This blog post examines whether Spider-Man’s superpowers from the movies are scientifically feasible and what changes might occur if spider genes were introduced into humans.
The ‘Spider-Man’ series has dominated the box office with truly amazing popularity. The ‘Spider-Man’ series begins when the protagonist, Peter, is bitten by a genetically modified spider. The protagonist, now Spider-Man, gains various superpowers, such as shooting webs, climbing walls, and leaping great heights. Empowered by these abilities, he emerges as America’s new hero. In this process, Peter uses his superpowers to fight crime and grows into a true hero. However, despite Spider-Man’s popularity and intriguing storyline, how realistic are the superpowers Peter gains? Peter’s superpowers are similar to abilities spiders can naturally perform. After being bitten by a spider, Peter essentially became Spider-Man (the Spider-Human), capable of actions similar to a spider. But can a person really act like a spider just by being bitten? This article focuses on ‘Spider-Man 1’, the starting point of the series, to examine how feasible Spider-Man actually is.
First, let’s look at the changes occurring inside Peter’s body immediately after the spider bite. In ‘Spider-Man 1’, a scene depicts the spider’s DNA merging with Peter’s DNA inside his body. The spider’s genetic material was transferred to Peter and integrated into his own. In biology, the insertion of one organism’s genetic material into another is called genetic transfer, and organisms resulting from this process are generally termed genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Therefore, Peter, into whom spider DNA has been introduced, can be considered a type of genetically modified organism, specifically a genetically modified human.
Let’s examine the changes appearing in Peter a bit more closely. In the movie, after the spider and Peter’s DNA merge, we see scenes where hairs like those on a spider’s body sprout from Peter’s skin, and spider webs emerge from his hands. However, it is scientifically inaccurate for Peter’s body to immediately acquire spider-like characteristics after gene introduction. Consider the cell, the fundamental structural unit of our bodies. A single cell contains DNA, the genetic material, and within the DNA lies the gene. A gene is an instruction manual containing the information needed to synthesize substances required by the body; if a gene is altered, different substances are synthesized compared to before the alteration. The human body begins with a single cell (the initial cell). As this cell divides, the number of cells increases, eventually forming an adult with tens of millions of cells. At this stage, each cell possesses the same DNA and genes as the initial cell. If a mutation occurred in the human body’s genes at the initial cell stage, cell division would result in a genetically modified human composed of genetically modified cells. However, Peter’s case is different. Peter is an adult who grew from normal initial cells dividing. Even if spider genes were transferred to Peter and genetic mutations occurred in one or two cells, this would be insignificant. This is because other cells continue synthesizing normal substances and supplying them to the body.
If one or two cells mutated by the spider divide and increase in number, this could certainly cause changes in Peter’s body. However, for someone like Peter to develop spider-like physical structures throughout his body, genetically modified cells must be spread throughout the entire body. Therefore, significant time is required for cell division, and it would take several years after the spider’s genes were introduced into Peter’s cells for changes like Peter’s to appear. Furthermore, the human body triggers an immune response when foreign substances enter. Thus, before genetically modified cells could spread throughout the body over time, the human immune system would likely destroy them. In other words, this film contradicts scientific facts from its initial premise that Peter and the spider’s genes combined to create Spider-Man.
However, let’s assume that in a future where genetic engineering is far more advanced, Spider-Man’s creation could be possible. This could involve developing genetically modified cells that evade the body’s immune response, or simultaneously introducing spider DNA into cells throughout the body, allowing genetically modified cells to spread systemically within a short timeframe. Scientific and technological advancement progresses faster than we can imagine, and at this pace, what is impossible now could become possible in the future. Yet despite this potential, the adverse effects and ethical issues such genetic modification would bring to humans cannot be overlooked. For instance, unexpected mutations could occur during the process of altering human genes, potentially causing serious health problems. Furthermore, discussions are needed on the societal impact of human genetic manipulation.
