Marvel has created dozens of different versions of Spider-Man over the years, but which variant, successor, or clone is the most powerful?
The name Spider-Man is synonymous with Peter Parker, but as Marvel Comics readers have known for years, and as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse made famous, the original Spidey isn't the only one fighting evil across the Multiverse. While most on-screen iterations of the character feature him as the only web-slinging superhero in existence, Marvel Comics have featured countless alternate universes over the years, many of which had their own unique iterations of Spider-Man.Even outside of the Spider-Verse, a number of alternate versions of Spider-Man have made their way through the comics over the years, such as Ben Reilly and Miles Morales. All of these alternate Spider-Men beg the question: which Spider-Man is the strongest? Looking at the different Spider-Men who have appeared throughout Marvel Comics over the years, there may be an answer.
40:"Golden Spongecake" Spider-Man
This alternate Spider-Man seems just like the regular Spider-Man, except for one important detail: he uses Hostess snacks to take down his foes. He comes from an alternate reality where every superhero only uses Hostess Snack Cakes to fight crime.
This Spider-Man was initially created as a crossover advertisement for Hostess in a Marvel comic book, but he eventually became an official part of the Spider-Verse While his abilities are absolutely hilarious, there are limitations to using only Snack Cakes to fighting crime. These limitations led this alternate Spider-Man to lose his life early on in the Spider-Verse comic book event.
39:Spider-Girl (Penelope Parker)
One of the more cartoon-ish Spider-Men from the Spider-Verse is Spider-Girl, who is the youngest iteration of Spider-Man yet. Penelope Parker developed her Spider powers at the young age of 11 while on a class field trip and, much like every other alternate Spider-Man, eventually took to the streets to fight crime.
While she does appear to have regular Spider-Man powers, much like Peter Parker, she lacks the brute strength of the other grown heroes. While Penelope Parker will surely be stronger when she reaches an older age, at the age she's at now, she is one of the Spider-Verse's lower-tier heroes.
38:Spider-Monkey
From the alternate universe known as Marvel Apes, where pretty much every human is now some sort of ape, comes Spider-Monkey, the alternate Peter Parker who, as you can imagine, was a monkey that was bitten by a radioactive spider.
While Spider-Monkey does possess essentially the same power as the Peter Parker that most people know, his monkey physique does, unfortunately, have its limitations, at least when he is against a human foe in the Spider-Verse. Additionally, his intelligence was scaled down a bit, considering that he's a monkey, so he's not as great at strategizing in a fight as his human counterparts.
37:Pete Spiderman
The Web of Life has a lot of curious Spider-Man variants, but Edge of Spider-Verse #4 introduced one of the most deliberately disappointing variants of all time. Pete is a man whose last name happens to be Spiderman. He's also a nebbish individual, working as a certified public accountant and taking pride in his award-winning lawn.
While this variant of Spider-Man does have powers, they are likened to that of a slightly out-of-shape spider. Between that and his overwhelming dorkiness, he doesn't do much to endear himself to his fellow Spider-people.
36:Lady Spider
May Reilly, an alternate, younger Aunt May, was the daughter of a well-known scientist in the universe she came from. One day, May snuck into her father's lab and was bitten by one of the spiders he had there. Unfortunately, unlike the other alternate Spider-Men, the spider did not give her any abilities, but it did teach her another lesson: don't let anyone cage you.
The spide.r didn't grant her powers, but it did give her inspiration. May went on to build her own mechanically-enhanced Spider suit, with arms on the back of her body resembling the Iron Spider suit and took to the streets as Lady Spider. Unfortunately, even with her mech suit, she still lacks the brute strength of the other Spider-Men.
35:Spider-Man Noir
Spider-Man Noir is a 1930s-era Peter Parker who doesn't have any particular Spider-like abilities, but that doesn't mean he's not a formidable foe. This version of Spider-Man operates much like the Punisher, with a healthy dose of Sherlock Holmes in there as well.
Spider-Man Noir has a rich history of training as a fighter and takes to the streets to investigate crimes. Once he has solved the crimes, he takes it upon himself to take out the criminals. He has no powers, but his web-slingers still give him an advantage over the people he tracks.
