I like this entry as a definitive listing of his abilities - the explanations of increased elasticity to tendons and fortifying of muscles and cartilage etc in bios is always a nice touch for durability. If a normal guy had superstrength but no increase in durabilty of his other tissues, then his bones would break under the pressure and his skin would eventually rip under the strain of larger diameter or increased numbers of muscle fibres. Though annoyingly, there isnt a mention of his strength level as (as it states) it is depicted differently from writer to writer. Best bet is to stick at the 10 tonnes with no effort, and 15 with supreme effort - this allows us a 5 tonne margin for when he has to really plant his feet, or wind up a punch, or get good leverage on lifting something without having to beg god for the strength to lift whatever it is (which'd be the 15 tonner).
For a scientific explanation of how it might be possible for durability to be attained without vast increases in mass, see the Science of the X-Men book where they say how rearrangement of the carbon atoms in his skin result in the organic steel. As in essence rearranging coal carbon with pressure makes diamonds. The energy of the radiation combined with the spider venom of the bite may have caused a widespread rearrangement of the lower/newer layers of spidey's skin, giving them a more "organic steel" like quality (though to a much lower degree than Piotr or Cage). When he sheds skin like we all do, the breakdown of the cells disrupts the rearrangement so it can slough off as weak as normal skin.
Powers, abilities and equipment
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Powers and abilities
Peter Parker became Spider-Man when he was bitten by an irradiated spider, causing a variety of changes in his body which gave him his superpowers.
Recently, the "The Other" storyline purported that Spider-Man's powers may be mystical in nature, and the story ended with Spider-Man gaining many new powers.
In the original Lee-Ditko days, Spider-Man was established as having:
The ability to cling to walls.
Super-human strength.
A sixth sense (dubbed "Spider-Sense") which alerted Spider-Man to danger.
Incredible balance, agility and leaping abilities.
After being bitten by the radioactive spider, Peter Parker created mechanical web-shooting devices, since the bite did not give him the ability to spin webs.
Spider-Man's powers and equipment endured with very few changes for some 40 years, right up until recent times.
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"Wall-Crawling"
Spider-Man gained the ability to adhere to a surface using any part of his body - although if the surface is particularly greasy, he can't stick. His ability to stick to objects is strictly conscious though - i.e., he cannot stick to something by accident. In addition, if he chooses to not release himself from an object he is sticking to, nothing can remove him. His arms would rip off first or the wall would break before his hands let go. The same goes for any part of his body.
Various attempts have been made to explain Spider-Man's wall crawling abilities in the comics including barbed hairs on the ends of his fingers (in the movies, at least), suction from his pores, adhesion to surfaces on the subatomic level, self-telekinesis, and a sort of bio-static electricity.
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Enhanced physicality
Spider-Man's strength has varied with the amount he can lift varying hugely depending on the writers, although he is most definitely superhuman, able to lift several tons under strain, while his leg muscles have developed to the point where he can easily jump several stories in a single bound. Spider-Man can move roughly 15 times faster than a regular human, and his practical reaction time is many times that of a normal human. Finally, his bodily tissues are substantially more durable and resistant to impact or trauma than an ordinary human, although he is certainly not invulnerable.
In the Spider-Man: The Other storyline, after being fatally injured by Morlun, Spider-Man shed his skin and outer tissues. When he emerged from this dormant state, lost or damaged tissue (including a lost eye) was completely regenerated. The full consequences of this regeneration have yet to be explored, although he also developed new powers including retractable bone stingers that protrude from his wrists (which he has not yet developed control over), enhanced speed, and his spider-sense was heightened, allowing him to see in the dark and sense vibrations transmitted over his web-lines.
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Spider-sense
Spider-Man's most subtle power is his spider-sense. A form of clairvoyance or sixth sense, it unconsciously activates and alerts him to any threat to himself, manifesting as a tingling at the back of his skull. While it cannot tell him of the exact nature of the threat, it is vaguely directional and Spider-Man can judge the severity of the threat by the intensity of the tingling.
The spider-sense not only alerts Spider-Man to threats to his physical safety, but also warns him to threats to his privacy such as being observed while changing identities. Spider-Man also uses the spider-sense as a means to time his evasive maneuvers to the point where he can avoid multiple gunshots or machine gun fire.
The exact nature of the spider-sense took many years for writers to nail down. In the early days, it could be used to locate objects and people, as well as detecting danger. Later, it reacted only to enemies, not friends, even if said friends were about to attack Spider-Man (as in a memorable issue where Aunt May hit Spider-Man over the head with a vase). Eventually, it was firmly established that the spider-sense reacts to any and all potential dangers facing Spider-Man. Often, he ignores the Spider-sense, which usually costs him in some way.
As of the Spider-Man: The Other storyline, Spider-Man has honed this sense to allow him to have 360° vision. He can also now see in the dark and sense vibrations in his web-lines.
In comics, the activation of the spider-sense is often shown by wavy lines emanating from Peter's head, with a symbolic image of his mask occasionally being half-drawn over his face when he is out of costume as an additional cue.
