Spider-Man: No Way Home. In comics, the character is just as popular, one of the only solo comics that receives multiple issues each month, and continuing running storylines that keep fans begging for more.
However, Spider-Man comics are also full of clichés that every write pulls out constantly when telling the stories of Peter Parker and his role as a hero. Many of these clichés came from the days when Peter was a high school student trying to make things work as a hero, and many don't work as well in today's world as they did when Marvel introduced him.
Peter Parker Always Needs Money
When Peter Parker first became Spider-Man, he was a high school student who lived with his Aunt May. When his uncle died, the two had trouble making ends meet, so Peter took a job selling photos of Spider-Man to the Daily Bugle to help pay the bills.
Now that Peter is an adult, things have not gotten easier. He actually took a job webcasting his superhero battles just to pay the rent. There was a time where he was wealthy, but Marvel took away his company and money to continue the cliché that Spider-Man always has to be broke.
Aunt May Getting Sick
One of the big storylines in early Spider-Man comics involved his Aunt May always getting sick. It worried a young Peter Parker greatly and his concerns about his Aunt May often clouded his judgment when operating as Spider-Man.
Whenever writers need to put Spider-Man in danger, the cliché is to make Aunt May sick again, or in a couple of cases, actually kill her off. It led to One More Day and even in newer comics, Aunt May is battling cancer, a plot twist that always rears its head every few years.
Always Losing A Loved One
Spider-Man's career as a superhero began when his Uncle Ben died. He couldn't save Ben and even blamed himself for his death. This was a cliché that starts many superhero careers, but Marvel kept using it over and over with Spider-Man through the years.
It was his Aunt May's death that caused Spider-Man to make a deal with Mephisto in One More Day. It was Gwen Stacy's death that made Spider-Man feel guilt that he couldn't shake for years. It was Harry Osborn's death that made Peter realize he failed his friend. It is one trope that never stops in Spider-Man's life.
Peter Struggling To Keep A Girlfriend
Spider-Man has one trope that several other superheroes have: he is never on time, and often doesn't show up at events at all. This cliché is one that is often used to show Peter Parker never being able to make a relationship work.
Even Peter Parker's main love interests like Gwen Stacy or his once-wife Mary Jane were often left waiting when he didn't show up on time for something. This cost him his relationship with Betty Brant, which drove her to the arms of Ned Leeds, and it also drove one girl to a therapist in Debra Whitman.
J. Jonah Jameson Making False Claims About Spider-Man
One cliché in Spider-Man comics that never made any sense was the antagonistic actions of J. Jonah Jameson. For years, Jameson posted editorials in his newspaper painting out Spider-Man to be a menace. Nothing Spider-Man could do could sway him, even when he saved Jameson's own son.
However, what made this so ridiculous was that Jameson was proven wrong time and time again and many of his editorials were discounted, but that never affected his position with the paper or his reputation with the readers.
The Police Always Shooting At Spider-Man
If the cliché of J. Jonah Jameson always making false claims about Spider-Man in the newspaper was bad, the idea of the police never trusting him was worse. While it is obvious that working as a vigilante is against the law, the police's actions against Spider-Man were reprehensible at times.
Too often, Spider-Man would save someone's life or stop a criminal and the police would not only try to arrest him, but they would open fire on him. This cliché seemed dangerous at best, with officers firing live rounds at someone who is no threat to them.
Someone Close Betraying Spider-Man
The one cliché that has come back to bite Spider-Man more than once was the idea of his own friends and allies betraying him. The biggest one was Harry Osborn, who became the second Green Goblin and set out to kill his old friend Peter Parker.
Ned Leeds was another one, although he was brainwashed into becoming the second Hobgoblin. Doctor Octopus turned good but then betrayed him recently in Sinister War and it just seems that no one Peter trusts is truly trustworthy.
Spider-Man Fighting Other Heroes
One cliché that got old many years ago in Spider-Man comics is the classic misunderstanding. Spider-Man has plenty of superhero friends and allies, but he almost always ends up fighting them before they eventually team up to beat a villain.
Spider-Man fought Wolverine more than once based on a silly misunderstanding. He has fought both Daredevil and Human Torch many times, even though they are supposed to be friends. One would think that, by now, they wouldn't immediately start fighting before talking about what is happening first.
Running Out Of Webbing
Spider-Man is considered one of the Marvel Universe's most intelligent characters. Even Reed Richards pointed out that Peter Parker was one of the smartest kids he met when they first got to know each other. However, there are so many things Spider-Man does that betrays that intelligence.
The most mind-boggling cliché in Spider-Man comics is when he runs out of web-fluid. Unless he has been battling non-stop for days, there is no reason he shouldn't have backups on him somewhere, but it never seems to fail that he runs out mid-swing.
Spider-Man's Lies Getting Him Into Trouble
When Uncle Ben died, he told Spider-Man that with great power comes great responsibility. This is the motto that Spider-Man has lived by his entire career, and that is what makes him a great hero, one that rarely takes a dark turn.
However, he has a bad habit of lying to his friends. This is a Spider-Man cliché that writers use in order to get him into trouble and separate him from even his allies. He lied to Doctor Strange in the Kindred battle to get his way, and it was his agreement with Mephisto that changed his entire life for the worse.