As a fresh-faced high school kid, Peter Parker is pretty easy to get along with. He’s a mild-mannered, calm hero, who doesn’t pick fights very often. When he does, he works to find amicable solutions since he’d rather be at peace than in conflict. Spider-Man has fought against and alongside many heroes over the years to differing degrees of success. In general, he works well with his fellow Avengers. Take Iron Man, for instance. He’s fought with Tony Stark many times over the years, and we’ve recently seen their student/mentor relationship develop nicely in the MCU films Spider-Man: Homecoming and Avengers: Infinity War. With Spider-Man gone after Thanos infamous snap, it’ll be interesting to see if Tony is able to save his friend in Avengers: Endgame this April.
But for every friend that’s easy to work with, there are also a few that even Spidey has a hard time being around. Deadpool, for instance, constantly cracks jokes and pokes fun of the wall-crawler whenever he can. Wolverine is another good example. With a tough-as-nails demeanor and generally bad attitude, it’s hard for anyone to get close enough to Wolverine to call him a true friend. In this list, we’ll look at the heroes that Spider-Man loves to team up with, and others where he’s had a hard time adjusting to fighting with a partner. Chime in below on who your favorite Spider-Man collaborations are and tell us who you think Spidey’s best Avengers pals are!
20 LOVES: IRON MAN
At first, Spider-Man and Iron Man didn’t really get along; mostly because they didn’t interact. Although the two heroes appeared together on the cover of Avengers #11 in 1964, they didn’t have a real encounter until the “Marvel Team-Up” stories in 1973.
From there, the two fought battles together regularly, notably fighting time-travelers in the “The Tomorrow War” storyline, and several other times before the Team-Up comics ended in 1985. Peter and Tony have a shared love of science and both long for a father/son type relationship as evidenced by the “Civil War” storyline of 2006-07 -- before Spidey switched sides, that is. More recently, the two have become pals in the MCU, with Tony Stark acting as a mentor to a (very) young Peter Parker.
19 ANNOY HIM: HULK
In Marvel Adventures Super Heroes #1, Spider-Man was actually the one being annoying, After claiming he could stick to anything, Spider-Man was challenged to stick to Hulk by Tony Stark. He successfully hung from Hulk’s arm, with Bruce Banner being visibly upset by the web slinger's antics.
Obviously Hulk is much bigger and stronger than Spider-Man, but here was one instance where Spider-Man actually defeated the green monster. In Amazing Spider-Man #328, Spidey was endowed with the Power Cosmic, allowing him to punch Hulk into orbit. Feeling bad, he flies into space to retrieve him.
18 LOVES: DEADPOOL
For a long time, Spider-Man and Deadpool didn’t really cross paths, and when they did, it was usually just a quick mention. After all, the two lead completely different lives; Peter Parker as an intellectual, socially-awkward high school kid and Deadpool as a wise-cracking mercenary with a foul mouth and seemingly nothing to lose.
Things changed in 2016 with the Spider-Man/Deadpool series that lasted 22 issues. After working together on the same Avengers team, Deadpool persuades Spider-Man into mentoring him, saying he needs a good role model to help him become a better person. The two fight a villain named Itsy Bitsy and race to uncover who her creator (Patient Zero) really is.
17 ANNOY HIM: RED HULK
General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross was always on the hunt for Hulk, and he didn’t care much for Spider-Man either. He teamed up with Spidey on the Avengers briefly in the Avenging Spider-Man series of 2011, but it was pretty obvious that he became annoyed with Peter’s wise-cracking antics. When Peter needed a ride back to New York City, Red Hulk said he’d do it “if he keeps his mouth shut.”
Spider-Man then suggests slinging himself a backpack to ride on Red Hulk’s back, which angers the beast even more. He grabs Spidey by the arms and takes off like a rocket, causing Peter to yelp on the way up. Later, when confronted by the Molans, Red Hulk argues with Spider-Man about smashing things, obviously believing that it’s necessary, while Peter disagrees
16 LOVES: DOCTOR STRANGE
Spider-Man and Doctor Strange have a long history of teaming up in the comic book world. Back in 1992, the pair appeared together in the graphic novel Spider-Man/Dr. Strange: The Way to Dusty Death. Then, in the 2000s, Strange regularly appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man series.
Strange then fought with the Avengers before becoming an official member after the “Civil War” storyline. Strange even let them set up base in his house as a makeshift headquarters. Over the years, Spider-Man and Dr. Strange have appeared together in many more video games, novels, and of course, in the current films in the MCU. These two seem inseparable!
15 ANNOY HIM: WOLVERINE
We’ve covered Spider-Man and Wolverine team-ups extensively before, so we know how much the two love and loathe each other. Even when they’re working together cohesively, they can’t seem to help throwing the odd jabs at each other. In Marvel Team-Up #117, the two mistake each other for robots before realizing they’re both in the wrong. Wolverine calls his friend a “tin-plated” phoney and even swipes his claws at Spidey.
