Spider-Man’swebbing is being put to the ultimate test bythe Thingfrom theFantastic Fourin an amazing new cover. Spidey’s webs have becomeknown among comics fans for being some of the strongest material used by Marvel’s wide roster of heroes. While it’s certainly not indestructible like Adamantium,the strength of Spider-Man’s websis nothing to laugh about. However, the Thing has officially shown that webbing does have its limits.
Aaron Kuder’s variant cover forThe Amazing Spider-Man#61 by Joe Kelly and Ed McGuinness depictsthe Thing wearing Spider-Man’s signature suit and attempting to take on his role for a day. However, he quickly proves that he’s not nearly as capable of the job as he thought.
The artwork shows Ben Grimm face-first on the ground with his web snapping at the seams. Clearly, something has gone wrong to make Spidey’s usually strong webs snap without any interference, anda dive into the physics behind Centrifugal Force shows that the Thing never had a chance to swing through NYC.
How Much Force Makes Spider-Man’s Webbing Snap from Centrifugal Force (and the Thing)?
Spider-Man clearly experiencesCentrifugal Force when swinging at the lowest point, similar to how riders in a car are pushed to the side during a turn. Therefore,there’s a limit to how much force the webbing can withstand before it snapsat that lowest point - if that’s where the Thing fell to the ground in the cover. For the scientifically unfamiliar, the way to determine the force exerted at the highest point in a curve is mass multiplied by velocity squared, divided by the radius of the curve (or F = mv²/r). To determine what each variable represents, it’s crucial to dip into known comic lore and real-world physics.
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For mass, it’s important to firstdetermine the Thing’s weight, which canonically is approximately 500 pounds. To convert this unit to mass, his weight is converted to Newtons (in this case, 2224.11 N), then divided by 9.8 m/s² (also known as gravity). This math results in approximately 227 kilograms. From here, velocity is substituted with Terminal Velocity (aka 53 m/s) since this is how fast a webswinger would be at the height of a curve, making it 2809 because of the second exponent.
Finally, the radius of the webbing can be estimated in this cover to be about triple the Thing’s height (5.4 meters) based on how tense the web appears. After placing these numbers into the Centrifugal Force formula and following the order of operations,this results in 118,082 Newtons of force that would need to be exerted before a web snaps at the height of a swing’s curve.
Spider-Man’s Webs Have a Hard Limit of Force It Can Withstand in a Swing
Questions Remain About How Strong His Webs Truly Are
It’s fascinating to see that, while they are certainly incredibly strong, Spidey’s webs still have their limits when put into motion during a swing. However, this begs the question of why he’s been able to web things far heavier than the Thing. The answer to this lies with how it’s used. When stationary,Spider-Man’s webbing can hold heavy things in place without much resistance, such as cars or helicopters.
Centrifugal Force in a swing can put so much strain on a web, so when calculating the weight of the swinger, it’s clear that there’s a breaking point.
The strands in each web are strong enough to hold togetherdespite the weight of the object while in place. However, when motion is put on the table, everything changes. Centrifugal Force in a swing can put much strain on a web, so when calculating the weight of the swinger, there’s a breaking point no matter how strong the material is.
Spider-Man’s Webs Have Been Shown to Have Exceptions Before
This Isn’t the First Time Webbing Has Inexplicably Torn Apart
When looking intoSpider-Man’s long history in comics, he’s had his moments where his webs can’t hold. The most notable example in recent years is when Ben Reilly couldn’t properly swing inDevil’s Reignbecause he lacked spider-strength. There are many things fans may not know about how durable Spider-Man’s webs truly are. However,the Thing clearly doesn’t factor into this exception,since he has strength that arguably far exceeds the Webhead, since hetook on a Marvel god with the help of the Hulk.
It’s amazing to see just how much new information about Spidey’s webbing can come out of a joke variant cover to celebrate the Thing’s anniversary. However, with science putting it to the test, it’s an outcome that’s incredibly insightful for fans.Spider-Manwill always be seen as one of the strongest Marvel heroes, but thanks tothe Thingfrom theFantastic Four, it’s clear that his most common crimefighting tool has some serious limitations.
The Amazing Spider-Man#61is available November 13th, 2024 from Marvel Comics!
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is the name given to several individuals who have employed a spider-moniker throughout Marvel Comics. Typically gaining their powers through a bite from a radioactive spider, the different Spider-Man heroes employ super-strength, agility, and intellect while utilizing webbing to swing and tangle up their foes. The most notable of these Spider-Men is Peter Parker, who remains one of the most popular superheroes throughout the world.