In such cases, are the physical and ability changes observed in Peter credible? The first physical change depicted in the film is the growth of numerous hairs on Peter’s body. These hairs represent those found on a spider’s body, particularly its legs. The hairs on a spider’s legs significantly increase friction during movement. Thanks to these hairs, spiders can crawl not only on the ground but also on walls and ceilings without falling. Given that Spider-Man freely climbs buildings and doesn’t fall off ceilings, we can infer that the hairs on Spider-Man’s body are not only similar in shape to a spider’s but also serve the same function.
However, Spider-Man wears a suit, so his hairs cannot function properly. This is because the body hairs cannot penetrate Spider-Man’s iconic red and blue spandex suit. Spandex is short for spandex fiber, a highly elastic material. Spandex has a strong tendency to return to its original shape and is not easily pierced by external substances, so the protagonist’s hairs cannot break through this suit either. Therefore, when Spider-Man wears his suit, most of his hair remains concealed. While some hair on his hands may be visible, the hands are a very small part of his body compared to the rest. Considering the protagonist’s weight, it would be difficult to support his entire body solely through the friction between his hands and contact surfaces. Therefore, unless Spider-Man goes around naked, it would be unreasonable for him to freely traverse building walls and ceilings.
Another change appearing on Spider-Man’s body is the ability to shoot webs from his hands. Just as a spider’s abdomen produces silk, Spider-Man’s hands produce webs. This is because his altered genes instruct his hands to synthesize the web material. Since Peter is a genetically engineered human with spider DNA introduced into his system, this is entirely possible. Peter uses this web like a swing to move between buildings and sometimes wraps it around people falling from heights to pull them up. In reality, spider silk is a strong and elastic biological material. Spider silk possesses a strength comparable to nylon and is five times stronger than steel. Therefore, Spider-Man swiftly swinging between buildings using his web, or using it to rescue MJ falling from a building, is entirely feasible. The elasticity of the web likely played a significant role in safely rescuing MJ without major impact during her fall.
Alongside the web, Spider-Man’s athleticism plays a key role in his ability to swing between buildings. The film shows that after being bitten by the spider, the protagonist’s physical abilities, particularly his jumping power, become vastly superior. This appears to borrow from the characteristics of certain spiders, like the jumping spider, which can leap heights dozens of times their own body length. The reason jumping spiders can leap so high is due to hydrostatic pressure. Hydrostatic jumping involves regulating blood pressure to propel the jump. When a jumping spider bends its legs, blood pressure in the legs increases. Once the pressure exceeds a certain threshold, the legs extend to release the pressure, causing the spider to leap upward. Since spiders lack muscles, utilizing blood pressure regulation is a suitable method. However, Peter’s body is different. Peter has muscles, and even if genetic modification occurred, it doesn’t seem likely that his muscle mass would change. If genetic modification caused Peter’s muscles to disappear, he wouldn’t be able to properly maintain a human form. After genetic mutation, the factor determining Peter’s athletic ability is still muscle mass. Since this remains unchanged, becoming Spider-Man doesn’t significantly alter the protagonist’s physical capabilities.
Additionally, Peter’s greatly enhanced reflexes and healing ability are also key Spider-Man traits. In the film, after being bitten by the spider, Peter discovers his powers gradually growing stronger. This could be based on the assumption that his nervous system transformed to resemble that of a spider. Spiders indeed possess extremely fast reflexes, enabling them to boast a high success rate in hunting. However, the human nervous system is fundamentally different from that of a spider, making a dramatic improvement in reflexes, as seen in Peter’s case, realistically impossible.
As seen above, ‘Spider-Man’ is scientifically incorrect from its initial premise that human genes merge with spider genes. However, if genetic engineering advances to the point where genetic modification is possible in an adult like Peter, humans might become Spider-Men with hairy bodies and the ability to shoot webs. But it’s best not to entertain the idea that heroes like the movie Spider-Man will emerge. We lack the ability to leap between buildings like the movie Spider-Man; climbing buildings would require going barehanded. Moreover, navigating dense crowds while shooting webs would likely earn us criticism. Finally, the glamorous hero portrayed in the movie is merely a fantasy. In reality, even if spider genes were introduced into humans, the likelihood of a hero like Spider-Man emerging is slim. That’s precisely why ‘Spider-Man’ remains a fantasy that can still bring joy to people.
