Summary
- Earth-40081's Peter Parker has a withered arm, lacks abilities, and relies on Stark Industries in exchange for saving Gwen Stacy.
- Hostess Spider-Man (Earth-51914) uses pastries as weapons, a quirky twist in a bizarre but powerful version of Spider-Man.
- Spider-Ham (Earth-8311) is a pig bitten by a radioactive spider, providing comic relief in a Looney Tunes-inspired universe.
Spider-Man is one of Marvel's most popular superheroes and one of the most recognized pop culture icons in the world. The friendly neighborhood web-slinger has a ton of movies, series, spin-off comic books, and superhero video games in his portfolio. Even those who are not fans of comic books recognize the character due to his widespread appearances.
Most people know Spider-Man as Peter Parker. His most notable appearances thus far are in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sam Raimi's trilogy, Marc Webb's duology, and Insomniac's video games. However, there are so many other iterations of this character. These other Spider-Man variants are all strong in their own right, but some are arguably more powerful than others.
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Updated on February 9, 2025, by Ben Painter: Spider-Man has had a new lease of life with the Disney+ series, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man which features a brand-new version of the character. Peter Parker has been around since 1962, and there have been countless interpretations of the web-slinger since then, with several multi-verse and crossover arcs. Including some versions of Spider-Man which exist in the mainstream 616 universe.
45 Peter Parker (Earth-40081)
Notable Feature: Nothing at all
- First Appearance: Powerless #1 (June, 2004)
Without a doubt, the worst version of Spider-Man that there has been is Peter Parker of Earth-40081. Parker's life is pretty much the same up until the spider bite. In this reality, instead of giving him amazing Spider powers, it gave him a withered arm and no abilities.
He still tangles with Norman Osborn, who also isn't the Green Goblin, which results in him kidnapping Gwen Stacey in exchange for information from Stark Industries. Peter's withered arm came in handy when he saved Gwen Stacey from falling from a great height. With no powers comes some responsibility.
44 Hostess Spider-Man (Earth-51914)
Notable Feature: Hostess-Brand Cakes As Weaponry
- First Appearance: Marvel Hostess Ads #1 (May, 1975)
While this seems like a bizarre choice to include among the other powerful heroes on this list, Hostess Fruit Pie Spider-Man is not one to scoff at.
Created to star in promotional advertisements for Hostess snacks on Marvel Comic pages, Hostess Spider-Man seemingly mirrors that of his 616 counterparts except for one detail: he seemingly has a superpower to subdue and influence others to do his bidding via the unstoppable desire for Hostess snacks such as Twinkies, Fruit Pies, and more. It seems ridiculous, but in reality, if other Spider-Men had the power to stop criminals just by throwing snacks at them, it's likely that they very much would.
43 Spider-Ham (Earth-8311)
Notable Feature: Spider-Man, But He Is A Pig
- First Appearance: Marvel Tails Starring Peter Porker, The Spectacular Spider-Ham #1 (August 1983)
Spider-Ham (or Peter Porker as he's otherwise aptly known) was not a pig who was bitten by a radioactive spider; he is a spider who was bitten by a radioactive pig. He was transformed into Spider-Ham, retaining his spider powers from his original form.
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Earth-8311 is a world where all the characters are anthropomorphic animals and have taken on a cartoonish persona, very akin to the world of the Looney Tunes. Fans may recognize Peter Porker from his big screen debut in the Into the Spider-Verse movie, where he was mainly used as the source of comic relief. Even though he has access to Toon Physics, he is still lacking in terms of power when compared to other Spider-Man variants, but he's definitely still worth a mention.
42 Spider Moon-Man (Earth-449)
Notable Feature: A Spider-Man Who Lives On The Moon
- First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 3) #9 (November, 2014)
Sometimes the alternate versions of a character are just random. Earth-449 is a reality where humans colonized the Moon and thus, this reality's Peter Parker was born. The character's backstory is largely the same, he is still from (Lunar) New York and works as a photographer at the Daily Planet.
This Peter met a quick demise when his neck was snapped by Morlun, the multiversal Spider-Man hunter, but he was later revived. However, there isn't much to go off with this character and ultimately there isn't a lot interesting or different about him, other than the fact he is from the Moon.
