J. Jonah Jameson of the Daily Bugle would have you believe Spider-Man is a villain; in fact the man would yell at you if you said otherwise. However, he couldn’t be more wrong. Spider-Man has only ever fought for and protected this city without asking for anything more than to keep his secret identity respected. Time and time again he seemingly risks his life to save individuals everyday. We can only imagine what he has sacrificed in his personal life to become a masked hero.
Spider-Man began as a small crime-fighter, webbing up criminals for the NYPD to collect at their leisure. He stopped bank robbers, muggers, violent offenders, and various other criminals out there trying to raise the crime rates. All stolen goods would be found alongside the criminals for the police to return as well, and many of the criminals he fought weren’t even after money or expensive items. There was never any evidence to support J.J.J.’s claim about him being associated with the crimes taking place and, based on Spider-Man’s original outfit, he wasn’t exactly rolling in stolen money. It wasn’t until he joined the Avengers when he got his upgraded suit made by Tony Stark.
Yes that’s right, Spider-Man is an Avenger, a hero that saves the world from aliens, terrorists, and the general destruction of the planet. He has been seen fighting alongside, not against, the Avengers on multiple occasions while continuing his own crime fighting in New York. While he is technically working outside the law, he is fighting for the good people out there who cannot fight for themselves. We live in a world of superheroes who work outside of the law and we cannot rightfully thank some while condemning others. We should be grateful to Spider-Man because he has made a considerable dent in NY’s crime rate and shouldn’t be labeled as a masked vigilante but rather as a heroic and brave individual.
Time and time again J. Jonah Jameson labels someone as a hero who later turned out to be a kniving criminal, forcing him to retract his statement. However, he refuses to retract his statements about Spider-Man being a “criminal,” and a “maniac,” despite evidence definitely proving that Spider-Man is NOT a criminal. Perhaps it would benefit J. Jonah Jameson to shut his mouth for once before jumping to conclusions about super-powered individuals.
Since the Daily Bugle has failed us as a news outlet it is up to us to share the heroic deeds of Spider-Man. Sharing moments of his heroics through social media posts is the best way to fight against the Daily Bugle’s claims. If you work for other news outlets or magazines, write about how he is a hero! Thank him if he saves you! And to the NYPD, say thank you for once to the individual who is doing your job better than you all are.
If you leave here today still thinking he is a criminal, I would ask that you reread this article and reconsider your world views. I will be sure to thank him if I ever see him, and you should as well. Keep on fighting Spider-Man!
***
If you enjoyed this Op Ed Piece and would like to keep up with future posts, be sure to subscribe below and follow my official Twitter or Instagram for updates!
This week’s post is sponsored by Podcasting Until Ragnarok, a podcast I created that was inspired by this blog. Be sure to go check it out wherever you listen to your podcasts and subscribe!
Writing Until Ragnarok 