THE SINS OF THE FATHER
Chapter V

On the surface, Rocket Racer seems like one of the lighter entries in Spider-Man’s animated adventures — pairing Robert Farrell, the rocket-powered skateboarder, with Jackson Weele, the absurd Big Wheel. Both are often dismissed as silly, even comical. Yet beneath the spectacle lies a deeper story, one about privilege, colour, and the unseen struggles of youth in New York.

Peter Parker assumes that Robert can simply continue his education, as though opportunity were universal. But Robert’s reality is different: poverty, responsibility, and the weight of circumstance threaten to derail his potential. The episode confronts the truth that not every child has the same path to glory, and that talent alone is not enough when the world is stacked against you.

The turning point comes through guidance. It is Peter and Felicia who step in, not to mould Robert into a superhero, nor to condemn him as a criminal, nor to demand perfection as a student. Instead, they help him become something more vital — a young man capable of making hard choices, of standing for others, of facing the big challenges with resilience.

Robert Farrell’s journey is not about triumph over villains, but about learning to carry responsibility. He is not elevated to mythic heroism, but to maturity — a boy transformed into a man who can handle the “big stuff”, even a Big Wheel, by himself.

After kissing Felicia Hardy, Spider-Man insists they cannot be together. Their moment is interrupted as the Big Wheel crashes through the streets with a gang of jet-pack thieves. At the same time, Robert Farrell collects his mother’s medicine, but when he pockets stolen cash dropped in the chaos, he is arrested and spends the night in a cell.

The next morning, Felicia helps Mrs. Farrell collect Robert, while Peter’s attempt to ask Felicia out is rejected — she prefers Spider-Man, and later accepts Jason Phillips’ invitation instead. Meanwhile, Robert, disillusioned, spies on the gang who robbed his mother’s store, steals their technology, and builds a rocket-powered skateboard.

Robert’s first robbery brings him into conflict with Spider-Man, and his mother collapses after seeing him exposed on television. Jackson Weele, furious at Robert’s theft, unleashes the Big Wheel to silence him. Spider-Man discovers Robert is the thief, but together they sabotage the Big Wheel’s timing mechanism, sending it into the water, and Spider-Man saves Weele from drowning.

With Weele imprisoned, his gang targets Mrs Farrell’s store again, but Spider-Man and Robert ambush them, defeating the criminals. Felicia begins dating Jason, leaving Peter disappointed, while Robert learns to shoulder responsibility and make choices for others.

ROGUE’S GALLERY

THE BIG WHEEL

Jackson Weele was a crooked businessman, appearing first in Amazing Spider-Man #182, who embezzled from his own company. When the youthful Rocket Racer uncovered his crimes and began blackmailing him, Weele’s life unravelled. Humiliated by the taunts of “Big Weele”, he attempted suicide, only to be stopped and mocked further. In despair, he turned to the Tinkerer, commissioning a colossal, weaponised wheel to strike back at Rocket Racer and reclaim some shred of dignity.

More absurd than dangerous, the Big Wheel is often remembered as one of Spider-Man’s more outlandish foes — a man piloting a giant rolling machine through the streets of New York. Yet beneath the spectacle lies a tragic figure: a man so broken by shame and ridicule that he embraced a ridiculous identity to fight back. His villainy is not born of grand ambition, but of humiliation, a desperate attempt to be taken seriously.

Weele’s career as the Big Wheel was short-lived. His first battle ended in disaster, plunging into the Hudson River, and his wife left him soon after. Later stories saw him attempt reform, even attending “Villain Anonymous” meetings and trying to make amends. At times he stumbled into accidental heroism, helping Spider-Man capture foes like the Shocker, though never with true competence.

This episode is loosely based on Amazing Spider-Man #172 and Amazing Spider-Man #182-183. In both issues Spider-Man faces Rocket Racer and Big Wheel.

This episode and The Spot are considered by most fans to be the two worst episodes of the series.

Jackson Weele is never called by his comic book name, Big Wheel, in the episode. However, Robert Farrell does refer to the vehicle as the Big Wheel. Robert isn’t named as the Rocket Racer either.

A reporter states that the hotel Spider-Man and Rocket Racer fight at is the Hotel Excelsior. ‘Excelsior’ was a word Stan Lee used to sign off of his soapboxes. It’s a Latin word that means ‘ever upward’.

Thwip Quip: “I always did wanna hang with the homeboys.”

HE WAS A SKATER BOI: ROCKET RACER

Using his ingenuity. Robert Farrell, better known as Rocket Racer, was a gifted young man from Brooklyn who became responsible for his six younger siblings after the death of his mother. To support them, he turned his scientific talent toward invention, building a rocket-powered skateboard and a suit equipped with magnets and weaponry. His debut in Amazing Spider-Man #172 introduced him as a criminal, but one born of circumstance rather than malice.

Farrell’s early exploits were driven by desperation — stealing to provide for his family, clashing with Spider-Man not out of hatred but necessity. His rivalry with Jackson Weele, the corrupt businessman who became the Big Wheel, defined his origin. Farrell uncovered Weele’s embezzlement and blackmailed him, mocking him with the nickname “Big Weele”. Humiliated, Weele turned to the Tinkerer for his absurd rolling machine, setting the stage for one of Spider-Man’s strangest battles.

Rocket Racer’s story is one of evolution. Though he began as a villain, Farrell sought redemption. He earned a university scholarship, worked with Silver Sable, and even joined groups like MOKOK’s 11 and the Avengers Academy. His journey reflects the possibility of change — that a character introduced as a petty criminal can grow into a figure of resilience, striving to rise above his past.

Rocket Racer embodies the struggle of a young man caught between responsibility and temptation, between survival and morality. His rocket-powered skateboard may seem flamboyant, but beneath the spectacle lies a story of ingenuity, hardship, and the desire to do better.

Enter the Green Goblin | Framed