this post was submitted on 22 Jan 2024
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.

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[–] Veritrax@lemmy.world 102 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Pretty sure the webs are formulated to dissolve in a couple hours.

[–] roofuskit@lemmy.world 61 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Yes, this is well established in the comics and animated series. It's actually one way Spider-Man proves Mysterio is impersonating him. The fake Spider-Man's webs don't dissolve on their own.

[–] EdibleFriend@lemmy.world 30 points 10 months ago (1 children)

And the MCU. First solo movie spidey says it will disolve in a couple hours when he leaves Glover stuck to his car.

[–] quams69@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago (2 children)

So disappointing Glover hasn't actually been Prowler yet

[–] EdibleFriend@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago

You haven't seen the new spiderverse yet?

[–] dragontamer@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

So disappointing Glover hasn’t actually been Prowler yet

Ummmm... spoilers but... Glover has been Prowler. (Not your Prowler though).

[–] RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

And the newer movies with the dude who had ice-cream in his groceries.

[–] TheRealKuni@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago

Donald Glover, who is a big Spider-Man fan and was rumored at one point when he was younger to be the next Spider-Man actor. They nod to this in Community when they show Troy wearing Spider-Man pajamas.

[–] GiuseppeAndTheYeti@midwest.social 3 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Maybe you can answer this for me, but I always thought that his ability to shoot webs came from being bit? How can he reformulate his own webs if it's coming from his body? Is that addressed in canon? I never got real deep into comics, this was just a thought that I had while I was watching Spider-Man: Far From Home today.

[–] hansl@lemmy.world 28 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Depends which origin story you’re following. In the Spiderverse some Spidermen have the natural property of shooting webs, while others built their own web shooters.

I’m not too much into the comics, but even between Spiderman 1-3 and Amazing Spiderman 1,2 (the movies) that’s a difference.

The Spiderman in the MCU built his own web shooter and could adjust the formula. It also means he can run out when plot requires.

[–] GiuseppeAndTheYeti@midwest.social 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Huh, I think I just realized why I never got too invested in comics. Guess I like more concrete story lines. Thanks for the answer!

[–] blargerer@kbin.social 23 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Prime Spider-man (earth 616 Spider-Man) whatever you want to call it, is more or less universally depicted as having mechanical webshooters that he invented. The big exception is the Sam Raimi Spider-man movies from the early 2000's which is probably what confused you.

[–] CatZoomies@lemmy.world 8 points 10 months ago

I haven’t read the first run of the Amazing Spider Man comics (1960s) in over a decade, but I remember that Peter gained the knowledge to create webbing from the spider bite, and then applied science to create web shooters and cartridges. There’s so many comics out there I haven’t read any other Spidey comic, and probably got halfway through Amazing Spider-Man v1.

[–] RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

He makes the webbing and shooters. His powers are the strength, wall crawling, and spider sense, and he's smart, so he supplemented that with the web swinging, which those powers make possible.

[–] OpenStars@startrek.website 6 points 10 months ago

I wonder if they catch a bug or two before they do though? That would be cool:-).

[–] Squibbles@lemmy.ca 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Hmm now someone needs to mop up the gooey white spiderslime

[–] neoman4426@kbin.social 6 points 10 months ago

Unless it's formulated to sublimate into a gas I suppose.

[–] nieceandtows@programming.dev 75 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Annoying? Quite the opposite. Forget the self dissolving property of the web and assume it's there forever. Now you got a material that is extremely light and extremely strong and flexible. Companies are going to pay to collect them. It's gonna be like ambergris, but exclusive to one city. People would flock to collect Spider-Man web. I wouldn't be surprised if Spider-Man web is outlawed by the government and becomes even more valuable.

[–] Ilflish@lemm.ee 20 points 10 months ago

In the comics he tries to sell the compound and no one wants it iirc due to its lifespan. Stupid but at least it's brought up

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 16 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Parker could simply quit his job as a freelance photographer and sell the formula to his own web shit, because he made them himself and aren't part of his super powers.

