Peter Parker being an autistic shapeshifter idea (Thinking of Ultimate Spider-man Cartoon Peter, as I basically always am. Also yes heās still spider-man):
First off: he can turn into any fictional character and gains whatever tools or powers they have. He also doesnāt view shapeshifting as differentiating from himself as a person, all the ways his body looks feels like himself (basically, the Peter we all think of is not necessarily a ābaselineā). Itās like switching a light switch: you donāt have to hold it up or down, it moves and then stays that way on its own and always remains a light switch regardless of position. His shapeshifting comes from the X-gene, but for reasons I have made up, the gene doesnāt show unless heās using them.
The only reason he wouldnāt be able to shift and maintain it is if the body is bigger because it takes more energy to maintain and he hasnāt built up the āmusclesā to maintain that body yet. The speed of shapeshifting is determined by him so it can be he walks into the dark and out of it and is different or you see his entire body change. Clothing and gear are changed into other things, so if he wants to have his communicator he has to either place it somewhere or toss it up, change, then grab it.
He uses this ability to transport objects easier and hide things from other people (like turning into Anakin and changing Samās phone into a lightsaber). Other people can be transformed along side him, but he canāt turn back unless he turns them back as well. He usually doesnāt do this because people tend to be more uncomfortable with the changes than he is (he is incredibly gender apathetic, which causes the others to freak out on what to call him because his only answer is, āI donāt know, whatever you wantā and heās known for being a bit of a people pleaser).
Heās very good at pretending to be other people when he shifts and he also notices all the little things they do (like doing the little finger thing Ellie Williams does when sheās stressed or bored). He turns into characters for many reasons: practical use (DCās Live Wire vs Electro), references/jokes (āYeah? Well, you talk too much.ā(Vi, arcane), communicating (it can be easier for him to explain things using other characterās words), stimming (the actual act of shape shifting, seeing and experiencing things differently, etc), and to help explain and show his feelings.
Examples of characters and why he would turn into them:
Joel Miller(last of us): āthings happenā¦ and we move onā. Joel typically means heās avoiding his feelings in order to continue doing what he needs to be doing (used a lot for missions, but also if he feels he needs to move on quickly from something). (Side note: if Miles is there acting sort of like Peterās child, Joel means there is no arguing. Whatever he wants to do or have happen for Miles will. Not even Fury argues. And if heās Kratos from God of War? Everyone has learned to stay out of the way and follow orders)
Ellie Williams (Last of us): Younger Ellie is usually so he can make more puns (he gets her pun book and uses that to annoy everyone). Older Ellie is two things: heās thinking of Benās death or heās determined to do something and cannot be talked out of it.
Abby Anderson: mostly used for flexing and being cocky. Sometimes if heās dealing with feelings about Benās Death, but he isnāt being as destructive about it.
Tweek Tweak (yes, South Park lol): he is the most anxious a person could ever possibly be. Typically, he doesnāt turn into tweek on purpose and something has forced him to (Truth Serums donāt force him to say what heās thinking, but it does force him to show it)
Anakin Skywalker: he is either extremely conflicted with something heās done or heās doing dumb thing and having the time of his life (he also uses Anakin to cry silently) (also, his spider-sense works with Anakinās future vision, something really great because he cannot figure out how the force works). Death Vader is hardly used because of how many physical issues he has, but if he makes an appearance itās because Peter is pissed but trying to use Vaderās breathing-thing to force himself to take deep breaths
Obi-Wan: sometimes to represent Peter and Sam (sassy mentor/leader who has to deal with someone incredibly cocky who refuses to listen), or he has done something he feels incredibly sure about, but also guilty
Luke Skywalker: he has given up. Not on anything serious, just learning his powers (everyoneās powers work differently, so even if two characters have the same set of powers, he still has to learn how to use them)
Heimdal (God of War: Ragnorok): He is being a little shit, usually during training. Sam absolutely loses his mind whenever Peter turns into Heimdal. (Heimdalās powers work naturally with his spider-sense and it makes him even harder to hit)
Ellen Ripley (Alien): he is either feeling extremely confident in what heās doing or is doing a really good job pretending he is (Ripley 8 is used to annoy Ava, who really loved Ripley until that clone nonsense).
Xenomorph: mostly used practically (hunting something invisible, quick moving, avoiding visual sensory input), but can also be used to avoid showing his emotions and seeing otherās. (Sam loves that he canāt talk like this lol, though Sam prefers real aliens, so they argue over the Xenomorphās design a lot)
Dutch Van Der Linde (Red dead): he is very unsure and insecure on his position as leader, but he continues to pretend he knows what heās doing. When heās dealing with anxiety or depression, Dutch is used to vent how he doesnāt feel like the leader anymore with everyone caring for him (he has said, āIāve got a planā more times than Dutch as thus point)
Vi (Arcane): āYeah? Well, you talk to much.ā Peter is feeling extremely cocky and knows heās the shit. He is also ready to argue with Fury because he is incredibly hard-headed. Pit Fighter Vi means Peter could not possibly be doing worse (I head canon that Peter, if extremely angered, will visit wrestling rings or use the Shield training simulator to help him sleep by being too exhausted to stay awake) he is also ready to argue over everything because of how pissed he is.
Ben Tennyson (Ben ten): he uses the watch itself to turn into the aliens. Mostly either aliens whoās powers are hard to work out (I believe in the theory of Ben having alien instincts to help him figure everything out faster) or to turn into Waybig because he doesnāt feel the physical exhaustion that he would turning into that species on his own. Ben also represents his hard-headedness and need to help out (and, because itās USM, a little wink wink because the voice actor for teenage Ben is Yuri Lowenthal, the voice actor for the ps4 Spider-man games).
Nimona (same title book and comic): Heās feeling very insecure about his inhuman-ness. He just wants to be himself without all the questioning. He also hates how he is told to āturn back to normalā because for him every form he takes is just as much āhimā as the one he uses at school and home.
The Doctor (Doctor who, either David tenant or Matt smith, sometimes Peter Capaldi): the doctor makes an appearance when heās excited and explaining something (usually multiverse stuff) or when heās so close to not containing how angry he is at something. (Also, Jodieās Doctor makes an appearance, but sheās strictly for fun and whimsyā¦also saying fun gender things to confuse people).
I have way more but I donāt want this getting too long. Is this projection because I use Peter to explain and feel my feelings? Oh absolutely!
