Alright, let me tell you how I went down this rabbit hole today. Saw someone tweet something like “Is Spider-Man autistic?” and it straight up stopped my scroll. Peter Parker? Really? Had to dig in.
Started Simple: Just Lookin’ Again
Didn’t go in thinking “yep” or “nope.” Fired up Disney+, put on Spider-Man: Homecoming first. Then skipped around other movies – Raimi’s, Into the Spider-Verse, bits of the Garfield ones. Wasn’t rewatching the whole universe, just hunting for specific moments people point to. My notebook was out.
Here’s the kinda stuff folks were flagging online that I was eyeballing:
- The Sensory Thing: The Spidey-Sense! Especially how it’s shown making him jumpy, covering his ears, reacting super intensely to lights and noise – like in fight scenes or crowded hallways. Felt way stronger than just “he senses danger.” Like sensory overload, y’know?
- Chattin’ Weirdness: Watching those moments where Peter just… bombs socially. That cringey rambling when he’s nervous? Trying way too hard to make quips mid-fight, sometimes missing the mark? Straight up avoiding answering direct questions sometimes? Classic “awkward spectrum” vibes some folks were talking about.
- Fixation City: Oh man, the science stuff. How he goes totally silent, hunched over his desk for hours, laser-focused on building web-shooters or fixing his suit. Blocks out everything else. Deep, narrow interest? Big time.
- Rule Stickler Stuff: Remember in the first Raimi film? His whole “…with great power comes great responsibility” kicks into overdrive. He gets super rigid about it, even when following the “rules” hurts him personally.
What About Counter Arguments?
Yeah, had to think about that too. Is it just him being a shy teen? Is it trauma? Losing Uncle Ben messes anyone up. His powers legit do change his senses – so maybe the sensory stuff is purely that? And the quips? Coping with terror, maybe.
But here’s what stuck with me: Even if it’s all just him being quirky or traumatized or figuring out powers… the fact that so many autistic people see reflections of their own experiences in him? That matters. Watching those moments after reading autistic folks explain why it resonated? Saw it totally differently.
Wrapping My Head Around It
Bottom line? The movies and comics didn’t set out to make Peter Parker autistic. Marvel ain’t exactly shouting about diagnosis paperwork for their hero.
BUT! Does the character exhibit a bunch of traits and experiences that autistic people genuinely relate to? Yeah. A lot of ’em. Seeing people online connecting those dots? Makes total sense now.
I don’t know for sure, and honestly, I don’t think it needs a definitive “yes/no” answer. What clicks for me is this: Spider-Man feels deeply relatable on this specific level for a huge group of people. His struggles look familiar. His coping mechanisms ring true. And honestly? Finding out why people connect those traits changed how I see the character. Made him feel even more layered. Cool how a random internet question sent me back to watch my favorite superhero with totally new eyes, huh?
