Spider-Ham

Origin

Born on a cartoonish alternate Earth, the teenage anthrotoon spider Peter lived in the basement of unknown super-genius May Porker, who was determined to revolutionize America’s hair care industry by testing an atomic powered hair dryer on herself. Zapping herself with radioactive energy, she bit Peter before fainting. The radioactivity mutated Peter into either a pig with the abilities of a spider or a spider with the limitations of a pig. One of the two. He revived May, only to discover she now believed Peter to be her nephew and herself an ordinary old woman. Using this newfound scientific genius, Peter created mechanical webspinners to replace his now-lost natural spinners and became a new superhero, the spectacular Spider-Ham.

Creation

Peter Porker, Spider-Ham was created by Tom DeFalco and Mark Armstrong and first appeared in Marvel Tails Starring Peter Porker The Spectacular Spider-Ham issue 1 (1983).

Major Story Arcs

Getting Along in Life

Upon graduating college, Peter Porker took a photography job ad tightwad J. Jonah Jackal’s newspaper The Daily Beagle to keep up on current events, and as a ready market for Spider-Ham pictures. There he met reporter Steve Mouser, alias Captain Americat, teaming with him several times both as journalists and heroes; Peter met the Junior Newsboys snobby J, Jeremiah Jackal Jr., brainy Bunsen Bunny, and feline inner-city representative Upton Adam Stray, who, with Porker, often came along during JJJ’s forays in search of exclusive scoops. Spider-Ham’s rogue’s gallery included Bullfrog (Hoppity Harrison), who attempted to rob celebrities attending a Broadway musica’s world premiere: the Terrible Terriers Gang, who tried to raid the lost temple of the Golden Retriever, and the giant vegetable Chickenstein’s Monster, created by old farmer McDonald to keep developers from taking his land, Spidey also encountered exotic creatures like Tyrannoswinus rex Hogzilla, and B.O., the alien tramp who ate anything not nailed down.

When Spider-Ham inadvertently frightened May into a coma, he found he had to fight through Quackverian ruler Ducktor Doom’s army of giant mutated vegetables to recover the experimental serum needed to cure her. Spider-Ham was given a new “fashionable” black costume by the cosmic media exec entity Bee-Yonder, but abandoned it after it proved too fragile or normal superhero activities. Porker was introduced to Mary Jane Waterbuffalo, who quickly became his main squeeze. Though she originally didn’t know of Porker’s other life, she was supportive once she learned of it. After helping the Punfisher put would-be plumber King Doctor Octopussycat out of business, Spider-Ham was tricked into helping Ducktor Doom fix his relationship with his ward Kastoff Yurchanz. Spider-Ham had also had encounters with junior high school crush Silver Sow and college nemesis Flash Tombenstain Bear before being brainwashed by Larval Zombie into abandoning his former life for service in the cult, not knowing that a mysterious rival cult was waiting in the wings for a chance to attack. Whether anyone will survive remains to be seen.

Spider-Verse

More recently, Spider-Ham took part in the army of Spider-Men from across the multiverse in hoping to defeat Morlun and the Inheritors, ancient villains whom killed Spider-totems. Although many Spider-Men did not survive the battle, Spider-Ham was one of the survivors and eventually returned to his own dimension.

Web Warriors

This would however not last, as Spider-Ham soon joined the Web Warriors. These where a team of Spider-like heroes formed after the events of Spider-Verse from the remaining members of the Spider-Army that had fought Morlun and his family.

Powers

Spider-Ham has super-strength, enabling him to lift around 10 tons and leap great distances in a single bound. His precognitive spider sense warns him of approaching danger. He can stick to and climb up walls. His wrist-mounted web shooters create ropes for swinging, or websheets to restrain people; he has web-sculpted objects like boats in certain emergencies. Sometimes he carries a pigspider backpack that contains a change of clothes while in costume. Like many other anthrotoons he can survive great physical traumas, like being pressed flat with little more than aches and pains. Porker is also a skilled photographer.

Real Name: Peter Porker

Height: 5′ 2″

Weight: 95 lbs.

Eyes: Black

Hair: Hair

Other Media

Film

• Spider-Ham appears in the animated movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, voiced by comedian John Mulaney.

Television

• Spider-Ham appears in Ultimate Spider-Man episode “Run Pig Run,” voiced by Drake Bell. In the show, Peter Parker is transformed into Spider-Ham after eating a magic hot dog that was made by Loki, and then later teams up with the mighty Thor. The actual Spider-Ham appears during the multi-part “Spider-Verse,” storyline, voiced by Benjamin Diskin. This version of the character gained his powers after accidentally eating a spider that had fallen into Aunt May’s batch of pancake batter.

Video Games

• Peter Porker made a cameo appearance in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, voiced by Chris Edgerly.
• Spider-Ham is referenced in one of Spider-Man’s win quotes in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and appears as a card in the Heroes and Heralds mode in the Ultimate update of the game.
• Spider-Ham was a playable character in Marvel Super Hero Squad Online.
• Spider-Ham makes a cameo appearance in Spider-Man: Edge of Time, where he can be seen in a stasis tank within the Alchemax Corporation.
• Spider-Ham appears as a pet in Marvel Heroes.
• Spider-Ham is a playable character in the Spider-Man Unlimited mobile game.
• Spider-Ham appears in Marvel Avengers Academy, voiced by Christopher McCann.
• Spider-Ham appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2.

Merchandise

• Spider-Ham appeared in the HeroClix figure game.
• Gentle Giant Ltd. created a Spider-Ham bust.
• Spider-Ham appeared in Funko’s Pop! line of bobbleheads.
• Spider-Ham appeared in the Marvel Chess Collection from Eaglemoss Publications.
• Spider-Ham appeared in Hasbro’s Marvel Legends line as part of the Monster Venom Build-a-Figure wave.
• Spider-Ham appeared in Hasbro’s toyline for the Into the Spider-Verse film.