XPost: alt.comics.spider-man

Since the character’s debut in Marvel’s “Amazing Fantasy” #15? in 1962, Spider-Man’s handy web shooters have been one of the wall-crawling
hero’s most iconic gadgets. It’s natural to picture Spidey effortlessly
zipping between New York City skyscrapers nabbing criminals, but the web shooters themselves have a long and surprisingly storied past.

“Spider-Man: Homecoming” is certainly not the first film adaptation to
feature them. In fact, Spidey never fails to produce a unique or
revamped model when the times call for one. Throughout the character’s publication and media history, Spider-Man has made it a point to
constantly modify the web shooters to fit any number of challenges and scenarios and in return they have proven to be Spidey’s most reliable
(and unreliable) crime fighting weapon. Here are 15 things that you
never knew about them!

15. PETE INVENTED THEM
Before the bite of a radioactive spider granted him superhuman
abilities, Peter Parker seriously lacked any sort of athletic
coordination, social skills and game with the ladies. What Peter never
lacked was super genius-level intelligence. Nothing demonstrates this
better than the fact that he invented the web shooters all on his own. Originally, they were built to help Peter succeed in a wrestling
challenge, a decision that would lead to the most fateful event of the
young teenager’s life: Uncle Ben’s death and the choice to fight crime
as Spider-Man!

The classic design can be strapped to Peter’s wrists beneath the sleeves
of his costume and also include a trigger on each palm. When Peter taps
those triggers, the web fluid stored in small cartridges passes through
an internal spinneret, which cuts the fluid into strands before it
shoots out from an adjustable nozzle. Traditionally, Spider-Man usually utilizes a form of mechanical web shooters for his crime fighting needs.
In Sony’s “The Amazing Spider-Man” and its sequel, Peter Parker, played
by Andrew Garfield, invented the web shooter (with an assist from
Oscorp). Meanwhile, other Spider-People in the comics, like Miles
Morales and Spider-Gwen, received them as gifts.

14. DYNAMIC WEBBING
The web shooters are a little more refined than they look. So that he
doesn’t accidentally shoot off a line of webbing every time he makes a
fist or throws a punch, Spider-Man designed the web shooters to only
fire when he quickly double taps the palm triggers. Not only that, but
should Peter require an alternate type of webbing or web rope, all he
has to do is alternate how he taps the trigger.

A fast second tap will simply fire a slender strand ideal for web
slinging while a longer second tap adds to the strand’s thickness. If
Peter wants a glue-like paste to stop baddies in their tracks, a
prolonged press to his palm will do the trick. The NYPD must appreciate
how Spider-Man constantly webs up and leaves safely immobilized
criminals for officers to pick up, which is just a matter of Peter
briskly hitting the trigger to shoot multiple strands that bind
prospective foes.

13. UTILITY BELT
No hero is complete without a trusty utility belt and Spider-Man is no exception. The belt consists of spare web fluid cartridges available for
easy access and reloading when the Web-Head is running low (and he
always seems to be running low). Spidey can also project his infamous
spider signal from the center of his belt, a feature that was included
in 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War” in the form of a gift from Tony
Stark to Peter Parker.

The belt also serves Peter well when he’s on the job for the Daily
Bugle, as he has been known to attach a miniature camera onto the buckle
to snap photos. Spider-Man’s utility belt has also been customized in
the past. Peter’s on-again, off-again clone, Ben Reilly, aka the Scarlet Spider, donned a rotating belt on his wrists that was physically
attached to the web shooters and worn on the outside of his costume.

12. WEB FLUID IS MADE OF…
Well, no one really knows. There’s no official statement by any of the creatives behind the various Spider-Man titles regarding their chemical composition. “Spider-Man: The Ultimate Guide” states that Peter spent
countless hours in his high school laboratory working with multi-polymer compounds and eventually created an adhesive substance that became web
fluid. Some of the details vary, but generally the web fluid exists in a semi-solid state while in the cartridge and it’s up to the
aforementioned spinneret mechanism in the web shooters to chop the stuff
up into web rope strands.

