Spider-Man's powers and equipment
Encyclopedia
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
in tandem to combat his many foes. He receives most of his powers when he is bitten by a radioactive common house spider
Common house spider
The common house spider , referred to as American house spider internationally, is a spider species of the genus Parasteatoda which is mainly indigenous to the New World, with P. tepidariorum australis also encountered in some parts of Myanmar and Pakistan...
(Amazing Fantasy
Amazing Fantasy
Amazing Fantasy is an American comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics from 1961 through 1962, and revived in 1995 and in the 2000s. It is best known as the title that introduced the popular superhero character Spider-Man in 1962...
#15). He uses his technical skill to develop equipment and weapon
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
s to complement his powers, and wears a number of costume
Costume
The term costume can refer to wardrobe and dress in general, or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people, class, or period. Costume may also refer to the artistic arrangement of accessories in a picture, statue, poem, or play, appropriate to the time, place, or other circumstances...
s, many of which have special properties.
Original abilities
When Peter Parker was bitten by a lethally irradiated spider, radioactive mutagenMutagen
In genetics, a mutagen is a physical or chemical agent that changes the genetic material, usually DNA, of an organism and thus increases the frequency of mutations above the natural background level. As many mutations cause cancer, mutagens are therefore also likely to be carcinogens...
ic enzyme
Enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
s in the spider's venom quickly caused numerous body-wide changes. Immediately after the bite, he was granted his original powers: primarily superhuman strength, reflexes, and equilibrium; the ability to cling tenaciously to most surfaces; and a subconscious precognitive
Precognition
In parapsychology, precognition , also called future sight, and second sight, is a type of extrasensory perception that would involve the acquisition or effect of future information that cannot be deduced from presently available and normally acquired sense-based information or laws of physics...
sense of danger, which he called a "spider-sense."
Several biologists on the History Channel’s Spider-Man Tech stated the effect of a radioactive spider bite (if any) would not be nearly enough to cause a mutation in a human body. However, they said the use of "genetically engineered
Genetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
" spiders from the live-action movie
Spider-Man (film)
Spider-Man is a 2002 American superhero film, the first in the Spider-Man film series based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. It was directed by Sam Raimi and written by David Koepp...
and the Ultimate continuity
Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel is an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and updated versions of the company's superhero characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four. The imprint was launched in 2000 with the publication of the series...
was more plausible. Instead of radioactive venom, the bite would have to carry a powerful retro virus (similar to HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
) that would spread through the body by taking over neighboring cells and actually becoming ingrained in the person’s DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
. They illustrated this by showing the results of an experiment where glow genes
Luciferase
Luciferase is a generic term for the class of oxidative enzymes used in bioluminescence and is distinct from a photoprotein. One famous example is the firefly luciferase from the firefly Photinus pyralis. "Firefly luciferase" as a laboratory reagent usually refers to P...
from deep sea Jelly fish were introduced into the embryos of lab mice. The resulting mice were born with the glow gene as a part of their own DNA and glowed light green
Bioluminescence
Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism. Its name is a hybrid word, originating from the Greek bios for "living" and the Latin lumen "light". Bioluminescence is a naturally occurring form of chemiluminescence where energy is released by a chemical reaction in...
whenever an ultraviolet light was shone on them.
Generally enhanced physiology
Spider-Man's overall metabolic efficiency has been greatly increased, and the composition of his skeleton, connective tissues, muscles, and nervous system have all been enhanced. Originally, Peter Parker wore glasses, but after the spider bite, his vision became 20/20, allowing him to see perfectly after his spectacles were broken by Flash Thompson. Spider-Man is capable of healing injuries faster and more extensively than ordinary humans, though it is considerably inferior to the healing abilities of individuals such as WolverineWolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
or The Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
. However, Spider-Man is capable of healing from injuries as severe as broken bones within a matter of hours. During a battle with a villain called the Masked Marauder, Spider-Man is rendered completely blind. However, during a visit to an eye specialist, it is revealed that Spider-Man is already healing only after mere hours of being blasted. After about 2 days, Spider-Man's eyesight has recovered to perfection and his 20/20 vision is restored, although his eyes are sensitive for about a day after, shown when Carrion
Carrion (comics)
Carrion is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe, in which he is an enemy of Spider-Man. He first appeared in The Spectacular Spider-Man #25....
flashed a bright light in his face. Afterwards, his eyes are totally healed.
Following the events of "The Other", Spider-Man temporarily had some of his abilities increased, including his healing. During "Civil War," (months after the events of "The Other") he is ambushed by the Rhino
Rhino (comics)
The Rhino is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Romita, Sr., the character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #41 The Rhino (Aleksei Mikhailovich Sytsevich) is a fictional character that appears in comic...
and is injured. However, he heals completely by the end of the issue without medical attention and mentions to Aunt May that he knew he had "always been a fast healer, but lately it seems even more so." Also during "Civil War", Spider-Man is heavily beaten and drugged, suffering multiple fractures and blood loss by the Jack O' Lantern but his injuries heal almost completely by the next issue. However, like many superhuman powers, the effectiveness of Spider-Man's abilities varies based on the author and the needs of the story.
His accelerated metabolism
Metabolism
Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in the cells of living organisms to sustain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories...
increases his tolerance to drugs, meaning a larger dose is needed to cause the usual effect, and he can recover from the effects rapidly. During an encounter with the bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
-based villain Swarm
Swarm (comics)
Swarm is a fictional character and supervillain, an enemy of Spider-Man in the Marvel Comics universe. A former Nazi sympathizer, his most notable physical feature is that his entire body is composed of bees....
, Spider-Man is incapacitated by thousands of bee stings, but fully recovers in less than 24 hours. His resistance to other toxins varies, but is typically significantly higher than normal. However, Spider-Man has normal human tolerance to the effects of alcoholic beverage
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
s and is rarely shown drinking, since it affects his balance, reflexes and coordination. In one battle with the Hobgoblin
Hobgoblin (comics)
The Hobgoblin is the alias of several fictional characters that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first and best-known Hobgoblin is Roderick Kingsley. He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #238, and was created by Roger Stern and John Romita, Sr...
, he nearly loses his life after unknowingly consuming spiked punch at a party. Although he is still affected by disease and infection, his recovery time is typically shorter than that of an ordinary human. Spider-Man's unique physiology even allows him to recover from the effects of vampirism
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
.
Spider-Man is still vulnerable to disease, and has fallen ill due to flu
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
many times, which affects the reliability of his powers. He also has a certain susceptibility towards ethyl chloride, which is a commonly used pesticide against insects and arachnids. This chemical is used frequently as a weapon in Spider-Slayer
Spider-Slayer
The Spider-Slayers are a series of fictional robots in the Marvel Comics universe that were specifically designed to hunt down, capture, and/or kill Spider-Man.-Fictional character biography:...
robots.
Possible mystical connection
EzekielEzekiel (comics)
Ezekiel Sims was a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe; a former supporting character in The Amazing Spider-Man.-Fictional character biography:...
, who shares similar spider abilities (gained through an arcane ritual), makes Peter question the source of his powers, implying a mystical reason the spider chose to bite him, suggesting that the spider would have given him powers even without being exposed to radiation (Although Peter has noted that the radiation did slightly change the mutative effects that the spider had on his system). Though this was never proven, Spider-Man has been tied to mystical forces before such as when he was mentioned in an ancient prophecy in connection to the sorcerer Dr. Strange and when the cosmic beings Lord Order and Master Chaos claimed credit for Peter Parker being the one bitten by the spider. Magical forces could also explain how Spider-Man is able to psychically detect threats such as whether or not a person has a gun or if he is being followed. However, after Ezekial's death, Peter has chosen not to pursue this line of thought any further, noting that science and magic can be essentially two sides of the same coin, and reasoning that his scientific background has helped him for so long that there is no reason for him to shift focus.
Wall-crawling
Spider-Man is capable of crawling on walls and ceilings. He has conscious control over this ability, and it is simple and instinctive for him to use—he first uses it in Amazing FantasyAmazing Fantasy
Amazing Fantasy is an American comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics from 1961 through 1962, and revived in 1995 and in the 2000s. It is best known as the title that introduced the popular superhero character Spider-Man in 1962...
#15 before realizing he has the ability. Originally, Spider-Man is able to stick to surfaces using his hands and feet, but later he is shown to be able to cling with his back. The strength of attraction between himself and the surface he is clinging to is considerable, with an upper limit of several tons per finger. If Spider-Man does not willingly detach, but is pulled off by force, the surface usually breaks still attached to his body. However, it has been shown that a significant shock can cause him to lose control of his power and fall off a surface. If a surface is too slippery, he has problems sticking to it; if it is too fragile or crumbling, it is unable to support his weight. He can also use his clinging ability to lift or hold objects; for instance, he can catch a thrown ball simply by touching it with one fingertip. Spider-Man is also able to jump against the walls and he can also sprint against a wall which helps him climb surfaces a lot faster.
The ability works through thin layers of cloth, such as the fabric of his costume, but not through materials such as the soles of shoes. When Peter Parker needs to crawl without changing into the costume, he removes his shoes first.
Spider-Man's wall-crawling ability has increased with time, most notably a back up in Amazing Spider-Man #365 by Tom DeFalco. There DeFalco had Peter explain his abilities to Mary Jane and Peter revealed that every part of his body has gained or increased in attraction to other surfaces, and he can stick people or objects on his back. Over time he realized he could keep his mask firmly fixed to his face (previously used to prevent undesirable mask removal), protecting his secret identity.
Kaine
Kaine
Kaine is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain and antihero who serves as both an ally and an enemy of Spider-Man. He first appeared in Web of Spider-Man #119, and is the Jackal's first failed attempt at cloning Peter Parker...
, the villainous clone of Spider-Man, has shown the ability to use his wall-crawling abilities in a more offensive manner, burning distinctive scars, known as the Mark of Kaine in the face of his victims. Later Spider-Man himself uses a variation of the same ability to escape from The Green Goblin by making his fingertips cling to his face and tearing them away, digging five deep wounds in Norman's face. Despite the obvious offensive potential of such an ability, Peter claims that it is unlikely he will use it again, as it was a move born out of anger and desperation. In later events during the Grim Hunt arc, due to Peter's rage at Sasha Kravinoff over everything she put him and his 'spider family' through, he uses his version of the Mark of Kaine on her, ripping the skin off her face in the shape of a hand print, proclaiming "This is from my brother."
Spider-Man's wall crawling abilities have been explained in several ways. Some notable explanations include:
- A panel of biologists and physicists on the History Channel’s Spider-Man Tech suggested the barbed-hair on his fingertips (from the movie) could have the same effect as the miniature scopulaScopulaScopulae, or scopula pads, are dense tufts of hair at the end of a spiders's legs. They are found mostly on hunting spiders, especially tarantulas. Scopulae consist of microscopic hairs, each covered in even smaller hairs called setules or "end feet"...
e hairs on the ends of a spider’s feet. Spiders are able to climb up seemingly impossible surfaces like glassGlassGlass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
because the scopulae interact with the glass’s atoms causing a form of atomic static clingStatic clingStatic cling is the tendency for light objects to stick to other objects owing to static electricity. It is common in clothing, but occurs with other items, such as the tendency of dust to be attracted to, and stick to, plastic items....
via the Van der Waals forceVan der Waals forceIn physical chemistry, the van der Waals force , named after Dutch scientist Johannes Diderik van der Waals, is the sum of the attractive or repulsive forces between molecules other than those due to covalent bonds or to the electrostatic interaction of ions with one another or with neutral...
. - The Spider-Man entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel UniverseOfficial Handbook of the Marvel UniverseThe Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...
states that Spider-Man is able to enhance the fluxFluxIn the various subfields of physics, there exist two common usages of the term flux, both with rigorous mathematical frameworks.* In the study of transport phenomena , flux is defined as flow per unit area, where flow is the movement of some quantity per time...
of inter-atomic attractive forces on surfaces he touches, increasing the coefficient of friction between that surface and himself. - Bio-electricity. Spider-GirlSpider-GirlSpider-Girl is a superheroine in Marvel Comics' MC2 universe. The character was created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz as the teenage daughter of Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson, and first appeared in What If #105...
's similar power is referred to by Reed Richards as "bio-magnetism," but her ability is somewhat different.
