Is Spider-Man the Weakest Avenger and Is He Weaker Than Most Superheroes?

Is Spider-Man the Weakest Avenger

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man certainly is one of the most popular Marvel superheroes, but considering the fact that he is just a teen with spider-like abilities, one surely ponders over his actual powers when compared to some other Marvel superheroes, right? Sure, he’s resourceful and has fought many strong opponents, but is he really that strong?

Spider-Man is definitely not the weakest Avenger or the weakest superhero. There are weaker superheroes than him, but when compared to some powerhouse names, he is also not among the strongest.

Now that we’ve given you a short introduction, let us discuss the topic of this article in more detail.

Comparing Spider-Man to Other Avengers

In this section, we are going to compare Spider-Man’s powers with some other Marvel superheroes, focusing mainly on members of the Avengers, to see whether Spider-Man really is the weakest Avenger or not.

Captain America

Captain America is the superhero identity of one Steven Rogers, one of the best-known superheroes in the history of comics. Steven Rogers was a frail, young soldier who was given the Super Soldier Serum, thus becoming a near perfect soldier, as part of an American plan to win in World War II. Rogers then became Captain America, the “First Avenger”.

He is a regular member of the Avengers and the leader of the group, alongside Iron Man. Nick Fury classifies him as a level 8 superhero. Let us see his official stats:

 Captain AmericaSpider-Man
Intelligence3/74/7
Strength3/74/7
Speed2/73//7
Durability3/73/7
Energy Projection1/71/7
Fighting Skills6/74/7

Outcome: Draw (they’re both very similar, with Captain America compensating the lack of intelligence and strength with his fighting skills)

Iron Man

Anthony “Tony” Stark, better known as Iron Man, is one of Marvel’s most famous characters. The billionaire genius who used his resources to create an armored suit to fight crime, both terrestrial and cosmic, has become one of the best-known comic book characters.

He is likewise an important member of the Avengers and their leader, alongside Captain America. Nick Fury classifies him as a level 9 superhero. Let us see the comparison (the higher values represent Iron Man’s enhanced powers while wearing the suit):

 Iron ManSpider-Man
Intelligence6/74/7
Strength2-6/74/7
Speed2-5/73//7
Durability1-6/73/7
Energy Projection1-6/71/7
Fighting Skills4/74/7

Outcome: Iron Man (but only in his suit; Spider-Man’s superpowers are an integral part of him, while Iron Man is just a normal guy without his suit – with the suit, he would easily beat Spider-Man, but without it, he would be powerless)

Hulk

When physicist Bruce Banner was exposed to gamma radiation, the green-skinned monster Hulk was created. The Hulk became a part of dr. Banner, a literal alter ego and a second personality, embodying the destructive side of the usually reserved Bruce Banner.

Luckily for the world, the Hulk is usually a good guy who uses his superhuman abilities to help the Avengers, a member of which he usually is. Nick Fury classified him as a level 10+, while the numbers state the following:

 HulkSpider-Man
Intelligence2-6/74/7
Strength7/74/7
Speed3/73//7
Durability7/73/7
Energy Projection1-5/71/7
Fighting Skills4/74/7

Outcome: Hulk (this is really a straightforward thing, as Spider-Man, like most Marvel characters, doesn’t stand a chance against the Hulk, although he could slap dr. Banner around, if that’s some consolation)

Thor

The Asgardian Thos is one of the most powerful Avengers in the whole Marvel universe. As the son of Odin, he inherited a lot of ancient Asgardian powers, which augment his regular divine powers.

