The Awesome Spider-Dash: Origins

by Flufux

1) And along came a Spider...Part 4

Episode 1
And along came a Spider...Part 4
Rainbow's first swing

On the roof of the building Spike and Twilight lived in at the moment, the two of them were now patiently waiting for Rainbow Dash to show up.

It had been a couple of hours since Twilight finished the new wrist-mounted prototype 'Web-shooters' and tested that they worked in a controlled environment. Now they just needed to test them out for real.

However, just before they could get started, Rainbow decided to run back home and grab something without specifying what it was, leaving the other two there to wait for her until she got back.

With nothing better to do until then, Spike decided to use this opportunity to ask his sister about who she secretly had a crush on. With Dash out of earshot, she could now speak freely about it for the first time since...well ever basically.

Spike was fairly sure he knew who it was though...until she then told him that it was someone else entirely.

"Wait, really?!" He asked in clear surprise when she finally revealed who she was interested in.

After hesitating a bit, Twilight confirmed, "Yes...really, Spike."

"But...if that's who you have a crush on...then why is everyone so sure you have a thing for that Flash Sentry guy?"

The question made her let out a frustrated groan, "Look, just because I bumped into him more than once does not mean I'm dating him. Okay, I guess he did ask me out that one time, but I said no! I mean, I think he's a nice guy and all, but I just don't see him that way...and he's also Sunset's ex! That just makes it weird."

"Yeah, I see your point," Spike conceded. "Still, I never would have guessed you had a thing for-"

Though just before he could say Twilight's mystery crush's name out loud, Rainbow Dash jumped up on the roof next to them and shouted, "I'm back!", startling both of them in the process.

Spike and Twilight both sharply turned around to look at her...in what was a very interesting get-up.

It was a skin-tight blue bodysuit decorated with yellow lightning bolts all over it, and even came with a mask that had openings for the eyes, mouth, and Dash's long rainbow hair. Also, a pair of flight goggles rested on her forehead.

Seeing her rather unusual fashion choice, Spike wondered, "Uh...Dash, what's with the get-up?"

"...And wouldn't it be easier to just take the stairs instead of climbing up the wall?" Twilight added.

"Already told you I don't like stairs," Rainbow reminded. "As for the outfit, well...it's my mom's old flight suit from back when she was one of the Wonderbolts. It's actually a rather out-dated version. With the speed most fighter pilots these days are flying, they needed something to keep their blood from gathering in their legs and instead go back to the brain. The new uniforms can make the pilot take a few more Gs than the old ones, but they don't look as badass. Though since I doubt I'll be breaking the sound barrier today, even though that would be super awesome, I think this will do for now."

"...I'm surprised you knew all that." Twilight confessed, a bit dumbfounded.

"Just because I'm not an egghead doesn't mean I'm an idiot. Contrary to popular belief, sometimes I actually do pay attention in class."

"That's...good to hear, actually. So what exactly was the reason for spending the last few hours running home to get an old Wonderbolt uniform, again?"

"Are you kidding? Of course I'm gonna wear a Wonderbolt uniform for this moment!"

"'This moment'?"

"The first time I get to fly for real, duh!"

"You know we're testing web-shooters, not wings, right?"

"Well, obviously! But with those web-shooters, I can bet I can swing from building to building like Tarzan or something, and it will be super awesome!"

To be frank, Twilight hadn't really thought about what Rainbow would use those web-shooters for, but after hearing that...she honestly wasn't surprised. "I guess they could work that way, but your timing and aim will have be absolutely perfect or else you'll...well..."

Noticing Twilight's hesitation at finishing that sentence, Dash urged, "Well...what?"

Before she could answer, Spike decided to bluntly answer for her, "You'll probably die or at least break every bone in your body."

"Well...basically," Twilight concurred.

"Huh, that all?" Rainbow noted sarcastically. "And here I thought I might be putting myself in danger or something."

"Rainbow Dash," Twilight said in a steady tone, making sure she looked her friend right in the eye when she reiterated, "This is serious. You can actually die if you don't treat it as such."

Rainbow held her gaze for all of five seconds before she broke the tension with a small chuckle, "Hehe, don't worry, Smarty Pants, I totally got this. I just ran from home to here while jumping from rooftop to rooftop, this..." she blew a raspberry "...will be a piece of cake."