Enemies able to cancel wall-crawling ability
- ElectroElectro (comics)Electro is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a supervillain and an enemy of Spider-Man who gained the ability to control electricity after being struck by lightning while working on a power line. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, he first...
had a revelation during a battle about Spider-Man's clinging ability and can disrupt this power somehow, claiming that it was based on some sort of electromagnetic bonding. It is ineffective after the events of "The Other". - Many enemies, such as Stilt-ManStilt-ManStilt-Man is the name of two supervillains in Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Stilt-Man first appeared in Daredevil vol. 1 #8 and was one of his earliest enemies. He is a criminal wearing a suit of armor with powerful telescopic legs .The character did not age well, as his powers were more a...
and Paste Pot PeteTrapsterThe Trapster , originally known as Paste Pot Pete, is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe.-Publication history:...
have used lubricantLubricantA lubricant is a substance introduced to reduce friction between moving surfaces. It may also have the function of transporting foreign particles and of distributing heat...
s to prevent Spider-Man from sticking. - Many enemies have ripped Spider-Man from a surface using strength but usually after the wall breaks from the strain, not from his powers failing, and pieces of the wall can still be seen clinging to his fingers and toes.
Enhanced strength and stamina
Early in his career, Spider-Man was frequently said to have the proportional strength of a spider, but he can lift much more due to his human size. Since the events of "The Other" and "The Queen" story arcs, his strength has been increased to twice his original limits. During the Secret Invasion, Spider-Man was shown to be able to knock a Tyranosaurus Rex unconscious in one punch. He has been shown to lift and throw objects such as a semi truck and to bend the steel of a screwdriver with one finger with ease. When in combat, Spider-Man must pull his punches unless fighting someone of similar or greater durability and power. Otherwise, his blows would kill a normal person.Spider-Man's bodily tissue is a great deal more durable and resistant to some types of injury than a normal human. However, Spider-Man is far from invulnerable. While his body is tougher than an ordinary human, as seen several times in Spider-Man 2 (via falling from average web slinging height without sustaining significant injury), he can still be injured in ways comparable to an ordinary human. For example, Spider-Man can be injured by bullets or knives composed of conventional material and from impacts of sufficient force. However, if injured, his accelerated metabolism is capable of repairing itself many times faster than an ordinary human. A doctor has told Spider-Man that it would be impossible for a normal man to survive the punishment that he has endured.
Spider-Man can leap several stories vertically or the width of a city street. While his running speed has never been definitely established, he can run at superhuman speed for short sprints and has been shown to be easily capable of overtaking fast-moving cars, but nearly always prefers using his weblines to travel.
Superhuman reflexes and agility
Spider-Man's agility and reflexes are far superior to those of an ordinary human, even those that represent the peak of human conditioning such as Captain AmericaCaptain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
. The speed of his reflexes combined with his spider-sense allows him to dodge almost any attack, even gunfire at point blank. Due to the events of "The Other," his reflexes are increased further, responding directly to his spider-sense and instinct that can result in him lashing out at negligible threats. During the "Grim Hunt" storyline, he was able to dodge a bullet fired from a hunting rifle at point blank range. Aloysha Kravinoff noted that even Spider-Man wasn't "supposed to be that fast," and the story implies that Spider-Man's exceptional speed in that situation was a result of the intense grief and rage he was feeling at the time.
Spider-Man has the ability to maintain his equilibrium on any surface that he can stick to. For example, he can balance on one finger on a high wire, or stand upright on a wall, his body parallel to the ground. Additionally, he is able to flex his body like a contortion
Contortion
thumb|upright|Contortionist performingContortion is an unusual form of physical display which involves the dramatic bending and flexing of the human body. Contortion is often part of acrobatics and circus acts...
ist, assuming postures that would be impossible or harmful for most normal humans. His tendons and connective tissues are at least twice as elastic as the average human being's. This ability is often demonstrated by the unusual poses Spider-Man would assume while webslinging or dodging enemy attacks. Also, as an outcome of his spider-reflexes, Peter has developed his own fighting style.
Spider-sense
Spider-Man's "spider-sense" manifests in a tingling feeling at the base of his skull, alerting him to personal danger in proportion to the severity of that danger. It appears to be a simultaneous, seemingly clairvoyant response to a wide variety of phenomena. Though the exact mechanism of this ability is unknown, his original spider-sense clearly has at least two aspects in addition to sensing potential or immediate danger:- A psychological awareness of his surroundings, similar to the radar-sense of DaredevilDaredevil (Marvel Comics)Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
. When he is temporarily blinded, Spider-Man learns to emulate this ability and navigate without his eyesight. Even under normal conditions, his spider-sense helps him navigate darkened rooms, instinctively avoiding obstacles or hazards, or potentially noisy or unstable floorboards, walls or ceilings that may betray his presence. In one comic, he is shown sensing how many fingers Mary JaneMary Jane WatsonMary Jane Watson, often shortened to MJ, is a fictional supporting character appearing, originally, in Marvel comic books and, later, in multiple spin-offs and dramatizations of the Spider-Man titles as the best friend, love interest, and one-time wife of Peter Parker, the alter ego of Spider-Man...
is holding up. - An ability to detect certain radio frequencies. Spider-Man's technical skill is such that he has designed spider-tracers that broadcast a signal detectable by his spider-sense.
Using his spider-sense to time his enhanced reflexes, Spider-Man can casually dodge attacks up to and including automatic-weapons fire. Even point blank, his spider-sense has already warned him in enough time to get away like a precognitive sense, before he can even consciously think about his actions. However, he can ignore this instinct. His spider-sense is sufficiently well-linked to his reflexes, even before "The Other" storyline, that a threat can trigger them even when Spider-Man is asleep or stunned, as in Amazing Spider-Man #141, where a narcotic gas released by foe Mysterio
Mysterio
Mysterio is the name of three fictional characters, all of which are supervillains and enemies of Spider-Man in the . The original Mysterio was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appears in Amazing Spider-Man #13, although it was later retconned that the aliens seen in Amazing...
caused him to lose his balance and fall from a building. Though barely conscious, a combination of spider-sense and reflex caused his arm to seize a fire-escape ladder, saving his life.
When Spider-Man swings across a city on his weblines, his spider-sense guides his aim, allowing him to travel at high speeds hundreds of feet above street level with minimal concentration, confident his weblines will find secure anchor points.
Spider-Man's spider-sense is directional and can guide him to or away from hidden weapons and disguised enemies. Sudden and extreme threats (such as the Beyonder
Beyonder
The Beyonder is a fictional character in . Created by Jim Shooter and Mike Zeck, the immensely powerful Beyonder first appeared in Secret Wars vol. 1 #1 as an unseen force. He reappears in Secret Wars II #1 , which was created by Jim Shooter and Al Milgrom.-Publication history:The Beyonder was a...
observing Earth before the first Secret Wars
Secret Wars
Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars is a twelve-issue comic book crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter with art by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton...
, Thanos using the Infinity Gauntlet to destroy half of the sapient population of the universe, the Ultimate version of Venom, or the predatory Morlun
Morlun
Morlun is a fictional comic book supervillain in Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe, and a foe of Spider-Man. Morlun first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2, #30 , created by writer J. Michael Straczynski and penciler John Romita, Jr....
) can cause his spider-sense to react with painful intensity.
Spider-Man can also sense and dodge attacks directed randomly or by a computer. His spider-sense has helped him preserve his secret identity since it alerts him to observers or cameras when changing into or out of his costume. The spider-sense does not react to those whom Peter does not consider a threat, such as Aunt May
Aunt May
May Reilly Parker-Jameson, commonly known as Aunt May, is a supporting character in Marvel Comics' Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared as May Parker in Amazing Fantasy #15...
. Contrary to this, his spider-sense has warned him of people close to him when he does not wish to be seen, such as when he's partly in costume.
Spider-Man can choose to ignore his spider-sense, and distraction or fatigue can force unawareness.
Spider-Man has used his spider-sense to battle even the most skilled fighters in the Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. While not being as trained as them in conventional fighting styles his spider-sense and reflexes (provided with split second quickness and agility) allow him to dodge and counter, often with ease.
After the "Disassembled" and "The Other" storylines, Spider-Man gains the ability to feel vibrations and currents in the air or in his web lines, much like a real spider. He also develops a psychic connection to insects, spiders, and other arthropods, though this aspect of his powers may no longer be present (see below). The spider-sense also allows Spidey to determine the source of the incoming attack, which gives him an advantage against enemies who are all over the place like Spot
Spot (comics)
The Spot is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe and appearing as an enemy of Spider-Man. He was created by Al Milgrom and Herb Trimpe. Ohnn first appeared unnamed in Spectacular Spider-Man #97 and became The Spot in the following issue #98.-Fictional...
.
As a result of the storyline "Revenge of the Spider-Slayer", Spider-Man loses his spider-sense when he sets off a device that disabled Spencer Smythe's latest creations' ability to coordinate their attacks via a similar principle.. As such, he starts taking Kung-Fu lessons from Shang-Chi, on Madame Web's advice. When his full powers are restored in the Spider-Island
Spider-Island
"Spider-Island" is a comic book storyline starting in The Amazing Spider-Man and crossing over into other comic books published by Marvel Comics in 2011.-Infested:...
storyline, his battle-honed body granted him a new, refined form of Spider-Sense, where Spider-Man instead of blindly react to threats automatically draws upon Shang-Chi's training.
Enemies immune to the spider-sense
When deprived of his spider-sense, Spider-Man becomes vulnerable to surveillance and attack and traveling by web-line requires most of his concentration.- The Green GoblinGreen GoblinThe Green Goblin is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 ....
developed a gas that temporarily deadened all of Spidey's powers, especially his spider-sense. This same gas was later enhanced and used by Roderick Kingsley, in his guise as the villain HobgoblinHobgoblin (comics)The Hobgoblin is the alias of several fictional characters that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first and best-known Hobgoblin is Roderick Kingsley. He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #238, and was created by Roger Stern and John Romita, Sr...
. - VenomVenom (comics)Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...
is undetectable to Spider-Man's spider-sense, due to the symbioteSymbiote (comics)In the Marvel Comics universe, The Symbiote is a specific parasitic species of extraterrestrial organism...
having been mentally linked to him, and for the most part, contains his DNA. This works against Spider-Man in the sense that Venom attacking Spider-Man is essentially Spider-Man attacking himself. His descendant symbiotes, including CarnageCarnage (comics)Carnage is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . The character first appears in The Amazing Spider-Man #344 , and was created by writer David Michelinie and artist Mark Bagley. The character is frequently depicted as an enemy of Spider-Man...
and ToxinToxin (comics)Toxin is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. He is the third major symbiote of the Spider-Man series, the ninth known to have appeared in the comics outside of the Planet of the Symbiotes storyline, and the first symbiote that Spider-Man considers an ally, despite...
, have inherited this trait to a lesser extent.
In Secret Wars
Secret Wars
Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars is a twelve-issue comic book crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter with art by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton...
issue #8, Spider-Man first comes in contact with the symbiote. His spider-sense goes off but is quickly dampened as the symbiote flowed over Spider-Man's body and established the mental link that allowed it to generate webbing and respond to Spider-Man's thoughts. However, a clone of Spider-Man, Ben Reilly
Ben Reilly
Benjamin "Ben" Reilly is a fictional character in the . He is a clone of Peter Parker , and is prominent in the "Clone Saga" story arc...
was able to use his spider-sense to anticipate the attacks of Venom. This may be related to the fact that the clone was created prior to Peter's bond with the symbiote. This suggests that it is Peter's spider-sense that no longer responds to the symbiote due to acclimatization, rather than the symbiote having developed the ability to hide itself. This explanation would be the official reason Spider-Man could not sense Venom in The Spectacular Spider-Man animated series.
- MysterioMysterioMysterio is the name of three fictional characters, all of which are supervillains and enemies of Spider-Man in the . The original Mysterio was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appears in Amazing Spider-Man #13, although it was later retconned that the aliens seen in Amazing...
has developed a radar-like device that can neutralize the sense. - The clonesCloningCloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
KaineKaineKaine is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain and antihero who serves as both an ally and an enemy of Spider-Man. He first appeared in Web of Spider-Man #119, and is the Jackal's first failed attempt at cloning Peter Parker...
, Ben ReillyBen ReillyBenjamin "Ben" Reilly is a fictional character in the . He is a clone of Peter Parker , and is prominent in the "Clone Saga" story arc...
