Growing up, a significant amount of my time was spent watching Marvel movies centered around comic book superheroes. Even if you haven’t watched the movies, it is undeniable that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) occupies a major portion of popular culture today. 

Now, as much as I like Iron Man and Captain America, I’ve always favored Spiderman – even before he was officially part of the MCU. Why? Because he is just like all the other superheroes, with action-packed fights and cool powers, but he is also like me, a completely normal student who has homework to do.

To start, many would completely skip over Spiderman as a strong superhero, ignoring him because his powers aren’t as impressive or because his innocence compared to the rest of the Avengers makes him the baby of the group. However, his abilities are just as powerful as anyone else’s if used correctly, and he possesses just as much courage and resilience as any other favorite superhero. Not only that, but he’s a creative genius who designed his webbing and suit and manages to defeat every one of the villains that come his way.

In addition to being just as effective a hero as others in the MCU, Peter Parker is a funny, kind, humble and incredibly awkward individual. He isn’t entitled, as he could easily be with such superhuman abilities. He cracks jokes every once in a while, and, even when he doesn’t try, he ends up being the most endearingly comical superhero around. And, finally, he’s a teenage student who experiences the drama of school and awkwardness of growing up, which all adds up to make him the best of the best.

As an awkward, growing high-schooler myself, Spiderman has always been the hero to look up to because not only is he beating up bad guys left and right, he is also the little guy looking out for the other little guys whenever he can. Even as I graduate, Peter Parker and his superhero counterpart continue to teach me and everyone else that the best parts about ourselves are often the most human.