With the help of his hammer, Mjolnir, Thos can be a respectable foe for anyone, which is why it’s good that he’s there to protect the universe from evil. Nick Fury hasn’t provided a classification for him (although we can assume it’s either 10 or 10+), but the numbers are as follows:

 ThorSpider-Man
Intelligence2/74/7
Strength7/74/7
Speed7/73//7
Durability6/73/7
Energy Projection6/71/7
Fighting Skills4/74/7

Outcome: Thor (same as with the Hulk, since Spider-Man can’t really match up against a god, but this time there’s not even an alter ego to slap around)

Wolverine

Probably the most famous mutant in the Marvel universe, Wolverine is regularly portrayed either as a superhero or an antihero, but almost always on the side of good, despite his unorthodox methods. Primarily an X-Man, he was also a member of the Avengers on several occasions. According to Nick Fury, he is a level 9 superhero, with his numbers looking like this:

 WolverineSpider-Man
Intelligence2/74/7
Strength4/74/7
Speed2/73//7
Durability4/73/7
Energy Projection1/71/7
Fighting Skills7/74/7

Outcome: Wolverine (although they’re not that far apart, Wolverine would still beat Spider-Man in a fight, due to his experience and mutant abilities)

Black Widow

Natalia Romanova, alias Black Widow, was initially a Russian spy and an antagonist of Iron Man, before she became a superhero and a member of the Avengers. She has no inherent superpowers, but has been trained to perfection and has enhanced human abilities. Nick Fury classified her as a level 7 superhero, while her numbers look like this:

 Black WidowSpider-Man
Intelligence3/74/7
Strength3/74/7
Speed2/73//7
Durability3/73/7
Energy Projection3/71/7
Fighting Skills6/74/7

Outcome: Spider-Man (although she might be a better fighter than Spider-Man, Black Widow wouldn’t stand a chance against his powers)

Black Panther

Black Panther is the traditional protector of the Kingdom of Wakanda, a superhero name currently held by Wakanda’s ruler T’Challa. As a member of the Avengers, Black Panther is known for his enhanced abilities (gained through traditional Wakandan rituals), as well as his reliance on science.

Nick Fury doesn’t give a classification for him (we assume it could be either a 7 or an 8), but the numbers are as follows:

 Black PantherSpider-Man
Intelligence5/74/7
Strength3/74/7
Speed2/73//7
Durability3/73/7
Energy Projection3/71/7
Fighting Skills5/74/7

Outcome: Spider-Man (these two are pretty close, but we believe that Spider-Man would have more success with his spider-like abilities in this fight)

Doctor Strange

Doctor Stephen Strange is the most famous wizard from the Marvel universe. After losing his surgical abilities in a car crash, doctor Strange traveled the world and met the Ancient One, who taught him magic and whom he succeeded as the Sorcerer Supreme, the primary protector of Earth against magical threats.

Nick Fury doesn’t give a classification for him (the full extent of his powers could even bring him to a level 10 or 10+), but we have the numbers:

 Doctor StrangeSpider-Man
Intelligence4/74/7
Strength2/74/7
Speed2-7/73//7
Durability2/73/7
Energy Projection6/71/7
Fighting Skills6/74/7

Outcome: Doctor Strange (but only because he knows magic)

Scarlet Witch

Wanda Maximoff, also known as Scarlet Witch, is actually a mutant, an X-Man, who – from being a supervillain – later became a super hero and fought alongside Professor X’s team and the Avengers. Like Doctor Strange, her main power is manipulation of magic. Nick Fury never classified her (and neither can we, her powers tend to vary), but her numbers are:

 Scarlet WitchSpider-Man
Intelligence3/74/7
Strength2/74/7
Speed2/73//7
Durability2/73/7
Energy Projection6/71/7
Fighting Skills3/74/7

Outcome: Draw (we’d even give Spider-Man the point here were Scarlet Witch not a sorceress; still, Spider-Man does better in all other fields, which means that he could stand a chance against her, unlike against Doctor Strange)

And this is it, actually. We could’ve added more names to the list, but we think you get the picture. Spider-Man is certainly not the weakest Avenger and certainly not one of the weakest superheroes.

Even this brief comparison shows that he only loses to those with superhuman or supernatural abilities, while he is either on par or better than regular humans with enhanced abilities. The point? Never underestimate your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man!

  • Arthur S. Poe

    Arthur S. Poe is a writer based in Europe. He has a Ph.D. and speaks five languages. His expertise varies from Alfred Hitchcock movies to Bleach, as he has explored a lot of fictional Universes and authors. He is currently focusing on anime, his childhood love, with special atten...