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Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
American teenager Peter Parker, a poor sickly orphan, is bitten by a radioactive spider. As a result of the bite, he gains superhuman strength, speed, and agility, along with the ability to cling to walls, turning him into Spider-Man. Parker also acquired a precognitive “spidey-sense” that alerted him to approaching dangers.
