The Marvel Cinematic Universe has already told some of the most emotional Spider-Man stories ever put to screen, but the latest version of the character has reminded me of how vulnerable Spider-Man really is. With a fourth untitled Spider-Man movie just ahead that will see Peter without any of his family or friends, this new story has helped to underline the emotionality of Peter’s journey. The character may be one of the most powerful heroes in the MCU, but he is only a kid, and that has led to some brutal moments.

In both the live-action and animated Spider-Man installments, the character has been designed to be relatable. Despite his incredible powers, Spider-Man also has great responsibility, and that can sometimes be too much to bear. Following this, Spider-Man has had to lean on many of the people around him, and surround himself with strong allies. Seeing this play out in the latest Spider-Man story, in an especially emotional way, has helped to underline the importance of Spider-Man’s age to his character.

2025’s First Marvel Release Underlines How Brutal It Is That Spider-Man Is Just A Kid

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Stars A Very Young Peter Parker

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has gone back to Peter Parker’s origin, and in doing so, it has been able to tell emotional stories where the character’s age is so important to his narrative. In an emotional scene during episode 8 of Spider-Man, the character shares an emotional monologue. While tearing up, Peter laments his failures and wishes wholeheartedly that he could do more, and that he would not let people down. This is important, as it informs so much of the Spider-Man character.

The scene is emotional and points to the goodness at the heart of Spider-Man’s character. While powerful and brilliant, Spider-Man was designed to be a relatable hero. Having Peter’s humanity be grounded in idealism like this, including the wish to be all things for all people, is incredibly important. Spider-Man will not be able to save everyone, but his youth allows him to hope that he can. This inevitably leads down a tragic path, when he fails the people that he loves.

Why Spider-Man’s Age Is Important To His Hero Story

Spider-Man Youth Helps To Highlight Both His Relatability And His Vulnerability

Spider-Man is the most relatable Marvel hero because he is young and ordinary. While I love characters like the MCU’s Iron Man and Captain America, neither of those or the majority of the rest of the Avengers are as normal as Peter is. In this, Peter is able to be an audience surrogate and is able to embody the aspirational qualities of goodness and valor. Throughout this, Peter also attempts to lead a normal life, and to succeed in his romances and his work, complicating his superhero career.

Spider-Man’s problems are not usually world-ending threats, but are instead relatable problems that young people in this world face on a daily basis.

Spider-Man’s problems are not usually world-ending threats, but are instead relatable problems that young people in this world face on a daily basis. This has helped the character become arguably the most popular Marvel character, as he gives audiences a self-insert that is so good and important. Seeing this embodied in live-action and in animation has helped to endear the character further to audiences, pulling from the various threads that were shared in years of excellent comics

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Still Makes The MCU Hero’s Story More Impactful Despite Being In Another Universe

Both Iterations Of Spider-Man Come From The Same Emotional Core

The multiverse of Spider-Man has been blown open with the Spider-Verse films, and this has worked because the character is so embedded in the cultural consciousness that it allows these different versions to remain impactful. Audiences know Spider-Man and his story, which is how they can effectively subvert components, such as giving Spider-Man’s nemesis his greatest quote. Seeing these stories play out informs the live-action version of the character too, as the fundamentals of the two iterations are the same.

Seeing Spider-Man’s emotionality come into play during Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is so important because it shows what Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is likely holding inside. As the character’s adventures in the MCU grow bigger, and he is forced to stand more and more on his own, it is heartbreaking to see the kind of emotional turmoil that another iteration of his character has expressed. This makes me wonder what the MCU Spider-Man is holding in, and I hope that he can let it out soon.

Everyone loves Spider-Man, and for so many reasons. The character is one of the most celebrated heroes of all time, and this is because of his vulnerability and how relatable he has been allowed to be. Still, I find it heartbreaking to know that there is even more happening beneath the surface. Being able to see how this has affected Peter in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has helped to understand the character more overall, and I hope to see more of this vulnerability in the MCU soon.