Peter (and Otto’s) Degree

[RD!]

I know early issues said he got a scholarship to study ‘science’, but I was wondering if the comics have ever given more accurate examples of what Peter - and Otto - have studied.

Please cite issues when answering. If we can get enough references the same we will be able to say with certainty what Peter has studied at an undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral level.

I recall an issue of Sensational Spider-Man (28 I believe) that said he has a degree in chemistry, but will confirm when I get access to the issue. Anyone else know any? What was his doctorate that Otto got during Superior?

[The Rhino]

Peter is dishonest to keep the PhD "earned" for him by Otto. Really highlights Peter's flawed personality not to return it.

[Tuck]

Peter is dishonest to keep the PhD "earned" for him by Otto. Really highlights Peter's flawed personality not to return it.

How is he supposed to return it? He can't tell anyone the circumstances without compromising his identity.

[TheMaker1610]

How is he supposed to return it? He can't tell anyone the circumstances without compromising his identity.

Exactly.
There is no way he could "return" it as the circumstances behind it are extremely tied with his identity as Spider-man, with a long list of -etc-
Also, it isnt like Peter couldnt get one on his own tbh, Otto just made it happen -sooner- (ethical concerns aside)

[Tuck]

Also, it isnt like Peter couldnt get one on his own tbh, Otto just made it happen -sooner- (ethical concerns aside)

Not one related to nanotech. Slott made a point of showing that Peter didn't fully understand what Otto had been working on at PI.

[blackspidey2099]

I vaguely remember Ock's PhD being in some sort of radiation, and the one he got in Superior was nanotech. Marvel Wikia says Peter's degree was in biophysics, but that doesn't seem quite right to me (partly because that seems like an obscure field for Peter's degree to be in, and because I don't really recall Peter showing any particular expertise in that field over others). I do think it was something to do with bio though.

Not one related to nanotech. Slott made a point of showing that Peter didn't fully understand what Otto had been working on at PI.

Yeah.... but then Peter later goes on to invent his Spider-Armor (which is literally liquid metal nanotech, just like Iron Man Bleeding Edge) and Webware computers which have nanotech computers in them which reconfigure their hardware/software or something like that. Either way, either Slott forgot about that, or Peter was making a throwaway comment about not understanding Ock's research because he only looked at it for literally a minute.

Overall, the fields in which Peter has demonstrated more than enough knowledge to get a PhD in include math (discovering a new theory in literally minutes), theoretical physics (including quantum and astrophysics), chemistry (webbing), biology (curing diseases and stuff), computer science/computer engineering (programming and making those Webware computers), electrical and mechanical engineering (Spider-Armor), materials engineering (stealth suit), etc etc. And most of those include a bunch of subfields which he could get PhDs in, but I'm too lazy to list them all. He's basically a polymath just like any other comic supergenius.

[Tuck]

Overall, the fields in which Peter has demonstrated more than enough knowledge to get a PhD

A person needs to break new ground in a subject to earn a PhD, no matter how proficient they are in the subject.

[blackspidey2099]

A person needs to break new ground in a subject to earn a PhD, no matter how proficient they are in the subject.

Yeah, I know. And that would include discovering a new chemical which exhibits extremely favorable strength/density characteristics, creating a new material which can bend electromagnetic and sonic waves, discovering a new theory in mathematics, discovering a phenomenon of "quantum transposition", discovering a new particle which explains the concept of dark energy (and then figuring out how to harness it), programming code in such a way that it is smart enough to reprogram itself, creating the cure to a necrotizing fasciitis, creating new nanotech computers which can reconfigure their physical structure on command, furthering research on Pym Particle interactions with normal matter, creating a portable device which can dampen mutant/mutate genes, etc. All of which Peter has done.

[Tuck]

Yeah, I know. And that would include discovering a new chemical which exhibits extremely favorable strength/density characteristics, creating a new material which can bend electromagnetic and sonic waves, discovering a new theory in mathematics, discovering a phenomenon of "quantum transposition", discovering a new particle which explains the concept of dark energy (and then figuring out how to harness it), programming code in such a way that it is smart enough to reprogram itself, creating the cure to a necrotizing fasciitis, creating new nanotech computers which can reconfigure their physical structure on command, furthering research on Pym Particle interactions with normal matter, creating a portable device which can dampen mutant/mutate genes, etc. All of which Peter has done.

It's hard for me to address these because I don't remember all this nonsense.

