After Peter Parker, Marvel introduced Miguel O'Hara of the year 2099. This character was involved in an experiment that he executed on himself to gain the spider powers of the heroes who lived in the past. Since then, he became the Spider-Man of the year 2099 and had to protect the city of Nueva York from all sorts of futuristic threats. Despite having similar powers to Peter Parker, Miguel was no lovable, dorky high school kid. He was older and more determined in his ways, leading to some brutal fights as well as some interesting costume changes. He was the first alternate Spider-Man character that Marvel gave his own series, and he paved the way for other versions to join the Marvel Universe, like Spider Gwen and Miles Morales.

He might be a "copy" of the original Spider-Man in a lot of ways as well as a "prototype" for future versions of Spider-Man, but Miguel O'Hara is arguably the best of the bunch in a lot of ways. Whether it be for his unique powers or costume choices, there is cause to view him as the best Spider-Man ever created. On the flipside, there are a lot of other quirks and character traits that knock O'Hara down a few pegs, possibly making other Spider-Men overshadow him. With that said, it's time for Peter Parker and Miles Morales to move out of the way. We're exploring 10 reasons why Spider-Man 2099 is the best Spider-Man ever created and 10 reasons why he may not deserve that title.

20 WHY HE'S THE BEST: COSTUME

There's no denying that Spider-Man 2099 has a sleek design. In contrast to the classic red and blue set with black webbing, Miguel O'Hara went with a mostly blue design with red accents. Couple that with a web cape and some arm blades, and he looked like something straight out of the future.

It was a slimmer design than Peter Parker, but it was every bit as iconic. Arguably one of the best Spider-Man costumes ever created, it was a look that always stood out from the rest of the Spider-Verse. What's more impressive is that it was created in the '90s and it's still a fantastic costume design.

19 WHY HE'S NOT: THOSE FANGS

With the introduction of spider powers, there were a few drawbacks for Miguel O'Hara. Among them was the fact that he had fangs. While those fangs were useful in combat, they presented some problems for Miguel. Because those fangs were large and difficult to conceal, they affected Miguel's speech, giving him a noticeable impediment in the process.

This made it difficult for him to properly keep his identity a secret, as the fangs were a dead giveaway of his alter ego. O'Hara had to figure out to learn to talk with the fangs in his mouth and not smile too big to keep people off his trail.

18 WHY HE'S THE BEST: ARM BLADES

Spider-Man 2099 flashing his talons

While he had a lot of similar powers to Peter Parker, Miguel O'Hara was blessed enough to be given some add-ons that made him a much more dangerous Spider-Man. One of them was the arm blades on his suit and the talons on his fingers. These extensions were razor sharp and could cut through just about anything.

They were so sharp, in fact, that he had to design his suit with unstable molecules to prevent them from cutting through the material (he had a few problems with that). Not only did these additions prove useful in combat, they looked cool on the costume as well.

17 WHY HE'S NOT: ORGANIC WEB SHOOTERS

Peter Parker was best-known for creating the iconic web shooters that went along with his spider powers. However, not every Spider-Man would undergo the same treatment. Miguel O'Hara was given organic web shooters on his wrists after he gained powers.

This type of web shooter does distinguish him from Parker, but it's not nearly as interesting to watch unfold as it is to see Peter develop them all on his own. After all, Hollywood learned that organic web shooters aren't the best for Spider-Man, opting for the classic take to be the best to watch on screen.

16 WHY HE'S THE BEST: NOT AFRAID TO CROSS THE LINE

Spider-Man 2099 14

Despite their similarity in name and powers, make no mistake that Peter Parker and Miguel O'Hara are far from the same person. While Parker's arc hinged on learning that with great power comes with great responsibility, Miguel didn't have the same care put into his own life.

When he finally became Spider-Man, he was much more unpredictable and willing to cause more damage. When certain villains got in his way, he wasn't afraid to cross the biggest line in order to get the job done. There's something to be said for heroes that are willing to sacrifice their own spirituality for the sake of the entire world.

15 WHY HE'S NOT: CAN'T SHAKE THE '90S

spider-man 2099

Spider-Man 2099 was known for being much more mature than the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. He fought a bit dirtier and wasn't afraid to cross the line when taking on criminals. However, his brooding attitude was clearly a product of the '90s, when comic publishers were obsessed with replacing popular characters with edgier versions.

