What Are SpiderMan’s Webs Actually MADE Out Of

What Are Spider-Man’s Webs Actually MADE Out Of?

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Spider-Man’s web fluid formula has been a closely guarded secret for years, but the official Marvel Comics have hinted at its true origin…

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What Are SpiderMan’s Webs Actually MADE Out Of

One of Spider-Man’s best qualities is his inventive genius. Peter Parker didn’t just rely on the spider-powers he received from that spider bite – he actually chose to build some of his own abilities by constructing web shooters, and an insanely strong web fluid that allows him to shoot spider-like silk at his enemies.

Over the years, this invented power has become arguably one of Spider-Man’s most useful abilities as it lets him get around town on web lines, trap criminals in webbing, and save innocent people with web nets. But what exactly is Spider-Man’s web fluid made of – and what is it capable of?

Although Peter Parker’s secret formula has been a mystery since 1963, several comic books, animated series, prose stories, and movies have offered tantalizing clues about how this miracle substance is created. Let’s take a closer look at what Spider-Man lore has to say.

How Did Spider-Man Create His Web Shooters?

What Are SpiderMan’s Webs Actually MADE Out Of

Peter Parker’s web shooters made their first appearance in Spider-Man’s origin story in Amazing Fantasy #15. Peter built the early models of his web shooters extremely quickly (within the space of one panel) and seemed to have everything he needed to construct them in his room. Although Peter intended his web shooters as a gimmick for his television appearances, his original web fluid formula was still incredibly strong – capable of supporting Peter’s weight, allowing him to web sling, and even trap criminals (like his Uncle Ben’s murderer) in an unbreakable straitjacket.

Later stories provided some explanations for how Peter was able to build his web shooters so fast. In Peter David’s prose retelling of Spider-Man’s origin, Peter had been experimenting with adhesives on his own for a long time – hoping to create a formula that could earn him the money for his college education. He succeeded in creating an incredibly strong substance, but gave up on it when he discovered it dissolved after a couple hours. Once he became Spider-Man, however, he realized this problem wouldn’t be an issue if all he wanted to do was create a temporary spider web. The Ultimate Spider-Man comic adds to this by revealing Peter’s original web formula came from his scientist father Richard Parker. Richard had been working on a new adhesive that Peter tried to complete. Shortly after becoming Spider-Man, he worked out the formula and used it for his web shooters.

The Spider-Man movies also give their own explanations for how Peter was able to create a highly advanced web fluid formula. The Sam Raimi films get around this by giving Peter organic web shooters from the spider-bite (something his comic book counterpart also developed for a while). In The Amazing Spider-Man films, Andrew Garfield’s Peter stole a sample of some artificial spider silk from Osborn Industries and reverse-engineers his web fluid from that. In the MCU, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man designed an early web formula on his own that managed to impress Tony Stark. Stark may have also created a new version of the web fluid for Spider-Man’s high-tech suit – however Peter has been shown to create new versions of his web fluid on his own.

What Can Spider-Man’s Webs Do?

What Are SpiderMan’s Webs Actually MADE Out Of

Stan Lee and Steve Ditko actually described the capabilities and workings of Spider-Man’s webbing and web shooters in great detail in the first The Amazing Spider-Man Annual. According to Lee, Spider-Man is possibly the world’s foremost expert in spiders and their webs and based his web fluid on actual spider-silk, giving his webs the proportionate tensile strength of a real spider web.

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Lee went on to explain that Spider-Man’s web is so strong that an extra-thick strand is tough enough to hold the Fantastic Four’s Thing (considering Ben Grimm could lift anywhere from 5 to 100 tons, that makes Spider-Man’s webbing unbelievably tough). The webbing is also fireproof and capable of holding a flaming Human Torch (unless Johnny Storm increases his temperature to higher levels). Spidey’s webbing can also stretch like Mr. Fantastic and dissolves into powder after an hour (so the police can take the criminals he catches into custody).

Later handbooks on Marvel Universe characters even provided diagrams on the inner workings of Spider-Man’s web shooters and offered a further explanation of the web fluid. The web formula is constructed in liquid form and kept in high pressure cartridges that Spider-Man stores on his belt. He can load these cartridges into his web shooters and fire different forms of webbing depending on the position of the web shooter’s nozzle. These positions allow him to fire thin web lines (to aid in web slinging), spray large spider webs (or nets), or excrete a gloppy gluey substance to trap people in paste.

What Are SpiderMan’s Webs Actually MADE Out Of

Just how Spider-Man can alter the types of webbing he fires has been detailed as well. Early web shooter models responded to a double tap on the palm trigger (so Spidey didn’t accidentally spray webbing when he made a fist or shook someone’s hand). Later models were pressure sensitive, so Spidey had to apply a certain amount of strength to his taps to fire a web. Likewise, instead of manually adjusting the nozzle tip of his web shooters, Spidey could later just turn his wrist in key directions to alter the type of webbing he sprayed (this latter design was attributed to his clone Ben Reilly, but Peter likely has his own design for changing his web).

