ABSTRACT
Iconic characters such as Spider-Man appear in different media and challenge creators to appeal to both new audiences unfamiliar with their previous iterations and expert audiences well-informed about a character’s history. This chapter seeks to outline a model of character components that is applicable in both theory and practice. Building on theoretical perspectives from media studies, adaptation studies, transmedia studies, narratology, and fan studies, this model identifies two dimensions of character components: cursory components that require only a superficial familiarity with the character and comprehensive components that require knowledge of previous narratives that involve the character. These components are discussed in an analysis of comic book series, movies, and videogames featuring Spider-Man. In conclusion, creating new continuities while referencing pre-existing comprehensive components appears to be a successful narrative strategy for creators dealing with the challenge of adapting similar IPs to new media and franchises. At the same time, tracing the origins of both cursory and comprehensive components across the publication history of a character across various media is more insightful than discussing which components could be considered “definitive” for a character since the core concept of characters like Spider-Man is subject to change over time.
