Original artwork, not a still
My spider-sense is tingling!
— The Amazing Spider-Man · 1963
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is Spider-Man's superpower turned into a catchphrase: a warm-up beat that says trouble is coming and Peter already knows. Fans use it for any sudden hunch, from a bad email to a plot twist, and it is endlessly parodied as a joke about being tingled. The phrase is shorthand for the character himself, a hero who feels danger as a prickle at the back of his skull.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The Amazing Spider-ManShow the scene
The spider-sense is the precognitive danger radar Peter Parker gets from the radioactive spider bite that makes him Spider-Man, a warning that something is about to hit him before he can see it. Stan Lee drew on the 1930s pulp hero The Spider, who had a "sixth sense" that warned him of danger, as one inspiration for it. In the comics the power is a recurring plot device rather than one scene: it buzzes when a thug swings from behind, when a bomb is about to blow or when a villain is near, and Peter's narration or dialogue names it. The phrase "my spider-sense is tingling" is the form fans and the cartoons settled on for it.
Sources (1)
- Wikipedia: Spider-Manlead and Creation sectionReference checked
Context reviewed
