Since 1977, Kutcher has manipulated the instinctive behaviors of arthropods, and the instinctive reactions of audiences, mostly in the horror, thriller, fantasy, and comedy genres. He has worked on over 100 feature films with a "bug" in the story line, including Spider-Man (2002), Jurassic Park, and Arachnophobia. Kutcher has also worked on numerous popular television shows—including CSI: NY, MacGyver, and The X-Files – as well as TV commercials and online advertising for Fortune 500 corporations. (See Filmography and other credits, with featured "bugs," below).

In film, on TV and radio, and in music videos, Kutcher has notably worked with some of the most famous people in the entertainment industry, including Paula Abdul, Christina Aguilera, Steve Allen, Halle Berry, Carol Burnett, Marlon Brando, Richard Burton, Bill Cosby, Wes Craven, M.C. Hammer, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, James Earl Jones, David Lynch, Carl Reiner, Steven Spielberg, Denzel Washington, Sigourney Weaver, Robin Williams, and Stevie Wonder.

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Araneus oscorpeus. Araneus is a genus of orb-weaving spider; oscorpeus is a fictional species named and created by Spider-Man nemesis Norman Osborn's corporation, Oscorp.

The spider that bit Peter Parker all the way back in 1962’s Amazing Fantasy #15 was identified only as a spider, and, erroneously, an insect. That’s how much Marvel writers cared about arachnological accuracy. All we know about the OG spider, besides it being an “insect,” is that it’s red and radioactive. Since it was a normal, black spider that turned red when it accidentally absorbed radiation, some fans have IDed it as an American house spider, which is common in New York City, where Peter was bitten. Other fans have suggested a more venomous candidate: the black widow spider. It isn’t ordinarily found in NYC, but specimens have been collected there. The debate is moot, though, because the spider likely wasn’t based on a specific species.

We can’t be sure of its in-universe ID, but Spider-Man‘s spider is portrayed by a real spider rather than a computer rendering. In some shots, including the one where it bites Peter, the spider is computer generated, but the rest of the time it’s an actual arachnid trained by Hollywood bug-wrangler Steven Kutcher.

Steatoda grossa, a different kind of false widow, chosen by Raimi after prop master Robin Miller vetoed using a black widow. Kutcher then hosted a beauty pageant in which several less-toxic species competed for a chance to be a star. The only problem was that Steatoda grossa‘s color scheme didn’t match Spider-Man’s, so Kutcher put it in a spidey-harness, and an artist applied non-toxic red and blue paint.

In 2020, rather than nixing the use of a black widow, three Bolivian boys provoked the venomous spider to bite them in the hopes that they would become Spider-Men. Instead, they were hospitalized and immortalized in headlines across the world. They might have been spared the pain and shame if Marvel had identified Spidey’s power source as a harmless house spider.