With Great Power Comes Irresponsible Adults: Peter Parker's Mentors, Ranked

Letting superheroes run rampant is an all-around terrible idea, but as "Captain America: Civil War" went out of its way to prove, trying to reign them in would be even crazier. How dare we (i.e. civilians) demand accountability! If it's a choice between letting aliens destroy the planet or letting our heroes decimate a city or two, it's a no-brainer! These heroes gotta do what they're trained to for. So long as they're all powered up, trained and experienced, what's the trouble? It's not like anyone's giving a teenager a super suit and demanding they go save the multiverse. That would be crazy ... 

Okay, okay, I'll cool it on the Peter Parker shade. It's objectively insane to entrust a teenager with that much power, and yet Spider-Man remains one of the easier heroes to get behind, with a sense of purpose that's both noble and sweet. Our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is well accustomed to making difficult choices for the sake of helping others and compared to his Avenging colleagues, manages to get his job done with a bit less infrastructural damage. But even though Peter is uncommonly brave, strong-willed, and clever, he wasn't born the perfect hero. 

Whether across the MCU or his many other iterations, Peter's journey has never been easy. We've watched him grow into the purposeful hero we know him to be. More often than not, this is attributed to the work of his many helpful mentors, as Peter is often guided along by crucial father figures and their quotable advice. But I'd levy the claim that it's a little more complicated than that — in fact, some cases see Peter developing his good skills in spite of the irresponsible adults welcoming him into the world of heroics.

Steve Rogers doesn't really count as a Spidey mentor, since he only knew Peter for a brief period of time — most of which they spent fighting on opposite sides of a very silly battle. They did have a very sweet "New York bros" bonding moment ... but then Cap punctuates the convo by dropping a jet bridge on the poor teen. Endangering the life of Peter Parker is a big no-no for all entries on this list, so I've decided to make an example of Cap.

Since Captain America is such a looming figure in the MCU's world — big enough to inspire a broadway musical, a shield added to the statue of liberty, and virginity speculation — he probably had a positive influence on our budding hero's life. When he returns from the great beyond, he teaches Peter that death is but an illusion! And when he rejects the Sokovia Accords, he taught him that governments are stupid. Plus, he does all those cool PSAs, offering important advice like "the only way to really be cool is to follow the rules." Huh. A little bit of a contradiction there, Cap.

All that confusing advice aside, Peter ends "No Way Home" by contemplating murder on Captain America's collapsed shield. He also attacks Norman Osborn in a way that's eerily reminiscent of Cap fighting Tony, so maybe he wasn't the best influence after all.

Speaking of folks who ruined Peter Parker's life, murdering someone's aunt is bad mentorship. Need I say more?

Okay, fine, I shall. As the Green Goblin, Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe) is one of Peter's most formidable adversaries — and that doesn't just go for the Raimi movies. He eventually crosses over into the MCU where he full wrecks Peter's entire life. The man has a thing for targeting the people Peter loves and in some universes, that strategy happens to pay off. The results are tragic.

Weirdly, there's a very thin line between mentor and villain when it comes to the unfortunate life of Peter Parker. Norman certainly thinks he has a lot to offer the kid: consumed by his own darkness he's constantly pushing the same fate on our young hero, trying to "teach" him his perspective. Sure enough, the darkness threatens to overcome both Peter who encounter Osborn, but they always manage to persevere with sage advice from better mentors in their lives. But there are still a lot of important takeaways from this relationship. After all, Norman is the flip side of the power-responsibility coin: through him, Peter sees what happens when great power isn't reigned in by a sense of personal responsibility. Norman is fueled by ego and greed, which ultimately destroys him (before the multiverse rewrite). Facing off against Osborn always puts Peter's moral code to the test and ends up a defining moment for Spider-Man as a hero.

So this is awkward. But hear me out — before the whole ruining Peter's life by exposing his secret identity thing, Mysterio was just a kindly Jake Gyllenhaal who admired Peter's passion and bolstered his confidence. Upon meeting Peter in "Far From Home," Quentin Beck is quick to encourage him, compliment him, and even uses humor to break the tension and get the clearly distressed teen to smile.

Their most important moment comes right after another one of Spidey's mentors fails him: when Talos/Fury snaps at Peter, he heads out to a rooftop to brood. Beck floats out to check on him and they have a heart-to-heart, where he says something that Peter desperately needs to hear: "You're not a jerk for wanting a normal life." With Iron Man out of the picture, Beck gives Peter the validation he needs, as both a hero and a kid.

Unfortunately, none of that can be divorced from the fact that this is all a ruse. Mysterio is cruel and manipulative. His efforts to get close to Peter are hollow and merely a way of building him up so he can tear him down. When it comes to emotionally damaging Peter Parker, this guy is going for the gold (which is really saying something, given some other entries on this list). At a time when Peter is searching for mentorship to fill the Stark-shaped hole in his heart, Mysterio preys on his fears. Even in death, he ends up having a devastating impact on the rest of Peter's life.