41 Headline (Earth-1755)
Notable Feature: Spider-Man's Biggest Critic
- First Appearance: Edge of Spider-Verse (Vol. 3) #4 (July, 2023)
This version of Spidey poses the question of what if Spider-Man's biggest critic was the Spider-Man himself. In Earth-1755, the person to receive that famous spider bite was the infamous J. Jonah Jameson.
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Using the name Headline, which is very fitting, he used his powers and his journalistic talents to help put a stop to the Shocker, the man responsible for his son's death. Peter Parker even assisted him by designing the costume. Headline's powers are the same as regular Spider-Man, but there isn't a lot of source material to go off.
40 Ezekiel Sims (Old Man Spider) (Earth-4)
Notable Feature: An Older Spider-Man Who Taken The Mantle
- First Appearance: Edge of Spider-Verse #5 (October, 2014)
In this universe, Peter Parker died at the hands of Morlun, a super-powered being hunter, and the role of Spider-Man was taken up by Ezekiel Sims. On Earth-616, it was Sims who died in this confrontation.
Ezekiel Sims, who fans may know as the villain in Madame Web, is a very different character and was recruited by Spider-UK as part of the Spider-Army to take down Morlun. He was eventually killed by Daemos, an ally of Morlun, but like most characters in comics, he did not stay dead for that long and was later resurrected. He has pretty much the same powers as regular Spidey, but due to his age, he isn't quite as agile.
39 Aracnido Jr (Earth-15349)
Notable Feature: A Luchador Spider-Man From Mexico
- First Appearance: Spider-Verse #2 (January, 2015)
Born to the son of a luchador with the same name, in a tale as old as time, he watched his loved one die and then used that as an inspiration to be a vigilante. An alternate version of Scorpion, Escorpion, was paid to injure his father, Aracnido, in a match, and he would later die from his injuries.
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The Mexican Spider-Man swore to avenge his father and track down the mob who colluded with Escorpion to injure his father. Like most versions of Spider-Man, he was eventually recruited into the Spider-Army to take on some Multiverse escapades. Aracindo Jr appears to have all the same powers as regular Spider-Man, but how he acquired them remains a mystery.
38 Spider-Man (The Amazing Spider-Man) (Earth-120703)
Notable Feature: All The Usual Bells & Whistles
- First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Andre Garfield stepped into the web-slinger's shoes in The Amazing Spider-Man. This portrayal of Peter Parker was more accurate to the comics and had a sprinkling of inspiration from the Ultimate Comics series.
He essentially has the same powers and abilities as the regular 616 Spidey. His story was somewhat continued with an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Spider-Man: No Way Home, which prompted fans to ask to see more of Garfield's Spider-Man with a follow-up movie to give him the story he deserved. Taking on a plethora of iconic Spider-Man baddies, Garfield's Spider-Man proved to be extremely strong and capable.
37 Spider-UK (Earth-833)
Notable Feature: An Amalgamation Of Spider-Man & Captain Britain
- First Appearance: Edge of Spider-Verse #2 (September, 2014)
The hero known as Spider-UK was born William Braddock, a rookie Captain Britain. He learned of Morlun and his quest to kill all the Spider variants and thus joined the Spider-Army and traveled the multiverse, warning others of their impending demise.
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After helping to defeat Morlun, he continues his travels with the newly formed Web Warriors but is killed by Verna, Morlun's partner in evil, when trying to prevent Otto Octavius from using the Inheritors' cloning technology on Earth-616. Spider-UK was buried in England of Earth-803. A major player in the Spider-Verse saga, with all the powers of the regular Spider-Man.
36 Sun Spider (Earth-20023)
Notable Feature: Spider Powered With A Disability
- First Appearance: Spider-Verse (Vol. 3) #6 (March, 2020)
A very interesting take on the character, the appropriately named Charlotte Webber, was born with Ehlers–Danlos syndrome. This gave her mobility issues, meaning she had to use crutches to walk.
However, she has never let her disabilities define her, and when she was bitten by a radioactive Spider, she became Sun Spider. Using built-in web shooters in her crutches, she fights crime in New York of Earth-20023. Just like most alternate Spider-Men, she was eventually recruited to aid in Multiversal dilemmas across the Spider-verse. With the powers of regular Spidey, Charlotte Webber is an important character who reaches out for inclusivity and resilience.