Spider-Man is one of the most popular superhero characters in history. Compared to some other well-known superheroes, his popularity continues to rise over the decades instead of declining, especially after Tom Holland’s MCU version of the web-slinger.
With the upcoming film Spider-Man: No Way Home opening up the multi-verse, it got me thinking – is there a stronger Spidey somewhere out there? The answer, of course, lies in Marvel comics. Here’s a ranked list of the 25 strongest Spider-Man versions of all time.
25. Spider-Woman
We’ve seen numerous alternate universes in Marvel Comics. Peter Parker marries Mary Jane Watson in one particular universe, and they have a baby girl. They call her May, after Peter’s beloved Auntie, and as the little girl grows up, they realize she inherited some of her father’s abilities.
May Parker started her superhero career as Spider-Girl, but later changed it to Spider-Woman when she grew up. However, May’s powers were a tad weaker compared to her father, who was still Spider-Man.
That’s because half of her DNA was from a regular human being, Mary Jane, while the other half came from Peter. Still, she was quite strong and fought NYC crime like a true superhero. Spider-Woman became a brilliant martial artist, and one thing that helped her come closer to her dad skill-wise is her life-long training, instead of only gaining powers in her teens like Peter.
24. Spider-Gwen
Spider-Gwen also comes from a different universe. It wasn’t Peter Parker who got bitten by a radioactive spider in her universe, but rather herself – his love interest, Gwen Stacy. While in the primary Marvel universe, Stacy lost her life – in this universe, she became Spider-Gwen, while Peter got killed.
Gwen continued to do good, fight crime, and protect her city, even after Peter’s death. They had the same skills – strength, stamina, durability, spider senses, etc. However, what sets Spider-Gwen apart is her access to NYPD resources.
Her father, Georgy Stacy, is alive and well. She uses his Police Captain status to gain intel, weaponry, equipment, and other police resources to help her with her superhero duties. Spider-Gwen became one of the most popular alternate Spidey iterations after appearing in the Academy Award-winning animated film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse.
23. Scarlet Spider
The Scarlet Spider is a part of the main Marvel universe (Earth-616 continuum), and he’s pretty much identical to the original Spider-Man. Whereas many Spideys from the multiverse seem like variations to the original Peter Parker, Scarlet Spider is literally the same regarding power, skills, appearance, and even DNA!
You see, one of Peter Parker’s arch-nemesis, the Jackal, used his DNA to create Spider-Man’s identical clone. He didn’t count on one thing, though. The clone, named Ben Reilly, was physically identical to Peter Parker, but he was also identical mentally – meaning he inherited the original’s morals, ethics, and personality.
That’s what drove Scarlet Spider to turn against his creator, the Jackal, and do good instead of evil, as the Jackal intended. Ben became a superhero in his own right, but what made his story so interesting is his life after he turns good and learns that he’s nothing but a clone. It’s quite interesting and heartbreaking at times.
22. Man-Spider
Okay. I’m going to have nightmares just having to revisit this thing, but it is one of the most powerful versions of Spider-Man ever. Ask yourself this: what would you get if a human wasn’t bitten by a radioactive spider, but rather a spider bitten by a radioactive human?
You would get the Man-Spider, a hideous creature created by Magneto at one point in the main Marvel Universe. The creature looks more like a spider than a human, having eight limbs covered in hair, with sharp claws on their ends, and a human head with eight eyes and terrifying fang-like pliers coming out of its cheeks.
There were several versions of the Man-Spider over the years. Still, in the end, it comes down to this: Man-Spider is a spider with Peter Parker’s abilities and a few other extra powers like spitting acid or using organic web produced from its limbs instead of mechanic web-shooters.
The only reasons why Man-Spider isn’t higher on the list are A: it’s far less intelligent than regular Spider-Man, which causes problems in battle, and B: I hate the creature.
21. Silk
While many people thought that Silk was just another Spider-Man from another universe, she’s actually a part of the main Marvel Universe (Earth-616). Moments after Peter Parker got bitten by the radioactive spider, the same spider bit Cindy Moon. However, her mutation took a lot longer – she became Silk after a few years, unlike Peter, who instantly felt changes.