, and SpidercideSpidercide (comics)Spidercide is a fictional character from the Marvel Universe, a clone of the super-hero Spider-Man.-Fictional character biography:During the Clone Saga, in addition to Ben Reilly, Kaine, Jack and Guardian another clone of Spider-Man was introduced, Spidercide...
were also undetectable, and he is undetectable to their spider-senses as well. As they share the same DNA, their spider-senses recognize the others as "self." However, Spider-Man was later able to use his Spider-Sense (albeit it was previously tampered, stripped from him and later restored, all while receiving specific training to hone his battle effectiveness) against a further mutated Kaine, possibly because Kaine's DNA had been altered to a point where it was no longer identical to his own Once Kaine is restored to normal, he is once again able to sneak up on Peter Parker in his civilian guise (though it's worth noting that he was acting peacefully at the time). - Kraven the HunterKraven the HunterKraven the Hunter is a fictional character, a supervillain and enemy of Spider-Man appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Kraven's name is Sergei Kravinoff. He also appears as Xraven, with white-grey skin and red eyes, possessing the powers of X-Men. He is the half-brother of Dmitri...
once used a jungle scent that dulled Spider-Man's spider-sense. - The JackalJackal (Marvel Comics)The Jackal is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 , and was created by writer Gerry Conway and artist Ross Andru. In The Amazing Spider-Man #148 The Jackal is a fictional character that appears in...
once succeeded in attacking Spider-Man from behind, without triggering his spider-sense. The Jackal explained it to be due to him always being Peter Parker's (Spider-Man's alter ego) friend, meaning that the spider-sense would not regard him as a threat/enemy. The Jackal then took off his mask, revealing himself to be Dr. Miles Warren, one of Peter Parker's teachers (inapplicable, contrary to modern continuity). - Iron ManIron ManIron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
has created a device that can send false spider-sense signals. He has also incorporated the device into his armor to grant him his own version of the spider-sense. However, this mechanism is apparently imperfect since Iron Man was unable to detect the presence of VisionVision (Marvel Comics)The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The first Vision was created by the writer-artist team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in Marvel Mystery Comics #13 The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that...
. - Certain SkrullSkrullThe Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
agents are immune to the sense. Spider-Man was unable to sense anything unusual about the agent posing as ElektraElektra (comics)Elektra Natchios, usually referred to only by her first name Elektra, is a fictional character in publications from Marvel Comics.Elektra is a kunoichi – female ninja assassin – of Greek descent. She wields a pair of bladed sai as her trademark weapon. She is a love interest of the superhero...
. This agent was also able to avoid detection by WolverineWolverine (comics)Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
's heightened sense of smell or Doctor StrangeDoctor StrangeDoctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
's mystical abilities. - The SpotSpot (comics)The Spot is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe and appearing as an enemy of Spider-Man. He was created by Al Milgrom and Herb Trimpe. Ohnn first appeared unnamed in Spectacular Spider-Man #97 and became The Spot in the following issue #98.-Fictional...
can attack Spider-Man with his attacks coming out of "spots", since Spider-Man's spider-sense could not detect a threat coming from an alternate dimension. - Ezekiel SimsEzekiel (comics)Ezekiel Sims was a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe; a former supporting character in The Amazing Spider-Man.-Fictional character biography:...
was immune to Peter's spider-sense because the two shared similar powers, but this also made Spider-Man immune to Ezekiel's. - Fogg of the criminal duo Knight and Fogg can confuse it by making it seem the danger is all around Spider-Man rather than a specific threat.http://www.spiderfan.org/characters/knight_and_fogg.html
- In one issue, May Parker (Aunt May) was able to hit Spider-Man from behind without triggering his spider-sense. The reasoning behind this is that Peter did not consider Aunt May to be a threat so his spider-sense did not warn him when she struck him from behind.
Film
In the Spider-Man films, the spider-sense is explained as reflexes "so fast it borders on precognitionPrecognition
In parapsychology, precognition , also called future sight, and second sight, is a type of extrasensory perception that would involve the acquisition or effect of future information that cannot be deduced from presently available and normally acquired sense-based information or laws of physics...
", often signified with a special sound (like a bell ringing once very slowly) and bullet time
Bullet time
Bullet time is a special and visual effect that refers to a digitally enhanced simulation of variable-speed photography used in films, broadcast advertisements, and video games...
photography. In the first Spider-Man film
Spider-Man (film)
Spider-Man is a 2002 American superhero film, the first in the Spider-Man film series based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. It was directed by Sam Raimi and written by David Koepp...
, the first time his spider-sense triggers, he seems to become aware of every potential danger in his surroundings, even those that pose no real threat, such as a fly or a paper spitball. In the Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2 is a 2004 American superhero film directed by Sam Raimi, written by Alvin Sargent and developed by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Michael Chabon. It is the second film in the Spider-Man film franchise based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man...
novelization (ISBN 2-265-07939-1), the spider-sense is described as a general slowing-down of his perception of time (e.g. one second would feel like a minute). In Spider-Man 3
Spider-Man 3
Spider-Man 3 is a 2007 American superhero film written and directed by Sam Raimi, with a screenplay by Ivan Raimi and Alvin Sargent. It is the third film in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man...
, the spider-sense is never shown going off in Spider-Man's head with its special sound like in the previous two movies. In a minor plot hole, when New Goblin first attacks Peter, it is clear Peter was unaware of the threat (however, this could also be due to Peter's 'Spider sense' not considering Harry a threat due to their friendship). Peter is shown using the spider-sense only once in the film, to dodge a pumpkin bomb thrown at him by Harry. Also, Eddie Brock as Venom (who is immune to the spider-sense) manages to attack Spider-Man by surprise, mocking Peter's inability to sense him with "Ooh, my spider-sense is tingling, if you know what I'm talking about."
Fighting style
Spider-Man has developed a unique fighting style that is nearly impossible for most other heroes to emulate or for most villains to defeat. Spider-Man uses all of his powers simultaneously to overpower and overwhelm his foes. He also makes excellent use of his surroundings during battles. For example, using a webbed-up fire extinguisher as a projectile in order to get distance between himself and Doctor Octopus' crushing arms. He is also never without a witty response or wise-crack to throw at an enemy in order to distract, anger, or simply insult a foe. Spider-Man's fighting style can best be described as an improvisational freestyle that functionally encompasses the usage of his strength, speed, flexibility, wits, intelligence, and his "spider-sense", in order to work his strengths against his opponents' weaknesses. Spider-Man is a cunning fighter, so much so that he manages to defeat enemies much more powerful than himself. A major examples of this is his defeat of TitaniaTitania (Marvel Comics)
Titania is a supervillainess in the Marvel Comics universe, notable for being Marvel's strongest human female with the possible exception of the She-Hulk, and the wife of the Absorbing Man. She was created by then Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter, in the successful company-wide crossover known as...
during the Secret Wars
Secret Wars
Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars is a twelve-issue comic book crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter with art by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton...
, outpacing her superior strength by focusing on hit-and-run attacks to catch her off-guard. Another is his victory over Galactus' cosmic-powered herald, Firelord. Yet another good example is how he once fought the combined efforts of DC's supervillain Mantis
Mantis (DC Comics)
Mantis is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Forever People #2 , and was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
and the Marvel villain Juggernaut
Juggernaut (comics)
The Juggernaut is a fictional character that appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Men #12 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby....
(both of whom are significantly more powerful than he is). This stems from the vast experience that he has accrued since his teen-aged crime-fighting years. During the events of "The Other," Peter is shown as receiving martial arts training from Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
. As per Madame Web's instructions, Shang-Chi is now teaching Kung-Fu to Spider-Man in order to compensate for the loss of his Spider-Sense. Together with Shang-Chi he devised a unique variant of Kung Fu, "The Way of The Spider", which has significantly improved after his spider-sense was reactivated.
Scientific knowledge
Before the radioactive spider bite, Peter Parker was already a gifted academic student with considerable expertise in many fields, such as chemistry, biology, physics, engineering, and advanced technology. Through these skills he was able to create his artificial web fluid, his web-shooters and other Spider-man equipment. His scientific knowledge has often been used to defeat his adversaries when his powers are not sufficient enough, such as devising an antidote to the formula that originally turned Doctor Connors into the LizardLizard (comics)
The Lizard is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe and enemy of Spider-Man. The Lizard first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #6 , and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko...
, creating various mixtures to dissolve the costumes of foes such as the Rhino
Rhino (comics)
The Rhino is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Romita, Sr., the character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #41 The Rhino (Aleksei Mikhailovich Sytsevich) is a fictional character that appears in comic...
and El Dorado. Though not described as an ultra-high level super-genius, his intellect has impressed and gained the respect of individuals such as Iron Man, Ant Man and Mr. Fantastic. During a recent confrontation with Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics since 1963. A highly intelligent mad scientist, Doctor Octopus is one of Spider-Man's greatest foes...
, who had used various cybernetic enhancements to enable his mind to take virtually complete control of New York, Spider-Man's mind proved powerful enough to take control away from his enemy despite Doctor Octopus's scepticism that his mind could be strong enough to accomplish such a feat. Currently, Peter makes full use of his intellect at Horizon Labs, by reverse-engineering the devices he uses as Spider-Man, thereby creating products that Horizon Labs can market to the public.
Further mutations
When Peter tried to rid himself of his spider powers by using a formula, it backfires: he grows four extra arms instead, which extend from his sides. With help from Dr. Curt Connors
Lizard (comics)
The Lizard is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe and enemy of Spider-Man. The Lizard first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #6 , and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko...
, and a blood sample from Morbius
Morbius, the Living Vampire
Morbius, the Living Vampire, is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and penciler Gil Kane, the character, a living human suffering from vampiric abilities resulting from scientific rather than supernatural means, first appeared as...
, he is able to return to normal.
At one point, he is transformed by the Savage Land Mutates
Savage Land Mutates
The Savage Land Mutates are a fictional Marvel Comics supervillain group based in the Savage Land, a hidden Antarctic environment of dinosaurs and primitive people in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional team biography:...
into a monstrous, predatory form that comes to be called "Man-Spider". In this form, his normal human consciousness is submerged, and he attacks like an animal. However, his conscience is able, barely, to stop him from killing. He is transformed into Man-Spider several other times.
In Spider-Man: The Animated Series, the "Six Arms Saga" was reinvented as the "Neogenic Nightmare", where the transformation was not caused by Peter's attempts to remove his powers, but as a result of his body mutating further from the original spider-bite. After his attempts to ask Professor X and the X-Men for help developing a cure meet with failure- although he was able to assist them in thwarting a monster created when an anti-mutant scientist was exposed to a serum he'd developed to remove mutant abilities-, Spider-Man turned to Doctor Crawford for aid. Unfortunately, his initial attempt at a cure resulted in him growing the four new arms, the accelerated mutation subsequently causing him to mutate into the Man-Spider after fighting Punisher, a recently mutated Michael Morbius, and the NYPD. Thanks to the collaboration of Kraven the Hunter and the Punisher, Spider-Man was cured of the mutation and returned to normal. When the Vulture attempted to drain Spider-Man's youth and power in a later encounter, Doctor Connors reprogrammed the device that the Vulture was using to absorb the defective genome that had caused the mutation originally, resulting in the Vulture mutating into a Man-Spider (though Vulture managed to get rid of the mutation somehow) and forever curing Spider-Man of the defective genome. During the concluding "Spider Wars" storyline of the series- where Spider-Man teamed up with multiple alternate versions of himself to save reality-, one of his other selves was still dealing with the mutation crisis, completely transforming into the Man-Spider during the mission before the Beyonder was able to use the last of his power to teleport Man-Spider back to his home dimension.
In the Avengers Disassembled
Avengers Disassembled
"Avengers Disassembled", referred to in some participating series as "Disassembled", is a crossover event between several Marvel Comics series. The general idea is that the major heroes are assaulted, not just physically, but emotionally...
crossover event, Spider-Man encounters an enemy called the Queen, a woman capable of controlling insects. She triggers another transformation in him: first, he grows extra eyes and hair covering his body; second, he changes into a Man-Spider-like form (however, with his human mind still intact); and finally he transforms into a giant spider. In that form, he seems to die, but instead emerges in human form, but with enhanced powers. (See below.)
Other transformations included the vicious Spider-Lizard which occurred when Spider-Man tried to cure Dr. Connors from the Lizard persona by using a portable Enervator. The machine made Peter absorb radioactive feedback and transferred the reptilian metamorphosis to him and granting him bulletproof skin, a powerful tail and reptilian fangs and claws. There was also the Spider-Hulk mutation which granted the web-slinger the powers and the easy temper of the green goliath by transferring energy from the Hulk (which was kept in a Bio-Kinetic Energy Absorber made from a scientist trying to steal the Hulk's powers) to the web-slinger, when the latter accidentally touched the device.
In the What If: The Other, an alternate variation of the The Other storyline, Peter rejects the Spider and kills it, leaving him in a comatose state. The Venom symbiote abandons its current host, Mac Gargan, and bonds with Peter to become Poison, who combines the powers of Venom and Spider-Man's enhanced powers.
Peter was not the only one who suffered transferred mutations while wearing the Spider-Man costume. Ben Reilly was transformed into the Spider-Carnage when he was up against the powerful entity, because he had to bind with the alien in order to prevent its rampage.