"I sincerely hope you're right about that," Twilight said, still sounding a bit uneasy about this whole thing.

"Of course I'm right!" Rainbow declared, not showing even the slightest bit of fear or even apprehension in her tone, facial expression or body language. "Now let's stop wasting time and hand over those web-shooters already!"

With a sigh, Twilight muttered, "Gee, sorry for caring if you live or die..." while she reached her hand into the pocket of the hoodie she was currently wearing.

She took out a pair of small devices strapped to a pair of bracelets that looked quite advanced for technically being home-made.

The back-end of the devices could be opened in order to insert a tiny web-capsule into it, and even though there was only room for one at a time, it would take a lot of usage before it ran out. The cobweb was that tightly packed. The front end had an opening that the webbing could be shot out of, as well as an in-built scissor to cut the thread at the push of a button if the user ever needed to. There was also a small extension, also at the front of it, that had a button at the end. Once that button was pressed, the device would fire a sling of webbing similarly to the webgun prototypes it was based on. Depending on how long it was pressed, one could also decide exactly how much web was to come out of it.

Twilight had told Rainbow all this already though, so instead of explaining all of it again, she just handed them over to her.

After a few failed attempts to put them on...including one where the shooter ended up facing the wrong direction, and another when the bracelet wasn't strapped down to her wrist securely enough...she eventually got them just right. Strapped tightly to her wrists, triggers positioned at the palm of her hands, shooters aimed forward; she was ready for the test run.

"Okay, I think they're good. What now?" Dash wondered, sounding very eager to get started.

"Well, I think all you really have to do is to find a desired target, aim your wrist at it, and press down your middle-fingers on the trigger at the palm of your hand," Twilight explained, step-by-step...though before her friend could get any funny ideas, she soon added. "Oh, and just to be one-hundred-percent crystal clear, I am not a desired target."

Rainbow smirked a bit mischievously at that. "That right?" she asked, sounding like she was up to something. "So you don't want me to be doing..." she then aimed her right web-shooter right in Twilight's face while making a move to pull the trigger. "...THIS!?"

Twilight let out a short high-pitched scream while she held her arms up defensively and ducked under the incoming webbing.

Only...Dash never actually pressed the button.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAAH! Got ya!" she teased, barely able to contain herself from falling on the floor with laughter.

Not particularly amused, Twilight stood up straight and crossed her arms while giving her friend a very well-deserved glare. "That wasn't funny."

"Heheh, lighten up, egghead! It was kinda funny."

"No it wasn't," Twilight insisted. "And trust me, I know funny."

Spike and Rainbow Dash both rolled their eyes at that statement. The memory of what happened when she attempted to perform stand-up comedy was still very fresh in their minds.

Twilight's response to their deadpan expressions was a simple confused uttering of "...What?"

Rainbow shook her head a bit, then turned away to look around for something to test her shooters on.

The building she was standing on had to be at least twenty stories tall and was surrounded by buildings that were far bigger than that. Though strangely enough, there weren't that many people out right now...at least not by central Canterlot standards. The reason for that may be the slightly chilly and cloudy weather...or the fact that it was a Sunday morning still.

However, given that it was still in the middle of a metropolis, fewer than average still didn't mean it was exactly empty.

Rainbow noted this as she was scouting for locations. After all, what's the point in being awesome if no one's there to see it?

Having already picked out several promising places to test her webs out on, Rainbow walked casually along the ledges of the roof as she pondered over which one she would go for, not bothered in the least by how high up she was standing as she did so.

Eventually, she stopped pacing and set her eyes on a pretty tall building across the street from the one she was on...then she looked down at the distance between herself and the ground, as well as the distance between the two buildings, and realised that, spider-powers or no, nobody could survive a fall from that height.

Yet, when she realised that fact, she simply licked her lips and smirked as a single thought went through her head. 'Perfect.'

After slipping the flight goggles over her eyes and carefully aiming her right web-shooter at the highest point of the building in front of her, Rainbow pressed her fingers down on the trigger and released a long thread of sticky cobweb that quickly attached itself to the building's roof. She then took a firm grip on the thread with both hands and prepared herself for what she was about to attempt.

"Wait!" Twilight protested after she realised what Dash was about to do. "Wouldn't it be better to try them out on something a little less...life-threatening?"

Rainbow turned around to look Twilight right in the eye with a confident grin on her face.

