Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, is one of the most iconic superheroes in fiction and is practically the face of Marvel Comics. With such immense popularity, Marvel has created numerous other heroes with spider-like abilities. Aside from Peter, there are currently dozens of Spider-People in the main Earth-616 timeline and the broader multiverse, each with their own unique personalities, backgrounds, and powers. Peter directly inspired some of these heroes to take up the mask and become superheroes themselves. While they may have started as mere imitations of the original, many of these spider-heroes quickly became household names and beloved additions to Marvel’s superhero roster.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The Marvel Universe is literally crawling with superheroes who have powers comparable to those of a spider. Some of the most consistent abilities and skills these spider-heroes have are super-strength, agility, Spider Senses, and wall-crawling. Many, like Peter, also rely on artificial web shooters to swing around the city and catch bad guys. These are the most influential, beloved, and versatile heroes to become members of the Spider-Family.
10) Agent Anti-Venom
Flash Thompson started as Peter’s high school bully before the two became friends in college. Afterwards, Flash joined the army but tragically lost his legs during a mission. Flash was then recruited to bond with the Venom Symbiote and use the alien as a military weapon. Together, they became known as Agent Venom, with Flash using the symbiote as a hero. He joined teams such as the Secret Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy. When a portion of the symbiote was doused in a hazardous Anti-Venom chemical, it mutated, and its colors inverted. Now known as Agent Anti-Venom, Flash combines the symbiote’s powers with his years of military training to protect the world from symbiotes like Carnage and the armies of Knull.
9) Araña
Anya Sofía Corazón was just a normal teenage girl until she got caught in the crossfire between the mystical Sisterhood of the Wasps and the Spider Society. When the spider sorcerer Miguel saved Anya, she gained a magical spider tattoo that could transform into a tough exoskeleton, which gave her spider powers. She lost this armor when the villain Doomsday Man tore it from her body. Even without her powers, though, Anya continued her superhero career by relying on her gymnastics and martial arts training. Luckily, during the events of “Spider-Island,” Anya was infected with a spider virus that gave her abilities comparable to Peter’s. Anya is also well-known for being a proficient hacker and having a significant social media presence.
8) Silk
Peter Parker wasn’t the only person bitten by the radioactive spider on that fateful day. After chomping on Peter, the spider bit his classmate, Cindy Moon. Cindy was then approached by the spider-powered anti-hero Ezekiel, who offered to train her in secret and protect her from the vampiric Morlun, who feeds on Spider-People. Years later, after Peter killed Morlun, he tracked down Cindy, who was still in hiding. With Morlun dead, Cindy took on the name Silk and became a superhero. Cindy has all of Peter’s powers but can also produce organic webbing. Her fun storylines and compelling struggles instantly made her a fan favorite among readers and a welcome addition to the Wall-Crawlers of New York.
7) Spider-Girl
Introduced originally as a What If scenario where Peter and MJ’s daughter didn’t die, May “Mayday” Parker, aka Spider-Girl, became instantly popular and a recurring character with her own series. Hailing from Earth-928, Mayday inherited her father’s spider-powers. Mayday, a teenage superhero like Peter, has been fighting crime for years. She has been featured as a major player in both the Spider-Verse and Spider-Geddon events, fighting alongside other Spider-People from across the multiverse to thwart the plans of Morlun and the Inheritors. Mayday Parker stands as a tragic symbol of what could have been if Peter had been given the chance to have a family.
6) Spider-Man 2099
Peter Parker may be the Spider-Man of the present, but Miguel O’Hara is the Spider-Man of the future. In the year 2099, Miguel O’Hara was a brilliant scientist whose corrupt employers deliberately addicted him to a deadly substance to ensure he continued working for them. In a botched attempt to cure himself of the addiction, Miguel accidentally gave himself spider-powers. Miguel’s powers, however, are in many ways quite different from those of other Spider-People. His most striking abilities are retractable claws, hyper-sensitive eyesight, organic webbing, and fangs that can deliver a paralyzing neurotoxin. Miguel is also unique because he lacks the Spider-Sense. Additionally, he stands out because of his comically serious and no-nonsense attitude, which often puts him at odds whenever he meets other Spider-People from across the multiverse.
5) Madame Web
Over the years, Julia Carpenter has assumed many heroic identities – she debuted as the second Spider-Woman, later became Arachne, and is now the second Madame Web. She got her powers when she was used as a lab rat for a super-soldier experiment. While Julia possesses powers similar to other Spider-People, hers are psionic in nature, allowing her to create webbing from pure psionic energy. After the original Madame Web, Cassandra Web, passed away, she transferred her psychic abilities to Julia. Now entuned with the Web of Life and Destiny that’s connected to the infinite multiverse, Julia has gained the powers of precognition, multiversal teleportation, telepathy, and astral projection. Julia is now one of the most essential Spider-People in the Marvel Multiverse.
4) Scarlet Spider
When the villain Jackal began cloning Peter, his first result was the deformed, mentally unstable Kaine. Initially, Kaine was a villain who tried to kill Peter and Ben Reilly, who was considered to be the superior Spider-Man clone. While Ben Reilly was the first Scarlet Spider, Kaine assumed the mantle after Ben went insane and became the villainous Chasm. Even though Kaine is an imperfect clone of Peter Parker, he still possesses incredible strength and additional abilities, such as an acidic touch and precognition. Kaine’s remarkable abilities, his struggle to overcome his hatred for Peter and Ben, and his eventual rise as a hero, make him one of the most compelling characters to emerge come from the controversial “Clone Saga.”
3) Ghost Spider
In the main Earth-616 timeline, Gwen Stacy is murdered by the Green Goblin. However, in Earth-65, it’s the teenage Gwen who’s bitten by the radioactive spider, not Peter. She quickly began operating as a hero and even joined the multiversal spider-team, the Warriors of the Great Web. With her captivating stories, charismatic personality, and stylish design, this alternate version of Gwen Stacy became a fan favorite. She became so popular that Marvel even had her move to the main Earth-616 Universe and become a close friend and ally of Peter Parker and Miles Morales. Although, at first, she called herself Spider-Woman, Gwen changed her name to Ghost Spider to avoid confusion with the original.
2) Spider Woman
The very first Spider-Woman, Jessica Drew, had a spider genome grafted onto her as a child by her father to try to cure her of uranium poisoning. As an adult, Jessica was manipulated into joining Hydra and tasked to kill Nick Fury. After realizing that she was fighting for the bad guys, Jessica turned her life around and became a hero. Jessica has many of the usual spider-powers but is considerably stronger than Peter and the rest of the Spider-People. She can also fire blasts of bioelectricity called Venom Bolts and can glide for short distances. Jessica has been a longtime member of the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. and is currently balancing her duties as a superhero and a single mom.
1) Spider-Man (Miles Morales)
Without a doubt, one of the greatest Marvel heroes in recent years, Miles Morales, is the Spider-Man of the next generation. Hailing from Earth-6160, Miles was bitten by a genetically modified spider. After the Peter Parker of Earth-6160 died, Miles became the new Spider-Man to honor him. Miles has all of Peter’s abilities, as well as invisibility and bioelectricity. Miles’ heroism is so profound that when Earth-6160 faced total collapse, the villain Molecule Man chose to save Miles, his friends, and his family from the destruction of their universe, moved by the fact that Miles was the only person who had ever shown him kindness. Now, Miles has moved to Earth-616, where he continues to act as a brave and selfless hero worthy of the Spider-Man name.
What do you think? Leave a Comment below and join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
image courtesy of 20th Century Studios -
Image courtesy of Prokino Filmverleih
