For a fictional reality filled with impossible beings and heroes (and villains) with almost unimaginable abilities, perhaps the greatest invention in the Marvel Universe is an accidental by-product of a publishing reality that no-one really gave that much thought to in the first place. Which is why, in this week’s Marvel-ous — the column where we celebrate the small things that we love so much about Marvel, in comic books, movies, or any media whatsoever — we’re celebrating unstable molecules.

What, some might be asking, are ‘unstable molecules’? In Marvel comic book canon, they’re officially a synthetic molecule responsive to specific energy and matter it comes in contact with, mimicking the properties of said energy and matter. What that means in practice is that unstable molecules can, essentially, be programmed to have multiple purposes, whether it’s data storage, camouflage, or… well, making sure that your clothes