According to Stan Lee, Spider-Man’s full-body costume helped him become a comic book icon because unlike most other superheroes, anybody could imagine themselves under the costume. This gave Spider-Man a worldwide appeal from the very beginning, something that has been validated by the proliferation of Spider-heroes in the contemporary Marvel Universe .

In an interview with the comic book magazine Alter-Ego , Lee shared his take on the secret to Spider-Man’s success, decades after the fact.

cover of Amazing Fantasy #15, featuring Spider-Man's first appearance

“ Any young person of any race could identify with Peter Parker, or rather Spider-Man ,” the legendary author explained, highlighting a small but vital decision that skyrocketed the hero to fame and prestige.

Stan

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