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A favorite view of Spider-Man (at least in movies and games) is of the hero web-slinging his way through the streets of New York City. But what becomes of all the web ropes that Spider-Man discards as he moves from building to building? We don't see them hanging around the city, so presumably someone removes them.

Do people collect them as souvenirs? Does Spider-Man come back later to clean up after himself? Does the city employ a group of cleaners just to remove the webs?

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    Are you talking about comics, movies (which series?), or some other media? The answer and the evidence may be different depending on which you want? – Thunderforge Sep 8 '18 at 13:39
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    In the original comics, his webs dissolve after an hour or two, which is why he never made any money from them. – Paul D. Waite Sep 8 '18 at 13:46
  • @Thunderforge Any or all is fine. The question came to me after watching a trailer for the newest Spiderman game. – Xantec Sep 8 '18 at 13:59
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    @Edlothiad Is there any canon source where it doesn't dissolve after a certain amount of time? I feel like this is the answer across all canons. – Steve-O Sep 8 '18 at 14:10
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    This question seems to lack research effort. – Valorum Sep 8 '18 at 14:20
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The general idea, although the exact answer varies by Universe, is that the webs dissolve after a few hours.

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  • This answer seems to lack research effort – Valorum Sep 8 '18 at 18:07
  • I was going for an answer which gives over the general idea because the exact answer varies greatly from universe to universe – Antheloth Sep 8 '18 at 18:17
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    Perhaps you might improve it by offering some examples from a range of universes. – Valorum Sep 8 '18 at 18:30
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In the MCU,

Peter Parker's web formula dissolves after two hours (or so).

Spider-Man: (to Aaron Davis) Hey, that's gonna dissolve in two hours.
Davis: No no no no… come fix this.
Spider-Man: Two hours—you deserve that!
...
Spider-Man: Homecoming

In other universes,

I don't have any specific examples, but I'm not aware of any evidence that suggests any different behavior.

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  • As good as this answer is, I cannot forgive that you have left out the "I've got ice-cream in here" – Enrique Moreno Tent Nov 14 '20 at 10:08
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In the most recent movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming, there is a scene where he is interrogating the low-level criminal played by Donald Glover after sticking his hand to the car with webbing.

When Spider-Man leaves he tells him that it will dissolve in about 2 hours.

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