The pokes continue in Spider-Man #8-13 when Wolverine tells him he’d be “face-down if I were the enemy” after Spidey takes a crash landing. The two have a long history of working together, usually successfully, but they can’t help but get under each other’s skin once in awhile too.
14 LOVES: CAPTAIN AMERICA
Legendary artist Frank Miller drew the cover for Marvel Team-Up #106, where Spider-Man and Captain America are forced to work together to try to rescue J. Jonah Jameson from Scorpion. After saving Jameson, the two argue over whether or not they should remove the gag from their boss’ mouth.
In Amazing Spider-Man #187, the two friends face off when Peter Parker is given an assignment to cover an abandoned town, but arrives to find it closed off to the media. He sneaks in behind S.H.I.E.L.D.’s barriers, but Captain America is determined to stop him. Cap overpowers Spidey with his hand to hand combat, and the web slinger soon leaves to take on Electro instead.
13 ANNOY HIM: HAWKEYE
Hawkeye is another one of Spidey’ buddy who can’t help but try to one up him at every possible opportunity. In Avenging Spider-Man Vol. 1 #4, the two friends are waiting at Grand Central Station because they were told a chemical attack there was imminent. Hawkeye practices his aim on a “No Smoking” sign, which irritates Spider-Man who questions why he can’t stop shooting things.
Later, it’s Spider-Man who attempts to show off his aim, but he misses Sidewinder with an arrow and is forced to knock him out instead. Spider-Man then sticks the arrow into Sidewinder to fool Hawkeye into thinking he made a perfect shot.
12 LOVES: CAPTAIN MARVEL (MAR-VELL)
Back in 1973, Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) teamed up with Spider-Man in Marvel Team-Up Vol. 1 #16. After Basilisk steals the Alpha Stone and becomes a powerful villain, Peter Parker decides to change into Spider-Man to try to stop the theif. Rick Jones -- who is also on scene -- summons Captain Marvel and soon Mar-Vell and Spidey are joining forces to take on their new foe.
Spider-Man thanks Captain Marvel for coming to his aid, but Basilisk escapes and the pair work together to track him down to a nearby construction site. Basilisk is attempting to dig up the Omega Stone in order to unleash the Kree power encased in it, but Captain Marvel retrieves the stone before any more damage can be done.
11 ANNOY HIM: LUKE CAGE
With such different backgrounds, it’s no wonder that Spider-Man and Luke Cage got off to a rocky start. Peter Parker is a rule-following intellectual who came about his powers by accident, while Cage is a rough criminal who was subjected to dangerous experiments in prison.
When the two met in The Amazing Spider-Man #123, published in 1973, it was because J. Jonah Jameson hired Cage to take out Spider-Man. On the cover, Cago smashes Spidey with a hard punch, calling him “just another job.” The two fought at a school concert, but Spider-Man decided to call the fight a tie and left Cage tangled up in his web.
10 LOVES: CAPTAIN BRITAIN
In Marvel Team-Up Vol. 1 #65, Spider-Man and Captain Britain initially fight before the two realize that they are actually allies. Not knowing that the two are the same person, Captain Britain attacks Spider-Man because he thinks Spidey has possibly taken Peter. Spider-Man stops Captain Britain’s attack by taking away his Scepter, but then saves his friend before he falls to his death on a construction site.
After the two calm down, Captain Britain explains his backstory and the two realize they are both good guys. Captain Britain and Spider-Man share a common enemy in The Reaver and decide to team up to battle the forces of evil.
9 ANNOY HIM: SPIDER-WOMAN
Even in the early days, Marvel wanted Spider-Woman to be her own hero and didn’t want people to just think of her as the female version of Spider-Man. With similar powers and looks, however, it was unavoidable that the two would cross paths many times over the years.
In the “Agent of S.W.O.R.D.” storyline, Jessica Drew is controlled by Madrill into attacking Spider-Man. Their fight ensues until Spidey can get close enough to her to halt Mandrill’s powers. Later, in the New Avengers stories form 2010, Spider-Woman becomes irritated when Peter talks about the Skrull invasion and because she thinks he’s trying to hit on her.
8 LOVES: THOR
Spider-Man and Thor are pretty good friends who generally work well together. In Marvel Team-Up #115 from 1982, Spider-Man is observing Don Blake performing surgery on a homeless woman when the hospital is attacked by an alien force called Meru. Spider-Man intercepts the enemy long enough to allow Blake to finish the surgery.
Unfortunately, Spidey is caught in Meru’s powers, which force him to abandon the fight. Don Blake transforms into Thor and battles Meru, who manages to escape. With Peter Parker still incapacitated, Thor is forced to continue the fight against Meru himself, with the foe now trying to take over New York City.