34:Spider-Ma'am
In an alternate universe, on the day Peter Parker was supposed to be bitten by the radioactive spider, he happened to forget his lunch. Desperate to make sure that her nephew would be fed, Aunt May rushed to the location of his field trip where she was bitten by the spider, rather than Peter.
It wasn't long before Aunt May took on the persona of Spider-Ma'am, taking to the streets to make her neighborhood a better place. While she has about the same amount of strength as the classic Peter Parker, it's no secret that her older age and fragile body did keep her on the lower power level in the Spider-Verse.
33:Old Man Spider
In another alternate universe, after Peter Parker passed away, Ezekiel Sims took on the persona of Spider-Man, which was an identity he held onto for several years before the events of the Spider-Verse came into his life. By this point, he was an old man, serving as the Spider-Man version of Old Man Logan.
Old Man Spider basically has the same abilities as Peter Parker, but much like Spider-Ma'am, he's also a little worn down due to his old age. However, this doesn't stop him from being one of the most battle-ready heroes in the entire Spider-Verse.
32:Spider-Ham
Peter Porker is the version of Peter Parker in the alternate universe where literally every superhero and person from the universe most fans know and love is actually some kind of animal, including Croctor Strange, the crocodile counterpart of Doctor Strange, and Whoopie Goldfish, who is just Whoopie Goldberg as a goldfish.
Much like many of the other alternate Spider-Men, Spider-Ham has relatively similar abilities to the Spider-Man that most fans know, including super strength, web-slinging, and the ability to stick to walls. His only downside is the fact that he is the size of a pig, which proves problematic when he's up against a normal-sized enemy from a different universe.
31:Dr. Aaron Aikman
Unlike most other Spider-Men, Dr. Aaron Aikman actually chose to undergo the spider experiment rather than being bit by a spider by happenstance. He went through an experiment that combined his DNA with that of a spider, but it didn't quite work the way that it went for the other Spider-Men. Instead, in order to fully utilize his powers, Aikman had to build himself a mechanical suit.
While Aikman is truly a strong superhero in a fight, he's not quite up to the same power level as Peter Parker and most of the other Spider-heroes. While the suit certainly makes him strong, without it, his powers are practically futile.
30:Hobgoblin
In one alternate universe, following the loss of Gwen Stacy at the hands of the Green Goblin, Peter Parker turned to his darker instincts and took the life of the Green Goblin in revenge. He then retired his Spider-Man identity and became the "Goblin" himself, becoming a much more fearsome enforcer of his universe.
The only reason why this Peter Parker isn't higher up on this list, despite being just as strong as the Peter Parker most fans know, is the fact that his mental state is certainly not the same as it once was. When he was recruited to join the Spider-Verse Spider Army, he initially declined out of distrust. When he learned that the person recruiting him was Gwen, he ended up sacrificing his life for her.
29:Web-Weaver
Cooper Coen made waves in the months before he officially debuted as Marvel's first gay Spider-Man in Edge of Spider-Verse #5. Web-Weaver is more than just another Spider-Man in a sea of variants. He's an icon of fashion as well as a noble spirit who gained spider-based powers when he saved his version of Peter Parker from being bit by a radioactive spider.
Web-Weaver has all the best traits of a Spider and always puts others ahead of himself. Coen's powers are also highly refined, his Web-Sense keeping him out of most dangers. He might not be the most powerful Spider-Man variant, but he embodies the best parts of Spider-Man.
28:Supaidāman (Takuya Yamashiro)
Supaidāman made his debut in the initial Japanese iteration of Spider-Man, with the TV show being adapted to audiences in the territory. There were a number of changes to the character, including a slightly depowered set of abilities thanks to the budget and the introduction of Takuya Yamashiro instead of Peter Parker.
The character has since made his debut on Earth-616 in the comics and is well known for the mech he enters into battle with known as Leopardon. His power is of course boosted by the giant robot, but Supaidāman is less skilled than other iterations of the vigilante.
27:Spider-Woman (May Parker)
In one alternate universe, Peter Parker (who was still Spider-Man) and Mary Jane Watson ended up getting that "happily ever after" that they always dreamed of. They eventually had a daughter who they named May Parker after Peter's Aunt.
