Spider-Man: Homecoming will soon be upon us, and fan will finally get their chance to see the web-slinger live and breathe in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With so many features inside the new Spidey suit (courtesy of Tony Stark), it's about time to look at some of the most powerful costumes that ole web-head has worn over his many years of superhero service.
While nearly all of Spider-Man's costumes have served a purpose (even the bombastic Bagman), some of them were definitely more useful than others. One of coolest features that all of the hero's costumes share is that no matter what, it's easy to recognize that it's Spidey. Most if not all of these costumes emit a sense of personality, whether it's the bright original costume, or the dark and brooding symbiote suit. See if your favorite costume made the cut as we check out the 15 Most Powerful Spider-Man Suits Ever.
15. Original Costume
One of the most recognizable superhero suits in all of pop culture, Spider-Man's original costume is an iconic look for a historic character. Not only does it look cool with the bright colors and web design, but the various gadgets hidden within the costume give our hero an edge in his battles against the forces of evil. Armed with his trusty mechanical web shooters, spider-tracers, and other various goodies, this costume has provided Peter Parker with lifesaving tools time and time again.
Of course, besides the more complicated gadgets that Spider-Man has access to with this suit, the costume has other, less obvious advantages. For one, the mask muffles and distorts his voice, so it's harder for people to recognize Peter Parker's quirky voice under the costume. Additionally, since the costume is made out of cloth, repairing it is a pretty simple fix for the perennially poor Mr. Parker. All in all, his classic costume is versatile, stylish, and an extremely reliable suit all-around.
14. Electro-Proof Costume
Although pretty low on the list, the Electro-Proof costume has previously saved Spider-Man's life when facing off against the electricity-powered foe. With rubber padding running throughout the costume, Electro's attacks fall harmlessly against this suit. Of course, like any of the web-slinger's costumes, it's highly customizable, and if Electro manages to power himself up with more raw electricity than usual, Spidey can just add more padding to the suit.
The main reason the Eletro-Proof costume is so low on this list is because, well, it's useless against any other adversary. Having a specially designed suit to fight just one villain is almost a waste of Peter Parker's already limited resources. There are other suits on this list that would serve Spider-Man better in the long run, because they hold advantages against more than one foe.
13. Spider-Armor
With a shiny gleam, Spider-Man can resist some pretty heavy firepower with this all metal costume. Since most of New York City's criminals tend to carry around a firearm or two, this suit serves as a practical option for Spidey. Because of its many applications, this suit scores higher than the Electro-Proof costume. A bulletproof costume is just so versatile for Spider-Man in combating both regular goons and the likes of someone like the Punisher.
Because of the heavy use of metal on this suit, it also comes with some distinct disadvantages. If Spider-Man would load the costume up with more plating, he would undoubtedly affect his most valuable asset: his speed. Additionally, with a suit made out of metal, Electro could have a field day if he were to square off with the wall-crawler in this costume. If only Spider-Man could implement the best features of this suit and the Electro-Proof costume (hint hint).
12. SP//dr Suit
First introduced in the Spider-Verse event, Peni Parker is a young girl whose father originally piloted a mechsuit known as the SP//dr. This huge, walking tank allows young Peni to traverse through an alternate version of New York City while battling Mysterio, who is spreading noxious gas around the city. The SP//dr suit, like almost all iterations of Spidey duds, comes equipped with web shooters. The only difference in this particular design is that they're far more durable than your standard shooters, and they're actually built into the suit.
After her father's untimely demise, Peni was instructed by her universe's version of Aunt May and Uncle Ben that only she could pilot the suit. What's unique (and a little bit creepy) about the SP//dr suit is that it has a living radioactive spider powering the CPU. While this suit definitely stands out amongst other Spidey costumes, its heavy armor, unique control system, and mechanized weapons makes SP//dr a true force to be reckoned with. Just don't expect its pilot to win any footraces anytime soon.
11. Spider-Man 2099 Costume
With limited flight, extreme durability, and multiple tracking systems, Miguel O'Hara is definitely not messing around. Spider-Man 2099's bright and futuristic costume could give anything that Peter Parker has built a run for its money. Of course, since the costume is coming from the future, it's no surprise that it has some distinct advantages over old school Spidey's classic duds.
The costume uses what's called unstable molecules inside its fabric. This makes O'Hara's suit nearly indestructible, which comes in handy when you're facing off against mega corporations 70 years into the future. Additionally, this allows Spider-Man 2099 to use his claws and talons without ripping or damaging the costume. All in all, this snazzy looking suit is a product of its time, and it comes with unique advantages whenever the futuristic web-slinger swings into combat.