"Twilight Sparkle...sometimes you must run before you can even walk."

Then, without a second glance, Rainbow jumped right off the ledge of the building, allowing herself a few seconds of free-falling before the thin (yet still remarkably strong) line of webbing she was holding onto began to halt her descent and swing her towards the structure on the other side of the gap...all while she shouted, "Oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh!"

Twilight and Spike both ran over to the ledge to get a closer look, and Spike even pulled out a pair of binoculars from his pocket to get a better view.

However...in truth, Rainbow hadn't actually thought this move through all that much...and she realised a bit too late that her swing was sending her on a collision course with the building.

---

Inside her apartment, a very reclusive and studious woman named Moondancer was fully absorbed in her book on Professor Starswirl's theories on cross-species genetics.

She had spent most of the day having tons of crazy (according to her) people constantly trying to befriend her, and they simply never gave her a break. She didn't need any friends, or parties or...whatever else everyone kept saying she needed. All she needed (still according to her) was some privacy where she could study in peace and not be disturbed...and she knew that nobody would ever disturb her in her own home.

At least that's what she thought.

Needing to rest her eyes for just a moment, Moondancer put down her book, took off her thick-rimmed glasses, rubbed the base of her nose a bit and chanced a peak out the window.

That was when a girl dressed in a skin-tight blue and yellow outfit suddenly slammed straight into her window, nearly making her jump out of her skin as she let out a startled scream.

---

Spike and Twilight winced at the sight.

"That got to hurt," Spike commented while he took his eyes away from his binoculars.

---

Rainbow Dash let out a pained groan in response to her hurting shoulder that had the misfortune of impacting with the surprisingly tough glass of the window. The fact that she hadn't broken anything was a miracle...and probably a result of the increased durability she got from the spider-bite.

Still, it would be fair to say that things didn't turn out quite how she imagined it.

She dropped the thread she was holding onto and used her hands and feet to attach herself to the window. She then tried her best to ignore the pain and glanced back at the roof where Spike and Twilight had witnessed her failed stunt and gave them both a single thumbs up to let them know she was okay.

Moondancer then opened the window next to her and gave Rainbow an peeved look while letting out an "Ahem!"

Dash gave the girl an awkward smile and said, "Uh...I can explain."

However, Moondancer really didn't care for whatever explanation Rainbow could cook up, and instead let out an annoyed groan and demanded, "Whatever stunt you're trying to perform, please do it somewhere else. I am trying to study!"

"Oh, uh...sorry about that. Just give me a second and I'll be out of your hair."

"You better..." Moondancer warned with a bit of venom in her voice before she closed the window rather soundly to emphasise her point. Immediately after she'd done that though, she simply walked back to her comfy chair, picked up her book and started to read it again, no longer paying the strange visitor any mind.

"And I thought only Twilight could get so obsessed with studying..." Rainbow muttered under her breath, then decided to do the same and put the encounter out of her mind while she started to consider what she was going to do next.

While the first try at web-slinging may have not been so successful, Rainbow Dash didn't believe in giving up so soon.

The second attempt began pretty much the same as the first one: she sent a new line of webbing and attached it to a high point on another building nearby and then detached herself from Moondancer's window, allowing gravity to propel her forward.

This time though, she had learned from her past mistake and just before she was about to receive another painful impact with another wall, she used her left web-shooter to attach a sling to a third building and let go of the thread she was already holding. This way, she narrowly avoided the impact and kept herself in the air.

Using this method, Rainbow soon managed to swing from building to building almost as if she was flying.

It was exhilarating.

As Dash soared through the air with each swing, she could feel the winds hit her at high speed, she could feel the adrenaline flow through her blood at a level that she hadn't come close to experiencing before, and most important of all, she felt...free. She felt like she could do literally anything and everything, and there wouldn't be a thing that could stop her...and that was one of the greatest feelings she had ever had.

All her life she had wanted to fly, to soar through the air, to look down upon the world below, and to be freed from the confines of the ground...and this was the closest she had ever gotten to that goal. As she used her swings to launch herself between the massive skyscrapers around her faster than a human would ever normally be able to move, a smile of utter joy formed itself on her lips.

Lost in her euphoria, Rainbow Dash got even more daring and began to perform all sorts of tricks while she was swinging.

