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Webb Explains the Mechanical Web-Shooters in 'Amazing Spider-Man'

by Alex Billington
August 1, 2011
Source: Hero Complex

As many have no doubt noticed in the numerous photos for Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man that we've featured in the last month, Spidey has mechanical webshooters in this new iteration, harkening back to the original comics where Peter Parker built them as inventions of his own, a testament to his intellect. There was a small blurb in Entertainment Weekly about the web-shooters, but it didn't really say too much. However, Hero Complex also caught up with Webb at Comic-Con and got him to spill beans behind the true origins of using mechanical versus organic, and it involves comics legend Stan Lee, of course. Who else?

In the first blurb, Webb said "we made a very conscious decision to go back to the mechanical web-shooters, and I think the fans will appreciate it." But why exactly and where did the true origins of the decision come from? Spider-Man creator Stan Lee, of course, who Webb says was part of the discussion about using them.

"I had a meeting with Stan Lee and we talked about the web-shooters," Webb said. "I was curious about the incarnation of them [because] of course in the previous films [they went away from them] and we wanted to reestablish ourselves. That was one thing but the other thing was the fact that the web-shooters were able to dramatize Peter's intellect and I thought that was really cool. ... It was in the comics and we have a different design but it's a cool element to have. It's not something we over-use or over-exploit. To me, it's something I remember from when I was a kid and thinking 'It would be cool if I could build those.'"

Perfect, a quick and simple explanation. We got the hint of what's to come, he's got web-shooters and they work, now let's move on. But how about he address the new Spidey suit, too? "We also wanted a design that would make the body longer and more lithe, more of an acrobat, someone incredibly agile, and the legs of the spider [symbol on the chest] were something we used to emphasize that," Webb also states. "I wanted something that worked in the night a little better. We paid attention to that and also made the webbing [on the costume] a little bit darker. With the costume and the web-shooters we wanted to emphasize that these are things that Peter Parker made and that he is special himself even if he feels like he's an outsider."

Head to Hero Complex for the full quotes. I love hearing Marc Webb talk about this movie, especially after being amazed by the Comic-Con footage, it sounds like they found the core of the Spider-Man comics and are trying to bring exactly that to the big screen in this film. I'm satisfied with the mechanical web-shooters, I just want to see them actually put to use besides in the teaser trailer. Bring on the web-slinging Mr. Webb!

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