"We have an obligation to use our powers to make the world a better place."
Peter walked right up to Ben's bed, looking at him earnestly.
"Because with great power, comes great responsibility."
"And so?" Ben propped his pillow higher, leaning back against it and giving Peter a look that made him squirm. Peter could tell Ben wasn't entirely on board with his grand proclamation.
"So... we can become heroes. Like Iron Man," Peter said, gesturing excitedly. Then, he started getting lost in the idea, stroking his chin. "We could pick a cool codename, like..."
"...Arachno-Man? Or maybe the Spider Duo? What do you think?"
"If you want to be a superhero, go for it. Just don't drag me into it. I wish you the best of luck," Ben said, rolling over. He genuinely had no interest, but he wasn't about to stop Peter. Whatever happened, Peter had the right to choose his own path, to become whoever he wanted to be.
Besides, even if Ben had no intention of being a hero himself, there was no need to mock someone who did.
Peter's heart was in the right place. Ben just didn't share that particular brand of fervor.
"Wish me luck? You don't want to do this with me?" Peter asked, shocked. He couldn't understand Ben's complete indifference.
"Of course not," Ben stated flatly. "What's in it for me?"
He looked seriously at Peter and shook his head. "Nothing. Just trouble."
"But being a hero is so cool! Look at Iron Man! Do you know how many people love him? How many are crazy about him?" Peter argued, getting worked up. "If we became heroes, tons of people would like us, admire us..."
He imagined that by becoming a hero, he could become someone else—someone dazzling, impressive, and famous—instead of who he was now: a nobody, just Peter Parker.
"Give it a rest, Peter," Ben said. He hadn't wanted to crush his dreams, but Peter's naivety demanded a dose of reality. "Even if that happens, the person they'll like and admire is Spider-Man, not Peter Parker."
He had no problem with Peter becoming a superhero. But if Peter started down this path with those expectations, the harsh contrast with reality would only hurt him later.
"But... Spider-Man is Peter Parker," Peter countered, not fully grasping Ben's point, though he did mentally file away the 'Spider-Man' name.
Hearing this, Ben sat up straight in bed, his expression turning severe.
"No. Spider-Man cannot be Peter Parker!"
Ben's stare was so intense it felt predatory, as if he weren't a cousin but an apex predator staring down his prey.
Peter still didn't get it.
"You think you can be like Tony Stark, standing in front of a hundred reporters and announcing to the world, 'I am Iron Man'?" Ben mimicked Stark's flamboyant tone.
"Why not?"
"Come on! Tony Stark can admit who he is because he is Tony Stark! He has Stark Industries backing him. Even without the suit, no two-bit criminal can touch him or his family. What do you have?"
"Have you ever thought about what would happen if you took off the mask and told everyone that Spider-Man is Peter Parker?" Ben stood up, pushing Peter back from the bedside. Peter's body felt almost weightless in his grip.
Peter was frozen in place, Ben's words echoing in his mind, painting terrifying, bloody pictures before his eyes.
"Uncle Ben and Aunt May would be in danger. The criminals you put away, the ones who can't beat you but hate your guts... what do you think they'd do?"
"They... they'd go after Uncle Ben and Aunt May..." Peter's face went pale, his words stumbling out.
"Glad your brain's still working," Ben said dryly.
He knew Peter wouldn't overlook this forever; the kid was just drunk on a heroic fantasy right now. He just wanted to give him a wake-up call. Across countless universes, there were Spider-Men whose exposed identities led to Aunt May or Mary Jane getting hurt, or worse.
Spider-Man's life was a constant struggle against pain and misfortune. Just when things seemed to look up, fate loved to play a cruel joke.
"Okay," Peter nodded firmly. He understood Ben was right, but his resolve wasn't broken.
Maybe Spider-Man couldn't be Peter Parker, but the unchangeable fact was that Peter Parker would be Spider-Man.
He could keep his identity secret. But anyone cheering for Spider-Man would, in essence, be cheering for him.
"At least I'll still be doing good, right? With great power comes great responsibility. I don't need people thanking me to my face."
What Peter didn't know was that being a hero didn't only bring praise. He had yet to experience the bitter taste of being misunderstood and vilified despite doing the right thing.
But Ben didn't feel like lecturing him further.
There was no point in shattering Peter's confidence now. Some lessons had to be learned firsthand. Besides, he knew these hardships wouldn't break Spider-Man. They wouldn't break Peter Parker.
More importantly, Peter genuinely needed a superhero identity.
He'd always been the invisible Peter Parker—small, insignificant, overlooked even by his classmates. The girls he liked never gave him a second glance.
But now it was different.
He had the chance and the power to change that. What right did Ben have to take that away from him?
Even if Peter had to keep his powers a secret, becoming Spider-Man could fill a void inside him.
At least while wearing that mask, he would be the powerful Spider-Man, and not just Peter Parker.
"So, if you're really serious about fighting crime, you're gonna need a decent costume!" Ben grabbed Peter and plopped him down in front of the desk. He pulled out a stack of draft paper and flipped it open.
Peter's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"Wait... you said you didn't want to be a superhero?"
"I don't."
"But you secretly designed a full costume and already had the name 'Spider-Man' picked out?!"
/-\
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