Power rankings
The toughest opponents Spider-Man has ever faced, ranked
One test for everyone: the classic Peter Parker, at his peak, one-on-one. The lower his chance of winning, the higher the opponent ranks. First his own rogues, then everyone.
How this ranking works
Lists of Spider-Man's strongest villains usually mix up two things: raw power and how dangerous an opponent is to him specifically. A cosmic god is stronger than Kraven, but Kraven nearly killed him. This ranking uses the same ratings as every matchup page on the site, which take both into account: powers, skills, the way each fight would actually go, and the history between them.
The method is on how the odds work. Every name below links to the full matchup.
His own rogues, toughest first
Morlun
An Inheritor who feeds on spider-totems. He is far stronger, heals by feeding, and can sense any spider across the multiverse.
Kindred
A demonic, centipede-crawling avenger from Harry Osborn's past, with dark magic and a deep knowledge of Peter's sins.
Carnage
Stronger than Venom, invisible to spider-sense, tendrils shaped into blades and axes, and a serial killer's total lack of restraint.
Venom
Stronger than Spidey, invisible to his spider-sense, and the symbiote knows his moves because it once was his costume. It also makes its own webbing and can camouflage itself.
Doctor Octopus
Four mind-controlled metal tentacles with reach, strength and speed, each able to act on its own, and one of the greatest scientific minds on Earth.
Electro
Lightning bolts, electrified touch, absorption of more power from any grid, and in his strongest eras, enough voltage to black out a city.
Kraven the Hunter
Jungle potions that push him past human limits, expert hunting and tracking, spears, nets and poisons, and a hunter's patience. He once buried Peter alive and took his identity (Kraven's Last Hunt, 1987).
Sandman
A body of living sand that shrugs off punches, hardens into maces and swallows opponents whole. Spidey's punches pass right through.
The Spot
Portals anywhere he places a spot, so his fists can come from any direction. Modern versions of the Spot are far more dangerous.
Green Goblin
Goblin Formula strength and healing, a glider, pumpkin bombs, razor bats, a genius-level mind, and the madness to use everything he knows about Peter's life.
Lizard
Reptilian strength, claws, a whip-like tail, regeneration and feral rage. Some versions can control reptiles.
Hobgoblin
A refined Goblin Formula, glider, pumpkin bombs and energy gloves, and Roderick Kingsley's cold, patient planning.
Everyone, toughest first
When Marvel's heaviest hitters join the list, the top looks very different. These are the ten opponents the classic Spider-Man is least likely to beat.
God Emperor Doom
The stolen power of the Beyonders: he built Battleworld out of the wreckage of the multiverse and rules it as a god, and he killed Thanos with ease.
Thanos
Titan strength and durability, cosmic energy, a genius tactician's mind, and with the Infinity Gems, the power of a god.
Mephisto
A demon lord with reality-bending hellfire magic. He once erased Peter and Mary Jane's marriage (One More Day, 2007).
Hulk
Strength that climbs with his anger and has no known ceiling, near-invulnerability, rapid healing, and thunderclaps that flatten city blocks. One clean hit ends it.
Doctor Doom
A genius inventor and sorcerer in armor with force fields, energy weapons, jet boots and self-repair. He prepares for everyone, and his pride is his only real weakness.
Ultron
An adamantium body, encephalo-beams and energy blasts, flight, and a machine mind that uploads itself to escape defeat.
Morlun
An Inheritor who feeds on spider-totems. He is far stronger, heals by feeding, and can sense any spider across the multiverse.
Magneto
Mastery of magnetism: force fields, flight, flying steel, the steel in Spidey's own web-shooters, and at his peak, the iron in a man's blood.
Loki
Powerful sorcery, illusions, shapeshifting, teleportation and endless cunning.
Kindred
A demonic, centipede-crawling avenger from Harry Osborn's past, with dark magic and a deep knowledge of Peter's sins.
What the ranking shows
Spider-Man's own rogues were built to be beatable: almost all of them are men with one gimmick and a grudge, and his speed, agility and spider-sense beat most of them more often than not. The rogues who rank highest are the ones who break that pattern: those who cancel his spider-sense, outmatch his strength, or hunt him for sport. Against Marvel's cosmic threats, his best weapon is the one that doesn't show up in a power rating: he refuses to stay down.
Explore the site
More articles
- The strongest versions of Spider-Man, rankedPower rankings
- Where to start with Spider-Man: the essential comics, in orderReading guide
- Every Spider-Man movie in order, and the villains in eachMovie guide
Written for SpiderOdds, an unofficial fan site. Comic issue numbers are given so you can check every claim; no artwork or dialogue from the comics or films is reproduced. Spot a mistake? Tell us.