Skip to main content

What are the different ways that Spider-Man makes webs in the comics?


I've never really followed the comics too religiously, but I've read a few issues here and there, and a few of the spin-offs.


I recall one explanation of Spider-Man's webs as being an invention of brilliant student Peter Parker, which he strapped onto his wrists to fire a sticky webbing of a chemical composition he developed.


I also seem to recall him being able to use webs without relying on his home-made web cartridges. Some of that may have been while using the alien symbiote costume, but I'm not certain that's the only time I've seen him able to sling webs without a mechanical device (in comics only).


I also believe I've seen a fair variation in what types of webs Spider-Man can make, ranging from simple strands, to projectile-like balls, to full formed nets. I may be confusing some of this with movies, video games, or even the Marvel pen-and-paper RPG, but I believe most if not all of these have made some appearances in comics.


Given all the various Spider-Man titles, what are the various sources and types of webbing that the comic-book super-hero has been able to use?



Answer



Spidey has been able to make webs in a number of different ways. Okay, actually, technically, two different ways. He can make it with web shooters or without web shooters. But the sheer number of ways he's varied on these two options is pretty impressive.


First, there's the original way, his web-shooters:


Spidey's web shooter image



Ben Reiley, the maybe-clone-maybe-original-dear-god-don't-explainScarlet Spider modified this design into a top-of-the wrist version, and added a new feature: impact webbing. Tiny web capsules that burst on impact, able to encase a target.


They had other uses


It's certainly possible that his 'top of wrist' web shooter design was inspired by his (in)famous black suit.


Stylin!


In reality, this suit was a symbiote that enhanced his powers and created webbing. Venom, the symbiote bonded with Eddie Brock, would keep this ability, and shoot seemingly-infinite amounts of web from the top of his wrists.


Later, Peter Parker had a mutation-rebirth-spider-totem thing where he mutated into a giant spider, which then died and he burst out of its corpse. This...happened. The upside of it is, he gained the ability (inspired by the 2002 movie) to shoot webbing organically, without web-shooters.


I...there are no words


Notably, this was actually not an idea the movie came up with by itself. Miguel O'Hara, the Spider-man of 2099, had organic webshooters as well.


Awesome costume, brah!


Interestingly, when Tony Stark built the Iron Spider armor for his good buddy Peter (and later gave it to several other people to hunt down that traitor Peter), he didn't do anything for webbing. Instead, the armor was just configured to allow webbing to pass through a custom-built port. I suppose he didn't feel the need to mess with success.



Last but not least Miles Morales, the current Ultimate Spider-Man, didn't originally have webbing. He was later given the webshooters of the deceased Peter Parker, and then upgraded to a new set provided by SHIELD. Functionally, his webbing is identical to '616' (normal Marvel Universe) Spidey's.


Step 1, cut a hole in a box? Oh no, just web-shooters. WEB shooters


In general, web shooters (organic or technological) have all been able to do a few things:



  • shoot thin lines of webbing

  • produce wide webs (used as either nets or quick webs between buildings to catch falling things/people)

  • fire impact webbing (after Ben "Let's not discuss clones" Reiley invented it, others picked it up) (technological only, I don't think Venom or Parker w/ organic webs uses it)

  • Produce a thick web 'gloop' that could be shaped into things like shields or, in one case, a hang glider

  • fire specialty webbing (technological only) - Spidey has on occasion produced special types of webbing for specific opponents (such as more/less soluble for Hydroman, less conductive for Electro, etc)



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.
Post a Comment
Read more

harry potter - How could Expelliarmus beat Avada Kedavra?

I want to be very careful about how I ask this question – I am not asking How did Voldemort die? [CLOSED] Below the text is the relevant passages from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows if anyone wants to review them (I'm sorry for the amount of text). How did Expelliarmus beat Avada Kedavra and kill Voldemort? I feel the reason Harry's Expelliarmus overpowered Voldemort's Avada Kedavra curse has to do with who was master of the Elder Wand and how the Elder Wand works. I've always had trouble understanding fully how the Elder Wand works, though. How much did the fact that Voldemort never truly won or mastered the Elder Wand factor into how Expelliarmus reacted to Avada Kedavra and caused Avada Kedavra to rebound and kill Voldemort? An answer based in book canon would be especially welcome, but any canon source really is fine. Harry heard the high voice shriek as he, too, yelled his best hope to the heavens, pointing Draco’s wand: ‘ Avada Kedavra !’ ‘ Expelliarmus !...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is there good canon evidence for the "Nightmare Matrix"?

On the Matrix wiki, there's an article about the Nightmare Matrix which says: The Nightmare Matrix was the second prototype Matrix, designed by The Architect after the massive failure of the Paradise Matrix in the hope that human minds would more readily accept an imperfect world with suffering. Unlike the first version, this Matrix instituted a basic cause-and-effect programming and forcibly made those connected to it accept the program. Vamp Prime, a possible remnant of the Nightmare Matrix. It also featured programs that resembled mythical evil creatures in various human mythologies such as vampires, werewolves, zombies, aliens, etc. It also failed, but many of the programs who were designed for it survived deletion in exile. The Merovingian and his wife, Persephone may have had their roots in this version of the Matrix. Upon its failure, the Merovingian started a smuggling ring of programs and information to provide a haven for exiles that would last for 6 cycles in the final ...
Post a Comment
Read more

story identification - Anime with a boy hiring a creature from a stone, meets a man named Dante and starts a journey to collect crystals

I am from India, this anime or animated series (I can't remember this was made by the Japan or other countries) was aired between 2009 and 2012 probably in Jetix/Disney XD (but I'm not sure). This anime starts with a boy (the main character, I forgot his name) who find a stone (or crystal like thing) in his dad's property, his dad was missing that time. Some day he accidentally hire a creature/monster from that stone. Other day some creature attack him and he was saved by his creature and the story begins. In his journey to solve the mystery he meets a middle aged man 'Dante' (probably that was the name; this is the only character name I can remember). He had also some stone. After that they meet with one girl and a women (one of the girls is same age with the main boy character and probably will become his partner as the story goes on). Another women probably Dante's partner. Four of them started their journey to collect all the stone/crystal. They are collecti...
Post a Comment
Read more