But I know some of that wasn't Peter. And the new material was something Sajani was working on, not Peter. And was a Vibranium alloy or something. And the new theory in mathematics - if you're talking about how he got his Horizon job - was deciding to apply "Wakandan Calculus" to the issue or some nonsense . . . which, incidentally, makes no sense whatsoever. In a way above and beyond normal comic book nonsense.

I'm pretty sure you're giving him credit for stuff PI made.

[blackspidey2099]

It's hard for me to address these because I don't remember all this nonsense.

But I know some of that wasn't Peter. And the new material was something Sajani was working on, not Peter. And was a Vibranium alloy or something. And the new theory in mathematics - if you're talking about how he got his Horizon job - was deciding to apply "Wakandan Calculus" to the issue or some nonsense . . . which, incidentally, makes no sense whatsoever. In a way above and beyond normal comic book nonsense.

I'm pretty sure you're giving him credit for stuff PI made.

lol, if you don't remember it let me try to remind you whatever I remember:

new chemical - web fluid
new material - omniharmonic mesh (first Big Time story against Hobgoblin)
new math theory - he discovered a new theory based on wakandan calculus that works for reverbium - which, incidentially is the material Sajani was working on that you were talking about (asm 648)
quantum transposition - some sort of concept which apparently explains the science-defying forms of Sue and Johnny Storm (Mosaic 4)
new particle - Parker Particles (asm 695 or something)
programming code - Webware (we saw Peter himself building them and explaining them to Sajani/Anna in a flashback in asm v4 2)
cure to nerotizing fasciitis - some weird issues in the 90s during the Clone Saga IIRC
nanotech computers - Webware (we saw Peter himself building them and explaining them to Sajani/Anna in a flashback in asm v4 2)
research on Pym Particles interactions - Mosaic 4
gene dampener - same weird issues in the 90s during clone saga, it was a mini-series of some sort

So yeah, all that stuff was Peter. And while most of them are complete nonsense in a scientific sense, so are Reed Richards' entropy guns, or Tony Stark's magnetic field satellites, or Hank Pym's size changing particles, or T'Challa's magic physics or whatever. That doesn't invalidate any of them in a comic book setting where people are equally likely to develop powers as die from being exposed to radiation.

[Tuck]

So yeah, all that stuff was Peter. And while most of them are complete nonsense in a scientific sense, so are Reed Richards' entropy guns, or Tony Stark's magnetic field satellites, or Hank Pym's size changing particles, or T'Challa's magic physics or whatever. That doesn't invalidate any of them in a comic book setting where people are equally likely to develop powers as die from being exposed to radiation.

It kind of does. This is all predicated on the general public's scientific illiteracy. It was restrained to a degree in the 60s.

The stuff really smart people in the MU can do without enhancement in 2017 is the equivalent of normal humans walking around the MU who are as strong as Thor because they're naturally talented MMA fighters. It mystifies knowledge and trivializes education.

Intelligence in the MU has essentially become a Mary Sue trait.

[blackspidey2099]

It kind of does. This is all predicated on the general public's scientific illiteracy. It was restrained to a degree in the 60s.

The stuff really smart people in the MU can do without enhancement in 2017 is the equivalent of normal humans walking around the MU who are as strong as Thor because they're naturally talented MMA fighters. It mystifies knowledge and trivializes education.

Intelligence in the MU has essentially become a Mary Sue trait.

LOL, that might be a bit of an overexaggeration, but I agree with the principle. For example, Peter's IQ is an completely ridiculous 250+ (and I'm assuming the likes of Reed, Tony, T'Challa, Pym, etc. are similar) which trivializes the whole point of an IQ. But that's the price we pay if we want to read sci-fi stories not set in the far future - someone needs to have made all the futuristic tech, and that usually ends up being one of the protagonists or antagonists (since why would anyone care if it was someone else).

[The Rhino]

How is he supposed to return it? He can't tell anyone the circumstances without compromising his identity.

I am sure he could come up with a justification, even if it did bring him personal embarrassment (such as admitting to plagiarism or Otto's work, or admitting collaborations with Otto so the work was not entirely his own, etc) .

[boots]

I am sure he could come up with a justification, even if it did bring him personal embarrassment (such as admitting to plagiarism or Otto's work, or admitting collaborations with Otto so the work was not entirely his own, etc) .

he should probably return his powers to the radioactive spider while he's at it.

[SilverWarriorWolf]

I’m going to have to agree with blackspidey2099 on this. While I don’t like most of what Slott’s done, what I can say I like is his focus on Peter’s genius. Is it over exaggerated? Yeah, I’ll admit that. But it’s also just fun.