Summary
- Kraven the Hunter may not be the most powerful, but his enhancements give him the edge needed to be a credible threat to Spider-Man.
- Both Tombstone and Doctor Octopus have enhanced strength that allows them to hold their own against powerful heroes and villains.
- Shathra, a spider-wasp, is a dangerous threat to Spider-Man with her ability to overpower him and lift up to 25 tons in her spider-wasp form.
When it comes to Spider-Man villains, most of his baddies are thieves and neer-do-wells, though a few of them also gained incredible superpowers. Since some of these foes, like Mysterio or Electro, would lose in a fistfight to an average guy at a bar, some fans are left wondering "Who is Spider-Man's strongest enemy?"
Since Spider-Man has super strength – able to lift up to 10 tons in his normal state – he needs villains who can knock him around if needed in a fight. While the strongest Spider-Man villains don't match up to those who fight Iron Man or Hulk when it comes to strength, they can still put up a good fight.
Updated on July 21, 2023, by Scoot Allan: Spider-Man's rogues' gallery has continued to grow over the years, introducing new characters who can both match and overpower the wall-crawler to give him a new challenge. The most powerful Spider-Man villains have measured up to the wall-crawler and brought him to the edge of his own strength in some of his deadliest battles.
20 Sergei Kravinoff/Kraven The Hunter
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #15 (May 1964) by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and Artie Simek
Sergei Kravinoff enhanced himself naturally using potions he learned from his lover and partner Calypso that increased his strength, speed, and endurance to become Kraven the Hunter. He wasn't the most powerful of Spider-Man villains, but his enhancements gave him the edge he needed to become a credible threat.
- Strength Class: Kraven the Hunter can consistently lift around 2 tons
Kraven used additional herbs and potions to enhance himself in specific ways over the years. He also utilized a number of poisons as weapons against Spider-Man to bring him down to his level and make the wall-crawler even more vulnerable to Kraven's own enhanced strength.
19 Lonnie Lincoln/Tombstone
First Appearance: Web of Spider-Man #36 (November 1987) by Gerry Conway, Alex Saviuk, Keith Williams, Janet Jackson, and Rick Parker
The crime boss Tombstone was originally a bully named Lonnie Lincoln who increased his strength exponentially. Exposure to an experimental gas mutated his body. He also gained self-proclaimed "diamond-hard skin" that made him invulnerable to bullets and extreme temperatures, increasing his already dangerous threat.
- Strength Class: Tombstone can consistently lift over 6 tons
Tombstone became one of Kingpin's top hitmen before he struck out for power on his own as one of New York's top crime bosses. He faced off with a number of powerful heroes including both Spider-Men (Peter Parker and Ben Reilly) and Daredevil. His enhanced strength helped him hold his own against the other villains hoping to take over parts of New York.
18 Dr. Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #3 (April 1963) by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and John Duffy
Doctor Octopus is an interesting case when it comes to his strength. With his hands and muscles, he can't beat up anyone. He would lose fights to just about any hero or villain he faced off with. However, he has four metallic tentacle arms, and that is where the strength comes in.
- Strength Class: Doctor Octopus' tentacles can each lift up to six tons
Each arm can lift about six tons. With two arms on the ground to support Doc Ock, his other two arms could combine for 24 tons of total power. His body's strength levels were also increased after his fan-favorite time as the Superior Spider-Man when he returned to a cloned body with spider powers. However, he's since returned to his original body and robotic tentacles.
17 Delilah
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #414 (June 1996) by Tom DeFalco, Mark Bagley, Larry Mahlstedt, Bob Sharen, Richard Starkings, and Comicraft
Both Ben Reilly and Peter Parker encountered the powerful assassin Delilah while they operated as Spider-Man. Delilah worked with the second iteration of The Rose during a superpowered gang war that took place on New York's city streets.
- Strength Class: Delilah can consistently lift around 10 tons
Delilah was not only skilled in a number of deadly arts but she had also been enhanced to a superhuman level. This granted her incredible strength that put her in an elevated level of supervillains. While she's only had a few appearances after her peak popularity, Delilah's strength still stood out to fans and made her a memorable foe of Spider-Man.
