Spider-Man is most known for his iconic webs that he uses to traverse New York City as well as webbing up bad guys to leave for the cops. Though he’s changed his webs over the years to do all kinds of things, Peter’s biggest webbing upgrade wasn’t his own idea — but instead came from Superman.
During one of the many Marvel/DC cross-overs, Superman vs The Amazing Spider-Man by Gerry Conway, Ross Andru, Dick Giordano, Gaspar Saladino, and Jerry Serpe, Superman and Spider-Man met for the first time. Naturally, as with most superhero team-ups, they had to fight. Spider-Man tries to use his webbing against Superman, to no effect, but Superman gets a glance at the chemical makeup of Peter’s webs.
Later on, during a fight against a powerful warrior, Superman tells Spider-Man to try using his webs to hold the man down. When this fails, Superman uses his heat vision to change the chemical composition of Peter’s webs, making them as hard as steel.
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Spider-Man’s Webs Become Hard as Steel Thanks to Superman
Spider-Man’s web shooters are an iconic part of his arsenal and something he’s had to change up over the years. Peter has all kinds of webbings, from flame webbing, taser webbing — even acid webbing. But he’s never really had webbing that could become, if necessary, significantly more durable on command. While Peter’s webbing is usually strong enough to contain the majority of his foes and any street-level criminal, he has gone up against heavy hitters such as the Hulk, Juggernaut, and Rhino in the past. Having webbing that could variably harden would work great for these characters, and Superman shows him how.
Superman states that by looking at the chemical composition of Peter’s webbing, he’s able to use his heat vision to change the chemical compound and significantly harden it. This turns Peter’s webbing from adhesive rope into steel rope. While this likely wouldn’t be the best for swinging, it’s perfect for stopping a man who moments prior tore through Spider-Man’s webs like they were nothing. With Superman’s help, Peter’s webbing easily holds the man down, showing just how much better they are now from their original state.
Superman’s Heat Vision Is the Key to Spider-Man’s Level-Up
Spider-Man never knows what enemy he’s going to go up against on the streets of New York, which is why it’s best to always have a plan. As Peter has been shown capable of making webbing that ignites with fire, there’s no reason he couldn’t create a webbing that is heated up as it leaves his web shooter. This would allow him to alter the chemical composition of his webbings on the fly, making them hard as steel when necessary or loose enough to swing by normally. This brilliant addition to Spider-Man’s roster wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for the Man of Steel himself, Superman.
Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man is available now from DC and Marvel Comics.