10. Future Foundation Costume
After Johnny Storm’s untimely death, the Future Foundation (aka the revised Fantastic 4) gave Spider-Man a brand new costume and membership to the group as part of Johnny’s last wish. One major advantage of the costume is that, despite the fact that it's mostly white, it’ll never get dirty. This could be seen as a godsend for Spidey after bouts with the Lizard or Sandman. Additionally, the suit has advanced components that allow the web-slinger to change the costume into his classic red and blue tights -- or incognito Peter Parker attire -- instantly.
Along with those handy features, the Future Foundation costume can go into "stealth mode". When Peter activates this function, the suit inverts its colors from white to black and becomes nearly invisible. (It's a maneuver that the wall-crawler mostly employs at night, for obvious reasons.) This costume not only looks striking but also pays tribute to one of Peter Parker's best friends.
9. Iron Spider
Peter Parker and Tony Stark always shared a few things in common, including a proclivity for science and invention. Of course, Stark has a few billion or so more in the bank than our favorite web-slinger, so he always had an edge when it came to technology. But when the superpowered Civil War took place, Spider-Man (foolishly) revealed his secret identity to the public at the behest of Iron Man, and Stark awarded Parker's faith with a pretty significant upgrade.
Besides sharing Iron Man's color scheme, the Iron Spider costume featured increased protection than his regular red and blues, as well rocket boots and robotic stinger arms located on his back. This Iron Spider costume was a Ferrari compared to Peter's 30-year-old pickup truck of a costume. Unfortunately, the classic "Parker Luck" came into play, and Spider-Man soon realized that he had joined up with the wrong side of the conflict. Even though Peter ended up abandoning the armor (largely because of all the strings that came attached to it, like unyielding loyalty to Tony Stark), it still ranks as one of Spider-Man's most useful costumes throughout his career.
8. Big Time Costume
While fighting the new Hobgoblin (Phil Urich), Spider-Man discovered that he had no protection against the villain's sonic screams. After being utterly decimated by Hobgoblin, Peter Parker returned to his job at Horizon's Lab to create a new defensive suit to battle his new adversary. Enter the Big Time costume.
This black suit has plenty of features hidden within it. First, the costume can turn on its anti-sound mode, making the costume glow red and completely ignore all sound (which can also be a disadvantage), but protects our hero from Hobgoblin's sonic attacks. The costume can also go into stealth mode, in which the suit glows green and makes him effectively invisible. While it does have a few drawbacks, the Big Time costume has been used multiple times by Spidey, and it continues to be one of his most reliable costumes in his wardrobe.
7. Homecoming
Over the last 15 years, we've seen plenty of great Spider-Man suits grace the silver screen, but none have come close to this costume's set of features. Constructed by Tony Stark during Captain America: Civil War after Peter Parker declares his allegiance, the costume is a massive upgrade to Parker's homemade duds, which are decidedly less snazzy looking than they are in the comics. Spider-Man now has the ability to move his lenses into different expressions -- making his wisecracks give that much more oomph. The suit even has an auto-fit feature, leaving anyone who puts it on looking like a billion bucks (literally), even Ned Leeds.
In terms of more practical upgrades, the suit is like a Swiss Army Knife. Not only does it sport a built-in AI (similar to Iron Man's), but it also has the ability to switch between web-cartridges with differing functionalities. One of the different cartridges that Spidey was glimpsed using in the trailers works like an impact grenade, with a burst of web that snares up enemies automatically. We've also seen a set of web-wings that presumably allow the wall-crawler to glide, and this suit even has a detachable recon drone on his chest that can scout out various threats from afar. All in all, there's never been a more advanced Spider-Man suit featured in the films, and we have a feeling the film will reveal a whole host of other tricks up its sleeves.
6. Symbiote
While it might be seen as controversial to have the symbiote suit this low in our ranking, fear not, because we're prepared to show our work. Although the alien suit gives Spider-Man enhanced reaction speed, organic webbing, and increased strength, it also outright interferes with Peter Parker's ability to be an actual hero. While wearing the suit, Peter gets angrier much more easily, leading him to make careless mistakes. The alien symbiote actually makes Spider-Man overly violent, which could result in him seriously injuring someone or killing them outright.
While it may look cool, and allow Peter Parker to transform back into his civilian identity easier, the symbiote suit can easily be exploited. With the alien costume being susceptible to sonic weapons and loud noises, along with fire, sharp-minded enemies would surely adapt to Spider-Man's choice of threads in time. Black-suited Spidey may look cool as hell, but it definitely has a dark side.
