The Best of Us: Spider-Man’s New Title Cements His Status as Marvel’s Top Hero

Warning: Spoilers for Avengers: Twilight #1!The heroes of the Marvel Universe seem to all agree that Spider-Man is truly the best of them. Thanks to more recent developments, as his “Gang War” teammates appear to hate him and he’s not even on the best of terms with his fellow Spider-Man, it’s easy to forget the original Spider-Man’s impact on those around him.

Avengers: Twilight #1 by Chip Zdarsky, Daniel Acuna, and VC’s Cory Petit offers a friendly reminder as to what most Marvel heroes think of the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. It’s the original Captain America who speaks for the rest of Marvel’s finest in uttering a familiar phrase: “You’re the best of us.”

This is a phrase that’s been uttered several times across different Marvel Comics, many of which have been released fairly recently within the last couple of years. The phrase has come up so frequently that it’s worth addressing as to what exactly makes Spidey the best of the Marvel heroes.

Spider-Man Dies as “The Best of Us”

Spidey has frequently been called “the best of us” by multiple heroes. Daredevil did so years ago and reiterated the same phrase last year while fighting the Wall-Crawler. Deadpool and H.E.R.B.I.E. are further examples of Marvel characters who have used that phrase with Spider-Man (among other compliments). And now, Captain America becomes the most recent to do so in a bittersweet moment during the death of Spider-Man. As an older Steve Rogers suffers a heart attack, he flashes back to H-Day aka Hero Day, the worst day in superhero history.

H-Day is a worldwide massacre orchestrated by an MCU villain that tarnishes the reputations of all heroes, including the many like Spider-Man who lose their lives on that fateful day. Cap recalls stumbling upon Spider-Man’s impaled body. Spidey tries his best in his last breath to utter his own name and pass on his dying wish. But as he struggles to say the words “Peter Parker,” Steve proclaims who Spider-Man really is: “You’re the best of us.”

How is Spider-Man the Best of Us?

It’s rare to see any hero expound on what makes Spider-Man the best of them beyond just calling him such. But maybe that’s exactly what makes him the best of them: the reasons are self-explanatory and need no explanation. As one of Marvel’s earliest and most popular superheroes, Spidey is the definitive hero for not just readers, but characters in its universe. He exemplifies exactly how selfless, good-natured, and pure every hero should be. It’s no wonder why heroes think Spider-Man is “the best of us.”