing a multiversal crisis that brings several supervillains from other realities into his.
1 Trying To Kill Green Goblin (Spider-Man: No Way Home)

Spider-Man enemy the Green Goblin menaces the main MCU reality in No Way Home and tragically kills Aunt May in the process. While Tom Holland’s Spider-Man (Peter-1), teaming up with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s iterations (Peter-2 and Peter-3, respectively), seeks to redeem most of the displaced villains, he plans to avenge his adopted mother by murdering the Green Goblin. Peter-1 comes dangerously close to killing his nemesis, but Peter-2 stops him at the last second, preventing a dark and irreversible choice in the Spider-Man movie franchise.
Key Release Dates