This Polygon opinion piece argues that Spider-Man is most compelling not because of his powers, but because of the relentless misfortune that dogs Peter Parker's personal life. The writer contends that what makes the character endure across more than six decades is not what he can do, but everything he repeatedly loses, and that stripping away his hardship would leave a far less interesting hero.

The article traces this pattern — nicknamed "Parker Luck" by comic fans — across numerous adaptations. Examples include Tobey Maguire's Peter being fired from a pizza delivery job in Spider-Man 2, Andrew Garfield's failure to save Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Tom Holland losing Aunt May, Ned and MJ in No Way Home, a divorced and out-of-shape Peter B. Parker in Into the Spider-Verse, and the sacrifices piled on in Insomniac's video games. It notes that Uncle Ben's death and the maxim "with great power comes great responsibility" remain the defining forces of Peter's life, and that his constant joking is framed as a coping mechanism rather than confidence — unlike heroes such as Tony Stark, Captain America or Thor, Peter rarely gets a lasting happy payoff.