Captain America: Civil War: What Is The Iron Spider?

With Spider-Man making his first Marvel Cinematic Universe appearance in Captain America: Civil War, a there has been significant talk of the possibility of him donning the red and gold “Iron Spider” costume.

The costume was a gift to Peter Parker from Tony Stark. Though first received during the events of “The Other,” the costume was primarily worn by Peter during the events of Civil War, the storyline it is most closely associated with. Hence the recent discussion about the suit appearing in the Civil War movie.

Peter wore the costume while he fought on the side of the Initiative. When Peter decided to switch sides and join Captain America’s Secret Avengers he had to fight his way through Iron Man and a group of Thunderbolts made up of some of his worst enemies. The suit was destroyed during the assault, symbolizing the end his relationship with Tony.

Peter’s suit wasn’t the only Iron Spider armor Tony created. Another three suits were given to the Scarlet Spiders, a team of clones (not of Peter) created to work for the Initiative. Two of these armors were destroyed, along with the Scarlet Spiders wearing them.

As you might expect from a suit built by Tony Stark, the Iron Spider had a lot of unique features and upgrades from what Peter was used to, including (via the Spider-Man Wiki):

• Spinneret/Stinger Access Ports: These allowed Peter’s then organic webbing and stinger to pass through the suit.
• Waldoes: Three mechanical spider-arms that expanded from a circle on the back of the suit. They could be used to manipulate objects, or to see around corners via embedded cameras.
• Glider Device: An invisible mesh webbing around the arms allowed Peter to “fly.”
• Enhanced Chestplate: Could generate up to 1.2kWatts of “zero point” energy.
• Mask Filter: Facilitated Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Filtration, and packed eight minutes worth of compressed air.
• Enhanced Lenses: Allowed for real-time panoramic vision, multiple optical spectrum modes, and an information overlay.
• Constituent Costume Containment: A detachable portion of the costume that could be used to handle objects too dangerous to touch.
• Multifunctional Layers: The suit had 17 layers, each performing a different function, such as temperature control, conductivity control, moisture control, etc.

The suits given to the Scarlet Spiders included a few additional weapons, including pulse cannons and repulsor grenades. Would you expect anything less from Iron Man?

Check out some comic book art of Peter Parker in the Iron Spider suit in the gallery below.

Will the Iron Spider show up in Captain America: Civil War? The most recent rumors say no, but nothing is certain. At least now you’ll know it if you see it.

Check out when Captain America: Civil War and other movies are coming out in ComicBook.com’s Movie Release Schedule.