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It’s not easy balancing a double identity. Just ask Spider-Man. Marvel’s flagship hero has been trying to balance his life as Peter Parker and his heroic career as Spider-Man since his debut in 1962. The results have been mixed.

Charles Soule, who is one of the writers behind Spider-Man’s current Death Spiral storyline, compares the relationship between Spider-Man and Peter Parker to Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader (another character Soule has written for). Both characters try to compartmentalize their other identities, but Soule feels Vader has done it more effectively than Spidey.

“One of the questions that I get asked a lot is are Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader different people, and I think you can apply that sort of analysis to this question,” Charles Soule says during a panel at MegaCon 2026. “Are Spider-Man and Peter Parker different people? Is the worst day for Spider-Man also the worst day for Peter Parker?”

 “I think unlike some characters, I do kind of think that Anakin and Darth Vader are different people because Anakin made a very conscious choice to be that and has compartmentalized everything before as much as he could. I don’t think Peter does that. I think he is Peter, whether he has the mask on or not. And so, I think the worst day for whoever you’re writing would kind of be the same person. It’s how I see it.”

While the two characters have never crossed over, if they did, they would certainly have a lot to talk about. Vader could teach Spider-Man all about compartmentalizing his identities, while Spidey could teach Vader all about having the high ground.

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