Depending on its consistency when fired, the web fluid itself is
incredibly strong, and according again to the “Ultimate Guide,” each
cartridge holds about 1,000 yards of webbing. Once the web fluid is
exposed to the open air, it begins to harden or dissolve. It’s also
stated to be able to withstand temperatures of 1,000 degrees fahrenheit,
so watch out Human Torch!

11. COMBAT WEBBING
Spider-Man has invented a variety of different types of webbing to help
him out of most combat situations. Web fluid-wise, name it and Spider-
Man’s got it (or can invent it). In Marvel’s “Strange Tales Annual” #2
from 1963, Spider-Man created a form of ice webbing to combat the fiery
attacks of Johnny Storm. In a particularly horrifying demonstration of
Peter’s brilliance, he laced web fluid with hydrofluoric acid that
melted the Sandman in his tracks; that was in “Amazing Spider-Man” #615.
What’s Spider-Man’s excuse for such questionably excessive methods?
Well, to be fair, Spidey was in the throes of fighting off a seemingly
endless stream of returning villains during “The Gauntlet” arc. Ol’ Web
head was probably just in survival mode. A web or be-webbed sort of
thing.

Recently, in Marc Webb’s 2012’s film “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” Peter
Parker used a type of webbing that could conduct electricity to combat
Electro, played by Jamie Foxx. In the comics, Peter has also used flame
and sonic webbing to deal with those pesky symbiotes like Venom and
Carnage. Some of the crazier and niche web fluid formulas include
magnetic webbing, lead-lined webbing, and something called: “Micro-
Coiled Z Metal.”

10. SOMETIMES IT’S ORGANIC
In the character’s long, varied history, there have been a few occasions
or interpretations that saw a Spider-Man without the traditional
homegrown, mechanical web shooters. Famously, in Sam Raimi’s “Spider-
Man” trilogy, the web shooters were controversially replaced with an
organic form of webbing that Peter Parker, played by Toby McGuire, shot directly from his wrists like a kind of human spider silk. Raimi, and
the other creatives behind the film, toyed with the idea of keeping the mechanical web shooters, but ultimately decided to let their version of
the wall-crawler spin his own all natural webs.

The “Spectacular Spider-Man” #15-16 storyline saw Peter infected by a
kiss from the Queen, which literally turned him into a monstrous spider.
This, in turn, led to Spider-Man having the ability to produce organic
webbing for a time, coinciding with Raimi’s use of organic webbing in
the films. The alien symbiote costume Peter wore (that would eventually
become Venom and spawn an endless stream of symbiote plot lines) also
produced an infinite supply of organic webbing for anyone wearing the
suit.

9. MJ HAD WEB SHOOTERS
Following the introduction of organic webbing in the comics, the “I
Heart Marvel” continuity saw Peter Parker gift a pair of his old web
shooters to Mary Jane as a Valentine’s Day present, for her own
protection. Of course, not all the credit goes to Peter in this case, as
Tony Stark had a hand in their modification. Mary Jane wears the
disguised web shooters as bracelets and she can let loose with webbing
at any time by wearing special fake fingernails. Fabulous and
functional.

Speaking of “normal” people using web shooters, there have been more
than a few instances of inspired civilians taking a crack at inventing a version of Spider-Man’s famous gadget. Patrick Priebe, a German lab
technician created a pseudo-web shooter out of a coil gun, which
utilized electromagnetism to fire a harpoon instead of Spidey’s
signature web fluid. Speaking of which…

8. THE STRUGGLE IS REAL
Companies have been trying to commercialize spider silk for a while now,
and no wonder! It’s almost unfathomably strong! Spider silk is five
times as strong as steel, three times as strong as kevlar, conducts heat
and electricity, is hypoallergenic and biodegradable, and some forms of
silk are 300% elastic. Taking a cue from Peter Parker, scientists just
need a little luck and to put enough time in at the high school lab, and
the obstacles in the way of manipulating and manufacturing spider silk
will be overcome.

