The psuedoscience is a strong element in Silver Age and later comics, unfortunately. While Golden Age comics were largely written by sci-fi authors who tried to base powers at least somewhat on what science at the time considered possible, the Silver Age made the science subordinate to the whims of the story.Darth Wong wrote:A lot of the same plot elements were certainly recycled; the mentor who becomes a villain, the withdrawal into oneself for personal gain, the subsequent discovery of his true identity as a protector of others. But they amped up the angst level, which is why it was more boring than the original, and they also amped up the horrible pseudoscience, which is why it was dumber than the original.
Heck, out of all Spider-Man's powers, only his jumping and the "spider-sense"," and possibly sticking to surfaces, would be based off actual spiders. Incredible strength and agility just aren't part of a spider's package. Hulk and Fantastic Four are just as bad. Cosmic rays and gamma radiation will just kill you by destroying your cells. Golden Age Superman was slightly impossible (his powers were due to lower gravity on Earth and a superhuman physiology), while Silver Age Superman is laughable (there's not that much difference in the radiation spectrum between a red star and a yellow star). Pretty much all modern comics are pseudoscience at best.