Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can. Spins a web any size, catches thieves just like flies. That’s right folks, everyone’s favorite wall crawler is back for another mighty meeting with Capcom’s best bruisers!
First impressions: Big ground pressure game. His 8 way air dash web zip thing and very quick normals can lock down your opponent with the greatest of ease and when they finally jump to escape your shenanigans, ULTRA WEB THROW!
How will Peter Parker’s alter ego stack up against the rest of the roster? Read on true believer, it’s time to get this party started!
Video 1
Video 2 – Seth Killian Mini Walkthrough
Video 3
Normals
At first glance there really isn’t anything special about Spider-Man’s normals. They seem relatively quick, his sweep has great range for Spidey’s size and combos into his launcher (Video 1 – :53), and most of his normals have him moving forward pushing his opponents closer and closer to the corner. Also, a few of his normal attacks open up the enemy for specials. Either they’re special move cancellable or do enough stun to sneak in a free special, but I’ll go over those in the Specials section. Whatever the case, that’s good news for Aunt May’s favorite nephew!
Specials
Web Zip
Spider-Man’s pseudo 8-way air dash. Spidey shoots a bit of webbing at either an upward or downward 45 degree angle and you can do it either forwards to apply pressure, or backwards as an escape (Video 2 – 1:41). It can be cancelled by attacks, and used from the air or the ground (Video 2 – 1:41). Much like Amaterasu’s 8-way air dash, the webbing needs to hit a surface before he zips so if you’re firing it far away make sure you’re safe.
It does a little bit of damage on hit (Video 2 – 1:41) and it stuns for a hot second which might open up some combo opportunities, but I see this move as a way to close the distance and really apply pressure. It might even be a way to perform some ambiguous and not so ambiguous cross ups. I await further testing with bated breath!
Web Ball
The Wall Crawler’s signature move: he shoots a blorb of web gunk at his opponent and if it connects, the sticky stuff stuns them for a second opening them up for oh so much eight-legged freakery. You can combo into the Web Ball from his sweep for sure (Video 1 – :30) and off of his standing hard attack (Video 1 – :23). On the ground it looks like it only goes horizontally so it can’t be used to snuff jump-ins but it will be a nice way to keep up his horizontal ground pressure.
It can also be used in the air at a downward 45 degree angle (Video 1 – :27) and I have a feeling you’ll be able to combo into it during aerial combos (Video 2 – 1:08), and possibly from it into the Maximum Spider, and maybe even off of the Web Zip or Web Swing. That’s not for sure by any stretch of the imagination though. On the ground, it definitely combos into the Crawler Assault hyper (Video 1 – :29).
The only downside to the move is it’s a bit slow on the start-up and it doesn’t have the best recovery. I’m sure it will rock as an assist and c’mon, you’re going to be using it, we just have to figure out how to use it safely!
Spider Sting
I hated this move in MVC2. It was like the poor man’s Shoryuken but even more useless. This time around though at least it gives you a downward wall bounce if you connect the second hit after a bit of button mashing (Video 2 – 2:41). It also has varying heights depending on the button pushed (Video 2 – 2:39, Video 2 – 2:43).
It combos after Spider-Man’s sweep, yet another special move you can work into his normal strings (Video 3 – :38), and you’ll probably be able to launch your enemy after the second hit’s wall bounce for some more aerial shenanigans too. I’m not sure how effective it is as an anti air, but if doesn’t push the opponent too high up when it connects, it could be great for punishing unsafe jump-ins.
Web Throw
Spider-Man shoots out a bit o’ webbing and if it hits the opponent (doesn’t work on block) Spidey swings them around and tosses them into the opposite wall (Video 1 – :39). It doesn’t look like too amazing a move, though you can shoot it straight up and at an upwards 45 degree angle if you want to try it as an anti-air and you’re feeling lucky. I have no freaking clue where I saw him do the vertical and 45 degree versions, but in the video he’s taking on Chun Li and whiffing like a madman. If anybody finds it, link me so I can put it in here.
It does alright damage but I don’t really see it being too useful simply because it puts the opponent a full screen away from the Spider, the last place you want them. Also, because it’s unsafe on block and has serious recovery… This just doesn’t look like a great asset in Spidey’s arsenal. I might be wrong though!
Web Swing
Spider-Man yells “Web Swing” and performs a swinging kick right to the opponents kisser (Video 1 – :48). This is going to be his bread and butter special and combined with his Web Zip Spidey has all the tools to stay right in his opponent’s face. You can combo into it and out of it on the ground (Video 2 – 1:23) as well as in the air (Video 2 – 1:16).
Comboing into this is going to be a serious component of Spider-Man’s pressure game because while it can’t be cancelled, it’s relatively quick, changes Spidey’s hitbox, gets him airborne, and can be followed up with his fast aerial normals. I’m thinking that it might be difficult to be punished in block strings and it looks frustratingly annoying in the right situations (Video 1 – :43). In the air you can cancel it into the Maximum Spider for some meaty damage (Video 1 – :55).