16 Norman Osborn/Green Goblin
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #14 (April 1964) by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and Art Simek
Thanks to the Goblin Formula, Norman Osborn enhanced his strength to become the Green Goblin and match Spider-Man's enhanced powers. While using the formula, Osborn became more powerful than normal humans which helped him stand up to some of Marvel's strongest heroes.
- Strength Class: Green Goblin can consistently lift around 10 tons
The Goblin formula has had a few different versions over the years that have continued to improve the strength of the character. Norman Osborn even increased his strength temporarily with the Carnage symbiote when he became the Red Goblin, though he soon reverted to his regular strength level when he became the heroic Gold Goblin.
15 Roderick Kingsley/Hobgoblin
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #238 (November 1982) by Roger Stern, John Romita Jr., John Romita Sr., Andy Yanchus, and Joe Rosen
There have been a few different characters who have used the alias of Hobgoblin over the years, but the original was Roderick Kingsley. He used an advanced version of the Goblin formula to enhance his strength to incredible levels.
- Strength Class: Hobgoblin can consistently lift around 10 tons
Hobgoblin's strength surprised even Green Goblin when they encountered each other, putting Hobgoblin in a slightly higher class. Other versions in a similar class were the demonic version known as Demogoblin as well as Jason Macendale, who used an advanced version of Kraven's potion to enhance his strength and endurance during his time as Hobgoblin.
14 Dr. Curt Connors/The Lizard
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #6 (August 1963) by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and Art Simek
Curt Connors has very little in the way of strength due to the fact that he only has one arm and has done very little exercise as a scientist. However, thanks to the formula he used to try to regrow his arm, he occasionally turns into the Lizard which gives him incredible superhuman strength.
- Strength Class: The Lizad can consistently lift up to 12 tons
The Lizard's superhuman leg strength can propel him almost 20 feet into the air. Part of the Lizard's strength comes from his ability to strike with his powerful tail. His strength has also changed over the years as the Lizard's transformation has intensified.
13 Mac Gargan/Scorpion
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #20 (October 1964) by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and Sam Rosen
Mac Gargan was one of Spider-Man's earliest and strongest foes. He was a private investigator looking into Spider-Man for J. Jonah Jameson, who also paid him to undergo an experimental transformation. A scientist blended his genetics with a Scorpion and encased him in a powerful suit of armor.
- Strength Class: Scorpion can consistently lift around 15 tons
As the Scorpion, he proved to be Spider-Man's match physically. However, he eventually regretted the experiment and tried to find a way to reverse the process to no avail. The Scorpion's superhuman strength allows him to lift around 15 tons, though his strength increased dramatically when Mac Gargan was briefly bonded to the Venom symbiote.
12 Shathra
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #46 (November 2002) by J. Michael Straczynski, John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, Brian Haberlin, Richard Starkings, and Jimmy Betancourt
The powerful other-dimensional being known as Shathra first appeared in Spider-Man's reality after she followed him there from the Negative Zone. As a spider-wasp, Shathra is the natural enemy of spiders, which made her a dangerous threat to Spider-Man and his allies. While her strength is similar to Spider-Man, she has overpowered him on more than one occasion.
- Strength Class: Shathra can lift up to 25 tons when in her spider-wasp form
Shathra returned during The End of the Spider-Verse event as she attempted to destroy the Great Web of Life and Destiny and the Spider-Totems that inhabited it. Her powerful spider-wasp form allowed her to take control of Spider-Totems and add them to her Great Nest. She increased the strength of her army with Spider-Man's closest allies before he sent her to another dimension.
11 Alistair Smythe/Spider-Slayer
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man Annual #19 (August 1985) by Louise Simonson, Mary Wilshire, Pat Redding, Bob Sharen, and Janice Chiang
Early in Spider-Man's career, one of his greatest enemies was J. Jonah Jameson. The newspaper publisher used his wealth and resources to hire others like Scorpion to take on Spider-Man. He hired a scientist named Spencer Smythe to create powerful robots known as Spider-Slayers. Unfortunately, exposure to unsafe toxins during the Spyder-Slayers' construction claimed Smythe's life.