7 ANNOY HIM: FALCON
Spider-Man discovers a couple of crooks trying to steal from a federal research facility in Marvel Team-Ups #71, so he swoops in to stop them. But one of the gangsters stuns Spidey long enough to make his escape. When Falcon arrives on scene, he’s upset that one of the goons got away and this leads to a fight between him and Spider-Man. The two put their differences aside when they notice one of the crooks didn’t get away, and the pair pressure him into talking.
Then, in Marvel Team-Ups #114, Falcon jumps in when a group of youths try to attack Spider-Man in Harlem. Rather than fight off the bad guys, Falcon scolds Spidey for coming onto this turf. He’s a tough customer indeed!
6 LOVES: VISION
Spider-Man and Vision first worked together in 1972 in Marvel Team-Up #5 when a giant robot began messing with Vision’s brainwaves. Spidey attempts to save Vision, but he passes out, so the wall-crawler is forced to take him back to the apartment he shares with Harry Osborn. Once there, Spider-Man helps Vision understand the source of his seizures and teams up with him to battle the Monsteroid.
Vision then repays the favor in Marvel Team-Up #42 after Spider-Man is knocked out and kept in a prison cell by Cotton Mather. Vision frees Spider-Man – along with Scarlet Witch – and the three Avengers take on Cotton Mather, who himself is being ordered around by a mysterious being called Dark Rider.
5 ANNOY HIM: BLACK WIDOW
“Don’t think I’m helpless, just because I’m soft and cuddly!” Black Widow declares to her friend in The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1 #86. She narrowly misses bumping into Peter Parker while he’s on his way home from fighting Kingpin and Schemer. Wanting to prove that she’s the superior hero, Black Widow redesigns her costume and goes out looking for Spider-Man.
When she finds him, the two get in a fight and she’s able to tie him up. However, Spider-Man is able to get free long enough to stick his webbing to her sting bracelets. Black Widow abandons the fight, deciding that it’s up to her to define her powers rather than try to understand or steal Peter’s.
4 LOVES: ANT-MAN
In Marvel Team-Ups Vol. 1 #103, Spider-Man and Ant-Man fight together against an unlikely foe: Taskmaster, a super soldier who has the upper hand because he’s studied films of both heroes. When Taskmaster tries to shoot at Spider-Man, he dodges the villain’s arrows but the pair are still under siege.
Ant-Man realizes that Taskmaster probably studied Hank Pym as his character rather than himself (Scott Lang), so he doesn’t know about Purdey, who grows to enormous size to distract the foe. Spider-Man and Ant-Man then work together to shut down Taskmaster’s evil operation, but the bad guy gets away. In any case, the two friends came together and put up one heck of a fight.
3 ANNOY HIM: NAMOR, THE SUB-MARINER
Spider-Man crosses paths with Namor, the Sub-Mariner in Marvel Team-Ups Vol. 1 #14. As the wall-crawler is slinging his way across New York City, he comes across a man in a trench coat getting mugged. Before he can step in, Spidey realizes the guy is able to fight off the goons himself. It turns out the man is Namor, and he engages Spider-Man in a fight, not knowing exactly who he is.
After a brief battle, the two set their differences aside. Namor explains he is looking to avenge his father’s death by tracking down Tiger Shark, and Spider-Man agrees to help him in his quest. Still, the two did not get off to a good start and it’s rare to see them engage in battle together.
2 LOVES: BLACK PANTHER
Spider-Man storms in on Black Panther in Marvel Team-Up Vol. 1 #87, accusing him of crimes and hiding behind dipolatic immunity in order to hide them. T’Challa has no idea what he’s talking about, and after more discussion, the two Avengers realize that it’s a misunderstanding. When Hellrazor suddenly attacks the embassy, the pals fight together to restore peace in Wakanda.
Later, in the “Secret Wars” storyline from 2015, Black Panther and Spider-Man are among a handful of heroes who survived the Incursion, leaving T’Challa to take on Doctor Doom. Even though the two have had limited interactions in the MCU, many fans are hoping for a crossover, possibly in the newly announced Black Panther 2.
1 ANNOY HIM: WASP
Spider-Man and Wasp might have the strange honor of being the only original heroes that have not killed someone, but that doesn’t mean they’re good friends. In Marvel Team-Up Vol. 1 #60, Wasp makes a rash decision to jump a police barricade and take on Equanox herself. This annoys Spider-Man, and he’s forced to intervene in order to save Wasp.
Wasp later hits a sore spot when she asks Spider-Man what he knows about losing someone he loves, and he’s forced to recall his memories of Gwen Stacy. In the end, the two work together to stabilize Equinox’s powers, but they definitely got off to a rocky start.