Since Peter Parker first donned his webs and became Spider-Man in Amazing Fantasy #15, there have been many men and women who have, to one extent or another, followed in his footsteps. Many of these men and women have been directly inspired by Peter’s heroics, while others have sought to usurp his legacy and be a superior web-slinger.
In the recent Spider-Verse storyline, Peter teamed up with not only the other members of this “Spider-Family” but with other Spider-Men from across the multiverse as well.
Limiting ourselves to members of the 616 Universe Spider-Family (including a few exiles from other worlds), we take a look at the best heroes (and a few villains) who have worn the webs and ranked them in terms of how well they wore them, their effectiveness, and their sheer power.
Here’s All The Members Of The Spider-Family, Ranked!
16. Spider-Doppelganger
The Spider-Doppelganger was created during the Infinity War by the being known as The Magus, an evil version of Adam Warlock. The Spider-Doppelganger resembles Spider-Man but has six arms and large protruding fangs, as well as organic razor-webbing. Killed during the Infinity War, he was mystically revived by the Demogoblin. Outliving all the other doppelgangers, who were killed during the finale of the story, the Spider-Doppelganger survived thanks to Demogoblin’s sorcery. While Spider-Doppelganger served Demogoblin for a time, he later went his own way.
The Spider-Doppelganger had a major part to play in the now-infamous Maximum Carnage storyline where he teamed up with Carnage, Shriek, and several others and formed a twisted “family” of sorts. Shriek took a liking to the Doppelganger and he became extremely loyal to her. When she and Carnage fought, Doppelganger attacked Carnage despite Carnage being far more powerful.
Although seemingly killed by Carnage, the Doppelganger survived, although has only been seen rarely since.
15. The Scarlet Spiders - Michael, Van, and Patrick
The Scarlet Spiders were a trio of clones, created from the remains of Michael Van Patrick a.k.a MVP the first of the initiative recruits to die. The trio took to naming themselves Michael, Van, and Patrick and used their combat skills along with Starktech armor similar to the Iron-Spider suit Spider-Man himself wore for a time.
Despite only having a tenuous link to Spider-Man, they helped to cover for Peter Parker when his identity had been exposed and he was on the run from the authorities following the first Civil War. Using their suit’s ability to disguise themselves holographically, they implied to the media that Peter had been part of the Initiative and hadn’t been Spider-Man at all.
Over time, the Scarlet-Spiders met yet another MVP clone and became disillusioned with the secrets and lies involved with working for the government. When they fought the insane KIA, Van was decapitated trying to reason with him. During the Skrull invasion, Michael was also killed leaving only Patrick alive. He later unmasked himself, exposing the sinister goings-on at Camp Hammond.
14. Spider-Girl/Arana - Anya Corazon
Anya was a regular high-school student who came across a secret society, known as The Sisterhood of the Wasp, attacking a lone man. Jumping in front of a killing blow to save the stranger, Anya was gravely wounded. The man, Miguel, belonged to the Spider Society, and, sensing Anya’s potential, passed along some of his power to her, saving her life.
Developing spider-powers, including the ability to spontaneously generate an exo-skeleton, Anya began to develop her secret identity, Arana, as well as train in the use of her new powers as the hunter of the Spider Society. She would later learn that the power didn’t come from Miguel directly, but was instead her own potential, that Miguel merely unlocked.
Anya would go through much over the years, including being de-powered, hunted and almost killed by the Kravenoffs, and even becoming a sidekick of sorts to Ms Marvel. After being erroneously called Spider-Girl repeatedly, often due to being mistaken for Mattie Franklin, Anya eventually took the codename and a costume similar to Julia Carpenter’s original Spider-Woman costume.
Developing closer ties to Spider-Man over the years, Anya became an ally and friend to the wallcrawler. During Spider Island, Anya gets her spider-powers back when the population of Manhattan become spiders. While given the same cure as everyone else, Anya retained her powers and is now a full-time hero.
13. Silk - Cindy Moon
Cindy is a relatively recent addition to the Spider-Family but her origins date back to the same exact moment Peter Parker became Spider-Man. We had always known Peter gained his powers due to a bite from an irradiated spider. What we hadn’t known was that the spider had bitten another on the same day. Cindy was bitten moments after Peter, and developed almost identical powers, although seems faster and has a more powerful Spider-Sense.