- Strength Class: Smythe can lift up to 25 tons while in his enhanced carapace
His son Alistair Smythe blamed Jameson and Spider-Man, so he carried on his father's legacy and created new advanced robotic spider-slayers. When those failed, he then genetically modified his own body and outfitted himself in a powerful suit of armor as the Ultimate Spider-Slayer. His strength increased dramatically, though he became entirely dependent on his enhanced carapace.
10 Martin Li/Mister Negative
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man Free Comic Book Day 2007 #1 (May 2007) by Dan Slott, Phil Jimenez, Andy Lanning, John Dell, Jeremy Cox, Chris Eliopoulos, and Cory Petit
No one knows what Mister Negative is truly capable of, since his power levels vary depending on his form and energy levels. Criminal scientists kidnapped Martin Li and experimented on him with the D-Lite drugs. He gained incredible powers connected to the Darkforce and the Lightforce, much like the other victims of the experiment, Cloak and Dagger.
- Strength Class: Mister Negative can lift between 25-75 tons
Martin Li has limited control of the Lightforce while his alternate form of Mister Negative wields the Darkforce in various ways. Mister Negative has the strength to punch Spider-Man through multiple buildings with one blow, though he can also take control of others or fire powerful concussive blasts of energy to further increase his threat.
9 Morlun
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #30 (April 2001) by J. Michael Straczynski, John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, Dan Kemp, Avalon Studios, Richard Starkings, and Wes Abbott
Morlun has the power to travel between dimensions, and his goal is to hunt down all Spider-Totems to consume and increase his power. He has a unique physiology that gives him many superhuman attributes, and this includes superhuman strength.
- Strength Class: Morlun can consistently lift over 20 tons, though that can increase based on his consumed totemic energies
Morlun has superhuman strength that varies based on what he has fed on recently, as well as how powerful that source was. He's ripped apart an Adamantium net with his bare hands when adequately fed. While he's only been around for a relatively short time, Morlun has already proven himself as one of Spider-Man's most brutal villains.
8 Gabriel & Sarah StacyKindred
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #1 (July 2018) by Nick Spencer, Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, Laura Martin, and Joe Caramagna
The mysterious being known as Kindred was able to overpower Spider-Man in every one of their encounters. This was ultimately revealed to be due to a mixture of an enhanced Goblin formula and powerful demonic abilities from Mephisto.
- Strength Class: Kindred can consistently lift over 25 tons
Kindred was actually Gabriel and Sarah Stacy, twins who believed they were the children of Norman Osborn and Gwen Stacy. They were actually clones created by Harry Osborn who used their enhanced abilities together as Kindred. They tortured Spider-Man in yet another of the deceased Harry Osborn's plans from beyond the grave.
7 Spider-Doppelganger
First Appearance: Infinity War #1 (April 1992) by Jim Starlin, Ron Lim, Al Milgrom, Max Scheele, Ian Laughlin, and Jack Morelli
The evil half of Adam Warlock known as Magus created powerful doppelgangers of popular Marvel heroes during the Infinity War event. While most of the doppelganger's disappeared after the heroes defeated Magus, a few stuck around to torment their heroic opposites. Spider-Man's doppelganger survived and played an important role in events like Maximum Carnage.
- Strength Class: Doppelganger can lift between 25-75 tons
The Spider-Doppelganger shares many of the same powers and abilities as Spider-Man, which includes the incredible proportionate strength of a spider. However, he also had deadly razor-sharp webbing, edged teeth, and slashing talons that further increased his threat level. If Doppelganger had Spider-Man's intelligence, he would be one of the wall-crawler's most dangerous enemies.
6 William Baker/Sandman
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #4 (June 1963) by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and Sam Rosen
Sandman is one of Spider-Man's oldest and most iconic supervillains. William Baker/Flint Marko was a thief who gained his powers from exposure to radiation which allowed him to turn his body into sand. This transformation allowed him to become both impossible to touch and also hard as a rock when fighting back.