Powers after "Disassembled" and "The Other"
In addition to his original powers, Spider-Man gains the following abilities after he fights the Queen in "DisassembledAvengers Disassembled
"Avengers Disassembled", referred to in some participating series as "Disassembled", is a crossover event between several Marvel Comics series. The general idea is that the major heroes are assaulted, not just physically, but emotionally...
", and also after apparently dying at the hands of Morlun
Morlun
Morlun is a fictional comic book supervillain in Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe, and a foe of Spider-Man. Morlun first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2, #30 , created by writer J. Michael Straczynski and penciler John Romita, Jr....
and being reborn ("Spider-Man: The Other
Spider-Man: The Other
"The Other" is a comic book crossover story arc published by Marvel Comics from October 2005 to January 2006. It was the first Spider-Man crossover since 2001, and was published in Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1-4, Marvel Knights Spider-Man #19-22, The Amazing Spider-Man #525-528.-Publication...
," 2005). It is apparent that his powers gained from "The Other" are only available because a voice inside him says that he is "embracing the Other". However, some of these powers no longer seem to be present, for reasons that have yet to be revealed.
Joe Queseda implied that the loss of these extra powers may be related to the One More Day storying. In an interview, he stated that "While we won't be making any direct references to "The Other," it's still a part of Spidey history, and it remains to be seen how Pete lost those powers." However, in the letters page of Amazing Spider-Man #640, the editors stated that the powers were always temporary by nature: "Those Other powers really only exhibited themselves under certain circumstances. They weren't extra powers Peter could call up whenever he wanted, so whether or not they've disappeared for good is a story waiting to be told. That said, though, Peter still does remember the adventure where he got them. He hasn't forgotten."
Arthropod communication
After Disassembled, Spider-Man can mentally communicate with arthropodArthropod
An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
s (at least insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s and spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s), though he does not seem to be capable of controlling them like Ant-Man
Henry Pym
Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. Created by editor and plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber and penciler Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27...
. He can sense their presence, or glance at any spider and instantly know what kind it is. It is possible that this is an extension of his spider-sense. Spider-Man used this mental capacity to communicate with all of the Queen's followers, humans with an "insect gene," and learned how to deactivate a bomb. This power may no longer be present, since Spider-Man has not been shown using it for several years.
Biological webbing
In "Disassembled," Spider-Man develops the ability to shoot organicOrganic matter
Organic matter is matter that has come from a once-living organism; is capable of decay, or the product of decay; or is composed of organic compounds...
webbing from his wrists (after he recovered from being changed into a spider), and he stopped using his Web-shooters which was a great advantage for him because it allowed him to stop being dependent on web cartridges which allowed him limited shots. Once, while fighting Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
, Spider-Man supposedly "let loose", allowing his webbing to shoot out unrestrained. After he had stopped, he had generated enough webbing to completely encase Iron Man, and nearly fill the alley in which they were fighting with webbing. Since the start of the Brand New Day storyline, this power seems to have gone away, for reasons that are currently unknown.
Spider-Man's clone Kaine developed the ability to shoot organic webbing following his death and resurrection in Grim Hunt. This ability remained present even after the other mutations caused by his resurrection were reversed.
Night vision
After "The Other," Spider-Man develops night vision, allowing him to see in the dark. It would appear that this power is no longer present, since there have been several occasions since "The Other" where Spider-Man was unable to see in the dark.Eyes, teeth, and stingers
Overcome by rage in "The Other," Spider-Man's spider side overruled his human qualities. His eyes turn glowing red, and he develops fanged teeth, night vision, and sharp stingers. The stingers were within his arms, protruding from his wrists. They are coated in a venomVenom
Venom is the general term referring to any variety of toxins used by certain types of animals that inject it into their victims by the means of a bite or a sting...
that inflicts temporary paralysis though the impalement itself could prove fatal. Spider-Man cannot consciously control these stingers yet, so they are only triggered in overwhelming situations. Because they have not been seen in several years, it may be that Spider-Man no longer has these powers, though it may also be that the right circumstances haven't arisen for him to use them: Arrow claimed that the stingers will only come out when he is confronting or confronted by creatures who are associated with his mystical powers like Morlun or Ezekiel.
Spider-Man's clone Kaine appears to have undergone a similar transformation following his death and resurrection in Grim Hunt, as he has fangs, mandibles, and eight glowing red eyes. He was later restored to normal, though at the conclusion of Spider-Island he grew a pair of stingers from his wrists identical to the ones Spider-Man had during "The Other."
Spider-mutation and cocoon
During "Disassembled," Spider-Man mutates into a giant spider, and then emerges from the spider's body with a new ability to communicate with arthropods and organic webbing.In "The Other", Spider-Man seemingly dies and molts his damaged skin. He creates a cocoon, and emerges with all his bodily damage healed: lost teeth, broken bones, his lost eye (which Morlun
Morlun
Morlun is a fictional comic book supervillain in Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe, and a foe of Spider-Man. Morlun first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2, #30 , created by writer J. Michael Straczynski and penciler John Romita, Jr....
had torn out and eaten), scars, and even lost tonsils. In the words of Tony Stark
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
, Peter's "odometer's been reset". Since it was claimed in related issues that some species of spiders shed their skin
Ecdysis
Ecdysis is the moulting of the cuticula in many invertebrates. This process of moulting is the defining feature of the clade Ecdysozoa, comprising the arthropods, nematodes, velvet worms, horsehair worms, rotifers, tardigrades and Cephalorhyncha...
once in a lifetime, this may be a one-time occurrence.
In "Grim Hunt," Spider-Man's clone Kaine dies, only to return later under similar circumstances.
Psychic blindspot
Although not technically Spider-Man's power, the worldwide mindwipe of Spider-Man's identity as Peter Parker occurred sometime prior to the events of Brand New Day. Spider-Man is aware that the whole world has forgotten his secret identity and that he played a role in making it happen.When Norman Osborn confronts Peter in his apartment, as part of the New Ways To Die story-arc, Peter thinks to himself, "Ah, right. He doesn't remember anymore. He has no idea I'm Spidey. Nobody does. Everything we did is still up and running. I'm safe." Peter later describes it to Mister Fantastic
Mister Fantastic
Mr. Fantastic is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the Fantastic Four. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 ....
as a "psychic blindspot." When confronted with any evidence which could lead to the realization that Spider-Man is Peter Parker, those affected will be unable to 'connect the dots,' or they will come to the wrong conclusion, but will accept it as the right one. An example of this is shown in the comics when Norman Osborn discovers a camera at a fight scene that is taking pictures of Spider-Man based on a tracking device in his suit; rather than assuming that Peter Parker is Spider-Man taking pictures of himself, he assumes that Spider-Man takes the pictures and uses Peter as his 'agent' to collect the money for him. Another example is when Horizon Labs' Max Modell confronts Peter about his connection to Spider-Man, and comes to the conclusion that Peter had created all of Spider-Man's equipment, as he stated that having both the scientific knowledge and super-powers in the same person pushes the limits of believability.
If Spider-Man were to be unmasked - or were to unmask himself - then the memories of affected people witnessing the incident would be restored. Mister Fantastic claims he can duplicate the "firewalls" for himself and the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
, allowing Spider-Man to tell them his identity, without fear of further compromising his secret. The psychic blindspot power's magnitude is high enough to fool even Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
's senses, who can normally identify people with the sound of their individual heartbeat
Cardiac cycle
The cardiac cycle is a term referring to all or any of the events related to the flow or blood pressure that occurs from the beginning of one heartbeat to the beginning of the next. The frequency of the cardiac cycle is described by the heart rate. Each beat of the heart involves five major stages...
rhythm or the scent of body odor
Body odor
Body odor or body odour, sometimes colloquially abbreviated as B.O., is the smell of bacteria growing on the body. The bacteria multiply rapidly in the presence of sweat, but sweat itself is almost completely odorless to humans....
s. In Amazing Spider-Man #600, Daredevil refused to know again Spider-Man's identity, as the psychic blindspot power was enough to even fool his heightened senses, and thus he did not want to compromise that protection. The Black Cat
Black Cat (comics)
The Black Cat is a fictional character, a superheroine in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Keith Pollard, she first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #194 ....
, having learnt Mary Jane's ex-boyfriend was Spider-Man, was able to recall back when she was dating Flash Thompson
Flash Thompson
Eugene "Flash" Thompson is a supporting character in Marvel Comics’s Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 ....
that Mary Jane had a boyfriend at the time, but when prompted with the name "Peter?", she dismissed it immediately due to the mechanics of the blindspot.
It was hinted in The Amazing Spider-Man #561 and The Amazing Spider-Man #601 that Mary Jane is aware of Peter's dual identity, which is finally confirmed in #605. It was also shown that Kaine
Kaine
Kaine is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain and antihero who serves as both an ally and an enemy of Spider-Man. He first appeared in Web of Spider-Man #119, and is the Jackal's first failed attempt at cloning Peter Parker...
is immune to the psychic blindspot, as Kaine is in fact a clone of Spider-Man. It was revealed in Spider-Island
Spider-Island
"Spider-Island" is a comic book storyline starting in The Amazing Spider-Man and crossing over into other comic books published by Marvel Comics in 2011.-Infested:...
that the Jackal
Jackal (Marvel Comics)
The Jackal is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 , and was created by writer Gerry Conway and artist Ross Andru. In The Amazing Spider-Man #148 The Jackal is a fictional character that appears in...
also retains memory of Spider-Man's secret identity, most like due to all the DNA samples he has collected from Spider-Man and the clones he has created from them over the years. Given that Morlun
Morlun
Morlun is a fictional comic book supervillain in Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe, and a foe of Spider-Man. Morlun first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2, #30 , created by writer J. Michael Straczynski and penciler John Romita, Jr....
and Steve Rogers
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
were deceased during One More Day, it is unknown if they remember Spider-Man's identity.
It was revealed in Amazing Spider-Man #640 and #641 that Peter went to Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
and begged him to make the world forget he was Spider-Man. Doctor Strange in turn visited Tony Stark
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
and Reed Richards
Mister Fantastic
Mr. Fantastic is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the Fantastic Four. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 ....
via astral projection and convinced them to help him do so via a mix of magic and science in a similar fashion to how the world forgot who the Sentry
Sentry (Robert Reynolds)
The Sentry is a fictional character in the . The character first appears in The Sentry #1 and was created by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee, with uncredited conceptual contributions by Rick Veitch.-Creation:...
was. The three decided that the sole person with the knowledge of Spider-Man being Peter Parker would be Peter himself, and in Reed's words, have Tony infect the world with the mind-purging virus storm via his Extremis system as the carrier. With a magic barrier in the shape of a sphere, Peter was to go in it, where he would be immune from the mind purge, but Peter decided at the last second to take Mary Jane inside as well. Due to the events of Spider Island where Peter publicly used his powers unmasked- albeit while claiming that he was one of the people infected by the 'virus' that gave most of New York his abilities-, he had unknowingly invalidated the spell that Dr. Strange had set up, thereby making it possible for others to deduce his secret identity again, although his past unmasking has still been erased from the world's memory. This was confirmed as Carlie Cooper
Carlie Cooper
Carlie Cooper is a fictional character, a supporting character of Spider-Man in Marvel Comics' main shared universe. She is friends with Peter Parker, Harry Osborn, Vin Gonzales, and Lily Hollister...
breaks off her relationship with him after deducing his true connection to Spider-Man due to her frustration at his lies.
Equipment
Although he is usually of limited financial means, Spider-Man develops personal equipment that plays an important role in his superhero career.Artificial web-shooters
American Sign Language
American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
, reverting someone giving you the "Evil Eye" in Italian superstition or the horned hand heavy-metal gesture). In order to fire the webbing, Spider-Man's fingers must hit the sensor precisely.
Spider-Man must steadily replenish his webbing supply, reloading his web-shooters with small cartridges of web fluid, which is stored under high pressure. In early stories, he carries his extra supplies in a utility belt worn under his costume. Later on, he equips the web-shooters with a bracelet-like carousel that automatically rotates a new cartridge into position as he empties them. When in use, a steel nipple in the carousel pierces the seal of the cartridge, and allows the fluid to travel through an air-tight channel toward the nozzle. Pressing down on the palm-trigger of the web-shooter causes the valve in the nozzle to open wider, expelling the fluid out. Releasing the trigger causes the valves to close, cutting off the web-line or fluid. If Spider-Man creates any variation to his normal web formula that's too strong for the pinch valves to sever, he might end up being tangled up or tied to the object he attached his web to. This has happened on more than one occasion. His web-shooters require constant maintenance and on more than one occasion suffer jams or malfunctions.
Spider-Man's web shooters require tremendous pressure to fire them (in most cases, Spider-Man's enhanced strength), and the average human cannot activate the trigger without the use of a hammer or similar object, although in many cases, normal human strength is sufficient enough to activate them for the purposes of plot development.