First, she began to hold onto the thread and press down on it until the very end of her swings so that when she eventually let go, she would use her existing momentum to propel herself even further up into the air...and once in the air, she flipped her whole body over and managed to perform several somersaults in quick succession before she suspended her fall with an emergency line.

Then, with even more bravado, she decided to swing as close to the ground as she dared. With a line of webbing attached to a high enough point on a building in front of her, she swung widely towards the street below, dipping so low that her feet nearly scratched the ground when she zipped right between an ambulance and a delivery truck, leaving the drivers of both cars wondering what the heck just flew past them.

...And at the end of that swing, she braced herself and landed the wall of the Empire Canterlot Building, the tallest man-made construction in the city.

'Okay, now for the big one...' she thought as she looked up to see just how high the building was. 'Piece of cake!'

She shot two lines of web as high upon the tower as she could reach...which barely reached a third of its massive height, then stood up straight on the wall and took a couple of steps back to increase the tension in the webbing as much as possible, and then...she detached herself from the wall and allowed the pent up energy to propel her straight up the side of the building like a slingshot.

Though as gravity eventually began to take effect and slow her ascent, Rainbow grabbed the wall and began to run straight to the top completely undeterred and without so much as a glance towards the ground below.

It took her a while, but she eventually reached the roof of the enormous structure. Though she didn't stop there, as she also felt the need to climb up on top of the huge antenna spire sitting atop of it as well, and thus, giving her a view from the single highest point in the entire city.

443 meters up into the air, Rainbow could see all of Canterlot and beyond from here. She could see the CelestiaCorp Tower on her left...and the rival Storm Tower (easily visible by its distinctive blue logo at its side) on her right. She could see the coast-line connected to the city a bit further out than that, as well as the prison island charmingly named Tartarus sitting just off its shores...a place that looked a bit too peaceful from here for being the home of some of the worst criminals and supervillains Canterlot's ever seen. Furthermore, from here she could also see the headquarters of the Daily Bugle, as well as that new 'F.E.A.S.T' shelter that just started up...and if she squinted her eyes at just the right spot, she could even see her own house.

It was a view that she could have only dream about until now...and a part of her was convinced that she was still dreaming.

All of this even: the powers, the experience, everything, was so unreal and out of the ordinary that she had trouble even grasping the fact that any of this was actually happening.

However, while sitting perched on top of the tallest building in the city may seem like a wonderful experience (and for all intents and purposes, it certainly was)...eventually though it was starting to get cold...and windy...and...it was actually a bit hard for her to breathe at this altitude.

As awesome as being up here was, she couldn't stay up there forever.

She had to get down sooner or later...the only question was how on earth she would do that?

She could of course climb all the way nice and steady, or find a way inside and take the elevator or something...but for Rainbow Dash, there really was only one option crazy enough for her right now.

'That's all it is, Dash...' she told herself as she peered over the edge and checked just how far down the ground was from here. '...it's just a leap of faith.'

After taking in a deep breath to curb her anxiety and prepare herself for what she was about to do...she jumped straight off the building and let gravity ferry her way back to the ground.

As she fell, her weight and building momentum gradually began to pick up more and more speed on the way down, with her eventually coming close to experiencing G-forces by the time she reached the height of the regular-sized buildings.

Precisely seven seconds before she would have hit the ground and most certainly died, she used one of the web-shooters to secure herself to a tall enough building and immediately stop her descent just in time.

Overcome with joy over the fact that she survived that fall, she swung out in a wide arc and shouted, "THIS IS SO AWESO-"

But was suddenly cut off when her unplanned swing trajectory sent her flying straight into the rich entrepreneur Rex Storm's smiling face on a roof-mounted billboard with the slogan 'Storm Tech, for a better future' printed on it.

At the speed she was travelling at, the impact was, needless to say...painful.

Rainbow Dash cursed whoever placed the sign at that particular spot, probably as much as she was going to curse the pain in her now bleeding nose.

Oh, and there was also now a sign of Rex Storm with a hole where his face was supposed to be.

Author's Note:

After seeing the episode 'Newbe Dash', I realised that the outfits the Wonderbolts were wearing kinda resembled a Spider-man outfit somewhat. So I figured that could serve as a good base for Rainbow's Spider-Dash outfit...even though it would need some changes later on.

---

By the way, I have to confess something.

I had never actually read a single Marvel Comic book when I first started to write this story. Now, I have read quite a few, and most of them featuring Spider-Man...and most of them had been pretty great all things considered...with emphasis on 'most of them'.

