Marvel's First 'Peter Parker' Story Failed Without Spider-Man

screenrant.com:

Although Spider-Man was a groundbreaking character when he was first published, Marvel had actually earlier featured a character similar to Peter Parker. Marvel Comics published a variety of groundbreaking and innovative characters and storylines in its early days, like the Fantastic Four and the Incredible Hulk. But one of the most popular and enduring characters from this era is Peter Parker, also known as the Spider-Man.

Peter Parker was a revolutionary character for many reasons. As a teenage social outcast going through many of the common struggles high schoolers face, many readers could relate to his problems more than other heroes. Additionally, Spider-Man's persona was widely distrusted and hated by both other Marvel heroes and the general public, unlike other superheroes who were generally encouraged and supported. This often left him feeling more isolated than other heroes which made him often experience more negative emotions, especially compared to heroes who were part of teams or had sidekicks. However, many of these interesting character traits were absent from the first character of this type that Marvel introduced.

Related: Marvel Wants Spider-Man Fans To Forget There Are TWO Peter Parkers

Although he was already a member of the Fantastic Four, Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch also received his own solo series of stories in the comic Strange Tales. Initially these stories focused on Johnny fighting his own villains without the help of the Fantastic Four while also hiding his identity as the Human Torch. While it's nice to read more Human Torch as he is often underrated, these stories don't work as well as early Spider-Man stories despite both comics being about a teenage superhero hiding their identity.