Spider-Man Stands Tall With Hands on Hips

About this drawing

Spider-Man hero pose, hands on hips and chin up, is the classic stance of a superhero who knows what he can do. And Spider-Man can do a lot, all thanks to that radioactive spider bite.

Start with strength. The comics describe it as the proportional strength of a spider, which lets him lift cars, leap several stories and take hits that would flatten most people. He also has lightning-fast reflexes, so he can dodge punches and even bullets in many stories.

Then there is wall-crawling. Glass, brick or stone, he can climb any surface and hang from ceilings without effort. On top of that comes his spider-sense, a built-in alarm that tingles just before danger hits.

One thing the spider did not give him was webbing. In the classic comics Peter invents his own web fluid and wrist-mounted shooters. Some movie versions skip the gadgets and let the webs come straight from his wrists, a change fans still debate today. Either way, the result is the same: a hero who can cross the whole city in minutes, high above the traffic, and reach anyone who needs help before it is too late.

• spider-man
• marvel
• powers
• superheroes