However, if any of you have any suggestions for Spider-man or other Marvel comics that I could read, then that would be greatly appreciated.

Still, most of my knowledge for this story comes from the various cartoons and live-action films that have come out through the years.

The ones I've seen so far and what I think of them are as follows:

SPIDER-MAN (1967)

I have watched a few episodes of this old thing from time to time, and I got to say, this is comedy gold! It doesn't hold up at all to today's standards, it's silly as hell, and the script and acting makes little to no sense, but...it's hilarious to watch if you don't bother to take it seriously. Man, when I saw the vulture's troll smile and the rhino's ridiculous running animation I just couldn't stop laughing.

Spider-Man, the Animated Series (1994)

I watched this show a bit as a kid (mostly the Venom-arc) and really enjoyed it back then, but...when I rewatched it recently......I didn't really like it.

Firstly, what the heck is up with the pacing? Everything feels so rushed from beginning to finish that it removes most of the satisfaction from watching it. And honestly, I feel stressed while watching this show. Secondly, why is Spider-Man not allowed to throw a single punch? I mean, sure, it might make him seem violent or whatever, but getting rid of it only makes the fight scenes look more like elaborate dances than actual fight scenes.
Thirdly: why does every male character look like a body-builder? I mean, sure, having Eddie Brock look like that makes sense, but having Doctor Octopus (a middle-aged scientist who uses his arms to compensate for his weak body) be just as a jacked off...makes no sense whatsoever. Also, why does the Kingpin have to be forced into almost Every. Single. Episode? Don't get me wrong, I like the Kingpin, he's a great villain. But in this show he really overstays his welcome, and he eventually just becomes boring after awhile.

However, I don't hate this show. There were some good parts in it...like that awesome theme song for instance. Also, Mark Hamill as Hobgoblin was simply brilliant, Carnage's complete axe-crazy personality made him really entertaining to watch (even though he had so little screen time), Spidey himself has a couple really good quips here and there, and the ending where Spider-Man goes to the real world and meets Stan Lee himself is one of the best ways to end a show to date.

Sam Raimi's Spiderman trilogy (2002)(2004)(2005)

Ah...nostalgia.

I was first introduced to Spiderman with these films and I still really like them. Tobey Maguire made a really good Peter Parker. He was likeable and really nailed the 'adorkable' part of the character, Alfred Molina and his very well-animated robotic arms made a character I could once barely take seriously into one of my favourite comic book villains of all times, and JK Simmons as J Jonah Jameson must be the best casting decision of all time.

However...these films are hardly perfect, and goofed up quite a lot when I think about it. The things I didn't like about these films...there is actually quite a lot. I think I will go over a few of them quickly: Venom not using his monster-face when he's talking, Mary Jane Watson being reduced to a constantly screaming damsel who keeps getting herself kidnapped, Green Goblin looking way too goofy to take seriously (even by his standards), all those pointless side-characters, cheesy as hell dialogue in the first film especially, the infuriating fans who think commenting that 'Tobey is the best' is anything but annoying (if you liked this trilogy, great! Good for you!...but don't go around hating on every other Spider-Man adaptation just because of that), also Emo-Peter and especially that Jazz club dance scene with him in it, and...that's about the gist of it. No, wait! There's one more thing. While I did like Tobey as Peter Parker, I didn't really feel like his version captured the essence of Spider-Man. He didn't have his trademark quips and one-liners, and he felt too bulky and frankly too slow for being 'Spider-man', almost like he's trying to be more like Superman or Captain America.

However, despite these complaints, I still love these movies...even if their fans are annoying.

The Spectacular Spider-Man(2008)

Best! Spider-Man adaptation! EVER!

Spider-Man finally feels like the teenager he's supposed to be, he has top-notch humour, but can also be serious when the situation calls for it. Nearly all the villains are perfect, especially Steve Blum's excellent performance as the Green Goblin. Dock Ock, Venom, Rhino and Shocker deserves a mention as well. The balance between Spider-man's job of battling super-villains and Peter Parker's job of basically surviving High School is perfectly kept at all times. The action scenes are great too.

There is only one thing I really don't like about this series......WHY DID IT ONLY LAST TWO SEASONS!?!?!

The Amazing Spider-Man 1&2(2012)(2014)

Now these films, I LIKE!

