Richard and Mary Parker

Richard and Mary Parker are fictional characters from Marvel Comics, best known as the parents of Peter Parker—the superhero Spider-Man—and his sister Teresa Parker, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Stan Lee and Larry Lieber created them, and their story first appeared in *The Amazing Spider-Man Annual* #5 (November 1968), which finally explained why Peter was raised by his aunt and uncle.

In the comics, Richard Parker was a decorated U.S. Army Special Forces captain and the younger brother of Ben Parker. Nick Fury, later the head of S.H.I.E.L.D., recruited him for the C.I.A. Mary Fitzpatrick, daughter of O.S.S. agent "Wild Will" Fitzpatrick, attended top schools and became a C.I.A. translator and data analyst. They met on the job, fell in love, and married—first eloping, then having a larger ceremony that fooled many. Mary became a field agent, and together they investigated Baroness Adelicia Von Krupp, rescuing a captured Canadian operative named Logan (later known as Wolverine). After that mission, Mary discovered she was pregnant; Logan was the first to congratulate them. Their son Peter often stayed with Ben and May Parker while his parents were away. Richard and Mary died when an assassin sabotaged their plane in Algeria, working for the third Red Skull, Albert Malik. They were declared missing in action and presumed dead.

Peter grew up to become Spider-Man with only vague memories of his parents. His aunt and uncle shared happy photos but hid their belief that Richard and Mary had been traitors. When Peter learned this, he traveled to Algeria, confronted Malik, and ultimately cleared his parents’ names after a battle with the Finisher. Years later, it was revealed that Peter had a younger sister, Teresa.

The Chameleon later created Life Model Decoys (LMDs) of Richard and Mary—robotic replicas—working for Harry Osborn. The LMDs claimed the Parkers had been imprisoned in the Soviet Union and only recently freed. Peter grew suspicious, and Aunt May noticed they didn’t know private family details. When Peter exposed them, the Mary LMD, driven by the original’s love, saved him before both decoys were destroyed. Spider-Man learned Harry Osborn orchestrated the scheme to avenge his father, Norman. This ordeal triggered a severe psychological breakdown in Peter.

The characters have appeared in animated series, video games, and films.