Spider-Man was first introduced in the comic Amazing Fantasy #15
(August 1962). Peter Parker, a Senior at Midtown High School, receives
his powers when bitten by a radioactive spider in a science demonstration.
This bite endowed him with the proportional strength and agility of a spider
along with a keen "spider sense". After discovering these powers Peter
hires an agent and tries to make some money in television. One not a he
had the chance to catch a burglar fleeing from the T.V. studio, but he
refused because he didn't think he should try and be a hero. A few days
later the aforementioned burglar killed his Uncle Ben. That night, as Spider-Man,
Peter apprehends the murderer of his beloved uncle but is plagued with
guilt, thinking that if he would have stopped the burglar when he first
saw him his Uncle Ben would still be alive.
During his time of turmoil Peter remembers something Uncle Ben once
told him, "With great power, come great responsibilities." Peter took this
to heart and decided he should use his extraordinary powers for good instead
for selfish reasons. Hence the ongoing theme of our favorite Spidey stories,
a regular guy with amazing powers and enormous responsibilities.