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Y'know, something about SPIDER-MAN's origin that never really gelled with me was the idea that he had the proportionate powers of a spider - simply because he was bitten by a radioactive one. Sure, he certainly manifested similar abilities, though didn't possess the natural physical 'equipment' to produce his own webbing, making the first movie ridiculous in that respect, despite STAN LEE saying that he thought it was an improvement.
Therefore, if (for the sake of discussion) we accept the original notion that he got his powers from the spider, he could obviously only replicate its abilities in as much as his own human make-up would allow him to. But if that's true, then how did he manage to walk up walls while wearing gloves and (originally) thick-treaded boots?
Furthermore, whenever he was crawling on a ceiling, wouldn't his weight have brought it down - especially in offices where polystyrene ceiling tiles hid the electrical wires for air-conditioning and overhead lighting? It doesn't really make much sense. (I hear you - does any superhero concept?) But we're not stuck with the 'official' explanation if we don't want to be.
My own opinion (despite what the comics may now suggest) is that it was simply the radiation that imbued PETER with enhanced powers, not the spider - it was merely the 'messenger'. The radiation allowed him to transcend his human limitations and do things that he otherwise wouldn't be able to. Walking up walls? That was as a result of Peter having some kind of 'psionic' force that allowed him to defy gravity to a limited extent.
You see, in my view, because Peter saw the spider, it had a psychological influence on the way he understood and 'rationalised' his enhanced abilities. Potentially, if he hadn't been limited by his own perceptions of what a spider can do (disproportionate strength and speed, the ability to cling to surfaces), he might have manifested even greater powers - like being able to fly for example. (Even his so-called 'spider-sense' is merely a form of ESP.)
What I'm suggesting is that the spider was merely the conduit for the radiation that gave him his powers, not the source itself. The radiation affected his metabolism, increased his strength and speed, and also imbued him with the ability to develop just about whatever enhanced attributes he could imagine (within reason). Now, though, his powers have become established and can't evolve further.
Anyway, I think there's great story potential in my idea. I'd love to see a tale where Peter discovers he's a 'child of the atom', not the spider, and that the arachnid merely influenced how he interpreted his radiation-induced powers, and wasn't the genetic source of them itself. What say the rest of you Criv-ites? Let loose the dogs of dissent in the comments section.
I think that's a great theory, Kid. I'd like to think it's the one I would have come up with if someone had asked me to rationalize Spider-Man's origin! Obviously we're talking within the context of early 1960s Marvel Comics, where "radiation" was known to be capable of creating super-humans such as the Fantastic Four and the Hulk. But maybe in all cases, the exact nature of the super-abilities was somehow framed by an individual's thought processes at the time - in Peter Parker's case, obviously focused on the spider.
ReplyDeleteObviously I'm biased in my own favour, AM, 'cos I think it's a great theory as well. I'll just sit back and wait for Marvel to reverse a truck full of money up to my front door, pour a stack of lovely dosh through my letterbox to pay me for the concept, and tell me to say 'when'. (H'mm, I suspect I'm going to have a mighty long wait, eh?)
ReplyDeleteI'd like to know how Peter Parker was able to create the Spider-Man costume - a mere schoolboy apparently had the abilities of a qualified tailor. I can barely manage to sew on a button correctly so I'm full of admiration for Peter's skill.
ReplyDeleteI seem to remember reading somewhere (years later) that his costume was supposed to have been 'silk screen' printed, CJ. Strange thing is, when he was shown repairing his costume in a later tale (Ditko-drawn), he said he was 'all-thumbs' because he kept stabbing his fingers with the needle. But, hey - the guy's a schoolboy genius, remember. He invented web fluid and web-shooters as well, so a costume shouldn't really be beyond him. And maybe the radiation imbued him with the ability to design costumes if he didn't have it already. (Hee-hee.)
ReplyDeleteAll the other superheroes and supervillains were equally talented in making their own costumes!
ReplyDeleteThat's an assumption, CJ. Actually, I have it on good authority that most of them get their outfits from 'Costumes-R-Us'.
ReplyDeleteI think all superhero origin stories should be taken with a pinch of salt. Except, of course, the (second) Human Fly, who was real. Apparently.
ReplyDeleteI'm a real superhero as well, M, and one day I shall reveal my origin to the world.
ReplyDeleteI read last week that there is a superhero called 'Arms Fall Off Boy'. I bet that origin story takes some beating.
ReplyDeleteWasn't there another Captain Marvel character who yelled 'Split-Zam!' and his limbs separated from his body? I forget the publisher, but it sounds a bit like the superhero you mention.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Kid, I've just Googled. I guess there's no such thing as an original idea. Plenty of crap ones though.
ReplyDeleteAin't there just, M! Thankfully, they usually meet the fate they deserve before too long.
ReplyDeleteI miss checking out your blog for 24 hours, and four new blogs come along at once! I can't keep up.
ReplyDeleteI do think your theory has some merit, Kid. Having just re-read a reprint of the origin, it seems amazing that a group of people are clustered around a major radioactive experiment as though it is a wine and cheese party. I think there is a story there where the entire group of onlookers to the experiment sue the pants off the potty scientists who cooked up the public radioactive stunt.
Yes, it's unlikely that there wouldn't be more safety precautions, isn't it?! Like three foot glass shields between the experiments and onlookers. It's the same with Spider-Man #1, where there are loads of members of the public milling around a site from where a rocket is about to be launched. They'd ve been kept well away from the base by a few miles, in all likelihood.
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