Most of the world is probably familiar with the name Tom Holland. Between playing some of the most iconic roles in cinema to marrying the legendary (and we do mean legendary) Zendaya, his career has been on an upward trajectory since his 2012 debut in The Impossible. With rumors of a new trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, we thought it would be fun to deep dive into the character of Peter Parker and analyze what makes this character tick. Additionally, we want to go over a fictional treatment plan for the character, as he has been through enough where it would be beneficial. Spoilers ahead for the first three Spider-Man MCU films (and possible references to the Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire films).
Peter Parker first appears in Captain America: Civil War (2016) as a high school student keeping his identity on the down low. Nobody is aware of his alter-ego and he is already struggling to keep it that way. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) pieces together who he is rather quickly and pays the young superhero a visit, asking for his help in apprehending Steve Rogers (Chris Evans). Not much of note happens in this film for the character other than his introduction. He participates in the battle at the airport and demonstrates reliance of both body and mind, able to perform incredible feats against some of Earth’s mightiest fighters. The development starts to come later, namely in his titular appearances.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) is the web slinger’s first standalone movie and picks up where the previous movie left off (in terms of where the character is). He is still struggling to juggle being Spider-Man, dealing with family, keeping friends, and trying to fit in with the world at large. He has a great reputation with the people of New York, though many struggle to understand just who or what he is. His antics often alienate the people around him, such as his aunt May (Marisa Tomei), his best friend Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon), and his love interest Liz Toomes (Laura Harrier). Peter’s socialization skills and awkward demeanor are common for teenagers his age, but the anxiety symptoms he displays are the first clue that he might benefit from therapy. He is keeping a lot in and feels he has to hide parts of himself.
One of the key plot points of the movie is people gradually discovering who he is and supporting him despite the revelation. This helps with his sense of self but allows room for improvement. While his closest loved ones tend to accept him, Peter has a need to belong to something. After the events of his previous appearance, he consistently tries to reach out to the Avengers and help the team. They refuse to call him back and leave him in the dark. When he tries stopping criminals throughout the movie, he is told to stand down by Tony and left with no indication as to why. Additionally, he struggles to find friends and even embarrasses himself at a house party when he tries. He is constantly shunned by his peers and treated as an outcast, his only true friend being Ned.
Perhaps the most harrowing lesson of all is when he finally goes to prom with Liz and discovers that her dad is the antagonist he has been chasing the entire time: Adrian Toomes aka Vulture (Michael Keaton). While a devastating revelation itself, Toomes ends up recognizing Peter as Spider-Man and threatens not just him, but his entire family. This puts Peter in an impossible impasse: fight Toomes and possibly lose his family and Liz or stand back and watch people get hurt. He ends up choosing to fight and stops Toomes, but Liz ends up moving away during the fallout, ending their relationship. Despite making the seemingly correct choice, Peter was punished for it.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) can be lumped into the same category because while Peter Parker is featured, there isn’t much new in the way of character development for him. He continues to argue with Tony, meets Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and realizes magic is real (and is totally unphased by this). He is later snapped out of existence by Thanos, but we don’t see much of an impact psychologically. He later fights in the ensuing battles at Wakanda and Avengers HQ. In a final battle, Tony gives his life to stop Thanos. Peter gets to say his last words before the billionaire is laid to rest. Despite some funny and oftentimes iconic moments, the character development is left to be explored in the following standalone film.
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) largely glosses over the most traumatic experience in existence: The Blip. Peter doesn’t seem to be bothered by missing five years of his life (probably due to the fact that all his friends were snapped too and returned with him). He does show intense feelings of loss and grief over the passing of Tony and this is prevalent throughout the film. A big moment for Peter’s grief is talking about Tony to Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), Stark’s former assistant. Hogan talks to Peter as an equal and informs him that Tony was proud of his accomplishments and who he is as a person. This encourages Peter to build a new suit and take on the antagonist, eventually defeating him.
Another psychological hassle Peter must overcome in this movie is feelings of betrayal. During the film, Peter meets a scientist named Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal) who takes him under his wing and offers him friendship. Beck is obviously a male role model for Peter, a replacement for Uncle Ben (mentioned only) and Tony. The lack of a father figure allows Beck to get a hold of Stark technology and utilize it for his own dastardly purpose. The betrayal impacts Peter immensely and the death of Beck, while an accident, leaves him visibly shaken. Despite his passing, the villain gets one last knife twist in by revealing Peter as Spider-Man to the general public with irrefutable evidence. This reveal ends the film on a major cliffhanger, which is picked up in the following film.
