# Spiderman's webs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 30, 2018, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spidermans-webs/825355 "2018-11-30T22:49:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spidermans-webs/825355/1 "2018-11-30T22:49:13Z")
What happens to them? Is the whole city a hazard to drone navigation and pigeons? Guess I need to read more comics. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spidermans-webs/825355/2 "2018-11-30T22:50:30Z")
The longstanding convention is that the webbing would dissolve after about an hour. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spidermans-webs/825355/3 "2018-11-30T22:58:53Z")
I wonder how many muggers ended up dead or injured from falls because the NYPD couldn’t be bothered to send a paddy wagon? What with Annihulis or Doom or the Masters of Evil rampaging through the city for the fifth time in a month. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spidermans-webs/825355/4 "2018-11-30T23:18:28Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > The longstanding convention is that the webbing would dissolve after about an hour. Until SpOck upgraded them, [much to Peter’s surprise and inconvenience when he regained control of the body](https://whateveraspidercan.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/315/files/2014/06/Amazing-Spider-Man-2-1.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spidermans-webs/825355/5 "2018-11-30T23:28:44Z")
In the most recent Spider-Man film, Parker webs a guy to his car and tells him that it’ll dissolve in a few hours. So maybe longer than an hour (in that film, anyway) but the city isn’t draped in the stuff either. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spidermans-webs/825355/6 "2018-12-02T06:56:38Z")
That’s been the case since the beginning of the series. Peter Parker was a chemical genius, but he couldn’t find a market for a super-strong glue that dissolved after an hour or so. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spidermans-webs/825355/7 "2018-12-02T07:14:22Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > Peter Parker was a chemical genius, but he couldn’t find a market for a super-strong glue that dissolved after an hour or so. I find that hard to believe. Not your saying it’s plot but that someone couldn’t find a market for a super strong, quick dissolving adhesive. Apparently Parker’s genius doesn’t extend into marketing. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spidermans-webs/825355/8 "2018-12-02T07:24:00Z")
One of the ongoing contradictions in Spider-Man is that Peter has no money, yet can build himself amazing gadgets that would be worth millions to the public. He is as creative as Tony Stark or Bruce Wayne, but lives in a shabby one bedroom apartment. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spidermans-webs/825355/9 "2018-12-02T08:17:19Z")
Well, if there’s one thing we know about Peter Parker, it’s that he’s not good with money. Besides, if he sold the patent and someone did something wrong or evil with it, he’d feel responsible, and you all know Spidey’s beliefs concerning responsibility. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spidermans-webs/825355/10 "2018-12-02T08:18:24Z")
He’s the working mans super hero. I like it.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spidermans-webs/825355/11 "2018-12-02T12:33:09Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > One of the ongoing contradictions in Spider-Man is that Peter has no money, yet can build himself amazing gadgets that would be worth millions to the public. He is as creative as Tony Stark or Bruce Wayne, but lives in a shabby one bedroom apartment. Also, once it became commonplace, people would work on a dissolver, and a better version, and Spidey would lose all advantage. Furthermore, that obscure kid who is now a Steve Jobs-esque inventor billionaire, whose invention came to predominance just as Spiderman came to exist? Yeah, that kid’s Spiderman, grab his aunt and girlfriend. Batman’s inventions are only good for being Batman, and the world doesn’t need more than one. If you want some Stark Industries tech, just get a weapons contract. The Iron Man Deployment Platform™ seems to not be for sale at the moment, but if you want repulsor missiles, pick-up a Jericho System, comes with a free mini-bar. Who else in the Marvel Universe is offering that sort of deal? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spidermans-webs/825355/12 "2018-12-02T13:24:19Z")
It’s not just a super-strong adhesive. It’s a super-strong adhesive with amazing tensile strength. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spidermans-webs/825355/13 "2018-12-02T18:30:50Z")
What about where those webs are actually attached to allow him to swing? Forget the problem of swinging to/from a flat vertical wall, what do you swing from at rooftop level? This was lampshaded in a Runaways/Spiderman crossover. Spiderman swings in and meets the runaways on a rooftop. A panel or two later one of the characters is shown looking up at the (apparently empty) sky above and wondering where he had anchored the line. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spidermans-webs/825355/14 "2018-12-02T18:59:49Z")
Nah, that works. You can get a swing 90 degrees from the vertical, if you try, and thus end up at a point just as high as your attachment point. And all of his swings are ellipsoidal, starting by swinging away from the plane of the building he’s attached to, and ending by swinging back towards that plane. When swinging long distances, he just has to make sure to alternate sides of the street for his attachment points. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spidermans-webs/825355/15 "2018-12-02T19:23:23Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Well, if there’s one thing we know about Peter Parker, it’s that he’s not good with money. > > Besides, if he sold the patent and someone did something wrong or evil with it, he’d feel responsible, and you all know Spidey’s beliefs concerning responsibility. He has the proportional marketing ability of a spider. And if spiders were any good at marketing, they wouldn’t be getting stomped all the time just for existing. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spidermans-webs/825355/16 "2018-12-02T19:47:13Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > What about where those webs are actually attached to allow him to swing? Forget the problem of swinging to/from a flat vertical wall, what do you swing from at rooftop level? Also lampshaded in the most recent film where Parker is in the suburbs and finds himself unable to travel quickly since there’s no tall structures to swing on/from and is forced to run down the street and through people’s yards. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spidermans-webs/825355/17 "2018-12-02T20:03:21Z")
They just ended a couple years long run where Peter founded a tech start up, became super rich, then lost it all. It was fun - he was like Tony Stark with absolutely none of the suave. They even did the “Spider-Man is Peter Parker’s bodyguard,” thing. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spidermans-webs/825355/18 "2018-12-02T21:22:17Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > He has the proportional marketing ability of a spider. And if spiders were any good at marketing, they wouldn’t be getting stomped all the time just for existing. It’s too bad he didn’t get [Lucas the Spider](https://www.youtube.com/user/joshuaslice/community)’s marketing ability. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2018, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spidermans-webs/825355/19 "2018-12-03T00:52:47Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Also lampshaded in the most recent film where Parker is in the suburbs and finds himself unable to travel quickly since there’s no tall structures to swing on/from and is forced to run down the street and through people’s yards. Also lampshaded in a [much older comic](http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Amazing_Spider-Man_Vol_1_267) where he had the same dilemma. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2018, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spidermans-webs/825355/20 "2018-12-03T01:00:25Z")
Miller: > [@](#): > > They just ended a couple years long run where Peter founded a tech start up, became super rich, then lost it all. Wasn’t it Doc Ock as Peter who founded it, and then Peter as Peter who lost it? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spidermans-webs/825355.md?page=2)