Spider-Man has survived a lot of tense and dangerous situations. He has gained a great deal of experience from some brutal fights. But the right characters don't always win. Occasionally the end result of a battle leaves the Marvel Universe worse off. Whether it's Peter himself involved in the struggle, or an adjacent character, the consequences of these losses are steep.
Sometimes, the short-term impact of these results aren't always negative. But the benefit of hindsight demonstrates why the other combatants should have claimed victory in each scenario. Comic book history continues to look back on these skirmishes as many are still vitally influential for the web-head's narrative.
10 Green Goblin Decides Gwen Stacy's Fate
Green Goblin and Spider-Man's battles are simply legendary. More often than not, the web-head comes out victorious. However, there is one infamous story where the wrong man won. The aftermath of that victory has echoed through the Marvel timeline.
In a narrative referred to The Night Gwen Stacy Died, or sometimes referenced as The Green Goblin's Last Stand, the unthinkable happened. While Spidey might have had Osborn on the ropes, the Green Goblin had the final laugh. With Gwen Stacy plunging to her death, Spider-Man wasn't fast enough to save her. It's one of the darkest endings in Spider-Man history and a victory Osborn should have never been able to claim.
9 Kraven's Last Hunt
Kraven's Last Hunt is an epic story that features the Spider-Man nemesis stepping into the life of the superhero. While its ending might be tragic, with Kraven taking his own life after achieving everything he could have hoped for, it also kicks off with a shocking fight.
Kraven and Spider-Man are pitted against one another, and in a surprising twist, Kraven defeats the web-slinger. Peter Parker is assumed dead, although it is later revealed that he was hit with a tranquilizer. The wrong man won the fight that day and the result spiraled into Kraven's ultimate downfall.
8 Miles Is Taken By Assessor
Miles Morales represents the next generation of Spider-based vigilantes. However, he's never experienced defeat quite like his battles with the Assessor. Regardless of who he sends to do his bidding, whenever Morales is faced with the Assessor's men he seemingly loses.
Each time he loses the fight, the Assessor abducts Miles and continues his experimentation. The character is becoming one of Miles' more notable enemies due to his consistent attacks and gut-wrenching successes. Next time Morales and Assessor go head-to-head, he should win the fight resoundingly. For now, the records go in the Assessor's favor.
7 Sin-Eater And Osborn's Struggle
Sin-Eater is a complex character with multiple iterations emerging in Spider-Man lore. The figure was on a rampage and one character that got in his way was Norman Osborn. The two briefly fought in a physical struggle and a war of words. It was oddly Green Goblin that won-out.
The Goblin convinced Sin-Eater to fire on Osborn. Sin-Eater obliged, supposedly removing the sins of Norman, and thus the Goblin himself. However, the wrong character won this battle of minds. If the Goblin wanted those sins removed, there must be a more sinister plot afoot. That can only mean terrible things for Spidey in the long-term.
6 Jester & Jack O'Lantern's Civil War Spree
The Civil War epic focused largely on Spider-Man, who played both sides of the conflict. First joining team Iron Man, he abandoned post and attempted to link up with Captain America's rebels instead. But the Thunderbolts were sent after Peter to stop him from ever reaching his allies.
Jester and Jack O'Lantern are third-rate villains, but they had the advantage and won the fight with Spidey. Peter might have died there had the Punisher not turned up and murdered the Thunderbolt representatives. The influential Marvel hero could have been taken from the landscape for good, due to two laughable antagonists.
5 Zombie Spider-Man
Marvel Zombies pitched the concept of some of the company's classic heroes getting transformed into the undead. This reality's Spider-Man devastatingly lost that fight, with the zombie virus taking hold. However, that's not the only struggle worth mentioning.
Indeed, the Sinister Six confronts the Zombie Spidey, only to get brutally murdered. Sandman escapes and comes across another version of Spider-Man. Terrified by what he has witnessed though, he kills Peter on sight, drowning him in his sand. The victory of Zombie Spider-Man horrifyingly led to the deaths of multiple villains and a heroic Peter.
4 Shathra's Spider-Verse Invasion
Shathra is a recently relevant foe which Spider-Man has had to dig deep to confront. While Shathra was always ultimately going to be beaten, she had already won plenty of fights that she shouldn't have. Across the Spider-Verse, the deity had been putting her wasps into action.
The End of the Spider-Verse arc deserves more attention because of this widespread invasion. The wasps won the fight against some of the Marvel multiverse's most powerful variants of Spider-Man. They were infected and brought in line with Shathra who used her foot soldiers to attack what remained of the web at the center of the universe.
3 Doctor Octopus Takes Peter's Body
Doctor Octopus and Peter Parker have become common foes. Their battles are legendary, although it's rare to find that Doc Ock has won. There was one fight that Spider-Man had no chance of winning. The war for his very body and moniker. Doc Ock stole everything from Peter.
In the Superior Spider-Man arc, Otto Octavius defeated his arch nemesis and took on the role of Spider-Man. He lived in Peter's life for a significant period. The win shocked the comic book community, but the status quo would eventually be reversed when Doc Ock allowed Peter's mind to take full control again.
2 Uncle Ben And The Thief
To suggest there was a fight between Uncle Ben's killer and Spider-Man's family is generous. However, a brief struggle did break out, with Aunt May pushing back against the criminal while Ben reasoned with him. The tragic event obviously has a dark ending.
Despite the brief attempt to battle back, Uncle Ben is shot. It's a moment that defines Peter Parker and inspires him to be a hero. But the wrong person won this fight. Spider-Man has become stronger because of the loss, but he could have been even more heroic if Ben was still able to guide him.
1 Ultimate Spider-Man's Death
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Spider-Man was always going to make the sacrifice play. Marvel fans just never wanted to see it. But in the Ultimate Universe it finally happened. Peter Parker was killed for good to make way for a new Spider-Man. In a battle with the Ultimate version of Green Goblin, Osborn claimed victory.
It's a heartbreaking scene that indicates the wrong person wins the fight. The consequences were massive, as the world mourned the loss of one of the best superheroes. But Miles Morales was able to continue the Spider-Man legacy, allowing the memory of Peter to live on.