Hypers
Maximum Spider
Spider-Man quickly launches himself to the wall behind him and then shoots forward at a downward angle and if he hits proceeds to web his opponent in the middle of the screen and pulverize them with fast aerial strikes (Video 1 – :55). As I said above it combos off of the Web Swing in the air but I’m not sure how well it combos after that. If you land a Web Ball and immediately cancel into the Maximum Spider I can see it hitting but other than that?
Being able to perform the Maximum Spider in the air looks like it might be useful for punishing whiffed anti-airs or normals when your opponent is hoping to catch your jump-in. Bait an anti-air or something else while you’re jumping and then punish mightily with the Maximum Spider (Video 3 – :39).
Finally, you can DHC after the final downward slam from the hyper. If you check here at 2:08 Spidey DHC’s an aerial Maximum Spider into Magento’s Magnetic Shockwave hyper. It may be character specific depending on your teammate’s hypers (Maggy’s hyper has a high vertical hitbox) but you can do it nonetheless. However, I’m unsure of the trajectory of his downward strike. Does he launch himself at different downward angles depending on the button pushed? I don’t know.
Crawler Assault
Very average horizontal, expansion hyper. Spider-Man rushes forward punching and kicking and finally delivers a finishing kick that sends the enemy flying across the stage and causes a horizontal wall bounce. Sounds great right? Well unfortunately Spidey can’t combo off of said wall bounce as Seth Killian says in this interview with SRK MVC3 guru Keits here. We know it combos after the Web Ball (Video 1 – :29) but overall it just looks like a really ho-hum hyper.
Ultra Web Throw
Now I may be brutally, brutally wrong about this but I think that this is going to be Spidey’s most useful hyper. Spidey leaps backwards into the air and fires a big piece of webbing at a downward 45 degree angle and if it hits an airborne opponent he spins them around and smashes them to the ground doing big damage. It’s unblockable in the air and does some killer damage (Video 1 – :32).
Why do I think this is going to be his most useful hyper? Spidey is a pressure character. He has the tools to stay inside and harass his enemies despite the advancing guard madness. Now what do players do when they’re feeling a little claustrophobic? Yeah, they push block, but then what do they do? They jump or super jump to get a little breathing room. That’s when you strike!
I don’t know, I just feel like good Spider-Man players are going to be able to bait out desperate jumps through block strings. It doesn’t hurt that Spidey jumps back a bit when he shoots the webbing out so if they did try to jump at you, BOOM, scooped! I’m curious as to what everyone else thinks about this hyper. Let me know!
Miscellaneous
I like his cracking wise but like Deadpool, I have a feeling that it’s going to get old really quick. Other than that, his dialogue is great and appropriately “quippy.”
Final Thoughts
Spider-Man hasn’t changed much since his MVC2 appearance and there wasn’t much innovation to his character before that. I’m really hoping that Spidey brings something fun to the table because he has the tools to stay in close, he’s quick, and he does decent damage. I can see him being an absolute nuisance in the right hands. No, not a terror, but a nuisance, especially with his rushdown and pressure games. We shall see what we shall see though and I’m determined to remain optimistic!
I Speak Comics 
DUDE WELCOME BACK! I thought you died or something, great review as always man!
Good stuff man. Yea his web swing buff should help spidey out, along with his web zip move. Hopefully Spider-Man see’s some competitive light at huge tourneys =)
hey, if u get a chance, can u do Zero’s?
I’ll think about it mon frere. Thanks for the read.
Thanks for the Spider-man analysis. As a Spidey mainer I found it useful.
That floaty jump concerns me though, it seems like it’ll make his pressure game harder to do. I may have to do that air web dash to close distance quickly or use web zip.
Spider-Sting was useless to me too in MVC2 but I did find if you were fast enough you can cancel into Maximum Spider, I’ll be trying that myself when I use him.
Nice read again, thanks for the info.
Glad you enjoyed it dude!
I agree, Ultra Web Throw is going to be nasty.
Haha, totally!
Fun tidbit about the webzip. It’s going to be very useful when baiting and punishing people trying to counter an air exchange combo. You do the air magic series but instead of hit exchange you block and if the try to counter with exchange you either webzip to them on the ground for a ground combo reset or if there attack recovers before the ground you grab them with the zip in the air for an air reset.
Nice read, yeah the only thing that scares me is the floaty jump… and i dnt think i quite understand what you mean when you say Comboing into this is going to be a serious component of Spider-Man’s pressure game because “while it can’t be cancelled”, The web swing cant be cancelled?
It is a little confusing but Spidey actually has a couple of web-mobility based moves. The Web Zip is his pseudo 8-way air dash. This can be cancelled. His Web Swing, the swing and kick attack, cannot be cancelled but can be comboed out of. I hope that helps!
I think his jump is floaty cause of the web zip line allowing him to be alot more mobile in the air. Maybe haha