While the character definitely stuck around and remained iconic, which is amazing for someone introduced in the '90s, his edgier attitude isn't something that has withstood the test of time. The character has gone through some revisions that have given him more depth, though, which is a nice change.

14 WHY HE'S THE BEST: GENETICALLY IMPRINTED DNA

Miguel O'Hara as Spider-Man 2099

Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider to gain his powers, meaning that his cells were altered. Miguel O'Hara, on the other hand, had a bit of a different origin story. His experiments resulted in his DNA being genetically imprinted with that of a spider's, meaning that his body's code itself gave him the spider powers.

Peter Parker's powers are bound to the radioactive chemicals, where Miguel O'Hara's are permanently bonded to him. Having this genetic code also allowed him to learn more abilities and be a bit more versatile in battle. It meant that he was harder to defeat as well.

13 WHY HE ISN'T:  EVENLY MATCHED TO VENOM

Venom 2099 in Spider-Man 2099

When comic book publishers introduced a character in the future, it only makes sense that they would end up crossing over with characters from the present-day and go toe-to-toe. However, when Miguel O'Hara came to the present day, the results were fairly lackluster when it came to combat. He took on Venom and found that he was evenly matched with the symbiote.

Despite the fact that he had a lot of power enhancements and abilities that Peter Parker didn't have, this was fairly disappointing. Venom was strong, but he was beatable by even Peter Parker. It just shows that Spider-Man 2099 didn't have the same level of willpower as the original Spider-Man.

12 WHY HE'S THE BEST: SUPER SPEED

When you think of powers that a Spider-Man would have, super speed is definitely not on that list. However, Spider-Man 2099 could move faster than just about any Spider-Man before or after him. He often used it to zip around his foes and take them out before they realized what was going on.

He was so fast that could even create a body double that would distract opponents while he went in for the final blow. Considering it's a similar idea behind the more impressive abilities of speedsters in the DC Universe, it was a pretty bid deal that Spider-Man 2099 could do that.

11 WHY HE'S THE WORST:  LACK OF STRENGTH

Miguel O'Hara was given a lot of powers and stat upgrades when he had spider powers, but that alone doesn't prove anything. He could take on all kinds of criminals in Nueva York and even bring down supervillains, but there needed to be a frame of reference to properly gauge his power.

Considering that he fought present-day Venom and was on an even playing field, that says something about his power level. Peter Parker, not holding back, is able to defeat the symbiote, meaning that Spider-Man 2099 is on a similar level to Peter Parker, despite having all of those upgrades and power enhancements.

10 WHY HE'S THE BEST: TELEPATHY

Spider-Man is not known to communicate with others outside of actually talking to them. However, Spider-Man 2099 takes it to a whole new level. He has shown on several occasions that he can communicate telepathically with others by speaking into their minds. He's not a mutant, though, so where does this power come from?

There are some that believe that it's a result of the genetic imprinting enhancing O'Hara's Spider Sense. This enhanced Spider Sense somehow allows Spider-Man 2099 to be able to communicate solely with his mind. While the specifics are unclear, this ability is extremely useful.

9 WHY HE'S NOT: JUST ANOTHER REPLICATION 

Regardless of how interesting or unique Spider-Man 2099 is, there's no denying that he is, canonically, a copy of the Peter Parker Spider-Man. In 2099, the present-day is referred to as the "Heroic Age," where all of the Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four roamed the Marvel Universe and saved the world from all sorts of threats.

Thus, the tale of Spider-Man is well-known. O'Hara decided that he was going to try and replicate the powers of Spider-Man and succeeded, giving himself a similar set of abilities. Again, he is different from Peter Parker in a lot of ways, but Spider-Man 2099 is a copy at his core.

8 WHY HE'S THE BEST: THOSE FANGS... AGAIN

Spider-Man 2099 is a bit more in touch with his spider side than most versions of Spider-Man. On top of the claws and talons, he has large fangs in his mouth. This fangs can be used to pierce into his opponents. What makes them more effective is the fact that they are loaded with venom that can paralyze others.