May inherited some of her father's Spider-like abilities and took on the persona of "Spider-Girl," eventually changing her title to "Spider-Woman" once she reached adulthood. May's Spider abilities were unfortunately slightly weaker than her father's, as the DNA she inherited was a mix between his and Mary Jane's rather than strictly Peter's DNA. Regardless, Spider-Woman proved herself to be a fantastic fighter in her universe.
26:Sun-Spider
If there's one thing that Spider-Man variants have proved, it's that anyone can be a wall-crawling hero. Edge of Spider-Verse #4 introduced Charlotte "Charlie" Webber, aka Sun-Spider. Webber lives with Ehler's Danlos Syndrome and often dealt with ableism in her life. However, as Sun-Spider, Charlotte showed she was more than capable of handling anything that was thrown at her.
Utilizing a pair of crutches that doubled as Web-Shooters, Sun-Spider is able to take out powerful villains, such as her world's version of Doctor Octopus. Webber is a resilient hero who won't let the world tell her what she can or can't do, making her one of the most brave variants of Spider-Man.
25:Spider-Girl (Betty Brant)
In yet another alternate universe, Daily Bugle employee Betty Brant was bitten by a radioactive spider during Peter's field trip rather than Peter himself, causing her to create the alternate identity of Spider-Girl. Spider-Girl's abilities were completely identical to those of the Peter Parker that most fans know, and she was even able to have similar equipment to our Spider-Man because Spider-Girl actually befriended the Peter from her universe who helped her to make her web-shooters and learn her abilities.
What made Spider-Girl interesting in her comics was the fact that she had a much closer relationship to Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson than Peter Parker did, creating a lot more ironic conflict between herself and Jameson.
24:Spider Moon-Man
This Peter Parker came from the alternate universe where humanity actually found a way to colonize the Moon. He lived in New Lunar York, which was essentially just a more futuristic New York City. Outside of that, he was quite similar to the original Spider-Man -- he was bitten by a radioactive spider, he worked for the Daily Bugle, he was in love with Mary Jane, etc.
Unfortunately, Spider Moon-Man was one of the first Spider-Men to lose his life during the Spider-Verse event, being taken out by the villain Morlun before he even had the chance to learn about the rest of the Spider-Verse; he never got to prove if he could be the strongest Spider-Man.
23:Spider-UK
Billy Braddock was a version of Spider-Man located in Britain in one particular alternate universe. However, this doesn't mean he was the only Spider-Man of this universe. Billy was actually training under Captain Britain in his universe before he found that he had acquired abilities similar to those of the Spider-Man located in New York. He soon created a similar persona, but with a UK twist.
A new Spider-Uk called Zarina Zahari made her debut recently in Edge of the Spider-Verse #2. Apart from the requisite suite of spider-powers, Zarina has electrochemical powers as well and she was a major help in solving the recent crisis of the Spider-Verse caused by the Wasp Goddess Shathra.
22:Pavitr Prabhakar
Pavitr Prabhakar has essentially the same story as Peter Parker. The only difference is that Pavitr's story took place in India. Pavitr lived with his Aunt Maya and Uncle Bhim and was in love with Meera Jain. Rather than being bitten by a radioactive spider, however, Pavitr gained his spider abilities from an ancient yogi who gave him the gift to fight the evil in his world.
Pavitr's adventures were all quite clever, featuring villains incredibly similar to the Spider-Man villains that most fans know, but with twists that connected to India's culture. The most prominent of his foes was Nalin Oberoi, the alternate version of Norman Osborn who used an amulet to summon a demon, which possessed Nalin to become a Goblin-like villain.
21:Arácnido Jr.
Many of the Spider-Verse heroes are essentially alternate versions of Peter Parker from various different countries. Arácnido Jr. is no exception, essentially being the Spider-Man from Mexico. While his actual name and the origin of his powers are still unknown, with his actual name only ever being referred to as "Junior," the rest of his story is still quite familiar.
Arácnido Jr.'s primary antagonist is Escorpión, an alternate universe version of Scorpion who was responsible for taking the life of Arácnido Jr.'s father. "Junior" then became the crime-fighting superhero protector of Mexico City before he became part of the Spider-Verse. He has the potential to be one of the strongest Spider-Men in the future.
