10 Most Powerful Beings Spider-Man Has Defeated

He may just be a friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, but he's also beaten Marvel's strongest.

Spider-Man Red Goblin
Marvel Comics

It goes without saying that the most famous superhero in all of Marvel is that lovable web-slinging wall-crawler, Spider-Man.

One must wonder if Stan Lee and Steve Ditko had even the slightest inkling of just how big of a cultural nerve center they were tapping into with this character when they first created him? Probably not, but I doubt either man was complaining about it.

Spider-Man is the biggest money maker that Marvel has in their arsenal, even when the rest of the company is haemorrhaging money like a gaping wound in the side of an oil tanker, Spider-Man has pretty much always sold above average. His universal appeal has guaranteed that Marvel never keeps him out of the action of main events. And as such, they've pit their favorite cash cow against some pretty nasty opponents.

Whether they're powerful supervillains, pissed off superheroes usually way out of his league, or the forces of the very universe itself, Spider-Man has always come out on top. Here are the most powerful beings that kneeled before the might of an awkward nerd from Queens in a red and blue onesie.

10. Silver Surfer - Silver Surfer #14

Spider-Man Red Goblin
Marvel Comics

Now, on any other day, the Silver Surfer would regard a hostile Spider-Man with the same attention one would afford to an ant crawling by your shoes while you're strolling down the road, but in this issue of his initial run, the Surfer was having something of a difficult day.

See, the Silver Surfer had recently had most of his cosmic powers drained away from him, and since the last time he was in New York was when he was acting as the Herald of Galactus, it was only a matter of time before one of the heroes patrolling New York caught sight of the Surfer and decided to have a go. Enter, Spider-Man.

With his powers drained, and just flat out not wanting to fight a superhero, most of this fight is Spidey chasing the Surfer around New York, occasionally getting a shot in before the Surfer saves a child who was trying to take his board for a joyride. Doing so clues Spidey in that the Surfer can't be all bad, and the two part on shaky, but mostly friendly terms.

Not the most epic of fights, but considering how powerful the Surfer is, the fact that Spider-Man was still able to keep up and land some solid hits is significant.

Contributor
Contributor

John Tibbetts is a novelist in theory, a Whatculture contributor in practice, and a nerd all around who loves talking about movies, TV, anime, and video games more than he loves breathing. Which might be a problem in the long term, but eh, who can think that far ahead?