Warning: contains major spoilers for W.E.B. of Spider-Man #1!
Marvel's Spider-Man has been one of the most popular heroes over the years. However, W.E.B. of Spider-Man #1 shows that he has a lot to learn still. Peter Parker needs his suit to make a difference. Without it, he's a nobody, and he knows it — yet he hasn't been able to come up with a way to be more while simply appearing as a normal teen.
Peter Parker is often written as a teenager in high school or in college, since these are some of his most difficult and popular times as a character. Spider-Man's youth is intrinsic to his identity. However, even as a young hero, he has faced a lot of major threats. In many ways, he is a veteran hero who has worked with some of the best — making his latest adventure particularly frustrating where his goals are concerned.
W.E.B. of Spider-Man #1 is created by the team of Kevin Shinick, Alberto Alburquerque, and Vc Travis Lanham. Within this issue, Peter is selected for Tony Stark's Worldwide Engineering Brigade (W.E.B.). This group is composed of teenagers who are whizzes with technology, some of whom already have hero identities. This includes Lunella Lafayette (Moon Girl) and Doreen Green (Squirrel Girl). Peter wants to step out of "Spider-Man's shadow" and make a name for himself outside of his alter ego. However, when trouble arises, Peter has to get his suit on to make a difference.
Initially, he tries to tell the others to coordinate, but they ignore him. Immediately after, his powers are what change the game for him and he calls for a distraction from a spider-bot to get into his suit. Once his suit is on, everyone listens to him and he is able to help them save the day. Yet with the best heroes, the suit isn't always necessary — like with Tony Stark. His presence commands respect and he tends to have useful tech even if it isn't his full suit. He also isn’t afraid of existing in his own shadow. He fully embraces every aspect of who he is – even if it’s basically to a fault.
Despite being great at science and inventing things, Peter hasn't managed to invent something he can use that isn't Spider-Man related. In moments like this where he could shine as Peter Parker, brilliant inventor, he doesn't. At this point, he is still heavily reliant on his secret identity to save others. The saddest part is that suiting up as Spider-Man isn't necessary. With enough confidence and the right invention, Peter could have led this group as simply himself, no suit required. Some of the other teens in this group aren't hiding and splitting their identities apart. They're fully honest with who they are with this group, while Peter is actually afraid of himself. He's afraid he can't be anything apart from Spider-Man, but if he continues to only make a difference while in his suit, that is all he will ever be in Marvel's universe.