Silk has incredible skills similar to Peter Parker but slightly changed. For instance, her strength is slightly lower than Spidey’s, but she’s far more agile and quick. Also, she doesn’t need the mechanical web-shooters to produce webs – she can shoot organic web from each of her fingertips, so she can never run out of web.
But, her greatest power is her incredible Spider-Sense that dwarfs Peter’s, as Cindy possesses one of the most sensitive Spider-Senses out of all the versions of Spidey. Instead of just perceiving imminent danger, Silk can see the future to an extent, allowing her to plan and alter the future to a much greater extent.
We’ve seen just how powerful she is in Silk #1, where she and Peter Parker first encountered each other as Silk and Spider-Man.
20. Spider-Girl
Spider-Girl, aka Anya Corazon, is another of the rare Spidey versions that exist in the Earth-616 universe, the same universe as our regular Peter Parker. However, unlike Peter, no spider ever bit her. Instead, she became a member of the Spider Society, a mystical secret group that worships spider deities.
After Anya gained powers from the Society, she started acting as a superhero called Spider-Girl, modeling her crime-fighting behavior on what Spider-Man was doing. Interestingly, though, it seems like the spider deities gave her some amazing skills, as it seems that her abilities exceeded even Peter Parker’s.
For instance, apart from having all the Spidey traits like superhuman strength, speed, and precognition, Spider-Girl also gained organic web-shooting and camouflaging abilities, helping her turn seemingly invisible.
However, her greatest power is her Skeletal Flexibility. It means that Anya can alter her body down to her skeleton and compress/elongate herself to avoid or withstand incredibly powerful attacks. She would be higher on this list if we could see her defeat some more potent threats that Spidey regularly fights.
19. Spinneret
Spinneret is an alternate-universe version of Spider-Man. Well, not quite, actually, as the real Spidey exists in her universe as well. In this universe, Peter Parker designs and develops a suit for Mary Jane Watson that can mimick, absorb, and express powers from others while MJ is wearing it, especially his.
However, as they fight side-by-side, and the Spinneret absorbs Spidey’s powers, he grows weaker, eventually completely drained of his abilities. I know, it’s not cool to have Pete go weak just to have MJ go strong, but there’s more to Spinneret. You see, it’s not just Peter’s abilities that the suit can absorb.
After an encounter with Venom, Spinneret absorbed many of his powers as well, resulting in her becoming a combination of Venom and Spidey at her strongest moments. That kind of power could go up against any superhero or supervillain, making Spinneret well worthy of a spot on this list.
18. Spiderling
We come to the Spiderling, continuing with the Spidey versions from alternate universes. Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson have married again in this universe, but instead of getting May Parker, they have a daughter named Anna-May. Anna-May also gained powers from her father, but her powers were unlimited, unlike Spider-Woman.
So much so, the Spiderling became even stronger than her dad, if you consider having more abilities as being stronger (Peter was still dominant physically). You see, Anna-May’s Spider-Sense is closer to Silk’s than to Peter’s.
She can preconceive danger not only a few minutes or moments before it happens, like her father, but hours in advance. While she can’t see the future, her sensing danger early allows Spiderling to be much more effective and plan her actions to a much more advanced degree.
17. Superior Spider-Man
Superior Spider-Man was a part of the regular Marvel Universe (Earth-616), but only briefly. An incident occurred between Peter Parker and Dr. Otto Octavius (Doc Ock), where their minds switched bodies. Otto ended up in Peter’s body, while Parker’s mind remained lifeless in Otto’s body.
The change allowed Doc to see why Spidey does what he does. Instead of continuing his criminal intentions and lifestyle, Octavius starts doing superhero stuff, promising himself to continue doing good in Peter’s name. So, what made him “Superior” Spider-Man?
He essentially had all the same skills as Peter but with Otto’s brilliant intellect. He never shied away from using his signature gadgets to help him be the best version of Spidey he could, and he achieved that. He once developed mind-controlling gadgets that turned the Sinister Six to act under his command.
Doc Ock’s Spidey was one of the most powerful versions of Spider-Mann ever, even though it didn’t last long before Peter returned to his body.
16. Peter Parker (Earth-616)
Finally, we arrive at the original – Peter Parker from Earth-616, the guy who got bit by a radioactive spider on a school trip and developed spider-like abilities. He decides to use them for good and becomes one of the most popular, recognizable Marvel characters in history.
