Ben Parker (deceased) was an honest, hard-working, and immensely kind man who worked most of his life as an MP in the Army. A career of keeping soldiers in line and uncovering wrongdoings within the ranks and officers instilled in Ben a strong sense of accountability, that anyone who wields power should be held responsible for it. He did what he could to make sure May and Peter could live comfortably and happily, and while their life was far from idyllic, he made sure they never went hungry, and that any arguments he and May might have had over bills or school or work were well out of earshot of their nephew. As Pete grew, Ben tried his best to teach him responsibility and maturiy, lessons Pete sadly would not learn until a carjacker took Ben's life. While Ben's death still troubles and haunts Peter, the lessons his uncle taught him have fixed his moral compass and strengthened his resolve.
May Parker is Peter's aunt, a surrogate mother to him ever since his birth parents were killed when he was a toddler. A retired nurse, she has spent most of her life helping people, and has done her best to instill that same charity and compassion in her nephew. Though she no longer works professionally, May is far from idle, as she spends most of her time volunteering at the FEAST homeless center, working closely with the philanthropic community leader Martin Li.
Harry Osborn didn't meet Peter until well into high school, but the two have since become fast friends. The son of billionaire CEO Norman Osborn, Harry has spent his entire life in his father's shadow, and bridles at the expectations put upon him. While he puts on the image of a suave, charming, and motivated young professional destined to inherit his father's empire, in truth Harry lacks that ruthless ambition, and would much rather follow his late mother's footsteps in environmental activism when not goofing off with his friends. The pressures put on him between his dueling identities have started to take their toll on Harry, and while he tries to play it off, something dark is growing inside of him.
Eddie Brock is a childhood friend of Peter's, having grown up in the house across the street. While the Parkers were a struggling but relatively happy household, the Brocks were utterly dysfunctional, and Eddie spent much of his time hanging out with Pete as a way to get away from his parents. Eddie came to see Pete as a sort of kid brother, and would regularly stand up for him against bullies like Flash Thompson, though this often got him into trouble at school, which only led to more trouble at home. Things only continued to spiral downward for Eddie as he fell in with a gang, working as a small-time dealer for Lonnie "Tombstone" Lincoln. Eventually, he was called in by Tombstone to act as a soldier during a turf war with the Maggia, but before things turned deadly, the raid was broken up by Spider-Man, who webbed Eddie up and left him for the police. Eddie served three years, and has just been released from prison, where he now faces the difficulties of trying to make ends meet as an ex-con.
Gwen Stacy is Peter's fiancée, their childhood friendship having grown into an on-again-off-again romance through high school and finally a lifelong commitment. Gwen has always been a fellow nerd and overachiever, and part of her initial attraction to Peter was that she loved competing with him to see who would be top of their class. She was the first person to figure out Spider-Man's identity, and has since acted as a silent partner in his vigilante career, investigating the shady activities of OsCorp from the inside and providing Pete with research and data while he is out on patrol. Her father's death is still a painful memory, though she is determined to do his memory justice.
Mary Jane Watson came from a broken home, but never let that break her spirit. Initially introduced to Peter via blind date, she found she liked him and his group of friends, and spent much of her free time in high school encouraging them to come out of their shells. Now a journalism major, a regular in the college's theater productions, and the lead singer of a punk rock band, MJ has her potential future pulling her in all directions, but rather than give in to the pressure, she is more content to go wherever the wind takes her. She is a troublemaker and a firebrand who regularly takes over any room she enters. She is also one of the few people who knows Pete is Spider-Man, as she once had to drive him to the emergency room after a particularly nasty battle with the Green Goblin. While she is currently dating Harry, MJ is not quite as over her on-and-off relationship with Pete as she lets on.
Liz Allan is a fellow intern at OsCorp, and the former girlfriend of Harry Osborn. A bright and straight-laced young woman with her whole career already plotted out, Liz is very much the antithesis of Mary Jane, always trying to fit in rather than stand out. This seeming obsession with being 'normal' came into focus when her brother Mark was revealed to be a mutant, a low-level pyromancer the
Bugle dubbed "Molten Man." Liz is an avid reader of the
Bugle and listener to Jameson's "Just the Facts" podcast, which has only fed her phobia of mutants and aliens and other 'freaks' like Spider-Man.