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Beating the spider-sense
Although his spider-sense has saved his life innumerable times, Spider-Man has learned the hard way that it can be beaten. For instance, the Green Goblin once secretly attacked him with a gas that temporarily suppressed this perceptive ability, allowing the supervillain to shadow him and learn his secret identity. Additionally, the alien symbiote of Venom and its offspring Carnage are not recognized by the spider-sense. This is believed to have been caused by the Venom symbiote's bonding with Peter Parker. Ben Reilly did not suffer from this problem as he never bonded with the symbiote, and was cloned from a cell that was taken before Peter wore the symbiote suit. The ability to avoid Parker's spider-sense gives some supervillains an edge that Spider-Man often has trouble countering.
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Stingers
Recently, in the controversial The Other: Evolve or Die storyline, Peter developed long, bone-like "stingers" that protrude from under his wrists (one on each arm), which pop out against his will when he is shocked, and are coated in a venom which paralyzes the victim for several hours. He considers it "Logan envy."
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Scientific abilities
Apart from his physical abilities, Peter has prodigious aptitude in the physical sciences. In the comics, he has a facility for chemistry and physics, and later pursues a graduate degree in biochemistry from Empire State University. In the recent films, he maintains a superb intellect with a mastery of physics and a degree from Columbia University, although a controversial aspect of the films is director Sam Raimi's decision that the film version of Peter Parker wouldn't be smart enough to design and build mechanical web-shooters (hence the organic web-shooters of the movies).
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Equipment
Although he is usually of limited financial means, Spider-Man has developed personal equipment that plays an important role in his superhero career. Every so often, he will concoct a special armor or web fluid for a specific threat. For example, he donned a padded suit to battle Electro, and used a very short-lived armored suit in Web of Spider-Man #100.
Recently, Spider-Man has received a controversial new suit of armor from Tony Stark that was custom built to enhance his abilities. Supported by a system similar to that of Stark's classic 'Iron Man' design, it features many gadgets, including three mechanical spider-arms to allow him to see around corners (via cameras in the tips) and manipulate objects indirectly - though they are too delicate to use in combat. Other features include, but are not limited to: gliding for short distances, limited bullet-proofing, built in fire, police, and emergency scanner, audio and visual amplification including infrared and ultra-violet, carbon filters in the mouth area to keep out toxins, and a short range GPS microwave communication system. All of these are routed through a computerized control system in the chestpiece. It can also "more or less disappear" when not needed, as it responds to neurochemical pulses. The new costume was also able to conform to other styles Spidey had affected over the years, and even has the ability to camouflage into a variety of backgrounds...the darker the better.
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Web-shooters
Spider-Man's web-shooters are one of the character's most distinguishing traits. They are wrist mounted devices that fire a fibrous adhesive very similar to the material spiders use to construct webs. The trigger rests high in the palm and requires a double tapping from the middle and ring fingers to activate, so Peter can't accidentally fire the shooter if he makes a fist or his hand hits the trigger. The placement of the trigger and the finger pressure needed to activate it yield Spider-Man's distinctive hand gesture, with the two outer fingers extended, and the two inner fingers on the palm.
The default setting has the adhesive threaded through a special mesh to take on a spider web like design. The substance dries almost immediately into a strong material that can support very heavy loads. Typical uses of his webs include creating long swing lines which he uses to travel through the chasms between the Manhattan high-rises. The substance is formulated to dissolve after one hour which is generally sufficient time for Spider-Man's needs while ensuring the webs he makes do not cause undue litter. In addition, Parker can modify the fluid formulation to suit particular specialized needs when called for (this explains why the webbing sometimes conducts electricity, but can also be used as an insulator). The web-shooters can also be used to expel other liquids, using interchangeable cartridges, but are seldom used to do this.
In the 90s Spider-Man animated TV series, Peter Parker explained that when he became Spider-Man he also became subconsciously aware that a combination of certain enzymes would create a strong, sticky fluid, reminiscent of a spider's webbing. In some versions of the character (such as in the popular movie series), the character generates webs organically from his own altered spider-like biology, instead of mechanical web shooters (a change that has recently been introduced into the comic books).
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Spider tracers
Spider-Man has also developed small electronic "spider-tracers" which allow him to track objects or individuals. The outer casing is shaped like a spider and is designed to cling to a target without attracting attention. While he originally threw his tracers at a target in the hopes that at least one hits, he later developed a wrist launcher which ejects tracers above the wrist while the web is fired from below to allow for more precise and reliable applications of the tracers.
Spider-Man originally used a small receiver device to follow the tracers. However, he eventually learned that he could tune the tracer signal frequency to his own spider-sense for more convenient use, but the receiver is still used as a back-up and long-range measure.
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Other equipment
Spider-Man keeps his regular field equipment in a specially designed utility belt that contains his web fluid cartridges and his tracers. It also carries his camera, which has an extended rear metal plate that allows him to use his web to position it without interfering with its functions. Finally, the belt contains a strong light called a Spider Signal that creates an image of his mask when activated.
In addition, the Human Torch once helped Spider-Man build a car called the Spider-Mobile which had a paint job and modifications that followed his spider motif. Unfortunately, Spider-Man had never learned to drive a car, and crashed the car into the Hudson River soon after receiving it. Later it was retrieved by the Tinkerer, who altered it, making it capable of driving itself, shooting webbing, and rolling on the walls with sticking tires. It was finally immobilized by Spider-Man and sent back to Corona Motors.