This version of Spider-Man is the original that all other versions get compared to. And, while he isn’t the strongest or most powerful Spidey we’ve ever seen, he more than makes up for it with his power of will.
Peter Parker never gives up – not even when he’s battered and bruised. He keeps on coming, trying until he succeeds. That sheer power of will helped him defeat countless foes that were a lot more powerful than him.
For that, he deserves to be right at the top of this list, but since we’re talking about the strongest versions of Spider-Man, being here, right around the middle, is probably where he belongs.
15. Spider-Man 2099
In a futuristic alternate universe, in the year 2099, Spider-Man still exists and does as much good as he can. Of course, it’s not Peter Parker anymore, but rather Miguel O’Hara. Instead of getting bitten, Miguel’s DNA was biologically mixed with a spider’s DNA.
Although there was no radioactive component in the process, the advanced technology gave Miguel all of the skills and abilities that Peter Parker had and a variety of other abilities that our regular Spidey never had.
For instance, Spider-Man 2099 had telepathic abilities, sending messages to other people’s minds without speaking to them. Of course, his biggest advantage over regular Spider-Man is the advanced technology that includes a highly-advanced suit, time travel devices, etc.
Spider-Man 2099 deserves to be even higher on this list in terms of skills and abilities, but I feel like Miguel O’Hara wasn’t as good of a person nor character that Peter Parker was. His entire story felt a bit bleak to me, but maybe it’s just me.
14. Spider-Wolf
Although Spider-Wolf appeared in only a single issue – Amazing Spider-Man Vol.3 #11 – he had the potential of being one of the strongest Spideys ever. He comes from an alternate universe (Earth-13989) where it’s presumed that many of its inhabitants are werewolves.
We don’t know much about Spider-Wolf other than that he has all the skills that our regular Spidey has, except that he can turn into a werewolf. That made him so much more incredibly powerful, which Karn – a supervillain battling the Spider-Verse heroes – realized before the other Spidey could reach out to Spider-Wolf.
He killed him before joining other Spider-Men, but not before the werewolf Spidey displayed his incredible skills. Had his run been longer, we’d probably look at one of the most powerful versions of the web-slinger ever.
13. Patton Parnel
The Patton Parnel version of Spider-Man is just as disturbing and terrifying as any other Spidey ever – maybe even more. This alternate universe version of our beloved, friendly superhero is sociopathic, hideous, depressing, and ruthless. If there’s ever a Spider-Man horror movie made, Patton Parnel would probably be in the center of it all.
Patton was a psychopath who experimented on animals, including spiders. After one of them bit him, he changed physically – but not mentally. Instead of having standard Peter Parker-esque abilities, Patton has eight limbs, eight red eyes, pale skin, and huge bug-like fangs coming out of his mouth.
He remained the same awful sociopath during his time as the grotesque creature, eating at least three people during this time and implanting hundreds of baby spiders into one of his victim’s necks (Sara Jane, his version of Mary Jane).
Luckily for us, the supervillain Morlun killed Parnel only three days after becoming the horrifying creature. Still, his grotesque physique and terrifying spider-implanting abilities, paired with his sociopathic behavior, definitely make Patton one of the strongest Spider-Man versions ever.
12. Spider-Cyborg
Spider-Cyborg lives in an alternate, apocalyptic universe. He’s also named Peter Parker, but after gaining his Spider-Man abilities, he also got modified cybernetically to become way more powerful than your regular, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Spider-Cyborg has cybernetic legs, metal claws, and enhanced eyesight.
But, the attribute he uses the most is his right armed that’s turned into a sonic cannon, capable of destroying anything in its path. Spider-Cyborg is definitely one of the strongest Spideys in the Spider-Verse, but unfortunately, we never got to see just how mighty he could’ve been.
Like Spider-Wolf, the supervillain Karn realized how dangerous Spider-Cyborg could be if he joined the other Spider-Verse heroes, so he targeted him before they could get to him.
11. Miles Morales
Another highly-popular version of Spider-Man, Miles Morales, was the main protagonist in the Academy Award-winning animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Morales is a boy from an alternate universe that later merged with the Earth-616 universe, where he met the original Spidey, Peter Parker.
