Spider-Man has one of the most eclectic costume closets in Marvel Comics. Peter Parker has changed his suit several times over the years, and it's likely that the web-slinging and logo are the only reason anyone can ever be sure that it's actually Spider-Man that saved them.
Many of these costumes look great and even give the original a run for its money as the best-looking Spider-Man costume. Others are just strange, and a select few do genuinely look not that great. However, most of these proved to be useful in the end, because Peter Parker rarely does anything without good reason.
10 The Stealth Suit Was Necessary To Beat The New Hobgoblin
A stealth suit is a pretty self-explanatory concept, but this one actually had a hidden bonus that made it necessary in fighting the Hobgoblin. This one was Phil Urich, nephew of Daily Bugle and Frontline reporter Ben Urich. This Hobgoblin kicked things up a notch with a flaming sword, wings, and, notably, a sonic scream.
Peter Parker's stealth suit was unique, as it bent sound waves as well as light around itself. This made it immune to Hobgoblin's sonic scream. Later, Kaine, the Scarlet Spider, stole this costume and used it to fight the Spider Queen and, later, Red Death.
9 The Electro-Proof Suit Keeps Him Safe From Electricity-Based Attacks
This oddly padded and somewhat puffy suit is fairly strange-looking as far as Spider-Man costumes go, but this one was actually very necessary for Spider-Man's survival. It's called the Electro-proof suit, and its name fits its function. That padding is rubber, and it helps insulate Spider-Man against the electric attacks of Max Dillon, aka Electro.
Electro received a power-up in more recent years, and he was able to take on both Spider-Man and the X-Men. Peter crafted this costume to keep himself from losing to his old foe, and it did the trick, allowing Spider-Man to win the day.
8 The Dusk Suit Actually Allowed Spider-Man To Fly (While Clearing His Name)
At one point, Norman Osborn and the Trapster framed Spider-Man for murder. In order to continue his superhero career and clear his name, Spider-Man came up with four new personas: Richochet, Prodigy, the Hornet, and Dusk. Two of these actually allow Spider-Man to fly--those being Hornet and Dusk. One kind of wonders why Spider-Man didn't install a flying machine into any of his Web-Head suits after this episode.
In any case, this scheme worked, and Spider-Man was able to clear himself of the murder accusations. Weirdly enough, all four alternate identities would be adopted by other would-be superheroes after Peter Parker abandoned them.
7 The Original Spider-Armor Was Actually Bulletproof
This shiny and bulky costume is perhaps the most famous Spider-Armor (not counting the Iron Spider and the Avengers: Infinity War suits). It was first adopted by Spider-Man when the New Enforcers invaded New York with high-caliber guns.
Spider-Man created this suit to keep himself from being made into swiss cheese, and the costume actually worked--though it slowed him down a great deal. Ultimately, it was destroyed by acid, and Spider-Man had to abandon it.
6 The Second Spider-Armor Caused A Major Issue When Peter Lost The Spider-Sense
The second iteration of Spider-Armor is admittedly more stylish, and it was slimmer and just as bulletproof as the first set of Spider-Armor. This one was crafted to help protect Spider-Man after he temporarily lost his Spider-Sense.
Peter's precognitive Spider-Sense is what has kept him from getting shot, crushed, and sliced up over the years, and he's come to rely on it a good bit. Without this safety net, Peter felt that he couldn't risk jumping into gunfire on his own--so he created this suit of Spider-Armor.
5 The Padded Third Spider-Armor Helped Peter Save The World From The Sinister Six
This costume both looks fairly cool and like a Spider-Man football player at the same time. It looks like a segmented and padded version of the classic costume and that kind of adds to its charm.
Spider-Man created this suit of Spider-Armor when going against the reborn Sinister Six during the Ends of the Earth story by Dan Slott and Stefano Caselli. This suit of armor was actually quite powerful, enhancing Spider-Man's already powerful senses, granting him a degree of technopathy, and a heartbeat detector designed to help him locate the Chameleon.
4 The Threats And Menaces Costume Helps Keep Peter Parker From Going Broke
The most recent new Spider-Man suit is quite garish and changes Peter's visor in a strange way. It also has the odd perk of live-streaming Spider-Man's superhero career for a tabloid's captive audience.
This seems like a questionable idea for Spider-Man, but he does get to control when the live-streaming begins. More importantly, however, it gives Peter Parker a new source of income.
3 The Cloth Black Suit Replaced A Shrunken Suit But Also Lets Villains Know That Peter Means Business
Returning to a black costume seems like an odd choice for Peter Parker after the birth of Venom. Furthermore, Venom so traumatized Mary Jane that she never wanted to see Peter in a black costume ever again. Despite that, Black Cat still gave Peter a cloth black suit after he lost the original Klyntar symbiote suit.
It came in handy after the original suit shrunk in the wash, and Spider-Man needed a costume in a pinch. Furthermore, after Kingpin tried to have Peter Parker killed (whose secret identity was then public thanks to the events of Marvel's Civil War) but mortally wounded Aunt May instead, Spider-Man donned this costume to let Wilson Fisk know that he was serious and will fill his throat with web-fluid if Kingpin ever comes near Peter Parker's family again.
2 The Fear Itself Suit Gave Spider-Man Asgardian Power-Ups
During the Fear Itself story by Matt Fraction and Stuart Immonen, many of the Avengers received Asgardian weapons by the Dwarves of Nidavellir. Spider-Man was among them, receiving a neon blue costume with blades and Uru armor.
The full extent of this costume's powers was never made clear, but it was enough to help turn the tide against Cul, the Asgardian God of Fear, and his dreaded Worthy warriors.
1 The Bombastic Bag-Man Was Important In Getting The Symbiote Off Spider-Man
Perhaps the goofiest Spider-Man costume of all time, the Bombastic Bag-Man actually served an important role in the history of Spider-Man. When Peter Parker first took the Venom costume to Mister Fantastic for study, Peter found himself without a costume to return home inside. To this end, he borrowed a spare Fantastic Four costume and a paper bag that the Human Torch put a "kick me" sign on the back of.
This allowed Peter Parker to be free of the symbiote costume for a time, clear his head, and stop crimes as the Bombastic Bag-Man! Getting free of the Venom symbiote has proven even more vital thanks to the current What If: Spider's Shadow story by Chip Zdarsky and Pasqual Ferry, which shows how deadly a Venom Spider-Man could have become.