20:Scarlet Spider
While most of these alternate Spider-Men seem like cut-and-paste versions of Peter Parker with only slight differences, Ben Reilly / Scarlet Spider is quite literally a clone of Peter Parker. In the mainstream Marvel universe, one of Spider-Man's foes, the Jackal, used Peter Parker's DNA to create an exact clone of him.
However, as the clone mimicked Peter's appearance and abilities, it also mimicked his personality, turning against the Jackal in order to pursue his own superhero career. He went on to be one of the most interesting Spider-Man characters in the comics, undergoing a rather interesting arc as he adapted to life as a clone. Ben Reilly's most recent identiy as Chasm made him a vicious antagonist of Peter, but fans still hope he will be a hero again in the future.
19:Peter Parker
Peter is essentially the base average for comparing power levels when it comes to the Spider-Verse heroes, with a number of the alternate Spider-Men being stronger than him, and a number of others being weaker.
At the end of the day, the basic Peter Parker is the Spider-Man with who most fans are all familiar. This is the hero that all six live-action Spider-Man movies were based upon, which helps to make the alternate Spider-Men more interesting, as they all appear to be variations of this single hero, who has now become something of an archetype.
18:Spider-Gwen
Spider-Gwen has certainly become one of the more well-known alternate Spider-heroes in recent years, coming from the universe where Gwen Stacy was bitten by a spider and Peter Parker ended up losing his life instead. She went on to fight crime and protect New York City even after the loss of her friend, much like all of the other Spider-Verse heroes.
What puts Gwen at a notch higher than Peter Parker is her access to police equipment. Her father, Police Captain George Stacy, is still very much alive in her universe, which means that she has direct access to police equipment and information that she is able to utilize in her day-to-day crime-fighting.
17:Spider-Rex
This Spider-Man variant takes two amazing things and blends them together to create a truly unique variant. Edge of Spider-Verse #1 introduced Pter Ptarker, a dinosaur variant of Peter who switched bodies with a T. rex and gained Spider powers after being hit by a strange meteor. But the hero quickly learned the power of responsibility when he accidentally crushed a couple of innocent dinos while using his powers.
Spider-Man is already one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe. But throw in the weight and strength of a full-grown Tyrannosaurus? Spider-Rex easily becomes one of the strongest variants of Peter Parker around. He might not be the most graceful, but his fearsome nature and added spider powers makes him a force to be reckoned with.
16:Spiderling
In yet another alternate universe, Peter Parker and Mary Jane ended up having a completely different daughter from May Parker, who they named Anna-May Parker. Much like the other May Parker, Anna-May gained her father's abilities from his DNA, but, unlike May, she inherited the same powers with no limitations, and even evolved a new ability that not even Peter himself had.
While Peter's Spider-Sense could inform him of danger moments before it happened, Anna-May was able to sense danger up to a couple of hours beforehand. This precognition made Anna-May into a much more effective superhero as she took to the streets as Spiderling.
15:Silk
Much like Scarlet Spider, Cindy Moon / Silk is another one of the rare alternate Spider-Men who actually comes from the mainstream Marvel Universe. In fact, her origin is tied in with Peter's, as she was bitten by the same radioactive spider moments after Peter was bitten. Though it wasn't for several more years that Cindy Moon actually became Silk, the origins were the same nonetheless.
While Silk's strength level is a little bit weaker than Peter's, her other abilities make her stand out as a more formidable hero. Her agility blows Peter away, as does her Spider-Sense, which is more sensitive than almost any other Spider-hero fans have ever seen. Finally, Silk can actually spin webs out of her fingertips without the use of mechanical web-shooters.
14:Superior Spider-Man
Another Spider-hero from the mainstream Marvel Universe is the Superior Spider-Man, aka Otto Octavius, aka Doc Ock. After a rather confusing incident where Peter and Otto essentially switched minds, Otto became stuck in the body of Peter Parker while the mind of Peter lost his life in the body of Otto. Finally being able to understand the motivations of his "nemesis," Otto had a change of heart and promised to continue the life of Peter in his body.
