The Boys have officially unveiled their version of Spider-Man in the guise of the humorously inept informant Webweaver.

Webweaver, played by Dan Mousseau in the sixth episode of The Boys’ fourth season, is a minor character who provides an unexpected explanation for how Butcher has gathered so much information about Vought and the Seven. Webweaver, a blatant parody of Marvel’s most renowned hero, fits right in with The Boys’ roster of twisted superheroes.

Notably, Webweaver is the Boys’ latest reinvention of characters and concepts from the classic comic of the same name. By altering the concept and making it more outrageous, “Dirty Business” is able to include Web-Weaver into the show’s overall plot while still making fun of him. Here’s what The Boys’ Spider-Man parody Webweaver can accomplish, his role in the plot, and how he compares to his comic book counterpart.

Webweaver’s Powers In The Boys Explained

Webweaver is The Boys‘ version of Spider-Man, and he plays a minor but important role in season 4’s sixth episode, “Dirty Business.” Webweaver is encountered early in the episode, with MM forced to deliver and even administer drugs to the Supe as a means of ensuring his assistance. Audiences don’t get a very clear look at Webweaver’s potential in “Dirty Business,” as Hugie ends up impersonating him for most of the episode. The clearest example of his powers are shown to be the spinneret right above his backside that allows him to shoot naturally occurring webs.

How Webweaver Parodies Marvel’s Spider-Man

Webweaver works very well as The Boys‘ parody of Marvel’s Spider-Man. On a surface level, the character is a dead-ringer for an alternate version of Spider-Man. Both characters wear full body suits and masks that completely cover their face. While the color scheme is different and Webweaver added some spider-looking elements to the mask and body, it’s a clear riff on the Spider-Man costume. However, there are some distinct touches with Webweaver the character that feel attuned to a particularly brutal parody of Peter Parker.

Webweaver is shown to be a young street-level hero, similar to most versions of Peter Parker. He’s a talkative person despite his state, quickly frustrating MM and eventually spraying web onto him. Webweaver’s even got his own version of Parker Luck, the in-universe name for Spider-Man’s frequent bad luck. Webweaver is knocked out by his experience with MM and gets his costume stolen. This allows the Boys to infiltrate an important meeting between the Seven and government leaders, and potentially place the blame if they’re found out on the Vought “hero.”

Webweaver Is A Low-Level Vought Hero (& Butcher’s Informant)

Other episodes of The Boys season 4 have mentioned Webweaver, setting up his appearance in “Dirty Business.” He was one of the Supes mentioned in “Department of Dirty Tricks,” and he was a playable character in the videogame that Ryan was seen playing in “We’ll Keep the Red Flag Flying Here.” This all suggests he was a loyal if low-level superhero who never reached the popularity of the Seven. However, his full appearance in “Dirty Business” reveals his true role in the show.

Butcher used Webweaver as an informant within Vought to obtain information about the Supes. This revelation elevates Webweaver’s role in the universe of The Boys. At various points throughout the series, Butcher and the crew have used information supplied by Vought to spy on the firm and plan their missions. It looks that Webweaver was a critical piece of that puzzle that Butcher kept mostly hidden from the others, similar to how he was quietly significant but unnoticed in the source material.

Webweaver’s Role In The Boys’ Comic Books Explained

The Webweaver in Prime Video’s The Boys plays a different role compared to the original incarnation in Garth Ennis and Darick Robinson’s comic series. Webweaver does not even appear in the main series. Instead, he had a modest but significant role in The Boys: Dear Becky. Dear Becky, released years after the original comics, was an epilogue to the primary series, expanding on Butcher’s connection with Becky and the Boys’ origins. Butcher and Mallory had targeted Webweaver early on.

His successful execution at their hands prompted the authorities to proceed with the Boys. Even then, the character remained off-panel.His appearances were confined to a variant cover, and he did not feature in the entire comic. The Boys has successfully repurposed original themes and personalities into new forms, demonstrating their versatility. Webweaver is not the only Webweaver in the comics world, as a variation of the character Webweaver is parodying shares the same name.

There’s A Real Marvel Character Called Web-Weaver

Web-Weaver, introduced in the story “Counterfeit Catwalk” from Edge of Spider-Verse #5 (by Steve Foxe and Kris Anka), is a Spider-Man variant in the Marvel multiverse. Cooper Coen is a young hero from Earth-71490 who got bitten by the radioactive spider rather than his best friend and longtime crush, Peter Parker. Web-Weaver, a recent creation, had a significant role in the “Edge of Spider-Verse” and “End of the Spider-Verse” events before becoming a popular character in Marvel Voices anthologies.

Aside from their shared inspiration in Spider-Man, the two characters named Web-Weaver could not be more different. The Marvel Web-Weaver is a delightful addition to the Marvel universe, while The Boys’ Webweaver is a darker, more adult take on the Spidey character.The Boys take Peter Parker’s down-on-his-luck sentiments and twist them to fit their comically wicked tone. They reimagine the youthful hero as a dumb and self-centered instrument for the Boys to utilize. The Boys’ deconstruction of superheroes may not be the most harsh, but it will undoubtedly be unforgettable.