Although it might seem that Morales is the same as any other Spider-Man version, his powers surpass those of Peter Parker by a mile. First and foremost, Miles has Spider-Camouflage, seemingly turning invisible. It works not only on his body but his clothes, too.
Second, Morales possesses an ability called the venom-strike. It’s the ability to send electrical shocks through anybody or anything he touches. He can do it on long-range, too, charging his webs electrically to shock people and render them unconscious.
Finally, while it’s never explicitly stated, it’s implied numerous times that Miles is immortal due to the Oz formula he got that gave him his powers in the first place. With a bit more experience, Morales could be even higher on this list.
10. Kaine
Unlike many other versions of Spider-Man, Kaine isn’t Spidey from an alternate universe, but rather his evil clone stemming from a storyline called The Clone Saga published in the 90s.
Kaine is Spider-Man’s evil clone that never stopped mutating, unlike any other Spider-Man version. Other Spidey mutated, got their abilities, and remained as such forever. Kaine, however, keeps getting stronger, faster, and more durable.
As time passes, he gets more powerful, and the mutation seemingly never stops, making him way more powerful than our regular Peter Parker. Even his Spider-Sense is stronger – somewhat like the one Silk has, allowing him to see into the future.
However, a mistake in the cloning process made Kaine deformed and quite unstable mentally, which is a great weakness in some instances, and also the reason why he isn’t higher on this list.
9. Peter Parker (Earth-92100)
One particular bizarre alternate universe was Earth-92100. In this universe, Peter Parker creates a potion that would’ve “cured” him from his Sider-Man powers if everything had gone as planned. However, it never works out that way, so instead of removing Parker’s powers, he grew four more arms, making him have eight limbs, like a true Spider.
Peter becomes desperate to find a cure for his newfound state, reaching out to Charles Xavier, Reed Richards, Doctor Connors (Lizard), but nothing works. However, the four extra arms proved to be quite an advantage in battle once he got a hold on using them.
Spidey fought Doc Ock with six arms and easily dismantled him – something regular Spider-Man couldn’t do in a heartbeat. They also helped him save Gwen Stacy when Green Goblin tried to kill her and much more. Saving his lover is something Peter always wanted to make possible, so this iteration of Spidey deserves such a high spot on the list.
8. Peni Parker
Another awesome Spider-Man version got featured on the big screen, specifically in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Peni Parker is a young Japanese girl-version of Spider-Man that uses a futuristic radioactive spider named SP//dr as her wingman. The spider controls a huge mechanical spider suit.
While Peni is powerless, SP//dr more than makes up for the girl’s shortcomings. The suit that SP//dr controls is extremely powerful – almost unbeatable. It has any weapon that the plot requires and any kind of defense needed to protect both SP//dr and Peni.
With unlimitedly versatile offense and defense, it’s no wonder that Peni Parker stands as one of the most powerful Spider-Man versions even though she has no powers herself.
7. Spider-Carnage
As you now know, Ben Reilly is Spider-Man’s clone created by the Jackal, known as the Scarlet Spider. One storyline follows Ben as he bonded with Carnage, one of the most powerful symbiotes ever to walk the Earth.
The bond gave Reilly both Spider-Man and Carnage powers and abilities. Having only one or the other already makes you incredibly powerful, but combined? You become as deadly as they come. Not only does Reilly have the wits, speed, and agility of Spider-Man, but he also has Carnage’s healing factor, brutal force, and tentacle-like weapons.
Another thing that makes him that much more dangerous is his immunity to Peter Parker’s Spider-Sense. That makes him an even greater threat for Spidey.
6. Spider (Earth-15)
The Earth-15 version of Spider-Man is the most sinister, evil, brutal, and dark web-slinger ever. It’s commonly confused with Spider-Carnage due to their similar traits, but make no mistake – Spider is so much worse.
Peter Parker from Earth-15 was as evil as they get. He’s even worse than the crazy sociopath Patton Parnel, using his Spidey powers only to hurt other people, simply to entertain himself. The guy is so horrible; he got charged with 67 consecutive life sentences but continued to be a terrible threat after breaking out.
As you probably know, regular Peter Parker was the first host for the Venom symbiote. They quickly separated after, unlike Spider, who remained bonded with the symbiote forever, making him that much more powerful.