5. Superior Spider-Man
While Peter Parker was trapped inside Doctor Octopus's dying body, Otto Octavius was swinging around in Peter Parker's body dressed as a new, darker Spider-Man. Doc Ock's first iteration of the costume featured talons within the hands and feet of the suit for an extra punch of offensive capability. Additionally, the suit featured enhanced lenses that allowed a heads-up display, giving Doc Ock accurate information regarding a potential crisis. Finally, the suit was intertwined with a material called carbonadium, that offered the costume increased protection against the Superior Spider-Man's adversaries.
Always the perfectionist, Doctor Octopus went a step further with his second iteration of the Superior Spider-Man costume. This new suit featured mechanical stingers like the one found on the Iron Spider costume, enhanced talons that could paralyze victims with just a swipe, and the ability to communicate with his various robotic inventions. While Peter Parker eventually got his body back, this costume will still be remembered as a suit that showcased what an off-the-hinges Spider-Man could really look like.
4. Ends of the Earth
Spider-Man's Ends of the Earth costume, also known as Spider-Armor MK III, had multiple tools to combat the likes of Doc Ock and the Sinister Six. This suit was made when Peter Parker is at his very best, during a situation where there's almost no hope for victory. During the "Ends of the Earth" storyline, Doctor Octopus and the Sinister Six were attempting to hold the planet hostage by speeding up the Greenhouse effect within the planet, so Spidey needed an upgrade.
The armor is Electro-proof, impact resistant, offers well-protected web-shooters, and enhanced sensors within the suit's lenses. It ranks so highly on our list because it really didn't have any inherent disadvantages to it, and it combines some of the best features of Spider-Man's other suits into one cool package.
3. All-New, All-Different, Spider-Man 2099
Miguel O'Hara's new Spider-Man costume ups the ante on literally everything that made his first costume so successful at fighting crime. While Spider-Man 2099 wore this costume, it allowed O'Hara to fly like a butterfly and sting like an F-15. The suit also offered unrivaled protection due to unstable molecules bounded with kevlar, along with improved webbing, a flight/rocket system, and a readout system that tracks dangerous situations like Spider-Man's Mark IV costume.
In terms of visuals, the new costume is arguably a better looking suit as well. With a blend of darker blue, red hues, and a bright white mask, the costume definitely stands out. While cool, the old Spider-Man 2099 looked a bit too '90s -- which is funny considering it's supposed to be from the future. Nevertheless, Spider-Man 2099's new duds offer this wall-crawler a better chance at surviving whatever is thrown his way.
2. Amazing Spider-Man Costume (Mark IV)
Peter Parker's newest addition to his classic costume offers the most offensive and defensive capabilities yet in a Spider-Man costume. This thing packs an insane amount of gadgets now that Spider-Man has the full might of Parker Industries backing him. The costume allows for a plethora of web-types such as acid web, concrete webbing, and generally more reliable web-shooters. Additionally, the suit can track magical energy, electric systems, scan injured pedestrians to show their injuries, and a whole lot more. This is by far the most technologically advanced suit Spider-Man has ever worn.
The new suit even responds to Peter Parker's voice commands, like a super-advanced version of Siri, and in combat, the lightweight metallic nanotechnology makes the wall-crawler all but invincible to his many foes. Speaking of defensive capabilities, the suit also has a stealth mode that will alter the costume's colors to make our hero less visible to the bad guys. All in all, Peter Parker's newest suit has it all -- now if only it could help him Mary Jane back.
1. Captain Universe
This could be construed as cheating, but it's the obvious choice for #1 on our list. While fighting the Tri-Sentinel, Captain Universe's cosmic power infused with Spidey. This granted Spider-Man the abilities to defeat the nearly invincible foe. The cosmic energy granted Spider-Man near limitless strength, the ability to fly, near immortality, and the ability to travel within hyperspace.
Although it didn't last long, Spider-Man during this time was easily one of the most powerful beings within the Marvel Universe. It's no surprise that it ended quickly, because one of the many charms of the character is that he's constantly battling adversity during his superpowered career. Having the powers of a god that would allow Spidey to forego the need for food or water, or rest for that matter, would dehumanize the character an make him far less accessible for fans. This overpowered toolset allows Spider-Man the ability to stand up to any character within the Marvel Universe, and it blows any other Spidey suits out of the water.
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Are there any other hyper-powerful Spider-Man costumes that should have been included? Let us know in the comments!