The line “with great power comes great responsibility” is most famously associated with Spider-Man, specifically his Uncle Ben, but it was not originally coined for the comic.

Who Most People Think Said It

In popular culture today, most people would answer: Uncle Ben from Spider- Man.

In the 2002 movie and in many retellings of Peter Parker’s origin, Uncle Ben delivers a version of this line as a moral lesson that defines Spider-Man’s character.

Because of that, the quote is widely treated as a Spider-Man motto and is sometimes even called the “Peter Parker principle.”

How It Appeared in Spider-Man

In the early Spider-Man comics, the exact wording first appeared not as Uncle Ben’s spoken dialogue, but as narrative text in a caption.

The phrasing “With great power there must also come great responsibility” was used to sum up Peter Parker’s realization about using his powers ethically.

Later adaptations (cartoons, films, games) shifted the line into Uncle Ben’s mouth, solidifying him in fans’ minds as the one who “said it.”

Older Historical Uses

Long before Spider-Man, versions of this idea appeared in politics and philosophy.

Some key examples:

  • 1793: A French Revolutionary text used the phrase “a great responsibility is the inseparable result of a great power.”
  • 1817: British politician William Lamb (later Lord Melbourne) said “the possession of great power necessarily implies great responsibility” in Parliament.
  • 1906: Winston Churchill said “Where there is great power there is great responsibility” in a speech about Britain’s colonial duties.
  • Religious roots: The idea appears in the Bible (e.g., “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required”) and similar teachings in Islamic hadith about every person being responsible for their “flock.”

Because the idea shows up repeatedly in different forms, historians generally say there is no single original author of the concept.

So Who “Said It,” Really?

If you mean pop culture:

  • Most people would credit Uncle Ben from Spider-Man , in stories created and popularized by writer Stan Lee and collaborators at Marvel.

If you mean historically:

  • Versions of the line were used by William Lamb , Winston Churchill , and others many decades before Spider-Man, and the basic idea is even older, going back at least to the late 18th century and to religious teachings about duty and stewardship.

So the safest answer is: it was popularized by Spider-Man/Uncle Ben, but it was not originally coined by him or by Stan Lee.

TL;DR:

  • Pop culture answer: Uncle Ben in Spider-Man made it famous.
  • Historical answer: Similar lines were used by politicians like William Lamb and Winston Churchill, and the idea is even older, so no single clear original author.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.