Occasionally, the web-shooters are modified to expel other liquids.
After he develops organic webbing, Spider-Man gives the web-shooters to his wife Mary Jane
Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane Watson, often shortened to MJ, is a fictional supporting character appearing, originally, in Marvel comic books and, later, in multiple spin-offs and dramatizations of the Spider-Man titles as the best friend, love interest, and one-time wife of Peter Parker, the alter ego of Spider-Man...
as a Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
present, after having them changed into bracelets, and weakening the pressure required, so that she can use the bracelets for self-defense. This appears to have reversed at some point, as Spider-Man is once again dependent on his web-shooters since the start of the Brand New Day storyline, for unknown reasons. In the most recent issues, he has upgraded them to fire on voice command.
Ben Reilly
Ben Reilly
Benjamin "Ben" Reilly is a fictional character in the . He is a clone of Peter Parker , and is prominent in the "Clone Saga" story arc...
, as the Scarlet Spider and later as Spider-Man, uses modified web-shooters that can fire fast-acting sedative "stinger" darts, and "impact webbing," balls of webbing that explode on impact and envelop the target. The impact webbing and stingers are activated by certain wrist movements, rather than using a double-tap on a palm trigger. They use larger web cartridges than Peter's web-shooters and worn on the outside of his costume. Spider-Girl
Spider-Girl
Spider-Girl is a superheroine in Marvel Comics' MC2 universe. The character was created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz as the teenage daughter of Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson, and first appeared in What If #105...
, Peter's alternate future daughter, uses modified versions of Ben's web-shooters.
Scientists from the History Channel's Spider-Man Tech stated that logically, if web fluid were to exist, it would not be possible for Spider-Man to store the necessary propellant and fluid in a small cartridge, as a result organic webbing would be more realistic as far as his webbing use is concerned.
Emma Stone revealed that in the reboot
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012 film)
The Amazing Spider-Man is an upcoming American superhero film based on the comic book of the same name that is currently in post-production. It is the fourth Columbia Pictures film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man and the first film in a rebooted Spider-Man film franchise. The film...
, Peter Parker will be shooting webs from web-shooters instead of organic webbing in the previous films.
Webbing
Shortly after getting his powers, Peter Parker (established early on as being extremely intelligent and creative) develops a special synthetic polymer adhesive that has spider webSpider web
A spider web, spiderweb, spider's web or cobweb is a device built by a spider out of proteinaceous spider silk extruded from its spinnerets....
-like properties, as well as wrist-worn launching devices (see Web-Shooters). Upon release, the webbing dries into an extremely tough, flexible, adhesive fiber. One account described a single strand as stronger than piano wire
Piano wire
Piano wire, or "music wire", is a specialized type of wire made for use in piano strings, as well as many other purposes. It is made from tempered high-carbon steel, also known as spring steel.-Manufacture and use:...
and it is perhaps as strong as real spider silk
Spider silk
Spider silk is a protein fiber spun by spiders. Spiders use their silk to make webs or other structures, which function as nets to catch other animals, or as nests or cocoons for protection for their offspring...
or Kevlar
Kevlar
Kevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires...
(Spider-Man has used web-shields on several occasions to protect himself from small-caliber bullets). In Spider-Man: The Ultimate Guide, one strand of webbing is described to be strong enough to bind the Hulk and hold him prisoner, but only if the Hulk were to hold still and let the webbing sufficiently dry. Also, according to recent volumes of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, the tensile strength of the webbing is equivalent to 120 lb (54.4 kg) per square millimeter in cross-section and is comparable to nylon with extraordinary adhesive properties. Its exact composition is unknown, but after about an hour, the webbing breaks down, loses strength and eventually evaporates, since Spider-Man never intended to hold his captives forever as well as to not leave any traces of web behind for detection/trailing reasons. Furthermore its non-durability never allows potential enemies to gain insight or advantage on one of Spider-Man's most important assets.
Spider-Man can do many things with his webs:
- Firing a thin strand to a great height at a nearby tall building, then brachiating on this "webline". Doing this in rapid series allows Spider-Man to quickly travel through well-developed urban areas. His travel speed has not been officially stated, though the Sins Past storyline depicts his crossing the borough of ManhattanManhattanManhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
in under 11 minutes (because he has been able to travel by web since the age of fifteen, Peter Parker does not have a driver's license). During his web swinging travelling, Spider-Man can reach 120 mi/h. - Firing a thicker "rope" of webbing, Spider-Man can bind captured criminals (even those with superhuman strength) to be later picked up by police officers.
- Covering a small area with an extremely sticky blob. Spider-Man can cover an opponent's eyes, blindfolding them, or smother a handgun or a small bomb. On one occasion, he told a criminal whose weapon and hand had been so covered: "I should warn you about the tensile strength of my webbing, but considering your likely IQ, let's just say that if you pull that trigger again, the backfire will probably take your hand off! Kapeesh?"
- Casting a large web across a street or alley to snare rapidly moving persons or vehicles. The longer Spider-Man presses his two middle fingers in his palm to throw web, the thicker the web becomes as layers are being added on and on.
- Improvising small structures, such as parachuteParachuteA parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
s, statues or dummies, baseball bats, full-size operational gliders, trampolines, gloves (for fighting the likes of ElectroElectro (comics)Electro is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a supervillain and an enemy of Spider-Man who gained the ability to control electricity after being struck by lightning while working on a power line. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, he first...
), nets, water-tight domes (for underwater breathing), bandages, slings, bulletproof shields, plugs, patches, and even hammocks. - In his early adventures, Spider-Man sometimes fired the fluid as a straight liquid to use its maximum adhesive strength.
- To defeat the BlobBlob (comics)The Blob is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an adversary of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men #3 ....
, he once intentionally broke a web cartridge, exposing the fluid to air, rather than channeling it through his webshooter. By exposing it to air, the web fluid immediately expanded, covering the Blob in a large mass of webbing. Though expanded, it did not appear to lose any of its strength, as it was able to contain the Blob until the police arrested him. - Peter has also been seen using the impact webbing. Originally crafted from Ben Reilly, the impact webbing is a large ball of webbing that explodes on contact and covers the opponent in webbing from top to bottom.
- In some cases, like in Spider-Man 2Spider-Man 2Spider-Man 2 is a 2004 American superhero film directed by Sam Raimi, written by Alvin Sargent and developed by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Michael Chabon. It is the second film in the Spider-Man film franchise based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man...
and Spider-Man 3Spider-Man 3Spider-Man 3 is a 2007 American superhero film written and directed by Sam Raimi, with a screenplay by Ivan Raimi and Alvin Sargent. It is the third film in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man...
and some comics, Peter is able to let out a thick piece of web for a short time, creating a small projectile weapon.
Spider-Man can modify his webbing when anticipating combat with a specific threat. These modifications include non-conductive webbing (typically for battling Electro
Electro (comics)
Electro is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a supervillain and an enemy of Spider-Man who gained the ability to control electricity after being struck by lightning while working on a power line. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, he first...
), flame-retardant webbing (against the Human Torch
Human Torch
The Human Torch is a fictional character and superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, he is a member of the superhero team the Fantastic Four, debuting in The Fantastic Four #1...
or out-of-control fires), stronger (yet less stable) webbing for dealing with Stegron's dinosaur army, and even acid webbing that can eat through the Rhino
Rhino (comics)
The Rhino is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Romita, Sr., the character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #41 The Rhino (Aleksei Mikhailovich Sytsevich) is a fictional character that appears in comic...
's tough hide.
Organic webs
In the "Disassembled" storyline, Parker undergoes a transformation that results in the ability to produce organic web fluid from his wrists, and is able to fire his webbing in much the same manner as his artificial web-shooters. According to the new 2007 Spider-Man handbook, Parker has grown spinnerets in his forearms that terminate in small pores at the junction of his wrists. By pressing down with his middle fingers to his palm, he causes the pores to open and the spinnerets to eject the organic fluid with a force equal to or greater than that of his web-shooters. The effectiveness and amount of the new webbing is dependent upon his health and nutrition. The specific properties of this new organic webbing are unknown, but it can be safely assumed to be comparable to his artificially created web mixture. In some cases, it has shown to be of greater tensile strength and elasticity. Furthermore, according to the new handbook, the organic webbing takes a week to dissolve. After gaining this ability, he begins using the bio-webbing instead of his traditional mechanical web-shooters. The upper limit as to how much webbing he could produce at any one time has not been specified, though during Part 1 of the 'One More Day' storyline, Peter actually produced enough webbing to immobilize and smother Iron Man's armor. In the subsequent Brand New DaySpider-Man: Brand New Day
"Brand New Day" is the title of a run of comic book storylines in The Amazing Spider-Man, published by Marvel Comics in 2008. It chronicles the start of Spider-Man's adventures in the aftermath of the big status quo change in the "One More Day" storyline, and continues afterwards into "Spider-Man:...
storyline, Peter is shown to have his traditional web-shooters and appears to have lost the ability to create organic webbing, for reasons that have yet to be revealed.
Instead of having mechanical webshooters in the live-action Spider-Man movies, Spider-Man grew spinnerets in his forearms; to give an explanation to the controversy from fans, this was explained by the producers' desire to make Peter Parker more realistic, as it was believed that, if he could create a substance that official government scientists could not create, it would distance himself from the average person. In the first Spider-Man movie
Spider-Man (film)
Spider-Man is a 2002 American superhero film, the first in the Spider-Man film series based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. It was directed by Sam Raimi and written by David Koepp...
, Peter gains them simultaneously with his other powers, and never made use of artificial web-shooters, although the film's novelization
Novelization
A novelization is a novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work.Novelizations of films usually add background material not found in the original work to flesh out the story, because novels are generally longer than screenplays...
states that Peter made similar bracelets to help him aim his shots as his first attempts to web sling ends with him using all sorts of weird hand positions in an attempt to shoot web, missing his mark several times and smacking into a billboard the first time he successfully swung.
One biologist on the History Channel’s Spider-Man Tech suggested that it would be more plausible for Spider-Man to shoot webbing from the Submandibular gland
Submandibular gland
The paired submandibular glands are salivary glands located beneath the floor of the mouth. In humans, they account for 70% of the salivary volume and weigh about 15 grams. Unstimulated in humans, the percentage contribution to whole saliva; ~25% Parotid, Submandibular and Sublingual ~ 67% and...
beneath the tongue instead of from his forearms.
Animated Series
In 1994's Spider-Man: The Animated SeriesSpider-Man (1994 TV series)
Spider-Man, also known as Spider-Man: The Animated Series, is an American animated series starring the Marvel Comics superhero, Spider-Man. The show ran on Fox Kids from November 19, 1994, to January 31, 1998. The producer/story editor was John Semper, Jr. and production company was Marvel Films...
, Parker explains that when he became Spider-Man, he also became subconsciously aware that a combination of certain enzymes would create a strong, sticky fluid reminiscent of a spider's webbing. He then built web-shooters as in the comics.
Spider-tracers
Spider-Man uses small electronic "spider-tracers" of his own design that allow him to track objects or individuals. Typically, Spider-Man plants one on a departing enemy, or throws one to adhere to an escaping enemy, then follows the target to their hideout for later attack. Spider-Man sometimes also uses a launching device in his web-shooters for better range and accuracy.A tracer's outer casing is shaped like a spider, with legs for aerodynamic flight. The tracers are small enough to remain unnoticed, in general, but sometimes a target finds a tracer and destroys it.
In early stories, Spider-Man uses a small electronic receiver to follow the signals of his tracers, but eventually he modifies the tracers to emit a signal he can follow with his spider-sense so that he will be able to know whether or not he is in the proximity of the tracer. According to what he once said to Hank Pym (who noted that Peter may actually be smarter than him if he was able to design this at fifteen when Pym spent years developing similar technology for his helmet), he is able to sense the tracer within a 100-yard radius. The receiver, however, offers better range. Spider-Man is unable to sense a tracer that had been taken out of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
at one point. The receiver, however, allows him to follow it to the town of Scarsdale, New York
Scarsdale, New York
Scarsdale is a coterminous town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the northern suburbs of New York City. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several villages...
, some 20 miles (32.2 km) away. It is not yet established if the changes to his spider-sense documented in "The Other" storyline have affected Spider-Man's ability to sense the tracers.
Besides Spider-Man, Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
can pick up the signal with his Radar Sense from the Spider-Tracers due to his heightened sense of hearing being able to hear the signal. Unlike Spider-Man, it is more difficult for Daredevil to follow the signal, as he must drown out all other sounds around him to maintain focus.
