Peter, Which Is Better?

About

Peter, Which Is Better? is a three-panel exploitable meme format in which Spider-Man character Uncle Ben asks his nephew Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) for his opinion on which of two items is better, with Peter naming a third option and stating that it is better than both of the two. In January 2022, the recaptioned template gained virality online on Twitter and Reddit, with Fortnite becoming a prominent punchline within the format.

Origin

On May 3rd, 2002, the superhero film Spider-Man premiered.^[1] In one scene of the film, protagonist Peter Parker / Spider-Man is about to leave the house as the character Uncle Ben reminds him that they need to paint the kitchen later that day (shown below).

- Hey, Michelangelo, don't forget we're painting the kitchen right after school, you got it?
- Sure thing, Uncle Ben. Don't start without me!
- And don't start up with me!

On July 20th, 2019, Twitter^[2] user @DrShyGuy posted a three-panel meme based on the scene, changing the dialogue so that Uncle Ben inquires about Peter's opinion on which Super Smash Brothers game is better, Super Smash Bros. Melee or Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, with Peter responding that Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is better than both (authorship unconfirmed). The post gained over 1,900 retweets and 7,300 likes in three years (shown below).

Spread

The image was frequently reposted on Twitter and other websites in the following years. For example, on February 6th, 2021, Twitter^[3] user @chrisdosmil shared the image, with the post gaining over 580 retweets and 3,300 likes in two years. On January 6th, 2022, Twitter^[4] user @wbi_priest then reposted it, with the tweet garnering over 2,900 retweets and 20,200 likes in one year.

On January 8th, 2022, Twitter^[5] user @SMTNetwork posted the earliest found derivative meme based on the format (shown below, left). In mid-January 2022, a version in which Peter Parker claims that Fortnite is a better game went viral with posts on Reddit,^[6] Instagram^[7] and iFunny^[8] (shown below, right).

Through 2022 and early 2023, multiple popular versions of the meme were posted on Twitter and Reddit. For example, on September 18th, 2022, Twitter^[9] user @Ventricide posted a meme about Spamton Sweepstakes that gained over 3,000 retweets and 16,700 likes in four months (shown below, left). On January 13th, 2023, Twitter^[10] user @SenorBuen0 posted a meme advocating media piracy that gained over 12,000 retweets and 80,300 likes in five days (shown below, right).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References