Greg Weisman on Spidey's Powers.

[Sarcastic Fan]

Well, you say his powers have been watered down, but I say his powers have been put back to where they started in the early Lee/Ditko comics. Potato/Potahto, except we both know it matters more than that, right?

Spidey has the proportionate strength of a spider still, and I can't say how you can see our show and not feel he has spider-reflexes. But I've never bought into the notion, despite what's been written by individual writers in things like the Marvel Universe Handbook -- and this from a guy who once wrote multiple, multiple entries of DC Comics' Who's Who -- that Spidey is one of the strongest guys around. He's stronger than a normal human, certainly. Considerably stronger. But he's not Hulk; he's not Rhino; he's not as strong as Doc Ock's arms. He's about at Gobby level, in my mind. Even a quote-unquote normal human like Ox, for whom strength is his main claim to fame, can challenge him. Again, all you have to do is look at the early Lee/Ditko issues to see that's how Spidey started. And that's how I think he should stay -- at least as long as he's still so young, physically immature and inexperienced. Which is not to say you haven't seen and won't continue to see feats of strength in coming episodes and especially in Season Two. But Spidey's never been about the strength, and I think it's flat out WRONG to make him too strong, so to speak. Frankly, I'd rather see him overpowered, than over-powered.

Spider-Sense is another ability that I think has, over the years, been abused as well. Pete was bit by a spider, not by a psychic. If you buy the notion of SPIDER-sense at all, you need it to fit with (at best) our perception of what a SPIDER can do. So in our show, Pete can only anticipate an incoming blow. That to me, is key. Pete could walk right by a serial killer with a chainsaw hidden under a trenchcoat and not feel a buzz, unless the guy took a swing at him. (Again, he's not psychic. He doesn't have a built-in EVIL SENSOR.) Because having spider-sense is NEW to Pete, he's not even that great at taking advantage of it now. We've decided that his spider-sense doesn't go off (or at any rate it's too low a level to bother with) when he can see the danger right in front of him. That would be redundant. And unless there's a lot of anticipation to a blow coming from an unseen source, he just may not get enough warning or information. Often the warning comes too late for him to react. Often the warning comes. But it's generic. He knows he's about to get slammed - but doesn't know from where. (It's just a tingling sensation. It can't talk to him and give him more information.) I won't deny that some writers -- including, on occasion, Stan -- have in fact turned spider-sense into an all-purpose evil sensor. But personally I don't buy it.

Of course, you're more than welcome to disagree with me. But I think you can see that there's at least a logic to our choices.

And for the record, all of the above was laid out in our series bible -- long before a single episode was ever written, boarded or animated. And that bible was vetted and approved by Marvel. They had every right -- not to mention responsibility -- to disagree with me and insist on a different approach to protect the integrity of the character. But there were no disagreements. We talked it over and concurred. These decisions weren't made lightly.

http://s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=10496

 

[Spectacular23]

sweet!! i don't really expect spiderman to be Hulk strong. But i do expect to see how his strength prossess over the next few seasons. But i really don't expect him to pick up and entire bus or train,his webs might hold it but not him but then again he is starting from the start.

As for spidey sense,Cool Pete spider-sense doesn't need to go off every time but i do suggest that the warnings is a little earlier

but overall nice review!! t:

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

Amazing words by Greg Weisman. I do agree that Spidey doesn't need to be as strong as the Hulk.

 

[spider-neil]

hense the reason spidey's sense didn't go off when he was talking to norman, and why it didn't go off when he landed right beside gwen when they were on the phone (at the fun fair).

I agree about the spider strength though.

 

[Venomfan]

strongly disagree about Spider strength, where is logic doesn't make sense, but everything else seems right on. Although with his spider-sense its usually not written to tell him what to do when something is coming, he usually just jumps 20 feet somewhere when it goes off and that does the trick

oh and his comment about Marvel "okaying" everything they had doesn't really prove anything, i mean he could have made this show off the wall changes and Marvel would still "Okay" it, they love changes to their material

 

[Sarcastic Fan]

strongly disagree about Spider strength but everything else seems right on.

Go back and read the Lee/Ditko issues. He's right.

 

[Venomfan]

Go back and read the Lee/Ditko issues. He's right.

oh i know that happens in the Lee/Ditko issues, and it didn't make sense there either, it was annoying seeing Spider-man be watered down if he was fighting humans

edit: Hasnt Spidey always had the same strength as Doc Ocks arms? i thought each arm could lift 10 tons, and thats what Spidey was as a kid too, and then its that there are four 10 ton strong arms that makes him a much greater adversary

 

[ReggieWhiteJr]

Very nice read. I think they're doing a spectacular job on Spidey's powers in this show. The way he's strong but Spidey's always been a brains over brawn kinda guy. Look at the way he's won most of his fights so far. And if someone wants to see a feat of strength, well I'm stoked for the Master Planner eps. Can't wait to see Spidey lift that huge weight of his back.