In several stories, enemies use the tracers to lure him into a trap. Enemies with sufficient technical knowledge can reprogram the tracers into overloading his spider-sense, making it hard for him to tell the difference between real danger and the tracer. Or they just attune it to his sixth sense and they can simply put to a target of their own, just like Tracer did in "The Other".
His clone, Ben Reilly, can also pick up the signal from Peter's tracers. Ben also developed a modified version of the original tracer into a simpler 'Micro-Dot' form. Like Peter's, these devices can be fired from Ben's web-shooters and can adhere to most surfaces. They fly like miniature Frisbees. May Parker
Spider-Girl
Spider-Girl is a superheroine in Marvel Comics' MC2 universe. The character was created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz as the teenage daughter of Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson, and first appeared in What If #105...
's spider sense operates on a different frequency than her father's, requiring her to use the tracer device, as Peter's tracers do not trigger her spider sense.
Following her rescue from an obsessed kidnapper, Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane Watson, often shortened to MJ, is a fictional supporting character appearing, originally, in Marvel comic books and, later, in multiple spin-offs and dramatizations of the Spider-Man titles as the best friend, love interest, and one-time wife of Peter Parker, the alter ego of Spider-Man...
wears an amplified version of a spider-tracer in a necklace pendant. It carries a boosted signal so Spider-Man can follow it over a longer distance.
After the events of "Revenge Of The Spider-Slayer", the Spider-Tracers become useless since Spider-Man can no longer pick up their signal due to the loss of his Spider Sense. However, in the "Road to Spider Island", from working with Horizon Labs, Spider-Man made new and improved Spider-Tracers with listening devices, GPS and camouflauge.. Some further modifications include using them as weapons with one example of combating Hydro-Man by freezing him solid with a cryogenic Spider-Tracer. . This particular advancement is then applied toward a medical transplant delivery system.
Utility belt and spider-signal
Spider-Man keeps his regular field equipment in a utility belt that can carry extra web fluid cartridges, spider-tracers, and his camera. The belt can hold up to 30 cartridges, each one being pressured to 300 psi. The belt's buckle contains a small but powerful light, which is filtered through a lens decorated with a stylized likeness of Spider-Man's mask. This spider-signal is mostly limited to intimidating weak-nerved criminals and acting as a wide-beam flashlight. It is sometimes used to call for help, as well. The signal is later used in The Spectacular Spider-Man.Camera
Peter Parker gains employment as a freelance (and sometimes staff) photographerPhotography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
through most of his teen and young adult years. He sells pictures of himself in action as Spider-Man, takes any assignments offered, or, sometimes, uses his powers to help him photograph special events where normal press access is limited or denied, for the New York newspaper The Daily Bugle
Daily Bugle
The Daily Bugle is a fictional New York City newspaper that is a regular fixture in the Marvel Universe, most prominently in Spider-Man comic titles and their derivative media...
.
His first camera, originally his father
Richard and Mary Parker
Richard and Mary Parker are fictional characters of Marvel Comics. They were the parents of Peter Parker, the boy who one day would become Spider-Man. They will appear in the 2012 reboot of the Spider-Man film franchise...
's, has an extended rear metal plate that allows him to use his web to secure it to a wall or other fixed object without interfering with its functions. Typically, Spider-Man positions the camera before intervening in a crime or emergency. Spider-Man gradually improves on the camera's simple timer, including adding a motion sensor that triggered the camera whenever he, as Spider-Man, moved in front of it. He has updated and replaced the camera (they are occasionally destroyed during battles) as necessary over the years.
Partly due to the stinginess of Bugle editor/publisher J. Jonah Jameson
J. Jonah Jameson
John Jonah Jameson Junior is a supporting character of Spider-Man in the .Jameson is usually the publisher or editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, a fictional New York newspaper and now serves as the mayor of New York City...
, Parker never earns much money as a freelancer. The Bugle, legal owner of his submitted work, eventually publishes a book of his photographic images (Webs) which helps improve his finances. He wins a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
for his picture of the Sentry
Sentry (Robert Reynolds)
The Sentry is a fictional character in the . The character first appears in The Sentry #1 and was created by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee, with uncredited conceptual contributions by Rick Veitch.-Creation:...
, but the Sentry's earlier adventures and their consequences are later wiped from human memory, probably including this award. Parker does, however, win other photography awards over the years.
Peter Parker publicly reveals his secret identity during the Civil War
Civil War (comics)
Civil War is a 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover storyline built around a self-titled seven-issue limited series written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which ran through various other titles published by Marvel at the time...
crossover
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
. The Bugle staff (particularly Jameson), are shocked to learn that Parker had been selling them photographs of himself for years and is taking legal action for the fraud, although due to the actions of the Scarlet Spiders, Peter Parker's identity as Spider-Man was heavily questioned. In addition, the events of One More Day
Spider-Man: One More Day
"One More Day" is a four-part, 2007 comic book crossover storyline, connecting the six main Spider-Man series concurrently published by Marvel Comics at the time. Written by J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Quesada, with art by Quesada, this story arc concludes the fallout of Spider-Man's actions...
has retconned anyone knowing Peter Parker's identity as Spider-Man, thus restoring the status quo of the early Spider-Man comics.
Peter Parker currently no longer uses his camera due to being discredited as a photographer during the events of "The Gauntlet" storyline.
Spider-Mobile
Corona Motors approaches Spider-Man through the advertising agency Carter & Lombardo, offering him use of a new nonpolluting motor they had invented and wished to promote, to be installed in a "Spider-Mobile" of his design. Initially reluctant but tempted by the promised endorsement fees, Spider-Man enlists the aid of Johnny Storm, aka the Human TorchHuman Torch
The Human Torch is a fictional character and superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, he is a member of the superhero team the Fantastic Four, debuting in The Fantastic Four #1...
, in creating the vehicle; a heavily customized dune buggy
Dune buggy
A dune buggy is a recreational vehicle with large wheels, and wide tires, designed for use on sand dunes or beaches. The design is usually a modified vehicle and engine mounted on an open chassis. The modifications usually attempt to increase the power-to-weight ratio by either lightening the...
with web-launchers and a spider-signal. It debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
#130. It proves useful for a time but is quickly wrecked (Spider-Man having not yet learned to drive). The Tinkerer (with support from the Kingpin
Kingpin (comics)
The Kingpin is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . Kingpin is one of the most feared and powerful crime lords in the Marvel Universe. The character is a major adversary of Daredevil, the Punisher, and Spider-Man...
), salvages and modifies it further to allow it to drive itself and drive up walls, and he uses it against Spider-Man, who barely manages to disable it. Spider-Man returns the heavily damaged vehicle to Carter & Lombardo, suspending it with webbing outside the window of their 14th-story offices. Spider-Man, who had never been enthused by the project, looks back on the entire affair with some regret, repeatedly calling the Spider-Mobile "hokey".
Most recently, the Spider-Mobile made a brief cameo appearance, and an appearance in the flashback series Spider-Man and Human Torch.
It is revealed that the Spider-Mobile had been donated to the Smithsonian Museum.However, it is also seen later in the 18th precinct's "superhuman evidence locker,"which might suggest that the exhibit featuring the vehicle was discontinued.
According to the flash forward featured in the 'Old Man Logan
Old Man Logan
Wolverine: Old Man Logan is an eight-issue storyline from the Wolverine ongoing series by writer Mark Millar and artist Steve McNiven, published by Marvel Comics...
' storyline starting in Wolverine #66, in a certain future a blind Hawkeye
Hawkeye (comics)
Hawkeye , also known as Goliath and Ronin, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. Hawkeye joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 Hawkeye...
currently owns the Spider-Mobile and has customized it with the aid of one of his ex-wives. Hawkeye uses it to transport himself and Logan
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
across the country to make a delivery.
Original red and blue costume
Although the details change somewhat over the years, Spider-Man's costume, with a few notable exceptions, remains fairly consistent. The standard is a form-fitting spandex bodysuit, which from the waist down is blue, except for mid-calf boots with a black web pattern on a red background. From the waist up, the fabric is a red-and-black web pattern, except for his back, sides, and insides of his upper arms, which are blue. There is a large red spider outline on his back, and a smaller black spider emblem on his chest. The back spider has changed over the years, featuring a spider with slightly smaller feet in the past. The mask has white one-way mirror type lenses rimmed with black (the white portions of the mask's eyes sometimes "squint" when Peter has his eyes partly shut. Whether this is his mask actually changing in response to his eyelids moving, or artistic license, is not clear). In addition to covering his entire head, thereby leaving no distinguishing features, the mask also muffles his voice, making it unrecognizable. The boots are composed of a thin material that allows Spider-Man's adhering ability to work through the soles of his feet. The boots, mask, and gloves can be folded up and stored inside a pocket while the remainder of his costume can be worn under his civilian clothes. Modernly, Spider-Man has taken to making and wearing a bulletproof version of this costume.This standard costume varies in the details depending on the artist: he is sometimes depicted with "underarm webbing" connecting his arms to his torso; the eyes of his mask vary from barely larger than human eyes to extremely large; the blue portions of his costume vary from light blue to black (the usual standard is dark blue); and the density of the web design varies.
Black costume
Secret Wars
Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars is a twelve-issue comic book crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter with art by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton...
crossover event, in which Spider-Man begins to wear a black costume. After ruining his red and blue one in battle on Battleworld, the Hulk tells Spider-Man about a machine operated simply by thinking of what kind of suit, weapon or equipment someone needs. When Spider-Man thought of a new costume, the machine gave him a black sphere. When he touched it, Spider-Man found himself covered in a new black costume. Later on in Secret Wars #12, Spider-Man sees that other heroes are getting costumes from a different machine, not the one that he used. The costume first appears in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #252 (May 1984), several months before its origin is revealed in Secret Wars #8. This costume has a large white spider emblem on the chest and back and white organic web-shooters on the backs of the hands. Upon discovering that the costume is actually an alien symbiote, Spider-Man rejects the creature by using high frequency sonics, and he wears a non-living version of the costume for a while. Unbeknownst to Spider-man, the alien was able to copy his abilities; the alien learned the chemical composition of Spider-Man's webbing, the frequency at which his spider-sense operates (which allowed Venom to dampen Spider-Man's sixth sense), and could also copy his ability to stick to walls. Because of this, Venom's powers are similar to Spider-Man's. Also, having copied all of Spider-Man's movements, the alien started sneaking back on to Peter's body after Peter had removed it and fallen asleep. It would then carry the unconscious body of Spider-Man through a typical session of fighting street crime (albeit without speaking a word). Thus, for as long as he had the symbiote costume, Peter found himself inexplicably tired every morning, for though his mind slept, his body was getting no rest at night.
Peter then creates a non-living costume similar to the symbiote, but he stops wearing this costume, when Mary Jane is viciously attacked by Venom
Venom (comics)
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...
(the symbiote's new incarnation), choosing to toss it into a fire and go back to his red and blue suit. However, when forced to confront Morbius
Morbius, the Living Vampire
Morbius, the Living Vampire, is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and penciler Gil Kane, the character, a living human suffering from vampiric abilities resulting from scientific rather than supernatural means, first appeared as...
in the sewers, Peter has the costume remade for the benefit of stealth.
An interview released by Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada (via newsarama) and Spider-Man editor Axel Alonso (CBR.com) stated that Spider-Man would be going back to his classic "Black" costume immediately after Civil War ends (Amazing Spider-Man #539 - February 2007). Marvel's February solicits confirm this, featuring Spider-Man returning to his black costume across all of his titles. In Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 2) #35, the Black Costume is first shown with underarm webbing like the original costume.
A variation on the black costume is featured in the film Spider-Man 3
Spider-Man 3
Spider-Man 3 is a 2007 American superhero film written and directed by Sam Raimi, with a screenplay by Ivan Raimi and Alvin Sargent. It is the third film in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man...
. It includes the webbing pattern from Spider-Man's red and blue costume with a black coloring and a slightly altered spider symbol, both on his chest and back. The same costume is also worn by Venom, with the added details of Venom's signature teeth and a more muscular appearance.
In The Spectacular Spider-Man animated series, the black costume is initially identical to the red and blue webbed costume only entirely in black with silver webs, as in Spider-Man 3, but gradually grows to resemble the one featured in the comics over the course of several episodes as Peter becomes more affected by its influence. Here it creates its own webbing by use of its own semi-liquid composition, as well as being able to shrink to almost nothing due to said liquid properties.
The game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is an action role-playing game developed for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox and Xbox 360 by Raven Software and published by Activision. The game was simultaneously ported to the PlayStation Portable and Wii by Vicarious Visions, and to Microsoft Windows by Beenox...
features Spider-Man's black costume, or "Symbiote", as the second unlockable costume.