Kept imprisoned by the man known as Ezekiel, Cindy lived in a sealed facility for many years until her existence was learned of by Spider-Man who rushed to free her. Cindy was initially thrilled but terrified when she learned that Morlunn was potentially still alive and able to come for her. As one of the most significant members of the Spider-Family, Cindy was one necessary for Morlunn, and his immortal family, to sacrifice in an arcane ritual. She took to using the name Silk, and despite her deep connection to Spider-Man (due to their connection, they have an intense attraction to each other), she began to forge a life of her own despite her many years in captivity.
During the events of Spider-Verse she worked with the other assembled spider-people of the multi-verse to battle Morlunn and the Inheritors and, in particular, fought beside Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) to save all creation.
12. Madame Web - Cassandra Webb
Cassandra Webb was born blind and suffered from the neurological condition known as myasthenia gravis. Despite this, or possibly because of it, she developed incredible psychic gifts, including precognition, and found work as a professional medium. Although Peter Parker was skeptical, he turned to Madam Web when he needed her gifts to solve a case. Later, she arrived at his home knowing his secret identity, further proving herself as a psychic.
When her granddaughter, Charlotte Witter, became Spider-Woman at the hands of Doctor Octopus, Madame Web summoned previous Spider-Women Jessica Drew and Julia Carpenter, as well as Mattie Franklin, to defeat her. She used her psychic powers to wipe elements of Charlotte’s mind and returned the powers Charlotte had stolen from the Spider-Women.
Madame Web was murdered by Ana Kravenoff during the events known as the Grimm Hunt. Moments before dying, she managed to pass on her powers of precognition to Julia Carpenter who also became blind. She would be briefly brought back to life by the Jackal but died once more after refusing to be a part of his further plans.
11. Spider-Girl - Mayday Parker
Born in an alternate universe, May “Mayday” Parker is the first-born child of Peter and Mary-Jane Parker. In the timeline she was born into, May was raised by a retired Peter who had lost his leg in a final battle with Norman Osborn.
Her parents hid Peter’s former life as Spider-Man from May, hoping she would have a normal life. But when she was 15, May began to develop similar powers to her father as they had been passed on to her genetically. Mayday began to wear a costume similar to the one her “uncle” Ben had worn during his tenure as Spider-Man. At first, her parents hindered her but later became supportive of her efforts to stop Normie Osborn from becoming as evil as his grandfather had been.
Spider-Girl fought many villains who were either versions of those fought by her father or new ones altogether. She even had her own clone saga and remained unclear as to whether she was the original May, or a clone created by Norman Osborn to mess with her father. She even encountered the Peter Parker from the present day on a few occasions, including when she was summoned as one of the many spider-people gathered to fight during Spider-Verse. After the events of Spider-Verse, many worlds were left without Spider-Men and women to protect them. May became one of the heroes known as the Warriors of the Web who remained on loomworld to protect those worlds.
10. Spider-Woman/Arachne/Madam Web - Julia Carpenter
The second Spider-Woman after Jessica Drew was Julia Carpenter. Given her powers by a shady branch of the government known as The Commission, Julia was injected with a spider-venom formula which gave her her powers. Shortly after being given her abilities, Julia was drawn into the first Secret Wars where she met Spider-Man for the first time. After this, she continued to work for the government as part of Freedom Force but left after aiding the Avengers, against orders. Julia eventually became a member of Force Works, and The Avengers, and established herself as a notable superhero in her own right.
After losing, and then regaining, her powers Julia fell in love with the man known as The Shroud. She and The Shroud ran afoul of Iron Man’s forces during the first Civil War as it was discovered that she was aiding fugitives. Given the choice between jail or working with the Canadians as part of a new Omega Flight, she chose Canada and fought alongside several heroes north of the border for a time.
After the various Spider-People were gathered during the Grimm Hunt, the original Madame Web was killed. She passed her precognitive powers to Julia, who became the new Madam Web. She then mentored Spider-Man and helped him train for the trials he faced ahead of time. Whether she retains these powers post Spider-Verse remains to be seen.
9. Ultimate Spider-Man - Miles Morales
Shortly before the death of the Peter Parker from the Ultimate Universe, a young man named Miles Morales was bitten by a spider that had been infected with the OZ formula. He discovered he had gained the ability to camouflage, generate energy blasts, as well as wall crawl and had similar agility and strength to Spider-Man. Choosing to remain “normal” Miles decided not to become a costumed adventurer. But when the final battle that cost Peter Parker his life happened, Miles chose to intervene but arrived too late to help. Feeling responsible for Peter’s death, he became the second Ultimate Spider-Man and chose to honor Peter’s legacy.
