Spider-Man’s true genius rivals Reed Richards, but Peter Parker can do what the leader of the Fantastic Four never could: change the world.
Warning: contains spoilers for Savage Spider-Man #4!
Marvel’s Spider-Man is known as a genius, but his intellect is far greater than any fan realizes, and it even eclipses Reed Richards’ own. This is not necessarily a positive development, as the wallcrawler has hijacked his own villain’s plan – because he believes it is necessary for the survival of the world. This is possible thanks to Spider-Man’s surprising genius-level plans-within-plans depicted in Savage Spider-Man #4, in which no one is safe – be they hero or villain.
Peter Parker’s genius is a known factor in Marvel Comics, although it’s not utilized or even seen nearly as much as the intellect of Reed Richards or Iron Man. In comics canon, only Peter is able to reliably replicate his webbing formula – a substance he created in high school that possesses tremendous tensile strength, yet also dissolves in one hour. He also ran his own tech company called Parker Industries, but his managerial skills left much to be desired.
In Savage Spider-Man #4, written by Joe Kelly with art by Gerardo Sandoval, Peter’s animalistic, man-spider hybrid is no more, having been replaced with Peter’s highly analytical mind. Unfortunately, the animal side of Peter also contained his compassionate side – and the side responsible for keeping his unparalleled genius in check. The Hydra operative Baron Zemo, who planned to unleash a mind-altering drug on the populace of New York, is shocked to see Spider-Man agree with his plans…albeit with some minor course correction on his part. “The A Plus picotech system is humanity’s salvation,” muses Spider-Man. “Under the right supervision.”
In the comics, Reed Richards’ genius is often responsible for his awkward social interactions (and occasional disastrous decisions, like the ones most often seen in the Ultimate Marvel series or the end of the Civil War event). But Peter uses his genius in a new way here: by ‘saving’ the human race from ego, he in effect wants to erase pain from the Earth. Peter, who understands pain and guilt more than most in the Marvel Universe, is a perfect person to believe in this course of action – were it not for his compassionate side, which puts those thoughts in check.
Unfortunately, his compassionate side is removed in Savage Spider-Man, and the world may pay dearly for it. Peter is weaponizing his genius in a way Mr. Fantastic never could; thanks to the latter’s life experience as a husband and a father, he’s mellowed out his more dangerous side. Without a family of his own, Spider-Man has no one to keep him in check, even as his near-Reed Richards level of intelligence leads him to make decisions for the entire human race.