For the first time ever, Spider-man is actually as fast as he is supposed to be. You feel the camera swing with him everywhere he goes, and the action scenes are simply phenomenal. Andrew Garfield did a fantastic performance both in and out of costume, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy must be the best super-hero love interest character I have ever seen...in anything, ever! And her relationship with Peter actually feels genuine and believable this time...unlike a certain MJ adaptation. Rhys Ifans made a very sympathetic Curt Connors, and as the Lizard was actually quite intimidating. Dane Dehaan totally nailed it as Harry Osborn, even though he really should have had more screen-time as the Green Goblin . Also, I really loved Electro...even though his motivations didn't make much sense. Every scene he was in was just a spectacle to watch, and every time I hear those dubstep lightning effects I can't help but get goosebumps.

The main drawback these films had though was that they had one too many plot threads going on at the same time, especially in the sequel, and the series was cancelled in a cliff-hanger. Hate it when that happens. Also, the trailers are extremely misleading, as well as full of spoilers, and there were a lot of deleted scenes that I simply cannot understand why they were deleted in the first place.

Still, I do really enjoy these films. No other depiction of Spider-Man so far has ever given me this amount of emotion that these got me when I watched them.

Marvel Cinematic Universe
Captain America, Civil War (2016)/Spider-Man, Homecoming (2017)/Avengers Infinity War (2018) Avengers Endgame (2019) /Spider-Man Far From Home (2019)

And so the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man is finally in the MCU, which is both great because we get to see more Spider-Man, but also a bit sad because there won't be an Amazing Spider-Man 3, I was looking forward to that one. Oh, well, what's done is done.

So right off the bat, I'm just gonna say it: Tom Holland is absolutely perfect as Peter Parker and Spider-Man! He's funny, he's likeable, and the struggles he goes through are very relatable. Plus, his new suit is amazing (specially the Night Monkey suit from the second movie). I was a bit sceptical at first about all his new gadgets, but it did serve as a good way to give a breath of fresh air over the character.

Both Homecoming and Far From Home had a really good amount of humour, far more than almost any other Spider-Man movie to date...even if they were not without their tense moments. Peter's comedic chemistry with Ned Leeds also worked really well surprisingly, and Zendaya's MJ was definitively a great character in her own right. Also, while it might not be entirely faithful to the comics, I do think Tony Stark worked well as almost an 'Uncle Ben' figure, especially since it's something different from the Uncle Ben stories we've seen in all the other adaptions of that story.

Also, as villains go, this series straight up hit the jackpot! First off: Adrian Toomes, the Vulture, was once one of the most silly and all around boring villains in Spider-Man's rogues gallery...but what they did for him in Homecoming, it made me change my opinion of him forever. Micheal Keaton absolutely nails the role, his motivations are far better written than any of the Spider-Man movie villains that appeared before him, he looks freaking badass in his new and improved wings and mask. Also, it's nice to see a Spider-Man villain not be the result of some lab experiment gone wrong for once.

Also, on the topic of villains, Mysterio from the second movie is pretty much everything I could ever want from that character. For a long time, Mysterio was my absolute favourite villain who hadn't been in a movie yet, and when I heard he was gonna be in this one (and played by Jake Gyllenhaal of all people), I was ecstatic! And when he showed off that creepy smile after tricking Peter into giving him the E.D.I.T.H glasses, I was sold.

The only villain this series really failed on was sadly the Shocker. Now, I love the Shocker, he's one of the more underrated villains among Spidey's rogues, but in this series, they really didn't do him justice. Sure, he had a pretty memorable line ("I wasn't sure about using this thing, but DAYMN!"), and it was pretty cool to see him smack Spider-Man into a school bus...but he was beaten WAY too easily. Also, him having only one blaster that couldn't even fire from a range was kinda lame. Heck, he didn't even wear his signature mask!

Despite that little hiccup though, I really loved this version of Spidey, and I'm looking forward to seeing him on the big screen again.

Marvel's Spider-Man (2017)

Okay, seriously, what's everyone's problem with this show? I think it's awesome!

Now, I guess I can understand where some of the complaints are coming from, but honestly, if you just give it a chance, you may find it to be a bit more entertaining than it may seem at first glance.

