When Stan Lee first conceived of Spider-Man back in the 1960s, he wanted Peter Parker to be a perpetually unlucky teenager who could never enjoy a total win thanks to his superhero responsibilities. Over time, Peter came to call this the "Parker Luck" (as in, nothing but bad luck), although he rarely used this as an excuse to shirk his responsibilities as New York's favorite web-slinger.
Multiple movies and TV shows have presented Peter Parker as the underdog of the superhero community. However, we're focusing on Spidey's depiction in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man 2" (2004), which provides the best examples of the "Parker Luck."
Over the course of the film, Peter (Tobey Maguire) gets fired from his job, loses his spider-powers, crashes his moped, misses his college classes, and won't allow himself to be with Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) out of fear of what his enemies could do to her. To rub further salt in his wounds, the production team makes sure MJ's picture is plastered across multiple New York billboards just to remind Peter of the relationship he can't have.
Still, Spider-Man perseveres — and by the end of the film, MJ takes matters into her own hands by letting Peter know she's willing to take the risk of being Spider-Man's girlfriend. It's a hard-won victory, but one that leaves audiences cheering for Marvel's ultimate underdog.