The black costume stemmed from an idea submitted by a then 22-year-old fan named Randy Schueller, after Marvel in 1982 had asked its readers for ideas for new Spider-man stories. Schueller's idea was purchased by Jim Shooter for the sum of $220. Randy Schueller spelled out his involvement with the black costume and Marvel in an article at Comic Book Resources. http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2007/05/16/randy-schuellers-brush-with-comic-history/
Wrestling
Exclusive to the filmSpider-Man (film)
Spider-Man is a 2002 American superhero film, the first in the Spider-Man film series based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. It was directed by Sam Raimi and written by David Koepp...
and the video game, the wrestling costume is first worn by Peter Parker for the wrestling match against Bone Saw McGraw, rather than simply wearing a bag over his head, as in the comic book. Although in the first movie Peter is shown designing his standard costume in a notebook, the outfit he wears to the wrestling match is much cruder and apparently hastily assembled, consisting of simply a long-sleeved red t-shirt with a home-dyed spider and web design in black across the chest, red ski-mask, blue sweat-pants, and socks.
The wrestling costume can be seen worn by Peter in Spider-Man 3
Spider-Man 3
Spider-Man 3 is a 2007 American superhero film written and directed by Sam Raimi, with a screenplay by Ivan Raimi and Alvin Sargent. It is the third film in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man...
in his flashbacks.
Extemporaneous substitutes
When Spider-Man first rids himself of the symbiote, he finds himself without clothing across town from his home. The Human TorchHuman Torch
The Human Torch is a fictional character and superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, he is a member of the superhero team the Fantastic Four, debuting in The Fantastic Four #1...
gives him an old Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
uniform (without boots), a paper bag to conceal his identity... and a "kick me" sign on his back. Years later he again uses a paper bag as an impromptu disguise prior to his new costumes being completed to conceal his identity after a bounty was placed on his head, calling himself the "Bombastic Bag Man", because the White Rabbit
White Rabbit (comics)
The White Rabbit is a supervillainess in the Marvel Universe and is an enemy of Spider-Man . She first appeared in Marvel Team-Up #131 in July 1983, and was created by J.M...
was attacking the city after capturing the Grizzly
Grizzly (comics)
Grizzly is the name of four unrelated fictional characters from the Marvel Comics universe. One is a wild west villain, one is an A.I.M. Agent, one is a foe of Spider-Man, and the fourth is a mutant who was a member of Six Pack.-Grizzly :...
and the Gibbon
Gibbon (comics)
Gibbon , is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics mutant, associated with Spider-Man.-Publication history:Created by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr., the Gibbon first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #110 ....
and none of his other costumes were completed or available yet. The Bag Man costume returns once again in New Warriors (vol. 4) when one child is dressed in the suit with other children in other super hero costumes.
If he has no costume and Spider-Man is needed, he will use webbing, street clothes, or whatever else is available to hide his identity. This costume also appeared as one of the Variant covers of "Spider-Man: The Other
Spider-Man: The Other
"The Other" is a comic book crossover story arc published by Marvel Comics from October 2005 to January 2006. It was the first Spider-Man crossover since 2001, and was published in Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1-4, Marvel Knights Spider-Man #19-22, The Amazing Spider-Man #525-528.-Publication...
".
In Spider-Girl
Spider-Girl
Spider-Girl is a superheroine in Marvel Comics' MC2 universe. The character was created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz as the teenage daughter of Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson, and first appeared in What If #105...
, when fighting the super skrull Apex, Peter asked Johnny to loan him a costume, on the condition that it did not include a paper bag and a kick-me sign. Johnny replied that he is offended that Peter thinks he would repeat the same gag, instead lending him an old, ill-fitting Fantastic Four jumpsuit and one of Ben Grimm's metal helmets.
In the 2010 video game Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions the "The Bombastic Bag Man" is a costume that can be used.
Captain Universe and Daredevil
The Uni-Power is an extra-dimensional force that possesses an individual in a time of crisis, transforming that person into Captain Universe. Spider-Man became Captain UniverseCaptain Universe
Captain Universe is a disembodied superhero in Marvel Comics' universe who was created by Bill Mantlo and Michael Golden, and first appeared in Micronauts vol. 1 #8. It is the guardian and protector of Eternity...
for a short while beginning in The Spectacular Spider-Man
The Spectacular Spider-Man
The Spectacular Spider-Man is the name of several comic books and one magazine series starring Marvel Comics' Spider-Man.The character's main series, The Amazing Spider-Man, was extremely successful, and Marvel felt the character could support more than one title. This led the company in 1968 to...
#158, during the "Acts of Vengeance
Acts of Vengeance
"Acts of Vengeance" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through several titles published by Marvel Comics from December 1989 to February 1990.-Publication history:...
" storyline. The Uni-Power grants him cosmic-level abilities and awareness and as a result, all of his natural spider-powers are greatly enhanced. For example, Spider-Man's strength was amplified to the point of being able to punch the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
into orbit. The efficiency of his spider-sense is also enhanced to such a degree that the tingling becomes painful and responds to nearly everything, no matter how minor. He also gains telescopic vision, molecular manipulation capabilities, a high degree of resistance to physical injury, flight, and the power to manipulate great amounts of energy for a variety of purposes. With the Uni-Power at his command, Spider-Man is able to defeat the likes of Magneto
Magneto (comics)
Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
and Graviton
Graviton (comics)
Graviton is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #158 and was created by Jim Shooter and Sal Buscema....
. Spider-Man, however, does not become aware of the actual 'possession' until much later on because of the powers being partially suppressed by a machine devised by one of Parker's teachers at Empire State University. In the aftermath of the Acts of Vengeance, the suppression is removed in time to battle and defeat the Tri-Sentinel
Tri-Sentinel
The Tri-Sentinel is a fictional robot who has appeared in the superhero comics of Marvel Comics.-Acts of Vengeance:The Tri-Sentinel's first appearance was in Amazing Spider-Man #329, which followed on directly from the Acts of Vengeance storyline...
. Both Spider-Man's costume and the traditional Captain Universe attire are merged into a single uniform after Spider-Man gained awareness. Once the Tri-Sentinel is destroyed, Spider-Man loses the Captain Universe powers.
On one occasion, Spider-Man masquerades in Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
's costume in order to convince people that Daredevil and Matt Murdock are two different people. Recently, Spider-Man has once again disguised himself as Daredevil when his costume winds up getting stolen by the daughter of Kraven.
Negative Zone and Alex Ross
In the Peter Parker: Spider-ManPeter Parker: Spider-Man
Peter Parker: Spider-Man is the name of two comic book series published by Marvel Comics, both of which feature the character Spider-Man.-Volume One :...
series, Spider-Man once travelled to the Negative Zone
Negative Zone
The Negative Zone is a fictional setting, an antimatter universe depicted in publications from Marvel Comics, most frequently in Fantastic Four and Captain Marvel. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, it first appeared in Fantastic Four #51 .-Fictional description:The Negative Zone in the Marvel...
to rescue three children. His suit transformed into a white and black suit that apparently did nothing other than change his appearance. There is also another version of the Negative Zone with blue and red colors. None of the costumes feature webs on the suit. Also, Alex Ross
Alex Ross
Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross is an American comic book painter, illustrator, and plotter. He is praised for his realistic, human depictions of classic comic book characters. Since the 1990s he has done work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an...
created a specially designed suit with a different makeover for the live action movie (which was still in development at the time). For example, the costume design was more angular than the classic design, the spider insignias on his chest and back were more stylized (and identical to each other), the red boots were missing, and the areas that were typically blue in the classic design—and even the eyepieces—were black. This suit was used in the Spider-Man 2 video game for PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
, and in the Spider-Man the movie game for PS2 and on PSone it was available in two versions: the colored red-and-black version, and a sketch version in black-and-white. In Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is a video game featuring Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions blends together four universes from the Marvel Comics multiverse, allowing the player to play as four different Spider-Men...
, the Negative Zone costume worn by Spider-Man Noir as an alternate costume.
Ben Reilly's costumes
Benjamin "Ben" Reilly (also known as the Scarlet Spider, the second Spider-Man and Spider-Carnage) is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. He is a clone of Peter Parker (Spider-Man), and is prominent in the Clone SagaClone Saga
The Clone Saga or Spider-Clone Saga was a major story arc in Marvel Comics which ran from 1994 to 1996 involving many clones of Spider-Man.The story is considered to be one of the most controversial Spider-Man stories ever told...
. He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man#149 (October 1975).
Ben Reilly was the first successful clone of Peter Parker created by the Jackal
Jackal (Marvel Comics)
The Jackal is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 , and was created by writer Gerry Conway and artist Ross Andru. In The Amazing Spider-Man #148 The Jackal is a fictional character that appears in...
, as the first clone, Kaine, had suffered from clone degeneration which made him become unstable. Through arcane science, Ben is imprinted with Peter's memories and in their first encounter believed himself to be the original. After Peter Parker was captured by the Jackal, both Parker and Reilly found themselves in Spider-Man costumes at Shea Stadium, and initially fought each other believing the other was the imposter. When realizing the stakes, they decided to team up in an attempt to save the Gwen Stacy clone and a captured Ned Leeds
Ned Leeds
Ned Leeds is a comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe, part of the supporting cast of Spider-Man, first introduced in 1964 in The Amazing Spider-Man #18, by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko...
. In the process, the clone appeared to be killed in the explosion, and Parker, fearful of the consequences of a second body of "Peter Parker" turning up while he was still alive, dropped Reilly's body in a smokestack. Ben apparently survived and escaped from the smokestack. When he witnessed Parker and Mary Jane Watson in an embrace, decided to part on a nomadic life as if no one knew his existence. He dubbed himself the alias "Ben Reilly", using his Uncle Ben's first name and his Aunt May's maiden name, Ben Parker and May Reilly
Aunt May
May Reilly Parker-Jameson, commonly known as Aunt May, is a supporting character in Marvel Comics' Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared as May Parker in Amazing Fantasy #15...
respectively. He took some old clothes Parker had intended to donate to charity, and he left New York deeply depressed.
Five years later, Reilly discovers that May Parker
Aunt May
May Reilly Parker-Jameson, commonly known as Aunt May, is a supporting character in Marvel Comics' Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared as May Parker in Amazing Fantasy #15...
is dying from a stroke, so he returns to New York. There, Reilly encounters Peter Parker, who has become bitter and angry following several tragedies. While they initially come to blows, they quickly begin working together. Soon after, Reilly dons a makeshift costume, and is dubbed the "Scarlet Spider" by the press. When Peter retired as Spider-Man, Ben donned a new version of the Spider-Man costume as he felt that the original version needed an update, coupled with the fact that he did not feel as though he was ready to shoulder the burdens of the original costume yet.
Protective wear
On a few occasions, Spider-Man has altered his costume for specific purposes. He uses a very short-lived, silver-colored armored suit in Web of Spider-ManWeb of Spider-Man
Web of Spider-Man is the name of two different monthly comic book series starring Spider-Man that have been published by Marvel Comics since 1985, the first volume of which ran for 129 issues between 1985 and 1995, and the second of which ran for 12 issues between 2009 and 2010.-Volume 1:The first...
#100, developed at Empire State University
Empire State University
Empire State University is a fictional university in the Marvel Comics Universe, a mixture of New York University and Columbia University . It is located somewhere in New York City, in Greenwich Village near the site of New York University...
Labs by the web-slinger. The armor severely impairs his natural agility, though it renders him highly resistant to high caliber bullets. However, the armor is soon destroyed by acid.
In The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
#425, he creates an electrically insulated costume to fight Electro
Electro (comics)
Electro is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a supervillain and an enemy of Spider-Man who gained the ability to control electricity after being struck by lightning while working on a power line. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, he first...
. He also previously fashioned another insulated costume from a rubber air mattress to protect himself from Electro in The Spectacular Spider-Man
The Spectacular Spider-Man
The Spectacular Spider-Man is the name of several comic books and one magazine series starring Marvel Comics' Spider-Man.The character's main series, The Amazing Spider-Man, was extremely successful, and Marvel felt the character could support more than one title. This led the company in 1968 to...
#66, but that was a more of an ad-hoc creation, which he crudely manufactured in an hour. It featured the classic red and blue colors, but not the web pattern or the spider emblem.
Identity Crisis
In 1998, Parker created four distinct costumes during the "Identity Crisis" storyline, for the identities DuskDusk (comics)
Dusk was an identity used by several fictional superheroes in the Marvel Universe. It was eventually adopted by college student Cassie St. Commons, who appeared in the Marvel Comics' series, Slingers.-Negative Zone:...
, Ricochet
Ricochet (comics)
Ricochet was an alternate identity used by the fictional superhero Spider-Man, and later adopted by college student Johnny Gallo, who appeared in the Marvel Comics series, Slingers.-Ricochet :...