In my opinion, this is what 'Ultimate Spider-Man' should have been all along. Unlike 'Spectacular Spider-Man' and the first five movies, this series benefits from having elements of the greater Marvel universe, and introduces characters like Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen and has cameos of Iron Man, the Hulk and Black Widow...which I now get to enjoy without having to sit through an endless sling of bad fourth wall jokes and monkey noises.

Now, I would be the first to admit though that this series can get pretty ridiculous at times...however, in my opinion, that is far from a bad thing. I mean, would you ever imagine seeing Spider-Man fight an ice golem with a flame sword, or the Lizard growing to Godzilla size, or have the Hulk turn into a werewolf, or have everyone in New York temporarily gain spider-powers...that then turn them into spider-monsters? Well, stuff like that happens a lot in this series, and I find that immensely entertaining to watch.

However...that does not mean it doesn't have its dramatic moments as well. I mean, you'd be surprised at how dark and dramatic the series can go at times, especially concerning Doctor Octopus, who has one of the absolute best character arcs I've ever seen. Also, Norman Osborn, the Jackal and Spider-Slayers were also were well-depicted in this series, along with including a lot of far more obscure and bizarre villains in Spidey's rogues gallery, like Jack O'Lantern, the Spot, Lady Octopus, Hippo, Overdrive and a lot more guys that other shows would rarely ever touch.

So, I'd say give this show a shot and keep an open mind, and you might find out it isn't nearly as bad as everyone keep saying it is.

Marvel's Spider-Man (Ps4) (2018)

While I have played a select few Spider-Man games over the years, most notably 'Shattered Dimensions' and the ones made for the first and third movies, none of them quite measure up to this one.

The gameplay is smooth and intuitive, and makes you feel more like Spider-Man than anything else could. And the story is deep and nuanced, with one of the best adaptations of Spider-Man/Peter Parker shown to date, and with a pretty good Mary Jane and Miles Morales too. Yuri Watanabe is also a great character, who's chemistry with Spider-Man is strangely even better than his primary love interest for the game.

On the villain side do they have some pretty entertaining boss battles against the likes of Kingpin, Shocker, Tombstone, Vulture, Electro, Scorpion, Rhino and even Taskmaster, all of which were great. And this game really did put Mr Negative on the map, who has now become one of my newest favourites among Spidey's rogues. Plus, they also gave Doc Ock a really good amount of build-up and likeability, so that when he eventually turned evil, it was very dramatic and heartbreaking.

On the negative part of the game (no pun intended), I would say that I do have a few problems with it (though not many). For instance, the fact that it's completely ps4 exclusive did not make me all that happy given that I had to borrow my friend's console just to play it. And when it comes to story, well, I honestly thought it was pretty tiresome to hear two separate villains spend most of the game try to justify their actions (which included bombing a crowd full of innocent people and releasing a biological weapon on New York mind you) with the weak excuse of 'Norman Osborn is an asshole, and must be punished!' I mean, in my opinion, I think it would have worked better if at least one of them had a different motivation, but that's just me.

Venom (2018)

While this doesn't technically count as a Spider-Man adaptation, I decided to include it anyway.

Now what to say about this movie? Well, it was hilarious for starters! While the main villain wasn't all that impressive all things considered, and there were a few pacing issues throughout the movie...the completely bonkers performance of Tom Hardy as the spectacular loser Eddie Brock and the comedic sociopath Venom made it a very fun and enjoyable film nonetheless.

More than that, Venom himself was spectacularly animated in all his creepy fanged slimy glory, and his dynamic with poor Eddie Brock was funny as well...but also strangely endearing.

Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Now this was a movie I did not see coming...but I loved it!

It was funny as all hell, beautifully animated, and managed to really make me like Miles Morales. Plus the inclusion of the less than dignified Peter B Parker, Spider-Gwen, Nicholas Cage as Noir Spider-Man, anime-girl Spider-Girl and even that freaking pig made this film quite an experience.

It was also nice to see Liev Schreiber back to voicing villains in animated movies after doing the Storm King from the MLP movie, and his Kingpin was fairly well-written and intimidating...even if his design was a bit...excessive. They also did a great job with Prowler, who was very scary and awesome...yet also tragic. The film didn't disappoint in the Doc Ock department either, but I won't say anything else about that for now.

If I had to pick something to criticise about it, well...honestly the only thing I can think of is how Green Goblin and Tombstone were severely underutilised. Also, I was personally not all that amused by Spider-Ham's antics if I'm honest. But other than that, I'd say that the movie was a blast!