Combine the powers of Spider-Man and Venom in a body and mind that’s nothing but pure evil, and you get a version of Spider-Man that can take out even Carnage when he’s at his strongest.
5. Marvel Zombies Spider-Man
There are infinite Marvel Universes out there, but one of the fan-favorite iterations is definitely the Earth-2149 Universe, better known as Marvel Zombies Universe. This Universe’s Spidey has all the original Peter Parker’s powers, including his brains (pun intended) – but he’s also an undead, immortal zombie that kills at will.
However, his strongest version arrived a while later. When Zombie Spider-Man, along with other zombies, killed and devoured the Silver Surfer, he got some of his powers, allowing him to use the Power Cosmic to some extent.
Zombie Spidey became so powerful he could go toe-to-toe with some of the most powerful cosmic entities in the Universe, including the mighty Galactus himself.
4. Spider-Hulk
The Hulk is one of the most powerful Marvel superheroes ever, right? Imagine combining him with Spider-Man. That’s exactly what happened in Web of Spider-Man #70 in the 1990s and just recently again in Immortal Hulk: Great Powers from 2020.
The 90s version had Peter Parker getting hit with Hulk’s bio-electric energy beam, merging him with the Big Green and regressing intellectually to Hulk’s level. However, the Immortal Hulk version depicts Bruce Banner finally freeing himself from the Hulk, but the beast finds a new host in Peter Parker.
However, this version allows Peter to remain in his normal Spidey form with all his powers and intellect on a day-to-day basis. However, when he becomes angry, he turns into the powerful Hulk that still has Spider-Man’s abilities on top of his unfathomable strength and durability.
3. Ghost Spider
It seems like Marvel has a strong tendency to merge Spider-Man with other powerful characters from their comics. But Ghost Spider is probably my favorite Spidey version of such nature, merging Spider-Man and Ghost Rider into one incredibly powerful character.
In the Earth-11638 Universe, Peter Parker creates a machine that pulls Spider-Men from other universes and allows him to absorb all their powers, making him that much more powerful every time he does it. However, the machine malfunctioned, putting him into a coma and his spirit into Hell.
Dr. Banner, who was the Sorcerer Supreme in this Universe, managed to pull him back out by infusing him with the powers of the damned, reviving him, and giving him the powers of the Ghost Rider that include Hellfire manipulation, interdimensional travel, and much more.
Therefore, Ghost Spider isn’t just Spider-Man and Ghost Rider combined – he has the powers of several Spidey to make him that much more powerful.
2. Secret Wars Spider-Man
Now, there’s debate around which Spider-Man version is stronger, the #1 on this list or the Secret Wars Spider-Man. While Secret Wars Spidey might be even more powerful, I put him and #2 because he only appeared for a brief time in the 1985 Secret Wars crossover.
This version of Spider-Man gained the powers of The Beyonder – one of the most powerful cosmic entities in the entire multiverse. The Beyonder is omnipotent, omnipresent, and his powers virtually have no limits.
During the time when Spidey had The Beyonder’s powers, he was arguably the strongest being in the entire Marvel Universe, topping even The Living Tribunal, Galactus, The Watcher, the Celestials, and other cosmic beings. It doesn’t get much better than that.
1. Captain Universe Spider-Man
Finally, the strongest Spider-Man version is Cosmic Spider-Man (later existing as Captain Universe). After a lab accident during the Acts of Vengeance storyline, the mysterious Enigma Force chooses Peter Parker as its host to harness the Uni-Power. This energy is considered the universe manifesting itself.
The Enigma Force is a cosmic entity with unfathomable powers, but it needs a host to use them – just like the Phoenix Force that became much more popular after it connected with the X-Men’s Jean Grey.
After absorbing the mysterious Enigma Force and gaining the Uni-Power, Spider-Man became one of the most powerful beings in the universe capable of incredible things. Some of Cosmic Spidey’s powers are invulnerability, matter, and energy manipulation down to the atom, reality-warping, near-lightspeed, and so much more.
While his time on Earth-616 was very short, the Cosmic Spider-Man remained alive and active on Earth-13, using the name Captain Universe and his spectacular powers for doing good.