Essentially, the Superior Spider-Man had all of the strength of Peter Parker combined with the off-the-charts genius intellect of Otto Octavius. Otto certainly surpassed Peter in his time as one of the strongest Spider-Man, even if it was short-lived.
13:Miles Morales
Miles Morales has stepped into the spotlight recently, being the main character of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. While he may just seem like another run-of-the-mill alternate Spider-Man, his abilities actually surpass those of Peter Parker.
First, Miles is able to make himself practically invisible using Spider-Camouflage. Second, he is able to send electric charges into people he touches, and can even run the electric charges through his webbing to shock people at long distances. Third, it is believed that Miles is actually immortal, as that has proven to be a symptom of the Oz formula he gained his powers from.
12:Man-Spider
In the mainstream Marvel Universe, Man-Spider was the genetically "devolved" version of Spider-Man created by Magneto. Essentially, it was what Peter would have been if he was a spider that had been bitten by a radioactive human. Over the years, Man-Spider has had a few different iterations, the most popular of which was in Spider-Man: The Animated Series.
The Animated Series went more in-depth with Man-Spider's abilities, revealing that he not only had every ability that Peter Parker had, but that he could also spit acid and shoot webs out of every limb without web-shooters. While he was noticeably less intelligent than Peter, Man-Spider's brute strength was enough to put him high up on this list.
11:Spider-Girl (Anya Corazon)
Unlike most of the other Spider-heroes on this list, Spider-Girl gained her abilities from the "Spider Society," a mystical group that worships "spider deities." Anya is yet another alternate Spider-hero to exist in the mainstream Marvel Universe, so fittingly, she based much of her crime-fighting career off of Peter Parker's accomplishments.
Anya's Spider abilities were a tad bit stronger than those of Peter Parker's. They also gave her camouflage like Miles, Organic webbing, and Skeletal Flexibility, which allows her to compress herself in order to withstand heavy attacks, similarly to Mr. Fantastic.
10:Spider-Punk
Hobie Brown is the Spider-Man from an alternate universe where Norman Osborn is the President and is essentially a dictator, causing Brown to use his position as Spider-Man to lead a revolution against Osborn in order to destroy his segregational system. He is certainly one of the most unique Spider-Men and is actually quite comparable to aspects of our society.
While Spider-Punk pretty much has the same abilities as Peter Parker, what really makes him stand out is his Spider-Army. With a large group of followers at his back, Spider-Punk himself is practically unbeatable unless you can single him out and separate him from his devotees.
9:Spider-Wolf
Not much is known about Spider-Wolf or its origins, but what is known is actually quite interesting. He comes from a universe that is a bit more gothic, where it is assumed that a number of its inhabitants are werewolves. The Spider-Man of this universe is no exception to this, going by the name Spider-Wolf.
Spider-Wolf has the combined strength of Spider-Man and a werewolf, which, as one can imagine, would make him incredibly powerful. Realizing this, the villain Karn sought out to defeat Spider-Wolf before he was recruited by the heroes of the Spider-Verse, as he could have been one of the Spider Army's most powerful allies.
8:Patton Parnel
Patton Parnel is an alternate version of Peter Parker who is actually quite the opposite of Peter, being a sociopathic maniac who experimented on animals and did not necessarily become "responsible" when he gained his powers. Unlike the other Spider-Men, when Parnel was bitten by a spider, he gained the ability to transform into a grotesque, spider-like beast with vicious fangs, eight eyes, and eight limbs.
Parnel only survived for three days before he was taken out by the villain Morlun, but he managed to do quite a bit of damage during this time. He presumably ate at least three people, including his uncle, and implanted hundreds of baby spiders into his love interest Sara Jane just by biting her neck.
7:Spider-Man 2099
In the distant future of 2099 in another alternate universe, Miguel O'Hara took on the mantle of Spider-Man after having his DNA being biologically mixed with that of a spider, but not in the radioactive way that most of the previous Spider-Men have undergone. His abilities appear to match those of Peter Parker, but he also has a number of powers that not even Peter has.
