So, in spite of the fact that most of our comic characters are 'practically' immortal, let's start at the beginning. Peter Parker was 16 years old when he was bitten by a radioactive/genetically altered spider, giving him the proportionate strength of a spider. The 'proportionate strength of a spider'? What does that mean? Time for a little couch potato science.
Being somewhere between 5'6" and 5'7" tall, and about 150-160 pounds, Parker is about 60 times the size of a one inch spider. If the 'genetically altered' spider is of the tarantula family, the he's about 16 times larger. I'm not sure how much a spider can carry, but the average ant can carry 50 times its weight. I'm going to side with the thought that Spiderman can lift (at least) 50 times his weight as well. At about 160-pounds, that's lifting 8,000 pounds, or 4 tons. I think we can all agree that a genetically altered spider might be able to lift a little more, so be wary of this Spider's grip.
Let's talk speed and agility. The average spider moves pretty fast and has some pretty quick, jerking movements. Now, imagine a human whose muscles can lift 4 tons moving a sinewy 160 pound frame with uncanny reflexes. To me, it's quite understandable how Spiderman can dodge a hailstorm of projectiles. With a 'spider sense' that compensates for Spidey only having two eyes instead of eight, getting the jump on the web-slinger is not going to be easy, and getting punched would be like getting hit with a steel ball attached to a flail.
So, you're a sixteen year old kid capable of lifting 4 tons, amazingly quick reflexes, unparalleled equilibrium and a heck of an early warning sense for danger. Not bad, unless you're tangling with a serious bad-ass super villain. But for Parker, that's where most people begin to under rate him.
As I said, Parker is sixteen years old. How many sixteen year olds do you know who can develop a synthetic compound that can be sprayed from a cartridge from your wrists, and take about an hour before it dissolves? Not many. So yeah, Parker is a geek with cool powers. What makes Spiderman a great character is the writers who understand that unlike writing the Power Pack, Spiderman has a great sense of humor and deals with some pretty common issues that most of us have (or are) dealing with like money, girls, getting through school while balancing some personal values. I'm pretty sure that each of us have wanted to fly like Superman at some point in our lives, but I wouldn't mind taking a 'ride' in the web-slinger's red boots for a day.
1 comment:
Spider-Man has always been my favorite Marvel hero for several reasons. First, he's extremely powerful, but not overpowered; in fact, he gets beaten to within an inch of his life pretty regularly. Second, he always maintains a sense of humor. Finally, he's a regular guy by default, who puts on a mask to become a superhero, in contrast to people like Superman, who have to put on a mask to become a regular guy.
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