With the recent series reboot Spider-Man: Homecoming, which hit theaters on July 7, we thought that it would be fun to look back on friendly neighborhood superhero’s development – both on the page and off. When did the character first appear in the comics? What was Stan Lee thinking when he dreamed up this character, and which action hero did director James Cameron think would make a good Doctor Octopus?

All of these questions and more are answered in our overview of the hero, which starts from the beginning, of course, moves on to to the present, and even covers a bit into the future.

Here is The Complete History of Spider-Man.

15. Concept

Stan Lee wanted to depict a superhero that dealt with issues in real life as much as he did with supervillains and street thugs. Additionally, Lee designed this hero to be a teenager – a teenager bitten by a radioactive spider, of all things.

His publisher, Martin Goodman, however, was not a fan of the concept, calling it the “worst idea” that he had ever heard. However, with the surge in teenage demand for comic books, Spider-Man went on to become a best-selling series, resulting in the webhead's meteoric rise to fame.

In numerous interviews, Stan Lee has claimed that his inspiration for the character came from seeing a fly climb up a wall. Although, he jokes in his autobiography that, after telling the story so many times, he is unsure himself if it is actually true.

The name “Spider-Man” was chosen over something like “Spider-Boy”, because Lee wanted the character to age in the comics. Additionally, he wanted the character to be taken seriously, and not be seen as inferior or less than the other adult superheroes, which was why the name “Spider-Man” was ultimately chosen.

14. Design

As a friend and longtime collaborator of Stan Lee’s, legendary comic book artist Jack Kirby was first approached to design the Spider-Man character. However, as Lee puts it, Kirby was used to drawing more heroic figures, such as Captain America, and Lee always thought that the character of Spider-Man should look much more similar to an ordinary guy.

After some unsatisfactory sketches were constructed (according to Stand Lee), another artist working for the publication, Steve Ditko, was approached to design the character. This seemed to be a much better fit, as Ditko’s design was the one used moving forward, which has since become iconic.

While the friendly neighborhood wall-crawler has seen his share of alternate costumes, he generally sports red and blue spandex with a spider logo on the chest. That being said, the hero has had many different looks over the course of his historic-- and ongoing-- comic book run, but few veer too far from Ditko's original design.

13. First Appearance

Spidey made his comic book debut at the tail-end of a canceled comic in 1962. This story almost did not make it to print, given Martin Goodman’s stance on the entire “Spider-Man concept.” However, Stan Lee managed to convince his publisher to run the story in the last issue of Amazing Fantasy, and, as history would have it, the character went on to become an amazing success.

According to Lee, the final issue of Amazing Fantasy was the perfect time to feature Spider-Man because no one cared about the final installation of a canceled series. He later found out that the issue had become a bestseller,  and was asked to write an entire run featuring the friendly neighborhood wall-crawling crime fighter, which was, of course, titled The Amazing Spider-Man.

12. Origin

At this point, the Spider-Man origin story is as well known (if not more so) in pop culture than that of any other superhero. Bug bites boy, boy turns into a bug, and bug boy fights crime. It is not just the spider that transforms Peter into a hero, however, as he is also changed mentally and emotionally by the choices he makes. His choice to ignore a fleeing thief inadvertently leads to the death of his beloved Uncle Ben, which helps Peter to discover that “with great power, comes great responsibility.”

As a science wiz, Peter also develops his own wrist-mounted web shooters and gains the ability to (essentially) fly around town, swinging from skyscrapers. However, despite these incredible powers, Parker struggles with everyday life: finding a date for prom, constant bullying from the likes of Flash Thompson, being belittled by his boss J. Jonah Jameson, and helping his aunt make ends meet.

11. Commercial Success

Shortly after the introduction of the Spider-Man character, Martin Goodman was surprised to see just how well the webhead was doing. Sales figures were off the charts, as the hero quickly became (and is now known today as) one of Marvel’s best-selling comic book characters.

As stated earlier, the commercial success of Spider-Man’s debut in the aforementioned final issue of Amazing Fantasy led to a change of heart from publisher Martin Goodman, who was originally stoutly against the character.