One unique power that he has is telepathy, as he is able to send messages into the minds of others at will. What really makes Spider-Man 2099 stand out, however, is the technology that he has at his disposal, from time travel devices to his suit that was built using unstable molecules in order to better suit his powers and become one of the strongest Spider-Men.
6:Spinneret
In another alternate universe, Mary Jane Watson eventually had to take on a Spider-esque role in order to protect her family. In this universe, Peter Parker was still Spider-Man and had actually designed a suit for Mary Jane that essentially mimicked all of his abilities. It was a unique suit that would essentially drain Peter of his powers when she used them, especially when they were close together.
Eventually, after a run-in with Venom, Mary Jane's suit actually started to absorb Venom's powers as well. At her peak point, Spinneret had the combined strength of Spider-Man and Venom, making her into a truly powerful superhero.
5:Spider-Cyborg
In a more futuristic, but also apocalyptic, alternate universe, Peter Parker not only gained his Spider-Man abilities but cybernetic enhancements as well. His cybernetic additions covered much of his body, giving him stronger legs, metallic claws, plenty of padding, and enhanced vision. However, the most remarkable part about Spider-Cyborg's body was his Sonic Cannon attached to his right arm.
Essentially, Spider-Cyborg was the perfect combination of Marvel's Spider-Man and DC's Cyborg, making himself into one of the most powerful heroes in the Spider-Verse. Unfortunately, like many of the other strong alternate Spider-Men, Spider-Cyborg was immediately targeted by the villain Karn due to the threat that he posed.
4:Six Arm Spider-Man
One classic Spider-Man comic featured Peter Parker drinking a potion that was supposed to enhance his abilities but resulted in him growing an extra four arms instead, thus giving him eight limbs like a spider. While this problem was quickly fixed, a What If? comic delved into what Peter Parker's world would have been like had he not gotten rid of his extra arms.
While his basic abilities seemed to stay the same, his extra arms seriously enhanced his agility and strength, making him into an incredibly stronger version of himself just as the potion originally intended. He was able to defeat Doc Ock with ease, successfully save Gwen Stacy's life, and even played a vital role in protecting the Spider-Verse.
3:The Spider
This alternate Peter Parker was a bit similar to Patton Parnel, except he was arguably more brutal. He had much deeper sociopathic tendencies and, instead of using his powers for good, only used them to hurt people. He was eventually charged with 67 consecutive life sentences for his crimes, but not even that could stop him.
What really makes The Spider stand out from the other alternate Spider-Men is the Venom symbiote. Unlike almost every other Spider-Man, The Spider kept Venom with him for his entire career. Venom's powers combined with Peter's evil rage put The Spider at the same power level as Carnage at Carnage's strongest point, making him a truly frightening foe.
2:Peni Parker & SP//dr
Peni Parker is essentially the alternate universe version of Peter Parker from Japan, often being drawn in a manga style. Her backstory differentiates the most from the original Spider-Man origin, as she teams up with a radioactive spider named SP//dr that controls a giant mechanical suit. While Peni doesn't have any powers herself, the SP//dr makes her one of the strongest members of the Spider-Verse.
The SP//dr suit is incredibly powerful, mainly due to the fact that its limitations were never written. Like many other manga robots, the SP//dr suit is equipped with essentially any type of weapon that the plot calls for, with seemingly unlimited defenses. There are few Spider-Men that would fair well in a fight against Peni Parker and her robotic sidekick, especially the incredible Spider-Verse version.
1:Cosmic Spider-Man
Alas, the most powerful Spider-Man of all of the alternate universes is the Cosmic Spider-Man, also known as Captain Universe. Using the power of the Enigma Force, a completely incomprehensible mystical energy that has been described as one of the fundamental forces of creation, this Peter Parker became stronger than practically any other being to ever exist.
The Enigma Force essentially bumped all of Spider-Man's abilities from a 10 to a 10,000, while also allowing him to practically see through space and time, alter matter down to the very atom, and survive through any temperature imaginable. Cosmic Spider-Man gave safe haven to all of the alternate Spider-Men during the Spider-Verse event and even managed to defeat foes like Doctor Doom and the Hulk with ease. All in all, there is no question that this version of Peter Parker is the most powerful and strongest Spider-Man fans have ever seen.
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