After being bitten by a radioactive spider, Peter Parker discovers that he possesses spider powers. Hoping that these new abilities will help him get rich and famous, he forgets about others and, refusing to help a police officer in catching a fleeing criminal, becomes the cause of his Uncle Ben's death. Realizing the full extent of his downfall, he decides to use his abilities to fight crime and becomes the superhero Spider-Man. Peter has to balance fighting supervillains with his personal life, his job as a photojournalist at the Daily Bugle, and his clashes with the editor-in-chief, who asserts that Spider-Man is a criminal who should be in prison.