10 Reasons Why Spider-Man Is Marvel's Greatest Superhero

Iron Man, eat your heart out.

Amazing Spider-Man Alex Ross
Marvel Comics/Alex Ross

Spider-Man has a special place in a lot of people's hearts.

Sure, he's just another superhero, named after something a lot of people find inherently terrifying, but he's like a breath of fresh air in a world where superhero stories are too dark, too gritty, or too vapid.

He's the perfect mixture of angst and fun, wisecracks and drama. He's the superhero that reminds us that we can all be superheroes, because he's just like us - he's just a regular guy trying to do the right thing, who just so happens to have some kick-ass superpowers.

With over fifty years' worth of comics, movies, cartoons, and video games, Spider-Man has a good claim to being one of the most popular superheroes ever created, so what is it about the web-slinger that makes him so cool - or rather, what makes him the greatest of all Marvel's superheroes?

10. His Powers

Amazing Spider-Man Alex Ross
Marvel Comics

The danger with superheroes is that there needs to be a balance between making them powerful enough to take on their villains, but not powerful enough that the villains stop being a credible threat. Superman may have won the superpower lottery, but the fact that his weakness is so specific means that you're just waiting for someone to whip out the Kryptonite, and do the same story all over again.

Spider-Man doesn't have that problem. What he does have is super-strength, wall-crawling, athleticism, and limited precognition, combined with his signature homemade web-slingers. He's a credible threat to his rogues gallery, and more than a match for the average thug, but it never comes at the cost of making him too strong, so any match-up is always going to be unpredictable.

Sure, he'll win, but that doesn't mean Vulture won't get a lucky hit in, or Doc Ock won't be able to subdue him with a new gadget.

Not to mention that Spider-Man's powers are insanely cool. Who wants to fly around New York when you can swing around like Tarzan?

Contributor
Contributor

My name's Lewis, I'm an author (tragically) based in South Wales.