 

[sauronthegreat]

I think Spider-Man should be able to lift up u building, let's say... Daily Bugle for example.
I totally agree with everything Greg said, that's how I pictured him since the beginning of this show. He is in his early days, he will evolve with time, let's hope not in some extreme measures as Marvel pictured him lately. This proves another quality level this show has shown and that's a really thought up concept for every single detail... a thing that the 90's, most praised nowadays show lacked. And I hope the argument about Spidey/Tombstone/Ox will end here.

 

[19bernardo87]

Fantastic answer by Greg.

I'd like to know what Greg's relationship with the character was prior to being approached by Marvel. He just seems very fond of Spidey and I'm not sure if it's just because he is very proud of the work he is done (and rightfully so). Is he a Spidey-fan?

 

[Web-Head408]

The Spider-Strength does make sense. The kid's only been Spider-Man for about 4 months. No way he could master his powers that soon.

Which is not to say you haven't seen and won't continue to see feats of strength in coming episodes and especially in Season Two.

Sounds like he means the Master Planner arc...

 

[Sarcastic Fan]

I'd like to know what Greg's relationship with the character was prior to being approached by Marvel. He just seems very fond of Spidey and I'm not sure if it's just because he is very proud of the work he is done (and rightfully so). Is he a Spidey-fan?

Lifelong fan, he's been reading since the 1960s.

 

[russttrombone]

Thank god he went with a more shall we say "realistic" version of spider sense. (I'm quite aware of the fact that superhero powers are not based in reality lol)

Overpowered Spider-sense = no challenge for Spidey = BORING story.

Overpowered spider sense is right up there in terms of bad writing with attributing someone's motivation to simply being evil.

 

[ReggieWhiteJr]

I remember in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 he used his spider-sense to decode something. And in ASM #1 & #4, Chameleon and Dr. Doom contacted him through his spider-sense. Man, that thing was so busted in the early days.

 

[Webhead2006]

That was a pretty good review/answer to that poster's question.

 

[Spiderine]

Great read. Makes sense for a sixteen year old who just recieved superpowers.

 

[MarvelWarrior]

Mr. Weisman should be writing the mainstream Spidey books. He really gets it. Thank God he's the writer of this show.

 

[Webhead2006]

well one of the writers/ and producer for the show.

 

[Ratcrawler]

I always figured sPider-Sense would be something like this; your brain processes alot more information about your environment then you're conscious of. It's what alot of people attribute as "instinct". sPider-Man would have heightened senses without realizing he has heightened senses and these would factor into his sPidey sense.

If he were passing by a serial killer with a buzzsaw strapped under his trenchcoat, he might subconsciously pick up on things such his gate, his body language, faint outlines and curvature in the cloth, the smell of a large amount of metal to give him the very subtle impression that something's not right because he doesn't know that he senses, ok, here's a disturbed guy hiding a large metal object with the intent to do harm.

 

[Venomfan]

And I hope the argument about Spidey/Tombstone/Ox will end here.

it won't because what he says doesn't make sense, unless just saying the reason they aren't writing characters physical strengths well is because Stan didn't do it well either. It ain't hard to write a compelling story where Spidey is as strong as he should be and still fight guys less powerful then him, it just takes imagination.

 

[Compi716]

The thing is, though, in some of the early issues the spider-sense DOES act as sort of an "evil detector." For example, in Green Goblins first appearance the issue ends with Peter walking with his spider-sense tingling because he senses the Goblin's presence (as Osborn walks by him).

 

[Venomfan]

I remember in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 he used his spider-sense to decode something. And in ASM #1 & #4, Chameleon and Dr. Doom contacted him through his spider-sense. Man, that thing was so busted in the early days.

ya that was so lame, i love the Lee/Ditko comics, but some of the things they did was just ridiculous

 

[Spec Spider-Man]

Nice!!!

 

[Ratcrawler]

I remember one time Magneto hypnotized Angel's parents to fall asleep using his "Magnetic glare" or whatever and whipped up a machine to breed a race of super-men out of them in the next room.

 

[Venomfan]

I remember one time Magneto hypnotized Angel's parents to fall asleep using his "Magnetic glare" or whatever and whipped up a machine to breed a race of super-men out of them in the next room.

that reminds me, any of you ever see the old 60's cartoon episode where Spidey fights Dr. Magneto? it was so lame, it was a guy who acted like Magneto but had a gun with a magnet on it that he used instead