Spider-Man is Marvel’s number one character, without question. With the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, other heroes like Captain America and Iron Man rose to prominence like never before. Even then, they can’t hold a candle to the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. He’s been Marvel’s headliner almost since he first swung onto the scene, and as such, he’s become their most published hero by a landslide. With that level of success, it only makes sense that Spidey is the first hero Marvel turns to when they want to connect with other universes. Spider-Man has starred in countless Marvel Comics crossovers, and some of them have been downright incredible.
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Today, we’re going to celebrate how Spider-Man can connect with anyone, even people in completely different universes, by looking at five of the best Spider-Man-centric crossover comics. Spidey has headlined all kinds of crossovers with all kinds of beloved characters over the years, but these five all have an X-factor that sets them apart from the rest. All of Spider-Man’s stories are worth a read, and with the DC/Marvel Superman/Spider-Man comic right around the corner, this list is sure to grow. With all that said, let’s swing into the crossovers.
5) Godzilla vs. Spider-Man
In this spectacular one-shot, the King of the Monsters himself comes to New York and starts wreaking havoc, intent on wiping out Spider-Man’s flashy new symbiote suit. This comic is definitely the weakest of these recommendations, with a pretty flimsy plot, even for “Godzilla beats someone up” standards, but it more than makes up for it with pure fun. In this issue, we see the Venom symbiote possess Godzilla, said radioactive lizard blast away Knull’s influence, and the rise of Godvenom. This issue makes everyone’s inner child’s eyes light up like a Christmas tree, and frankly, what more could we ask for from something like this? This is all adrenaline and awesomeness done to its bones.
4) New Avengers/Transformers
This crossover may feature the New Avengers, but Spider-Man plays a pivotal role. The Decepticons arrive on Earth and ally themselves with Doctor Doom, but throw that aside when they realize Spider-Man’s mutated blood super-charges them more than Energon ever could. The Autobots and New Avengers team up to rescue Spidey, and in the end, the Wall-Crawler and Wolverine give the Autobots even more of their mutated blood to bring down the amped Megatron. It was a great showcase of both teams, and seeing Spidey swing around on Megatron is worth the price of admission alone.
3) Spider-Man and Batman — “Disordered Minds”
Batman and Spider-Man are two of the most beloved heroes in the world, and their villains are some of the most feared. The Joker and Carnage are their universes’ pinnacles of murderous mayhem, and this crossover saw them team up to take down their heroes. The Demented Duo pushed Spider-Man to a darker place than almost any other time in his career, but Batman remained steadfast in holding them both to their principles. Though the heroes clashed, they ultimately gained each other’s respect, and they parted as friends. Also, Batman taunted Carnage into unconsciousness, and that’s just fun to see.
2) Marvel Team-Up (2004) #14 — “Spider-Man Meets Invincible”
Even before his TV show lit up the world, Invincible rocked the comic book world. During his first fight with Angstrom Levey, Invincible wound up temporarily stuck on Earth-616, where he met Spider-Man. There was obviously some superhero action where the two fought Doc Ock, but the heart of the issue came from how the heroes connected. Invincible was still early in his career and dealing with more responsibility than any one person should have, and nobody understands that better than Spider-Man. They talked, Spider-Man seeing a lot of himself in Mark. They had a great conversation about how to deal with the weight of the world being on your shoulders, and it captured the heart of both heroes.
1) Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man: The Battle of the Century
Superman and Spider-Man are two of the most important superheroes who have ever lived, and fifty years ago, they broke the doors open for every Marvel and DC crossover that has happened since. The two titular icons were deceived into fighting each other, briefly, but later discovered that they had to work together to take out their combined greatest foes in Lex Luthor and Doctor Octopus. These two legends absolutely shattered every expectation and starred in one of the best crossovers out there. Their upcoming adventure has a whole lot of heavy-lifting if it wants to compare to this, but with these two heroes, anything is sure to be a blast.
Who do you want to see Spider-Man crossover with the most? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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