Black superheroes like Luke Cage and Black Panther already existed when I was young, but when I picked up my first Spider-Man comics, starting with reprints of the '60s issues, Peter Parker immediately became my favorite superhero for two reasons: 1) I grew up in Milwaukee during Jeffrey Dahmer's heyday, and I developed an odd obsession with deranged serial killers that was fulfilled by Spidey villains like Carnage; 2) Peter Parker was all about GETTING THAT PAYCHECK.

In the comics, Peter Parker mainly wanted to join the Avengers because it would pay his bills. Things didn't exactly work out, because the cool kids were, well, too cool for him, and, as an outcast, he was used to being a grating smart-ass in every situation.