He may not have been the first superhero introduced into their fictional comic book universe, but Spider-Man is Marvel's flagship character. He's The House of Ideas' most recognizable hero, star of everything from video games to animated series, and for a long time his masked face was even the company's logo, printed on every single one of their comics. He's a big deal, which explains why he's had one of the longest cinematic presences of any Marvel hero to date.