Who knows? Maybe “conventional” materials like steel will be completely replaced by spider silk. Think about it. Spider silk body armor, spider
silk bridges, spider silk… everything! It’s not the craziest idea,
especially when the end result equals a bunch of New Yorkers commuting
to work via web slinging. This sounds like a job for Tesla. Or Tony
Stark. He’s a real person, right?

7. TRACERS AND VOICE COMMANDS
Web Shooters also have some pretty dope bonus features that now come
standard. Take the spider tracer for example, which is perhaps one of
Spidey’s most useful gadgets and another of his brilliant inventions.
The tiny, spider-shaped tracers can be shot directly out of the web
shooters and attach to whatever Spidey wishes to track. Dock Ock fleeing
his own wedding with his bride, Aunt May, struggling to free herself
from his eight mechanical arms? Boom. Tracked. Green Goblin attacking
Oscorp’s World Unity Festival at Midtown? Boom. Tracked. Roomie Harry
Osborn making off with the last slice of Peter’s pizza? Boom. Tracked.

Peter even modified the spider tracers so that he could follow their
signal with his spider-sense. Peter’s company Parker Industries made a
version of the spider tracer for the public, which retails for $49.99.
Peter has also added a voice command function to the web shooters which
enables him to shoot even more variations of webbing against his foes
(yes, he can shoot web bullets, and in all different directions). The
voice command feature also conveniently includes the option to fire the
handy spider tracers as well.

6. THEY CAN CREATE OBJECTS
Early on in Spider-Man’s comic history, it was established that Spidey’s webbing can be woven to form a myriad of increasingly useful yet often
insane shapes. “Amazing Spider-Man” #1 showcased the fact that there
seemed to be no limit to what he could do with that magic web fluid
formula. Spider-Man can form it into a shield, safety net, barrier, pair
of wings, club (and ball), parachute, raft, artistic sculptures, and
even a pair of delightful skis, which Spider-Man utilizes in his swamp
battle against the Lizard in “Amazing Spider-Man” #6 .

Spider-Man ups the ante soon after in “Amazing Spider-Man” #12 by
creating a fire-proof umbrella and stepping stones out of webbing to
escape from a roaring inferno of flames. When in doubt, Spider-Man can
also just resort to shooting a thick puddle of sticky glue. Try getting
that stuff off of your Kraven the Hunter, or rhino skin boots!
Seemingly, the limits of the web fluid’s properties are delightfully
bound by Peter Parker’s (or the writer’s) wondrous imagination.

5. SUPERIOR
Following the conclusion of the 2014 “Dying Wish” story line and Peter
Parker’s death after switching bodies with the terminally ill and
vengeful Otto Octavius, Doc Ock took over Spider-Man’s heroic duties in
Peter’s stead. He was determined to do a better job than the original
wall crawler and in the subsequent “Superior Spider-Man” series, Doc Ock
not only improved on Peter Parker’s web fluid formula, but also made it
so strong that it was completely bullet proof. Eventually, Peter Parker reclaimed his body and the Spider-Mantle in “Amazing Spider-Man” Volume
3.

This followed the conclusion of “Superior Spider-Man,” where he would
soon fall victim to Otto’s web fluid enhancements himself in the form of makeshift web underwear that became impossible to remove. After dodging
a few awkward remarks from the Avengers, Peter was able to dissolve the underwear with a solvent given to him by Anna Marie Marconi, Otto’s
girlfriend and Researcher at Parker Industries. Yeah, Anna Marie is
pretty chill about the whole “Spider-Man I thought I was in love with
was actually Otto Octavius in the real Spider-Man’s body” thing.

4. THEY ALMOST NEVER EXISTED
It’s hard to believe that Spider-Man’s most iconic gadget, the item that
lends so much uniqueness to the visuals of the franchise, was almost
never adapted into the original version of the character. In the ’60s,
Jack Kirby brought Stan Lee some sketches of the Silver Spider, an older
idea Kirby’s partner and Captain America co-creator Joe Simon had
developed years earlier. The Silver Spider, interestingly enough, liked
to fire his webbing out the barrel of a big ol’ gun.