Lastly is the budding relationship between Peter and Michelle Jones (Zendaya). While basically a glorified cameo in the first film, MJ’s role is expanded greatly. Peter has no problems with the way their friendship develops into something more, but the anxiety around if she reciprocates is palpable. Not only that, he must also grapple with not being able to tell her that he is Spider-Man. This second factor is dealt with quickly, as MJ has already pieced together who he is due to putting the pieces together (something most of the other characters refuse to do for some reason). The tension and anxiety are put to rest when the two end up becoming a couple at the end of the film, with MJ accepting Peter in all aspects of who he is. This represents a change in the type of love Peter can experience, having a love interest with no secrets to hide.
Following up on the Far From Home cliffhanger, Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) begins with the ramifications of Peter’s identity being exposed. He is made an instant celebrity overnight. The school is forced to increase security, the teachers treat him like a God, and the students record him simply walking through the halls. Peter is taken to trial over Beck’s death but while found innocent, some are convinced he is guilty. As it is senior year, Peter also applies for a multitude of colleges. Despite stellar grades and now being publicly known as Spider-Man, every school rejects him and his friends. This is mainly due to the controversy surrounding Beck’s murder trial and social media backlash. Peter becomes desperate to fix everything, which eventually leads him to Strange, kicking off the rest of the film.
Personal loss is closely associated with Spider-Man and this movie is no different. Aunt May ends up being killed roughly halfway through the film, dying in Peter’s arms after an explosion caused by the Green Goblin. She imparts on him the wisdom that “with great power, comes great responsibility”, a catchphrase for the character. This event pushes Peter into a place of anger and vengeance, with him almost succumbing to his darker impulses when he gets the chance to kill the Green Goblin later on. This loss has a small silver lining, as he becomes even closer with MJ and Ned, as he turns to them to help deal with the grief. A last minute development at the end of the story, which has not been fully explored, is Peter having to Strange fix the multiversal incursion by making everyone forget who he is. When Strange’s original spell causes other Peter Parkers and their enemies to end up in the MCU, it creates a multiverse rift. With the threat of their world dying, Peter makes the ultimate sacrifice. Nobody will remember Peter Parker or Spider-Man.
Nobody will remember what he’s done, the sacrifices he’s made, or the heroic acts he has performed. This sacrifice saves their world and beams everyone from the multiverse back to their own worlds. Not only does he lose May, he loses his closest friends and confidants. None of the Avengers remember him. MJ and Ned don’t know him. Even Strange, the caster of the new spell, doesn’t remember him. Peter is forced to walk this new path on his own, truly alone for the first time. This is the premise for the new movie, Brand New Day, currently set for a July 31st release.
When looking at these films and the events that have played out in them, I think Peter Parker could be diagnosed with a couple different mental health conditions. The first would be Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, simply due to having his life and the lives of his loved ones threatened on a regular basis. He has been betrayed by allies, witnessed alien invasions, been snapped by Thanos, and eventually had everyone he’s ever loved die or forget he exists.
Those leave scars on the human psyche and he’ll be dealing with the fallout of that for the rest of his life. Another diagnosis would be Generalized Anxiety Disorder, simply because of how he socializes in general. He is a very anxious young man and has trouble communicating with friends and loved ones. Lastly, he could probably receive Adjustment Disorder, as his life is constantly evolving and changing throughout the series. He struggles with adjusting to Beck’s betrayal, his identity being leaked, the death of May, and losing everyone he ever knew despite them still being alive and well. Those changes are not something he can simply get over and it will take time to learn to cope.
His treatment plan would work on addressing these diagnoses first and foremost. One of the goals would be working on a sense of self and finding techniques to help build self concept and decrease anxious thinking. Another would be to process the grief he has experienced in his life, from the offscreen death of Uncle Ben to May’s passing to the entire world forgetting who he is. Those events will shape his young life and it is imperative that he process them correctly. Lastly, learning to identify triggers while out in the world and dealing with them appropriately will help with his PTSD symptoms immensely. Identifying thoughts, feelings, and impulses are crucial for positive development in PTSD cases. Unlike some other professionals in the field, I would then ask Peter if there was anything he wanted to add to the plan that he felt was applicable to his growth. This would help start the counseling relationship on the right foot and let him know that we are partners in his development and that I am not the one running the show.
Lucky for us, we don’t have to worry about the whole world forgetting who we are. We don’t have to sling webs, stop the bad guys, and juggle school, though sometimes it can feel like it. Even though Spider-Man is fictional, there is a reason he has been relevant in pop culture. He represents the human spirit, the will to keep fighting even when the world might punish him for it. His human characteristics make him endearing, the super powers an afterthought. Peter is, on the most fundamental level, human. At Behavioral Health Clinic, we have clinicians who specialize in trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and adjustment issues. Reach out at 855.607.8242 or email us at appointments@bhclinic.com.