But in a backward sort of way, some good does come of it: by the end of "Far From Home," Peter starts relying on his instincts. He has a newfound trust in his own heroic abilities, and that's an invaluable lesson.

Say what you will about J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons), but there's no denying his looming presence in the life of Peter Parker. Without him, how would our budding photographer learn the ins and outs of worker exploitation — ahem, I mean, freelance journalism? Over the course of the Raimi movies, Jameson nurtures Peter (Tobey Maguire) as a news photographer. And I use the term nurture very loosely because mostly he just gives the kid whiplash by firing him every couple of seconds. But in an odd way, it pays off: we get to see some significant growth in "Spider-Man 2" when Peter haggles for a better price on his Spidey pics. He learns something! That being said, Jameson is a terrible role model when it comes to journalistic ethics ... or ethics of any kind. But he inadvertently teaches Peter what not to do, and reminds him of the importance of keeping his identity a secret. That counts for something ... right?

Here's where things get really good. Alfred Molina's Doc Ock is a top-tier Spider-Man antagonist, with some of the best character work in the entire Raimi Spider-saga. Despite only knowing Peter for a brief period of time, their relationship becomes a key element of a movie that's still in the running for best Spider-Man adaptation ever.

Having heard about Peter from Professor Curt Connors, Octavius assumes him to be a genius who doesn't understand the value of hard work: but over the course of an afternoon together, the two connect and he gets a much better sense of who Peter is at his core. He even takes the time to impart some wisdom, which ends up reinforcing a lot of what Peter already picked up from his Uncle Ben. "Intelligence is not a privilege, it's a gift," he tells Peter. "And you use it for the good of mankind."

Not only does he recognize and praise Peter's intellect, but reminds him that there's more than one way to save the world. He tells him to work hard (always a valuable lesson), but also shows him that there's more to life than doing that work. His relationship and devotion to his wife is a big point of inspiration for Peter, who's still torn about his potential relationship with Mary Jane. And while he definitely wavers on what to do with his love for her, they choose each other in the end.

Before tragedy makes him into a villain, Doctor Octavius is a kindred spirit for Peter: a brilliant man of science, trying to work towards the greater good. And in the end, that good is what wins and drives Otto's sacrifice, leaving an undeniable impression on Peter's life.

Who better to help Spider-Man find his way than Spider-Man! They say no one knows you better than yourself, so it's lucky that Peter Parker got to team up with two other versions of himself who have firsthand experience with the pain he's endured. We all thought that the return of Garfield and Maguire as Spidey would be a treat for the audience but in reality, it ends up being a much-needed gift for the MCU's Peter. Could he have gotten through losing Aunt May without them? Probably. Every incarnation of Spider-Man is proof that he can endure any trial of pain. But all the same, it was a pleasure to see them by his side. And thanks to their past experience, Tom Holland's Peter was spared from making the same mistakes they did.

The stories are slightly different — Peter 2 lost Uncle Ben and Peter 3 lost Gwen Stacy — but they both went down a similar dark path. In his grief, Holland's Peter starts to do the same, but their support brings him back to Earth. They are living, breathing proof that he can get through the darkness. So even when he's in the depths of that pain — on the verge of giving up his plan to save the villains or seconds away from killing Norman Osborn — all it takes is a reminder from his alternate selves to remember who he is.

When tragedy strikes, both Peters understand how to help him. But they also have so much faith in who he already is, giving him plenty of room to be the hero in his story. There's no ulterior motive and no failure of communication; instead of being father figures, these two are like older brothers to Peter. They understand him on a level that no one else could and help him through the toughest moment in his life, simply because they can.

When all else fails, Peter Parker will always have Aunt May. In death, Uncle Ben plays a pivotal role in shaping Spider-Man's mission. But by living, Aunt May remains a crucial presence in Peter Parker's life. For the Garfield and Maguire iterations, she's a living, breathing reminder of what happens when they fail — a widow whose husband was lost when they ignored their responsibility. Holland's May takes on a dual role with her death in "No Way Home," and ends up carrying the narrative weight that's usually shouldered by Uncle Ben. But she does it as only Peter Parker's aunt could. What the three share in common is the trait that seems intrinsic to every portrayal of May: she's a continuous guiding light in Peter's life and the person he can always turn to when he loses his way. Whether that means being an emotional outlet, a moral compass, or the person he calls home.

At the end of "No Way Home," Holland's Peter stands by her grave and makes a point of saying that when she dies, all the people she helped will keep going. And he isn't just talking about those she helped at F.E.A.S.T. Should Tom Holland's Peter Parker return, he'll be swinging through New York as a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man with no worries of the city's vendetta against him. He'll have a solid sense of purpose, despite his isolation, and that will be because of May. Ben may drive Spider-Man's ethos, but it is Aunt May who sustains Peter Parker. She makes it possible for him to get up in the morning and be the hero that the world needs.