These adaptations are my main source of inspiration for the Spider-man aspects of this story, and you may or may not see some similarities to them as I move on.

Comments

[Regis-Th3-Lesser]

Man you have improved immensely, honestly. It made me laugh a little at some parts. Keep going

[Flufux]

7261049 Thank you. I took some of your advice to heart and implemented a new proof-reading technique to my writing.

First step after finishing a chapter: read through it and correct any mistakes. Second step: Read it aloud and check if it sounds good. Third step: read through it and try to immerse myself in the actual story. For best effect should the steps be taken with a day's gap at least.

This is why I love constructive criticism, because it helps me become a better writer.

By the way, can you give me an example of a moment that made you laugh?

[Flufux]

7261324 That's mostly because I have only watched one episode of that series.

[ElCazadorDeHistorias]

The obvious first-time errors when slinging with a web-shooter, hilarious! Especially the bit with Moondancer and the classical close encounter with a window. Man, how much I love Spider-man. But after the third film and the Ultimate series, the cinematic and animation quality is really dropped for me.

A suggestion for how Dash can get her costume without others knowing/suspecting her secret identity, could be that she'll start to practise the art of sewing! Or, as in the Ultimate Spider-man comic, getting the base (the bodysuit) for other reason and then modifying it with decorations and a bit of amateur sewing.

[Flufux]

7261372 Web-slinging indeed isn't as easy as it looks...

With so many background and minor characters in MLP I can add just about anyone of them to play the role of a random bystander. Vinyl, Octavia and Moondancer are just the first so far.

Hmmm...that part about the costume is an interesting idea...

I will definitively bring that into consideration when I get to that part of the story.

[ponylover2]

7261447 next few chapters please

[Flufux]

7261573 What did I tell you about patience? I am working on the chapters regardless, but I don't really like being rushed. No offence.

[ponylover2]

7261605 sorry I just love this story so much

[Flufux]

7262033 Yeah I know. There is a reason I only watched one episode.

The episode I watched was the Deadpool one, and I didn't think it was that bad. However, that's mostly because that kind of fourth wall humour fits Deadpool quite well...even if it doesn't for Spider-Man. Makes me wonder why they didn't just make it a series about Deadpool instead.

[Flufux]

7261769 It's okay. However, if you love this story so much, can you leave comments about something that actually happened in it rather than just begging me to release new chapters?

[ponylover2]

7262973 ok this story is always leaves me hanging

[Flufux]

7264397 Writing long good quality chapters isn't something that can be done quickly. All good things take time, and this is no exception.

[SlayGuy295]

This is going to be an awesome fic! Keep it up!

[dragonfang33]

7262949
Rights issues at the time and Deadpool has always been more adult oriented. But I still liked Ultimate (especially the Spiderverse arcs) and do enjoy the newer series. Still I grew up in the 90s and the 90s series is still the best series in my opinion, hell the Season 2 Neogenic Nightmare Arc that introduced Man-Spider scared me so much as a kid I stopped watching it because of how scary Man-Spider was when they finally showed him, and yes I do have a soft spot for Ben Riely aka Scarlet Spider/the clone Jackal created in the Clone Saga since the first comic I ever bought was Web of Scarlet Spider #1, a Clone Saga comic, and still feel bad that he never got a chance to shine (another reason I love the Spiderverse story in the comic, they restored Ben Riely and finally gave him a chance to shine and Spiderverse is everything the Clone Saga and 30th Anniversary should've been)

Now that, that's out of my system, I will say this is probably the best Spider Fic I've read in a while, and yes of all the Mane Six, Rainbow Dash is the one who needed to learn the meaning of With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility, even if Sci-Twi fits the more traditional role of how Spidey's portrayed

[Hungry Hero]

This Chapter is Rainbow Dash’s version of The Spider-Verse Leap of Faith!

And Here’s the Epic Scene from the now Oscar winning Movie!

[Flufux]

9475760
Definitively! Even though I wrote this awhile before that movie even came out...

[JOEBLACK]

"You better..." Moondancer warned with a bit of venom in her voice before she closed the window rather soundly to emphasise her point. Immediately after that though, she sat back at her desk and turned her focus back to her book.

the Eddie Brock of this universe? nah, that would require Twilight to be the spider person. probably Lightning Dust.