Every Job Peter Parker Had (and Failed to Keep)

Peter Parker doesn’t have the best luck. Throughout Peter’s amazing adventures as Spider-Man, the infamous Parker luck has frequently foiled his romantic relationships and professional endeavors. Since becoming Spider-Man as a teenager, Peter has struggled to balance a steady job with his web-slinging responsibilities.

As Peter Parker gets ready to sign on to a new job in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2025) #1 by Joe Kelly, Pepe Larraz, and John Romita Jr., let’s look back at his resume and break down his employment history.

PERFORMER 

Spider-Man had a brief but lucrative career as an entertainer in AMAZING FANTASY (1962) #15 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Shortly after developing super powers, Peter Parker faced the wrestler Crusher Hogan and won a cash prize for lasting three minutes in the ring with him, so he decided to try monetize his powers further.

After making a costume, Peter became a national sensation through several TV appearances that earned him positive newspaper coverage. However, Spider-Man’s entertainment career ended when two future villains, Quentin Beck and Supercharger, endangered the web-slinger’s audiences. 

FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER

When J. Jonah Jameson offered money for clear pictures of the Vulture, he unwittingly set Peter Parker up for a career as a freelance photographer in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #2 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Peter spent most of his career taking pictures of Spider-Man for The Daily Bugle, but he also sold photos to other publications like NOW Magazine, The Daily Globe, and Front Line.

Peter’s pictures of Spider-Man earned him some notoriety with the publication of Webs, a successful book collecting some of his work. Behind the lens, Peter also spent time as a paparazzi and as the official photographer for Jameson’s mayoral office. 

ADVERTISING SPOKESMAN

When the Carter & Lombardo Ad Agency searched for a way to advertise Corona Motors, they turned to Spider-Man for help in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #126 by Gerry Conway and Ross Andru. The advertisers approached Spider-Man about promoting the company’s new non-polluting car engine. Although he initially refused, a desperate Spider-Man agreed to build a Spider-Mobile with this new engine.

Spider-Man built the original Spider-Mobile with help from his friend, the Human Torch. He then promoted the vehicle by taking it out for a few missions. However, Spider-Man partially destroyed the car when the Tinkerer took control of it.

Although a model of the original car sits in the Smithsonian, Peter eventually redesigned an improved Spider-Mobile years later.

SCIENTIST AND RESEARCHER

Throughout his numerous stints in graduate school, Peter Parker briefly held several positions in scientific research. Peter worked as both a teaching and research assistant for Dr. Curt Connors when he started graduate school at Empire State University in PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #32 by Bill Mantlo and Jim Mooney.

When he briefly stepped away from his role as Spider-Man and moved to Portland, Peter worked for GARID Laboratories. During another hiatus from his web-slinging adventures, Peter worked for the Tricorp Research Foundation but was fired for missing too much work.

HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER 

When he could no longer sell his pictures of Spider-Man, Peter Parker found a job working as a science teacher at his old high school in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1999) #31 by J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita, Jr. While he only worked at Midtown High School two days a week, he regularly called in sick to keep up with his duties as the friendly neighborhood web-slinger.

When Peter revealed his identity as Spider-Man during CIVIL WAR (2006), he left his teaching job to keep the school's students safe. However, he briefly returned to the school using an image inducer that holographically disguised him to serve as a coaching assistant to his old friend, Flash Thompson.

BODYGUARD

While Peter Parker worked as a teacher, Spider-Man also took a short-lived side gig as a bodyguard in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1999) #52. A mob boss named Morris Forelli hired the web-slinger to protect him from Digger, a gamma-irradiated creature that grew out of the remains of 13 dead mobsters.

When Digger targeted Forelli, the mob boss offered Spider-Man $10,000 a day to protect him. Once Spider-Man defeated Digger by making the Hulk-like creature use up its energy, he facilitated Forelli’s arrest. He then used the money he made to build a library in Gwen Stacy’s honor. 