- Strength Class: Sandman can consistently lift upwards of 85 tons
When Flint Marko grows into a giant animated sand creature, Sandman can lift up to 85 tons in standard conditions. This can fluctuate based on the amount of sand Marko has absorbed into his body, making him one of Spider-Man's strongest villains if he's having a beach day.
5 Cletus Kasady/Carnage
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #360 (January 1992) by David Michelinie, Chris Marrinan, Keith Williams, Bob Sharen, Rick Parker
The Carnage symbiote is a spawn of the Venom symbiote who bonded with a brutal serial killer named Cletus Kasady. age was that much stronger. Like Venom, the symbiote gave Kasady superhuman strength along with the abilities taken from Spider-Man. He was initially able to easily lift over 80 tons, which made him a challenge for both Venom and Spider-Man combined.
- Strength Class: Carnage can consistently lift up to 80 tons
However, Carnage's strength has increased over the years as his symbiote has mutated or changed. During the Absolute Carnage storyline, he bonded with the Grendel symbiote to become Dark Carnage. After the destruction of Kasady's body, his consciousness survived inside the Extrembiote armor from the King in Black event which further increased his monstrous strength.
4 Eddie Brock/Venom
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #300 (January 1988) by David Michelinie, Todd McFarlane, Bob Sharen, and Rick Parker
The alien symbiote already made Spider-Man stronger when it bonded with Peter Parker, and it did the same thing when it bonded with Eddie Brock to become Venom. When it comes to his strength level, the symbiote gave Eddie great powers though he could already bench a considerable amount in his human form.
- Strength Class: Venom can consistently lift over 70 tons
As Venom, he could lift up to 70 tons in regular size and could go possibly higher if he enhanced its size even more. Venom also recently got a power increase when Eddie Brock became the god of symbiotes known as the King in Black, which further increased his strength. However, Venom and Spider-Man buried the hatchet years ago, despite their initial deep-seated rivalry.
3 Digger
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #51 (March 2003) by J. Michael Straczynski, John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, Dan Kemp, and Chris Eliopoulos
In 1957, a crime boss named Morris Forelli ordered a hit on his main rivals, which left thirteen gangsters dead in Las Vegas. Gangsters dumped their bodies outside the city in the desert, though years later an experimental gamma bomb brought them back to life. However, the remains formed together as a powerful being known as Digger.
- Strength Class: Digger can consistently lift anywhere between 75-100 tons75-100 tons
Much like the Hulk and other gamma-powered characters, Digger had access to incredible strength that made him a deadly threat to Spider-Man and others. Digger came back to get revenge on Forelli. Spider-Man defeated Digger by causing him to expend too much gamma radiation, though when he returned years later he painfully reminded the web-slinger of his incredible strength.
2 Aleksei Sytsevich/Rhino
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #41 (July 1966) by Stan Lee, John Romita Sr., Mike Esposito, and Artie Simek
One of Spider-Man's strongest villains is The Rhino. Aleksei Sytsevich was a member of the Russian mafia who undertook chemical and gamma radiation treatments that gave him superhuman strength and durability.
- Strength Class: Rhino can consistently lift anywhere between 75-100 tons
Scientists permanently bonded a powerful armor to Sytsevich's body, making him very powerful. With the gamma radiation powers and with his armor, he can lift well beyond most of Spider-Man's other foes. Yet with all his strength, Rhino still usually sells out his services to the highest bidder.
1 Cain Marko/Juggernaut
First Appearance: X-Men #12 (May 1965) by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Alex Toth, Vince Colletta, and Sam Rosen
While he's better known as one of the X-Men's most powerful villains, Cain Marko has also faced Spider-Man a few times as the Unstoppable Juggernaut. Marko served in the military during the Korean War, where he first discovered the hidden Temple of Cyttorak. Inside he found a glowing ruby that mystically transformed him into the armored Juggernaut.
- Strength Class: Juggernaut has nearly limitless strength and can lift well over 100 tons
As the avatar of the god known as Cyttorak, Juggernaut can draw upon nearly limitless energy to keep himself moving in his chosen direction, making him seemingly unstoppable. He can use this same energy to increase his strength as needed, making him one of the most dangerous villains Spider-Man ever defeated.