Overcoming a negative reaction from the public, Miles went on to carve out his own legacy and became a great hero in his own right. Eventually, the Ultimate Universe and the 616 universe came into conflict due to the so-called incursions. When Doom and Doctor Strange managed to create battleworld out of the remains of the various worlds that had been destroyed, Miles survived by hitching a ride on one of the few “lifeboats” which survived the devastation.
Miles teamed up with the 616 Spider-Man and was one of the people to discover that Molecule Man was the one holding reality together. Miles happened to have a burger stashed away in his gear and gave it to Molecule Man. When reality was rebuilt, Molecule Man rewarded Miles for his act of kindness by putting Miles in the 616 universe as he had no home to go back to. Miles now operates in the regular universe as an additional Spider-Man, still doing his best to be the ultimate version of himself.
8. Venom - Eddie Brock and Flash Thompson
Peter Parker was the first to encounter the symbiote that would become Venom during the first Secret War. He initially thought it was a high-tech costume, which could change form to suit his desires. He thought its black color was due to a subconscious instinct based on having just met Julia Carpenter. Eventually, the suit began to exert control over Peter and Peter realized that the suit was alive. Thanks to Mister Fantastic of the Fantastic Four, Peter freed himself from the suit.
The suit managed to free itself from its prison and sought out Peter once more. Angry with Peter, and rejected by him, it bonded with the reporter Eddie Brock who also hated Parker. The two bonded and became the first version of Venom. Far larger and stronger than Spider-Man, venom became his arch-enemy, but sometimes ally too. Eddie and the suit often chose to protect the innocent but brutally punished the wicked.
After many years, Eddie parted ways with the suit after being diagnosed with cancer. The suit went from villain to villain, including former Scorpion, Mac Gargan. Eventually, the suit came into the possession of the government who chose to use it as a living weapon. They bonded it to Peter Parker’s friend Eugene “Flash” Thompson and he became Agent Venom.
7. Spider-Gwen – Gwen Stacy
Born on the alternate world of Earth-65, Gwen Stacy had a similar start to life as the Gwen Stacy of earth-616. However, her life took a very different turn when it was her and not Peter Parker that was bitten by an irradiated spider, granting her super powers. Given a costume, and web shooters, by retired superhero Janet Van Dyne, Gwen became the Spider-Woman of her world but chose to enjoy her powers over actually helping people. Her father, George, tried to get her to use her powers more responsibly though.
When her friend Peter Parker tried to give himself powers to be like Gwen, he instead turned into a giant lizard and fought Gwen at their high school. Gwen managed to get Peter to return to his human form, but he died due to his injuries. Spider-Woman was blamed for the death of Peter, making her wanted by the police, but she chose to continue serving the public anyway, determined to become a true hero.
Like many others, Gwen was caught up in the events of Spider-Verse where Spider-Men and Women were gathered from across the multiverse to fight Morlunn and his immortal family of vampire-like beings. After the crisis ended, Gwen was one of the few survivors who chose to remain a multi-versal warrior helping wherever Spider-People were needed.
6. Spider-Man 2099 - Miguel O'Hara
Miguel O’Hara was born around 70 years into an alternate future and was a scientist working for the mega-corporation known as Alchemax. Forcibly given a drug which bonded to his DNA, he used a device in his lab to cure himself, but the device had been tampered with and his DNA was spliced with that of a spider. He developed powers like those of the original Spider-Man’s such as great strength and agility, but he also developed fangs and retractable claws in his fingers.
Miguel became the Spider-Man of 2099 and fought against several new foes and the evil corporate interests of his era. Eventually, he journeyed through time to the present day when events here began to disrupt the world of 2099. He became stranded, unable to journey home, and worked covertly for the company that would plague him in the future. He now works alongside Peter Parker as one of the many Spider-Men currently active.
5. Superior Spider-Man - Otto Octavius
When Doctor Octopus’ body began to fail, he developed many plans. After failing to destroy half the world, he enacted his final act of revenge against Spider-Man and swapped their bodies. Then, in Peter’s body, he began to usurp Peter’s life as both a scientist and super hero. Peter, in Otto’s body, fought back, but tragically died. Moments before death, Peter managed to transfer his sense of responsibility to Otto, who vowed to carry on as a true hero in Peter’s place.