All Miguel has to do is lift up his mask, get a bite in, and his foe is ripe for being thrown in prison. The fangs do present a few problems for Spider-Man 2099, but they're still a cool addition to the spider roster that we would never see present on Peter Parker.

7 WHY HE'S NOT: MULTIPLE BACKSTORIES

Comics can get pretty complex, with multiple timelines, universe re-writes, and alternate realities to sift through. Those who enter in the comic world can easily get confused with all of the changes made to the main continuity. Unfortunately, Spider-Man 2099 is no exception.

Since his debut back in 1992, his origin story has gone through several re-writes and alterations that it makes it difficult to pinpoint what his origins actually are. Marvel has willingly changed his reality many times over, and that makes him a more complicated character to get invested in. It's also difficult to tell what counts as canon.

6 WHY HE'S THE BEST: GLIDING

One of the most interesting additions to Spider-Man 2099's costume is the tattered web cape on his back. As it turns out, this cape is made from a material that is specifically designed to capture air. Having this short cape allows Spider-Man 2099 to glide through the air for a fixed amount of time.

He has this ability in addition to being able to swing through the air, making him much more mobile than almost any other Spider-Man in existence. It's also necessary to get around in the futuristic New York. It also helps that the web cape looks cool on his costume, giving a classic accent to an updated design.

5 WHY HE'S NOT: BLACK NOT BLUE

When Spider-Man 2099 first appeared, it was clear to the readers that his costume was blue. However, in universe, many characters referred to his costume as "black." The reason for this is that the intention was for Spider-Man 2099 to have a black costume. The ink, when it was finally printed, appeared more blue, though.

Despite this noticeable visual change, the writers decided to just ignore it and hope that the readers would use their imaginations. Needless to say, it wasn't long before the mix-up started to confuse everyone. Thankfully, this awkward change was later rectified when Marvel officially referred to his costume as blue.

4 WHY HE'S THE BEST: SLOW AGING PROCESS

Something that came as the result of having genetic spider abilities as opposed to radioactive ones was that Spider-Man 2099 would age very slowly. He quickly found that the healing factor in his body slowed the aging process, allowing him to live much longer than he normally would.

This process allowed him to live for several years, as well as increase the amount of time was able to be Spider-Man 2099. His body was able to rapidly generate healthy cells and keep his normal functions in top shape. He could recover from extremely serious injuries as well, which kept the integrity of his body intact.

3 WHY HE'S NOT: BAD RELATIONSHIPS

Miguel O'Hara is far from the innocent youth that is Peter Parker, and the first big clue to that was when he was dating a girl named Xina Kwan. When Miguel O'Hara attended a special school, he met this girl and the two became good friends. After they became adults, they decided to form a serious romantic relationship.

Unfortunately for Kwan, the relationship was cut short when O'Hara decided to cheat on her Dana D'Angelo, who was the girlfriend of his own brother too. The two eventually got engaged, leaving several broken hearts in the process. It was clear from that point on that Miguel had a twisted sense of right and wrong at times.

2 WHY HE'S THE BEST: LIFTED MJOLNIR

Broken Mjolnir Thor 600

Miguel O'Hara went through a lot of self-discovery through his time as Spider-Man 2099. He eventually found Captain America, who was frozen in time, much like he was in the present day. It was Rogers who also wielded Mjolnir at the time, and the two heroes worked together to try and build a peaceful 2099.

Eventually, Rogers was thrown through space, never to return. His last deed was to throw Mjolnir at O'Hara, who shockingly caught it. Possessing a host of new powers, O'Hara finished what Rogers started and ushered in a new era of prosperity for 1,000 years. He proved himself worthy of the power of Thor.

1 WHY HE ISN'T: ARROGANCE

Miguel O'Hara was many things, even when he became Spider-Man 2099, and one of them was arrogant. He had a big chip on his shoulder that got even bigger when he was given spider powers. This arrogance gave him a lot more confidence when it came to fighting criminals or swinging through the streets of Nueva York.

It was this arrogance that allowed him to make decisions that ended up harming others. While he did learn to get along with others and even place them before himself, he had a long journey of self-discovery and a lot of arrogance that he had to overcome.