Well...without sounding like a geek...Spiderman/Peter Parker...typical teenager...a bit geeky and bullied....gets bitten by a radioactive spider and gains some abilities...attempts to use them for personal gain, resulting in a terrible tragedy which teaches him an awesome lesson of "With great power, comes great responsibility!" Spends his life trying to make up for that mistake always trying to do the right thing no matter what...as it is his responsibility now. Along the way comes many of typical life problems that he has to deal with as well as getting his ass handed to him every now and then...but he always gets back up.
I think he is one of the best role models for kids today....and also let's not forget his ability to joke when faced with great danger.
Hmmm....still sounds too geeky