Matchup · Original Sinister Six

Spider-Man vs. Sandman

William Baker, one of the original Sinister Six. In this site's ratings, the classic Peter Parker Spider-Man wins 55% of their one-on-one fights, so it is close to a coin flip.

Spider-Man (Peter Parker)55%Toss-up

Sandman45%Toss-up

The verdict: A coin flip, with Spider-Man by a hair

Fight rules: both fighters at their peak, no preparation, no allies, only their own powers and personal gear. A win is a knockout, a restraint they can't escape, or a forced surrender. The percentages are fan estimates, not official information.

Spider-Man's edge

Spider-sense and speed, and water, vacuums or heat-fused glass can beat him.

Sandman's edge

A body of living sand that shrugs off punches, hardens into maces and swallows opponents whole. Spidey's punches pass right through.

Odds for every Spider-Man

Each version of Spider-Man's chance of beating Sandman. The best placed, Cosmic Spider-Man, wins 86% of the time; the worst placed, Spider-Ham, wins 47%. The last column says what moves each version away from classic Peter's 55%.

Spider-Man	Spidey wins	Outcome	What changes
Peter Parker Earth-616 comics	55%	Toss-up	The baseline Spider-Man
Miles Morales Earth-616 comics	55%	Toss-up	Overall −3 for this version; +3: Venom strike: one clean jolt can stun or paralyze a living opponent.
Ben Reilly Earth-616 comics	53%	Toss-up	Overall −2 for this version
Superior Spider-Man Earth-616 comics	57%	Toss-up	Overall +2 for this version
Black-suit Peter Earth-616 comics	62%	Favored	Overall +5 for this version; +2: The symbiote's stamina keeps him going in long fights against very tough opponents.
Iron Spider Peter Earth-616 comics	58%	Toss-up	Overall +3 for this version
Cosmic Spider-Man Earth-616 comics	86%	Favored	Overall +40 for this version
Spider-Woman Earth-616 comics	56%	Toss-up	Overall −3 for this version; +4: Venom blasts stun or knock out living opponents.
Silk Earth-616 comics	54%	Toss-up	Overall −1 for this version
Ultimate Peter Alternate comics	52%	Toss-up	Overall −3 for this version
Ultimate Peter (2024) Alternate comics	51%	Toss-up	Overall −4 for this version
Spider-Gwen Alternate comics	52%	Toss-up	Overall −3 for this version
Spider-Man 2099 Alternate comics	55%	Toss-up	The baseline Spider-Man
Spider-Man Noir Alternate comics	53%	Toss-up	Overall −2 for this version
Spider-Ham Alternate comics	47%	Toss-up	Overall −8 for this version
Spider-Punk Alternate comics	56%	Toss-up	Overall −1 for this version; +2: Sonic blasts stagger living opponents.
Maguire's Peter Film	56%	Toss-up	Overall −4 for this version; +3: He has beaten a Sandman with water.; +2: Train-stopping strength and stamina keep him standing against heavy hitters.
Garfield's Peter Film	51%	Toss-up	Overall −4 for this version
Holland's Peter Film	53%	Toss-up	Overall −2 for this version
Spider-Verse Miles Film	53%	Toss-up	Overall −5 for this version; +3: Venom strike can stun a living opponent.
Spider-Verse Gwen Film	50%	Toss-up	Overall −5 for this version
Peter B. Parker Film	52%	Toss-up	Overall −5 for this version; +2: Twenty-two years against these villains.
1994 animated Peter TV and animation	54%	Toss-up	Overall −3 for this version; +2: He has fought nearly every one of these villains.
Spectacular Peter TV and animation	52%	Toss-up	Overall −5 for this version; +2: His tactical style shines against brawlers who don't think ahead.
Insomniac Peter Video games	58%	Toss-up	Overall +1 for this version; +2: He has beaten his own world's version of this villain.
Insomniac Miles Video games	60%	Favored	Overall +1 for this version; +4: His venom blasts hit far harder than the comic version's.

Tale of the tape

Eight stats on a 1-to-10 scale, classic Spider-Man against Sandman. How the stat scales work.

StatSpider-ManSandman

Strength68

Speed64

Agility104

Durability69

Size46

Fighting skill75

Intelligence74

Ranged attack32

Sandman's power set

Sand body9/10
Turns his body to sand.
Shapeshifting8/10
Shapes sand into weapons.
Growth7/10
Grows huge by absorbing sand.
Strength7/10
Very strong.
Durability9/10
Hard to hurt.

Official handbook power grid

Category	Rating (1 to 7)
Intelligence	2
Strength	6
Speed	2
Durability	6
Energy projection	1
Fighting skills	4

Who is Sandman?

William Baker, who goes by Flint Marko, was a petty criminal hiding on a beach near a nuclear test site when the radiation fused his body with the sand. As the Sandman, he can turn his body to sand and reshape it at will. He debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #4 (1963) and was a founding member of the Sinister Six. He has tried to reform several times and was even an Avengers reserve member.

First appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #4 (1963)

Affiliations

Sinister Six: Founding member.
Frightful Four: Member of the Fantastic Four's enemies.
Avengers: Served as a reserve member after reforming.