There were some incredibly great Spider-Man storylines in the 1990s, and while many people only think about the “Clone Saga,” that shouldn’t diminish what the creators did with the Wall Crawler during that decade. The 1990s saw some big names working on the titles, including no less than Todd McFarlane, Erik Larsen, and Mark Bagley, and while that was the era of artist-driven comics, that doesn’t discount the work of writers like David Michelinie, J.M. DeMatteis, and Tom DeFalco during that decade, crafting some fantastic stories along the way. With villains like Carnage, Venom, the return of the Sinister Six, and a revamped Chameleon, there was a lot to love.
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Here is a look at the seven best Spider-Man storylines in Marvel Comics in the 1990s.
7) “Spider-Hunt”
“Spider Hunt” was a 90s storyline that had various creative teams, including J.M. DeMatteis, Tom DeFalco, Howard Mackie, John Romita Jr., and more. It ran through four different titles (Sensational Spider-Man #25-26, Amazing Spider-Man #432-433, Spider-Man #88-90, and Spectacular Spider-Man #254-256), and it starts with a criminal found dead encased with webbing, making Spider-Man the main suspect.
Spider-Man is trying to find Harry Osborn’s missing son (abducted by a new Green Goblin) while the entire city is looking to collect the bounty on his head (placed by Norman Osborn), with his main villains being the ones trying to bring him down. Norman was rarely better in the 90s, and when the Punisher tried to cash in on the bounty, it raised the action to another level.
6) “Kravinov’s Revenge”
What makes “Kravinov’s Revenge” such a great storyline is that it took the very first supervillain Spider-Man ever fought and made him more important than he had ever been before. This ran from Spectacular Spider-Man #241-245 by J.M. DeMatteis and Luke Ross. The storyline is named after Kraven the Hunter’s surname, and that is where this remains important, since this was where Chamelone learned he was actually Kraven’s brother, and he wants respect.
This is a storyline few people talk about since it was from 1997-1998, which was when Marvel Comics was at its lowest and almost went bankrupt. This also took place right after the “Clone Saga,” which was when a lot of Spider-Man fans stopped reading the titles. The last time he was seen was when Chameleon made Peter Parker think his parents were still alive with robots, so this was a big chance to make up for that storyline and really show how interesting the Chameleon could be.
5) “Carnage”
“Maximum Carnage” happened in the 1990s, but that series remains overrated and way too overblown as a storyline. That said, the first appearance of Carnage was in his self-titled storyline that ran from Amazing Spider-Man #361-363. Of course, Carnage was Cletus Kasady, who had served in the same prison as Eddie Brock, and when Venom rescued Brock, it left behind its offspring, Carnage, which bonded to Kasady.
This had Venom and Carnage both attacking Spider-Man before Venom realized he also had to stop Carnage. This was the first time that readers saw how savage Carnage was and the difference between him and Venom, since Venom at least wanted to be a hero, and Carnage only wanted to kill people. When Venom helped Spider-Man, only to have Spider-Man betray Venom, it solidified the story as one of the best of the 90s.
4) “Night of the Goblin”
The “Clone Saga” remains one of the most hated Spider-Man storylines in history. What fans hated the most was that Marvel made fans think that Ben Reilly was Peter Parker for a long time, and by the time Peter returned, it seemed that nothing that had happened mattered. However, what the storyline did do was end with one of the best Green Goblin storylines in years with “Night of the Goblin.”
Yes, the entire Ben Reilly/Peter Parker controversy almost ruined Spider-Man for years, but the final story in the “Clone Saga” was brilliant, with Norman Osborn back from the dead, where he taunted Spider-Man with everything he caused to happen, which included the “Clone Saga.” The fight between the real Spider-Man and Norman Osborn’s Green Goblin was an all-timer, and the writing here was fantastic, from the one-liners to the action scenes.
3) Spider-Man 2099
In 1992, Marvel Comics started a new comic book line about superheroes who operate in the year 2099. This includes several familiar names, but with different faces behind the masks. The first of these, and the one who did it the best, was Spider-Man 2099, Miguel O’Hara. This was a fast and hard introduction to the character, showing how he got his powers and setting up the evil Alcemax Corporation.
Spider-Man 2099 ran for 46 issues, but the first three issues by Peter David and Rick Leonardi account his origin story in full, with Miguel explaining to his holographic assistant what happened, how he got his powers, and what his biggest conflicts would be as the series wore on. This was a fantastic introduction, and Spider-Man 2099 remains one of the most popular Spider-Man variants in Marvel Comics.
2) “The Return of the Sinister Six”
The first major villain team-up that Spider-Man ever faced was the Sinister Six, and the creative team of David Michelinie and Erik Larsen delivered a fantastic Spider-Man storyline in the 1990s with “The Return of the Sinister Six.” This ran from Amazing Spider-Man #334-339, and it featured the entire original lineup, but with Hobgoblin on the team rather than Kraven the Hunter.
This storyline played out in 1990, making it one of the first major Spider-Man events of the decade, and it has Doctor Octopus putting the Sinister Six back together to achieve his latest scheme. The scheme is ridiculous, but that doesn’t matter because this is just a chance for the best Spider-Man villain team to reunite, even though fans knew all along that they would never be able to work together for long.
1) “Best of Enemies”
Unlike many of the best Spider-Man comics from the 90s, “Best of Enemies” isn’t a multi-issue storyline, although there was a lot before Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #200 arrived, telling this story. This sees Spider-Man in a fight he never wanted as Harry Osborn has taken on the role of the Green Goblin, and he wants revenge against Spider-Man, whom he feels betrayed his friendship and killed his father.
This was a tragic story, as Harry was married to Liz Allen and they had a son (Normie), yet Harry began to lose control of his mental faculties, similar to his father, thanks to the Goblin Formula. The story worked best because it ended with Harry getting a chance to do the right thing, saving both Normie and Mary Jane Watson, before dying after the battle, thanking Peter for being there for him in the end. Spider-Man stories don’t get much better than this incredible issue.
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