[–] nieceandtows@programming.dev 30 points 10 months ago (1 children)

As a superior raimi fan, I have no idea what you're talking about.

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 18 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I firmly believe that the only reason Raimi made it that way in his movies is to have that scene of Peter learning how to use them.

"Up, up and away web!"

[–] TwilightVulpine@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

I like mechanical web shooters better but that scene was pretty funny

[–] TwilightVulpine@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago

This is literally the very first thing he tries to do in the comics before he becomes Spider-Man and it doesn't work because the people he reached out for thought it was too short-lived.

But also, needing to juggle real life responsibilities like having a job is one of the main appeals of Spider-Man as compared to, say, the Avengers.

[–] swab148@startrek.website 6 points 10 months ago

GET ME SPIDERMAN

-J.J.J in some universe

[–] SulaymanF@lemmy.world 55 points 10 months ago (1 children)

According to the comics, webbing dissolves and fades away after a day.

[–] toynbee@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Is that accurate? I haven't kept up with comics in a long time, but when I sort of did, it was said to be an hour rather than a day. (I always assumed this was so you wouldn't worry about people being trapped for 24 hours or however long.)

Not trying to be argumentative or anything, just curious if the lore changed, or maybe I misremembered.

[–] SulaymanF@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago

It could have been an hour, it was first mentioned in the earliest comics that the webbing fades away, and I’m not sure what they said more recently.

[–] BlueLineBae@midwest.social 41 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

Bruh I hate to break it to you, but they already have to do that. I took this photo on the 66th floor of the Sears tower this last summer. Note that the spider is on the outside of the window.

[–] dohpaz42@lemmy.world 24 points 10 months ago

He’s just chilling between fighting crime.

[–] GiuseppeAndTheYeti@midwest.social 12 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Damn, look at that little guy go!

[–] swab148@startrek.website 7 points 10 months ago

Can he swing from a web?

I mean, probably.

[–] MrScottyTay@sh.itjust.works 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Spiders usually do it in reverse. They tether themselves to what they are on then "let go" and let the wind take them, with their tether being a lifeline so they don't go too fast and in case they don't get anywhere, then they can just go back to where they came from.

[–] TheRealKuni@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

And then you run into all these travel webs when you walk your dog at night, and get to wonder if you have a spider somewhere in your clothes or hair, just waiting for the right moment to scare the every-loving shit out of you.

[–] hperrin@lemmy.world 36 points 10 months ago (1 children)

They can just leave ‘em up there until the next time New York is destroyed.

[–] And009@lemmynsfw.com 3 points 10 months ago
[–] theodewere@kbin.social 21 points 10 months ago

thoughts from the shower of one J. Jonah Jameson

[–] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 8 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Like someone else already mentioned, spidey's webs are formulated to break down over time. Iirc, he has changed the formula to change how long that is, for special circumstances, but it's usually described as "a couple of hours".

I don't recall any canon description of a hard limit to the timing, up or down, either. So it could be adjustable down to near instant to practically forever.

However, there is also web solvent mentioned a few times over the years, though no description of it beyond that comes to memory.

Now, afaik, the formula isn't even really described as to exactly what it is. I vaguely recall one of the older issues mentioning it being like silk, and a much later generic "polymer" being used, but nothing was elaborated on in any of the issues I've read that I recall. I have read everything up to maybe ten years ago or so at least once. That's when I discovered certain sites and programs that allow one access to digital copies for free, and spidey was the first character I binged like that, him being the first superhero I ever cared about (enough to have worn out a dozen sets of spidey underroos before 2nd grade).

Anyway, can you imagine how annoying it would be if it didn't dissolve on its own? There's been a few scenes where people bitch about the webbing as it is lol. A bunch of grumpy New Yorkers having to wait for city services to come along and deweb a sidewalk? Holy crap ::

[–] SlopppyEngineer@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I don’t recall any canon description of a hard limit to the timing

One comic I had mentioned exactly one hour, to the second. Spidey was proud of that fact.

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

Definitely gives a different perspective to when spider leaves the bad guys hanging around off a tall building, much darker. I can hear Venom laughing right now