Initially, Otto was extremely effective. Where Peter had often been reactive, Otto planned ahead and used cunning tactics to defeat enemies. His nature often got the better of him, and in his arrogance failed to see Norman Osborn’s plotting from behind the scenes. When Osborn took control of New York’s criminal empire, Otto had to admit that he couldn’t defeat him and allowed Peter to regain control of his body.
Despite his downfall, Otto managed to be an effective hero for quite some time.
4. Kaine/Scarlet Spider/Other - Kaine Parker
The first clone of Peter Parker was, in the eyes of his creator, a failure. Kaine began life with the cellular degeneration that plagued the Jackal’s creations and was disfigured and insane. For years, he plagued both Peter Parker and Ben Reilly (Peter’s other clone) as well as becoming a figure in the criminal underworld.
Kaine eventually sacrificed his life at the end of the Grimm Hunt, but was resurrected as a giant near-mindless beast serving the Queen. During the events of Spider-Island, Kaine was immersed in the cure for those infected by the Queen and the Jackal. When he emerged from the cure, Kaine was human looking once more, but more than that, was also free from the cellular degeneration which had always plagued him. Using a spare suit of Peter’s, Kaine helped kill the Queen when she mutated into a giant monster. He left, stealing Peter’s suit, and went to Texas where he became a reluctant hero known as the Scarlet Spider.
Kaine, like most others, was drawn into the events of Spider-Verse and was pivotal to the success of the spiders as he was the vessel for the entity known as The Other. As The Other, he turned into a giant spider and was one of the few spiders to kill an inheritor before appearing to be killed himself. He survived, but was once again plagued by clone degeneration.
3. Spider-Woman - Jessica Drew
The original, and arguably the best, Spider-Woman is Jessica Drew. Born to scientist parents, Jessica became sick as her parents had accidently exposed her to uranium. Her father injected her with a serum derived from spider-venom, hoping that the regenerative nature of spiders, as well as their resistance to radiation, might save her. Aided by the high evolutionary, Jessica’s father placed her in a tank which helped stabilise her body and saved her life. When she eventually emerged, she had incredible super powers of speed, agility, energy blasts, and limited flight.
Jessica fell under the influence of Hydra, and was brainwashed by Mentallo to believe Hydra was a force for good. She became one of their greatest resources, a living weapon and assassin. She eventually rebelled against Hydra and, after a period of wandering, established herself as a private investigator and super hero based in San Francisco.
Eventually, Jessica would become an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D, an Avenger, and a frequent ally of Spider-Man.
2. Spider-Man/Scarlet-Spider - Ben Reilly
Ben Reilly is one of the most successful of the many clones of Peter Parker. Created by the insane geneticist known as the Jackal, Ben was sent to battle Peter but seemingly died in the attempt. Unable to dispose of the body properly, as it was identical to him, Peter dropped the clone in a smokestack and moved on with his life.
It was revealed that the clone had survived, and not wishing to cause Peter further distress, had left New York to live under the assumed name of Ben Reilly but also remaining a hero under the guise of the Scarlet Spider. Sharing Peter’s memories, Ben would sometimes call his Aunt May pretending to be a long-lost relative. Learning May was sick, he returned to New York and encountered Peter. Peter and Ben became friends, and when Peter lost his powers, Ben became Spider-Man for an extended period. When Peter regained his powers, he fought alongside Ben as the two faced a returned Norman Osborn. The two Spider-Men fought Norman to a standstill, but Ben sacrificed his life to save Peter. His body succumbed to its clone nature, and degenerated upon Ben’s Death.
Ben has recently returned to life and has taken to using the name Scarlet Spider. How this will impact on Peter’s life remains to be seen.
1. Spider-Man - Peter Parker
The original, and greatest, member of the spider-family is Peter Parker, the amazing Spider-Man. Bitten by a radioactive spider as a teen, Peter sought to make a few dollars out of his new powers. When he allowed a robber to get past him, he thought little of it until that same robber later killed his beloved Uncle Ben. Taking his uncle’s lessons of “Great Power and Great Responsibility” literally, Peter became a costumed crimefighter. Despite numerous personal tragedies, Peter has become one of the greatest heroes of all time.
Over the years, Spider-Man fought one of the greatest rogues-gallery’s in comic book history and eventually became a member of the Avengers, and even the Fantastic Four. He has gone from high school student, to photographer, to scientist, and now the CEO of a major corporation.
Peter, despite his assertions to the contrary, is an excellent leader and now mentors Miles Morales, Miguel O’Hara and the ever-growing number of spider-based heroes in the Marvel Universe.
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