Stan Lee showed the sketches to Steve Ditko, who pronounced them too
similar to a different Simon/Kirby character: The Fly. So, Ditko
proceeded to redesign the character and thankfully kept the spider
theme. The web gun would later pop up later — like everything else
absolutely insane about comics — in the ’90s, toted by none other than
the Marvel/DC Amalgam character, Pete Ross/Spider-Boy (a title passed
over by Stan Lee when developing the original Spider-Man).

3. BEN REILLY IMPROVED PETE”S DESIGN
Love it or hate it, no Spider-Man list has ever been written without
some passing mention of the infamous “Clone Saga.” During that
particular arc, Ben Reilly, one of Peter Parker’s clones, created by
Professor Miles Warren, aka the Jackal, returned to New York and fought alongside Peter. Eventually, Peter and Ben took a test to determine once
and for all who the original wall-crawler was. To their surprise (and
readers everywhere), Peter was determined to actually be the clone. So, naturally Peter gave up crime fighting, took up grunge music, and moved
to Portland with Mary Jane, freeing up Ben Reilly to become first the
Scarlet Spider and then Spider-man!

In Ben’s quest as the new Spider-Man in town, he improved on many of
Peter’s designs and spared no expense on the web shooters. Not only did
he awesomely wear those bad boys on the outside of his costume, but
added the ability to fire stingers in the form of tiny web-based
missiles. Ben also created impact webbing, which released tendrils upon
impact and encased the target of choice in a cozy cocoon. The stingers
and the impact webbing clearly served very specific and tactical
functions, unlike the Scarlet Spider’s blue sleeveless hoodie.

2. THE RUNNING LOW-DOWN
Even though Spider-Man carries dozens of web fluid cartridges between
the web shooters themselves and the accompanying utility belt, even
though he has installed a warning light to give him a heads up when the
supply is in the red, web cartridge ammo still tends to run low, which
creates a bit of a difficult situation for a superhero who depends upon
the ability to constantly sling web rope from his hands in order to get
around, let alone survive. Honestly, Peter Parker has had issues with
his patented web shooter technology since day one. In the “Amazing
Spider-Man #1,” when Peter’s spider sense finally hones in on the real Chameleon, his web shooters come up empty. How much web fluid does Peter actually pack in those web shooters? The figures vary, but a good visual representation comes from the controversial “One More Day” story line.
Peter angrily unleashes all the webbing he has to stop Iron Man
completely in his Stark Industries-funded metal boots, and it works!

Even the Sam Raimi films incorporated Spider-Man’s longstanding low web
fluid issue by making his organic webbing power suffer a form of
impotency. In “Spider-Man 2,” as Peter starts to doubt his life choices, particularly his choice to be Spider-Man instead of living a normal life
with Mary Jane, his powers begin to disappear, leaving him unable to
stick to walls, sense danger with his spider sense and of course, sling
web lines.

1. HOMECOMING
The latest incarnation of the wall crawler certainly used mechanical web shooters to their fullest in “Captain America: Civil War” and it’s since
been confirmed that Peter Parker will be sticking with the tried and
true shooters for this year’s upcoming “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”
Although, they appear to be a little more advanced than previous
versions. The new suit itself sports other interesting additions like a
recon drone, GPS, and the long awaited web wings.

According to Director Jon Watts, Tony Stark may be the mastermind behind
these little flourishes, which is certainly in-line and inspired by the
more recent relationship Tony and Peter have shared in comics over the
last several years. Unfortunately, the style decision to feature the web shooters prominently on the outside of the costume is probably not a
conscious reference to Ben Reilly or the Scarlet Spider. Who knows? The
sequel to this film might well be “Spider-Man: Homecoming 2: Clones,
Clones, Clones.” Sony or Marvel is bound to get around to the Clone Saga someday if the current rate of superhero related releases keeps up!

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