Spider-Man was first introduced in Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's Amazing Fantasy Vol. 1 #15 and right from the jump, he's been one of the most original members of Marvel's illustrious stable of superheroes. Not only can Spider-Man match most of his counterparts to some degree in speed, strength, agility and healing, but his spider-sense, wall-crawling and web-slinging powers set him apart as the perfect defender of New York City's vertical landscape.

Spider-Man's ability to stick to walls and his web-slinging are two of his most recognizable powers, primarily because -- aside from other heroes in the Spider-Verse -- he's the only wall crawler in the main Marvel Universe. The comics are somewhat vague about how Spidey's stickiest powers work, but there's enough canon and scientific theory to give his powers some real validity.

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Spider-Man can stick to basically any dry surface and he's had numerous cell phone calls with his feet attached securely to the roof. Earlier comics like Lee and Ditko's Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1, or Lee and Gil Kane's Amazing Spider-Man #90, don't come right out and say how this works, but clearly emphasize how his costume's fabric density plays an important role.

Spider-Man's chapter in Jim Shooter's The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe states he can "enhance the inter-atomic attractive forces on surfaces he touches, increasing the coefficient of friction between the surface and himself." Peter Parker theorized this is some kind of mental ability that came with his radioactive spider bite.

In Peter David and Sal Buscema's The Spectacular Spider-Man Vol. 1 #134, Electro figures out how to nullify Spidey's wall-crawling abilities by negating all of the area's static electricity, indicating his wall-crawling abilities are somehow connected to an electric charge Spider-Man produces through his various points of contact. Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film shows Peter growing microscopic, barbed hairs that allow him to stick to walls.

Meanwhile, real scientists and engineers have infused this wall-crawling explanation with scientific evidence based on a gecko's climbing ability. Geckos stick to surfaces and walk up trees based on the Van der Walls interaction, which explains the electrostatic interaction between the different sets of microscopic and nanoscopic hairs on their toe-pads and the molecules of the surface to which they're bonding.

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Spider-Man is probably most recognized swinging through New York City. His web fluid and web-shooter delivery systems were always the best indications of Parker's genius-level intellect. Parker's web fluid is a shear-thinning liquid whose exact formula is unknown, but its has a nylon consistency. The webbing is naturally biodegradable and dissipates after one hour.

Otto Octavius's Superior Spider-Man improved upon Parker's original design and made the webbing last longer, in addition to making it completely bulletproof. Spider-Man has also designed an arsenal of different types of webs that conduct ice, fire, acid, sonic waves and electricity.

The shooters are twin wrist-worn devices with multi-functionality palm triggers for dispensing different types of webbing used for traveling or combat. The web-shooters' designs have basically stayed the same throughout the years, but there have been some slight upgrades along the way. One was the simple addition of an LED light that indicates when the web cartridges are empty. Peter also added a back-up voice functionality with personalized commands like "web barrage," "wide net," and "recoil strand."

The web-shooters featured some unique functionality in some of the Spider-Verse arcs. Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez's Spider-Gwen Vol. 2 #1 showcased a design feature allowing Gwen to extract moisture particles from the air to replenish her web fluid. Jeff Parker and Paul Tobin's What If? Spider-Man Vs. Wolverine Vol. 1 #1 showed Parker modifying his web-shooters to fire bullets while fighting Wolverine.

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Over the years, Spider-Man has had various suit designs that enhance the deployment of his abilities. Besides the rare designs that give Spidey battle armor for more defense, his suits are always created from a thin material allowing him to stick to surfaces and maneuver freely utilizing his agility.

Spidey's symbiote costume is quite possibly his most popular alternative look and first debuted in Jim Shooter and Mike Zeck's Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars Vol. 1 #8. The black suit completely removed the need for his web-shooters, giving him an infinite supply of alien-generated web-fluid.  He designed an insulated suit that defends against Electro in Tom DeFalco and Steve Skroce's The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1 #425. He's had several futuristic suits that have shapeshifting abilities like the Future Foundation suit in Jonathan Hickman and Steve Epting's FF Vol. 1 #1, as well.

No matter the suit or universe, Spider-Man can always stick to walls, which is one of his most famous powers.

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