, Hornet, and Prodigy
Prodigy (comics)
Prodigy, in comics, may refer to:*Prodigy , a character featured prominently in various X-Men titles*Prodigy , a character who first appeared in Slingers*Spider-Man has gone by the name Prodigy...
. Four other people later used these costumes and identities in the Slingers
Slingers
The Slingers are a group of fictional superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe. They starred in their own eponymous short-lived comic book.-History:...
comic book series. The second Hornet and Dusk were killed, Prodigy was forcefully inducted into the Initiative, and Ricochet retired/Joined the Loners.
Final costume
Leo Zelinsky
Leo Zelinsky is a fictional tailor in the Marvel Universe, who owns Leos Tailoring on 23rd near 8th in New York. His first appearance is in Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man #502. His police officer son was killed...
, The Super-Hero Tailor. This was in response to his criticism that the hero's usual tight costume is unsanitary for his skin, threatening to cause athlete's foot
Athlete's foot
Athlete's foot is a fungal infection of the skin that causes scaling, flaking, and itch of affected areas. It is caused by fungi in the genus Trichophyton and is typically transmitted in moist areas where people walk barefoot, such as showers or bathhouses...
all over his body.
The costume reappeared as part of a possible dark future if Spider-Man were to kill Kraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunter is a fictional character, a supervillain and enemy of Spider-Man appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Kraven's name is Sergei Kravinoff. He also appears as Xraven, with white-grey skin and red eyes, possessing the powers of X-Men. He is the half-brother of Dmitri...
during the end of the Grim Hunt storyline.
Stark Armor (Iron Spider)
After Spider-Man's newer powers developed in "The OtherSpider-Man: The Other
"The Other" is a comic book crossover story arc published by Marvel Comics from October 2005 to January 2006. It was the first Spider-Man crossover since 2001, and was published in Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1-4, Marvel Knights Spider-Man #19-22, The Amazing Spider-Man #525-528.-Publication...
", Tony Stark
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
(Iron Man) developed a new suit for Peter, which he began wearing in The Amazing Spider-Man #529. Nicknamed the "Iron Spider" costume, it is red and gold: according to Marvel Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada
Joe Quesada
Joseph "Joe" Quesada is an American comic book editor, writer and artist. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, such as Ninjak and Solar, Man of the Atom...
, "Stark's design, Stark's
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
color!" The suit was designed by Quesada, based on a sketch by Chris Bachalo
Chris Bachalo
Chris Bachalo is an American comic book illustrator known for his quirky, cartoon-like style. He became well known for stints on DC Comics’ Shade, the Changing Man and Neil Gaiman's two Death series...
. The suit's appearance has had a mixed reception from fans.
Supported by a system similar to that of Stark's classic Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
design, it features many gadgets, including three mechanical spider-arms, or "waldoes
Remote manipulator
A remote manipulator, also known as a telefactor, telemanipulator, or waldo , is a device which, through electronic, hydraulic, or mechanical linkages, allows a hand-like mechanism to be controlled by a human operator...
," that can be used to see around corners (via cameras in the tips) and to manipulate objects indirectly. Stark describes them as too delicate to use in combat, yet Spider-Man shortly afterward uses them to smash through the sensors in Titanium Man
Titanium Man
The Titanium Man is the name of two or more fictional characters, supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe. The original Titanium Man first appeared in Tales of Suspense #69 . He was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck.-Titanium Man I:Boris Bullski was born in Makeyevka, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union...
's helmet. Later on during the Civil War storyline, he uses them, (reluctantly), during his fight with Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
.
Other features include short-distance gliding capability, limited bulletproofing, built-in fire
Fire department
A fire department or fire brigade is a public or private organization that provides fire protection for a certain jurisdiction, which typically is a municipality, county, or fire protection district...
/police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
/emergency scanner, audio/visual amplification (including infrared
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
and ultraviolet
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...
), cloaking
Stealth technology
Stealth technology also termed LO technology is a sub-discipline of military tactics and passive electronic countermeasures, which cover a range of techniques used with personnel, aircraft, ships, submarines, and missiles, to make them less visible to radar, infrared, sonar and other detection...
device, carbon filters to keep out airborne toxin
Toxin
A toxin is a poisonous substance produced within living cells or organisms; man-made substances created by artificial processes are thus excluded...
s, and a short-range GPS microwave communication system. It grants the ability to breathe under water, and can morph into different shapes due to its "'smart' liquid metal" form. It can also "more or less disappear" when not needed due to reactions to neurological impulses as Tony Stark revealed. The new costume is able to look like other styles of costumes Spider-Man has worn over the years or turn into his street clothes. Part of the costume can detach itself from Spider-Man to cover an object too dangerous to touch, such as a radioactive asteroid. All these features are controlled by a computer system in the chest piece. The suit responds to mental control.
The armor also has a secret override that can be activated by Iron Man in case of emergencies or if Spider-Man ever switches sides (which he does in Civil War #5). However, unknown to Stark, Peter was already aware of the safety measure and had bypassed it with his own override, Password Surprise. Perhaps most sinister, Stark discovered a way to give his own Iron Man armor a "spider-sense" based on Peter's, and the ability to give Spider-Man's sense red herrings
Red herring (plot device)
Red herring is an idiomatic expression referring to the rhetorical or literary tactic of diverting attention away from an item of significance...
.
Peter wore this suit as Spider-Man's official costume until writer J. Michael Straczynski
J. Michael Straczynski
Joseph Michael Straczynski , known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer and television producer. He works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is a playwright, a former journalist,...
chose to revert to the older costume. It was used symbolically to show Peter's divided loyalties during the Civil War
Civil War (comics)
Civil War is a 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover storyline built around a self-titled seven-issue limited series written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which ran through various other titles published by Marvel at the time...
event at Marvel Comics, promotional images showing him with the Iron Spider costume alongside the pro-registration heroes and in his classic costume on the anti-registration side.
In Civil War #6, Spider-Man is in his classic costume, but he apparently put this costume away since he returned to his black outfit in early 2007, as seen in Civil War #7. Whether or not Spider-Man still has this costume remains to be seen.
The Stark armor costume has been duplicated and was used by three clones created out of the deceased MVP's
Michael Van Patrick
Michael "Mike" Ian Van Patrick is a fictional comic book character created by Dan Slott and Stefano Caselli. Although the character himself is deceased, and in fact died in the issue he first appeared in, the character is said to have been cloned after his death, with his clones continuing to play...
genetic material in the Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series from Marvel Comics. Written by Dan Slott and Christos Gage with artwork initially by Stefano Caselli, Steve Uy and Harvey Tolibao, the series dealt with the aftermath of Marvel's Civil War crossover Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series...
who identify themselves as "Red Team". War Machine
War Machine
War Machine is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in comic books set in the Marvel Comics universe. The character of James Rhodes first appeared in Iron Man #118 by David Michelinie, John Byrne and Bob Layton...
labels them Scarlet Spiders. It is unknown what new powers the team possesses, but they have been shown to be using some of the built-in powers such as the cloaking device, communications, and waldoes which the original costume possessed (Avengers: The Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series from Marvel Comics. Written by Dan Slott and Christos Gage with artwork initially by Stefano Caselli, Steve Uy and Harvey Tolibao, the series dealt with the aftermath of Marvel's Civil War crossover Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series...
#3). One change, is that there are now four waldoes, as opposed to three. These suits have the original's morphing ability , as well as web-shooters, and wall-crawling capability.
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is an action role-playing game developed for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox and Xbox 360 by Raven Software and published by Activision. The game was simultaneously ported to the PlayStation Portable and Wii by Vicarious Visions, and to Microsoft Windows by Beenox...
features the "Iron Spidey" costume as Spider-Man's final costume, however, it does not feature the Waldoes. The Wii version of Spider-Man: Web of Shadows also features the Iron Spider outfit as an unlockable costume. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 also features this costume as Peter's only Alternate Costume, but this time it includes the Waldoes and the gold parts are now white. This costume can only be unlocked by choosing Pro-Registration. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions also features the Iron Spider armor as an alternate suit for Spider-Man 2099
Spider-Man 2099
Spider-Man 2099 is a fictional comic book superhero, created by Peter David and Rick Leonardi in 1992 for Marvel Comics' Marvel 2099 line. His secret alter ego is Miguel O'Hara, a brilliant geneticist living in New York in the year 2099 A.D...
.
Stealth suit
After a disastrous battle with the new HobgoblinHobgoblin (comics)
The Hobgoblin is the alias of several fictional characters that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first and best-known Hobgoblin is Roderick Kingsley. He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #238, and was created by Roger Stern and John Romita, Sr...
(Phil Urich
Phil Urich
Philip Benjamin "Phil" Urich is a Marvel Comics character whose first appearance was in Web of Spider-Man #125. He once was the second person to use the Green Goblin identity as a superhero instead of a supervillain...
) in Amazing Spider-Man #649 and #650, Peter develops a black costume with blue lights using new technology he created from his job at Horizon Labs, which he begins wearing in Amazing Spider-Man #650 as part of the Big Time story arc.
It is created with a "omni-harmonic mesh" based on one of Henry Pym
Henry Pym
Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. Created by editor and plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber and penciler Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27...
's theories, with wave-bending technology to both light and sound with Peter adapting concepts he developed during his work with Tony Stark.
It features several modes, the first which turns the lights on his costume neon-green and gives him the ability to be invisible to both visual and audio means except from certain lens and frequencies so allies can see and communicate with him. The green lights on the costume is for the benefit of whoever needs to see him (while wearing the lens), along with himself, as otherwise he is invisible to his own eyes.
The second mode, which turns the lights on his costume red, can cancel out all sonic-based attacks on his person. A side-effect of this is that it disrupts any attempt to communicate with Peter using sound, and vice versa. Using this principle, Peter developed new, lightweight noise-reduction headphones at Horizon Labs.
The costume contains a new type of weapon based similar in shape to his Spider-Tracers, but created from Anti-Metal (also known as Antarctic Vibranium), which can be fired from the top of his wrist at metal objects, causing them to dissolve. Peter can apparently carry a large number of these new Anti-Metal spiders on his person without them causing harm to his own suit or webshooters.
The suit appears as one of Spider-Man's alternate costumes in the game Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
is a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom. It features Capcom's own characters and characters from American comic book company Marvel Comics. It is the fifth installment of the Marvel vs...
created by Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
.
Having been loaned to Kaine
Kaine
Kaine is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain and antihero who serves as both an ally and an enemy of Spider-Man. He first appeared in Web of Spider-Man #119, and is the Jackal's first failed attempt at cloning Peter Parker...
for the fight against the Queen, the suit proved instrumental, as it allowed Kaine immunity against the Queen's sonic-based attacks. The stealth suit is currently in Kaine's possession due to Madame Web
Madame Web
Madame Web is a fictional supporting character in the Spider-Man comic book series.-Fictional character biography:Cassandra Webb was born in Salem, Oregon. She is a paralyzed, blind, telepathic, clairvoyant, and precognitive mutant, allowing her to work as a professional medium...
advising him to hold onto it.
New Spider-Armor
Having lost his spider-sense in Amazing Spider-Man #654, Peter is shot while in the process of dodging automatic gunfire from the villain Massacre. Realising his new vulnerability, Peter pulls out a new black suit with the spider emblem in yellow, which he had been keeping in storage at Horizon Labs.The suit is designed to be bulletproof up to an unknown degree, but not impeding Spider-Man's agility. It has been observed to prevent assault rifle and multiple sniper rifle-fire from penetrating the armor. It comes equipped with magnetic webbing which can block all radio frequencies, such as remote control explosives.
Apparently the suit is made of a lightweight, impact-resistant polymer in which he applies to a motorcycle crash helmet at Horizon Labs. The new helmet is cheap, easy to mass-produce, and has ten times the strength of a normal helmet.
Future Foundation
Upon joining the Future FoundationFuture Foundation
Future Foundation is a fictional organization appearing in comics published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Jonathan Hickman, the team first appeared in Fantastic Four #579 and stars in the series FF, written by Hickman and illustrated by Steve Epting...
as part of Johnny Storm's last request in his will, Spider-Man is given a new white costume made from third-generation unstable molecules
Unstable molecules
Unstable molecules are a piece of fictional technology featured in Marvel Comics. They exist as a configuration of unknown atomic nuclei and electrons that are responsive to certain energized matter around them...
which has several default color schemes which can be changed by mental control. This suits never gets dirty and allows him to change this costume to his classic red and blue or in civilian clothes, although in other Marvel titles (such as "The Avengers" or "The New Avengers") he uses always the white and black scheme. Because of this, now Peter uses this costume regularly, being the first change of regular suit since the Black Costume.