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der-Man, one of the most popular superheroes in the world, has been swinging into action since his creation in 196
2. But despite his long history, there are still many fascinating facts about the web-slinger that even die-hard fans may not know. Here are ten lesser-known tidbits about Spider-Man:
1. Spider-Man was nearly named "Fly-Man." Co-creator Stan Lee initially thought of the idea for a superhero with spider-like powers and submitted the concept to publisher Martin Goodman with the name "Fly-Man." Goodman rejected the name, suggesting "Spider-Man" instead.
2. Spider-Man's famous costume was nearly completely different. In early sketches, artist Steve Ditko envisioned Spider-Man wearing a full-faced mask and all-red suit. It was Lee who suggested the now-iconic blue and red color scheme, with a mask that left the hero's mouth exposed.
3. Peter Parker's first crush was on Betty Brant, not Mary Jane Watson. In the character's early days, Peter's love interest was his secretary at the Daily Bugle, Betty Brant. It wasn't until several years later that Mary Jane was introduced as a potential love interest.
4. Spider-Man was Marvel's first teenage superhero. At the time of his creation, most comic book heroes were adult men. Spider-Man represented a younger, more relatable hero for adolescent readers.
5. Spider-Man's famous web-shooters were added to the character's mythology to avoid confusion with another hero. Early Spider-Man stories portrayed the hero as having organic webs that shot from his wrists. However, this was later retconned so that Peter invented web-shooters to avoid being mistaken for another hero with similar powers, the Human Torch.
6. Spider-Man has often been partnered with other heroes in team-ups, but his longest partnership was with... the Human Torch. The two heroes have a long history of working together in the pages of Marvel Comics, starting with their first meeting in Amazing Spider-Man #
1.
7. Spider-Man's iconic catchphrase, "With great power comes great responsibility," first appeared in the 1962 Spider-Man origin story. However, the phrase wasn't attributed to Peter's Uncle Ben until several issues later in Amazing Spider-Man #
6.
8. In 1973, Marvel released a British Spider-Man story that introduced the villain "Red Death." The character was essentially a red-suited ripoff of Spider-Man, but with a few key differences, such as a gun that shot lethal webs.
9. Several different actors have portrayed Spider-Man in movies and TV shows, but the first to do so was ... Danny Seagren. Seagren appeared in a 1969 TV pilot for a proposed Spider-Man series that never made it to air.
10 Spider-Man was the inspiration for a real-life medical invention. In 2012, researchers at Tufts University created a miniature device that could be attached to the body and used to deliver drugs or monitor health. The device was shaped like a spider and inspired by Spider-Man's use of web-slinging devices. These are just a few of the many interesting, little-known facts about Spider-Man. Despite his decades-long history, the beloved hero continues to inspire fans of all ages with his relatable struggles, heroic deeds, and snappy one-liners.