9) His Webbing Lasts For Just One Hour
Have you ever wondered why the streets of New York aren’t continuously littered with cast-off strings of webbing from when Spider-Man zips between skyscrapers? Well, that’s actually not a worry, as the hero’s webbing only lasts for one hour before dissolving into nothing.
The reason for this was not a way to explain how street cleaners sweep up after Spider-Man, but actually as a way of ensuring Peter is always strapped for cash. Lee didn’t want him getting rich off selling his webbing formula as a super-strong adhesive.
Of course, this only applies to Peter’s artificial webbing. Inspired by Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movies, Peter did develop the ability to produce biological webbing for a while in the comics. However, fans were never keen on the development and that power soon faded out of use and the artificial webbing returned.
8) His Parents Were Secretly S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents
Remember the shocking reveal in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 that Peter’s parents, Richard and Mary Parker, are actually the cause of his becoming Spider-Man – because the genetically-engineered spiders were created using Parker DNA? Well, none of that is comics accurate, but that doesn’t mean Mr. and Mrs. Parker don’t have secrets on the page, as well.
In 1968’s The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #5, it was revealed that Richard and Mary were actually S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. In fact, they even saved the life of none other than Wolverine while on a mission – and while Mary was pregnant with Peter. So, in a way, this adventure was the first team up between Spidey and Logan.
The Parkers were such dangerous secret agents that they even got on the wrong side of Red Skull. Knowing they were investigating his criminal organization, the villain sabotaged the plane they were travelling on and they perished in the ensuing crash.
Published: Jul 6, 2017 04:42 pm