After the successful debut, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko were asked to continue the series and did so as a monthly comic book run entitled The Amazing Spider-Man – a comic book run that served as the character’s flagship series for fifty years.

10. Major Story Arcs & Villains

From run-ins with his iconic villainous counterpart X-Men, Spider-Man has more than a handful of notable story arcs, not the least of which is the death of Pete's beloved Uncle Ben.

Spidey's bouts with the nefarious group of baddies, the Sinister Six, are also ed fondly in some of the character’s more major notable story arcs. Additionally, the character also announced his identity during the Civil War series and later died, giving rise to his newly popular successor Miles Morales.

Despite Spider-Man’s seemingly countless iconic villains, the hero has no one true archnemesis. As the leader of the aforementioned Sinister Six, Doctor Octopus is widely regarded as one of the character’s more noteworthy foes, but other baddies such as the Green Goblin and Venom have also been described as the webhead's main enemies.

9. Animated Series

From Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends to Spectacular Spider-Man, the wall-crawler has starred in his fair share of animated series, many of which were well-received critically and commercially.

The hero made his small screen debut on an ABC animated television show, simply titled Spider-Man, a program that is ed mostly for its low budget. That said, the series ran for three years.

The wall-crawler then took a substantial break from animated television, but returned in the early ‘80s with a reboot before a subsequent team-up series called Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, which featured Iceman from the X-Men series, as well as a new character, Firestar.

Since then, Spider-Man starred in even more quality programming – notably the fan-favorite animated series in the mid-‘90s, the aforementioned critical darling Spectacular Spider-Man, and, most recently, the Drake Bell-led Ultimate Spider-Man.

The character even has a new series announced titled Marvel’s Spider-Man, which is said to feature the hero teaming up the likes of Miles Morales and even Spider-Gwen.

8. Impact on Comics And Pop Culture

As one of Marvel’s most (if not the most) recognizable characters, his impact on pop culture and comics at large has been huge, to say the least. Stan Lee himself commented on Ditko’s decision to have Spider-Man’s costume covering him from head-to-toe, stating that this meant anyone could see themselves as the titular hero.

While his feats were amazing, his everyday struggles were relatable to fans and this type of hero had never before been seen in the comic world-- on this scale-- prior to the inception of Spider-Man.

Since the hero’s debut, Spider-Man has become one of the world’s most recognizable fictional characters and one of Marvel’s flagship characters. Spider-Man is also known as the world’s most profitable superhero, as global retail sales of licensed products have easily eclipsed over $1 billion.

7. James Cameron’s Aborted Spider-Man Film

Legendary director James Cameron was originally slated to direct the first big screen live-action adaptation of Spider-Man. The film helmed by Cameron never quite came to fruition, but elements of his leaked treatment ended up in the Sam Raimi-directed feature. Organic web shooters, Peter’s overnight transformation, and some of the details surrounding Uncle Ben’s death are just a few of the parallels between the two films.

The treatment did feature a few weirder notes that luckily did not transfer over to the Raimi movie, such as Peter peeping on an undressed Mary Jane and a more foul-mouthed Spider-Man. Also, rumor has it that Cameron wanted Arnold Schwarzenegger to portray iconic supervillain, Doctor Octopus – an interesting casting choice to say the least.

Other notable desirables were Edward Furlong as Peter Parker, Drew Barrymore as Gwen Stacey, and Leonardo DiCaprio for Harry Osborne.

6. Sam Raimi’s Trilogy

Often considered to be the father of the modern superhero genre, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy (along with Brian Singer’s X-Men franchise) ushered in a new era of comic book films. Gone were the over-the-top cheese we had come to expect, and, with Tim Burton having left the Batman franchise nearly a decade earlier, it was a genre that no one was taking very seriously at the time.

With Tobey Maguire, Kristen Dunst, Willem Dafoe, and James Franco at the top of an excellent cast list, the comic book characters finally came to life in a way they never had before. Also, has there ever been a better comic book casting decision than J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson?

The first two films were incredibly well-received by both fans as well as critics, but, unfortunately, studio interference and some poor writing decisions on the part of Raimi led to an unsatisfactory conclusion. A fourth picture was in the works at one point, but, it was never completed.