Although the web fluid is made in liquid form, it expands and hardens on contact with air, turning into a thin but superhumanly sturdy material when Peter shoots a web. The webbing actually gets stronger in the first few seconds as it interacts with oxygen – meaning a fast opponent can tear Spider-Man’s webbing away before it becomes too strong. After some time, however, the webbing actually gets weaker and more brittle, eventually dissolving within an hour (or two depending on the formula).

While Spider-Man movies and animated shows have shown Spidey reshaping his webbing into barriers, parachutes, web balls, or safety nets, in the comics, he’s gotten even more creative with his webs. Steve Ditko actually drew an entire page showing Spidey reshaping his webs into a club, a raft, and even skis! Other artists have shown Spidey is so skilled at sculpting with his webs that he once created a miniature model of his girlfriend/wife Mary Jane Watson!

What Could Spider-Man’s Web Fluid Be Made Out Of?

What Are SpiderMan’s Webs Actually MADE Out Of

So, what exactly is Spider-Man’s remarkable web fluid made of? While Marvel Comics has never given readers an exact formula, there have been several clues over the years. In Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Spidey told a young fan that he believed the spider that bit him also gave him an instinctive knowledge of the chemicals in a real spider’s webbing. This would indicate that Spider-Man’s artificial webs are based on actual spider silk, which is composed of chains of amino acids like glycine and alanine, making it a type of protein. Like Spider-Man’s webbing, real spider-silk is extremely strong, being proportionally stronger than steel and more durable than Kevlar.

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However, one should take into account that Peter Parker made his original formula while still in high school – and that he didn’t have a lot of money. This could mean that Peter was forced to use chemicals and materials he could buy or order from chemistry shops. In later years, Peter borrowed equipment and chemicals from the fully stocked chemistry labs of Empire State University and greatly improved his web formula. Since Peter Parker is almost always broke, however, it’s probably a given that he doesn’t use top-of-the-line chemicals for his web fluid.

One humorous Spider-Man prose short story plays up on this by showing Peter Parker picking up some plastic for his web formula at a hobby chemist shop. Unfortunately, since the price of plastic went up, Peter can’t buy enough and runs out of webbing while he’s chasing down a crook later on. Fortunately, that crook also shopped at the same chemist shop to buy the helium for his getaway balloon. Since the price of helium had also gone up, his balloon doesn’t function properly and Spider-Man is able to take him down thanks to the power of economic inflation.

What Are SpiderMan’s Webs Actually MADE Out Of

Remarkably, since Spider-Man used such basic elements for his web fluid, he’s able to creatively cobble together a workable batch using cheap chemicals. Spidey’s clone Ben Reilly (who has all of Peter Parker’s memories and thus the secret of his web formula) was forced to do this in The Sensational Spider-Man #0. Essentially broke at this point, Ben found all the chemicals he needed in household items at a neighborhood pharmacy for $16.50! While the webbing was more brittle than Spider-Man’s usual webs and clogged up Ben’s web shooters, it still functioned admirably.

Interestingly, the secret of Spider-Man’s webbing may lie in the fact that it is so cheap! During Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson’s honeymoon, Peter was recruited by the anti-hero Puma for a covert mission. Being low on web fluid, Peter snuck into the Puma’s state-of-the-art lab and used his chemicals to create some more. However, the blend wasn’t perfect and the webbing was highly acidic – dissolving anything it touched. Peter wondered why no one had ever managed to duplicate his webbing exactly since he designed it in high school – but this might be because a state-of-the-art lab might overlook some cheaper chemicals that Peter needs to use by necessity.

Perhaps one of the most in-depth explanations of Spider-Man’s webbing comes from Peter Parker: Spider-Man #26 where a police scientist gives her impression of Spider-Man. According to her, Spider-Man is a scientific genius who created an astounding web formula. The police managed to preserve a sample of Spider-Man’s webbing in a jar of formaldehyde before it dissolved, allowing them to analyze it and discover very exotic plastics, polycarbons, and microfilaments of a rubidium compound in its structure. The scientist suggested the police track down chemical laboratory workers, doctors, and gifted students to possibly find out who Spider-Man really is.

Regardless of its exact formula, the web fluid Peter managed to develop remains a key part of Spider-Man’s character. While it seems unbelievable that a high school student would be able to invent such a miracle substance on his own, the fact that Peter Parker chose to not rely solely on the superpowers he was given but add to them with a creation of his own shows just how determined and creative Peter Parker really is. And ultimately, it’s that creativity and determination that’s allowed Spider-Man to enjoy the incredible career that he’s had.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/spiderman-web-shooter-fluid-explained/

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