TONY STARK’S PROTÉGÉ

For many years, Spider-Man only had loose ties to the Avengers. However, he became a core member of the group when the heroes reorganized into the New Avengers.

During his tenure as an Avenger, Peter Parker grew particularly close to Tony Stark, who invited him to move into Avengers Tower with Mary Jane and Aunt May. Shortly after he gave Peter the Iron Spider suit, Tony hired him to be his full-time protégé in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1999) #529.  
 
Although Spider-Man’s relationship with Iron Man frayed when he defected to Captain America’s faction during CIVIL WAR (2006), Tony still offered to pay Peter to join a subsequent Avengers team.

HORIZON LABS

When Marla Jameson called in a favor at Horizon Labs, she gave Peter Parker the biggest break of his scientific career in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1999) #648 by Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos. Max Modell, one of Peter’s science heroes, headed the research institution at the time. 
 
Once Peter impressed Modell with his scientific puzzle-solving skills, Max hired him as one of the lab’s lead scientists. With a lenient work schedule, Peter developed new technology based on the inventions he created as Spider-Man.

When Doctor Octopus took control over Spider-Man’s body, he stopped working at Horizon, which was later destroyed and absorbed into Alchemax. 

CEO OF PARKER INDUSTRIES

While Otto Octavius lived in Peter Parker’s body, he formed a new tech company called Parker Industries in SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN (2013) #20 by Dan Slott and Giuseppe Camuncoli. Peter continued to operate as the CEO of Parker Industries after he regained control over his body.

Due to products like artificial limbs and Webware smartwatches, Parker Industries turned into a successful enterprise, so much so that it took over the Baxter Building and made Peter one of the richest people in the world.

However, Peter destroyed the company to prevent Doctor Octopus from taking it over. In the process, he lost his fortune and ruined his reputation. 

DAILY BUGLE SCIENCE EDITOR

After Peter Parker’s public fall from grace, he received an interesting offer from Robbie Robertson, the editor-in-chief of The Daily Bugle at the time. Instead of taking photos of Spider-Man, Peter now worked as the editor of the newspaper's science section in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2017) #791. Peter and his team made a strong first impression with an exposé on the Humanitech company, but his time as an editor was short-lived.  
 
During the time that Doctor Octopus possessed Spider-Man’s body, he had written Peter Parker’s dissertation. When this academic paper was later put through a plagiarism detector, it came back as entirely plagiarized from Doc Ock’s work. Peter, now back in his own body, lost his doctorate over these claims. Robertson subsequently fired the disgraced Peter Parker. 

THREATS AND MENACES

When J. Jonah Jameson and journalist Norah Winters left The Daily Bugle, they formed their own news organization called Threats and Menaces. Peter Parker took a lucrative job with the organization after a podcast between Jameson and Spider-Man turned into a major hit in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2018) #61 by Nick Spencer and Patrick Gleason.

After agreeing to livestream his adventures, Spider-Man donned a new blue and white costume covered in cameras that sent footage back to Threats and Menaces. The streams were successful and helped improve Spider-Man's public image, but Peter ultimately left the company in the middle of a major battle.  

OSCORP

Following a lifetime of plots against Spider-Man, Norman Osborn finally saw the error of his ways due to the mystically powered Sin-Eater. The former Green Goblin wanted to make amends for his numerous misdeeds, starting with offering Peter Parker a job at Oscorp.

While initially hesitant, Peter accepted the offer in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2022) #8 by Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr. Norman wanted to use his technology to help people and even offered Spider-Man an upgraded costume and glider. 

RAND ENTERPRISES

In AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2025) #1 by Joe Kelly and Pepe Larraz, Peter Parker braces himself for a fresh start at Rand Enterprises as an engineer. With the help of his old middle school pal, Brian Nehring, Peter got recommended for the role. Now, all Peter has to do is figure out how to balance his spectacular adventures as Spider-Man with his work life.

Will Peter be able to hold this job down? You’ll have to pick up AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2025) #1 to find out!

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