He does whatever a spider can and has helped defeat cosmic terrors and tremendous evils like Galactus, Thanos, and Ultron. Spider-Man is proof that you don't have to be the strongest, the fastest, or the smartest to be a good superhero-- you only need to keep doing what's right no matter the reward nor the consequences. It's a thankless job so a few wisecracks and tomfoolery during fights won't hurt.
At least, that's how Spider-Man did it in Marvel. He got by despite his humorous outlook towards the threats he's facing. How does that work in the more serious and darker DC universe? Let's explore that, shall we? We'll evaluate Spider-Man against some of the most prominent villains of DC and see how he fares. Here are five of those villains Spider-Man can defeat and five others who might reunite him with Uncle Ben.
10 CAN'T DEFEAT: DARKSEID
If Spider-Man alone can't defeat Thanos, then it's safe to say that he'll have trouble defeating the baddie which inspired the conception of Thanos, DC's Darkseid. In many ways, Darkseid can be considered more powerful than Thanos, even if Thanos had his "wipe-the-universe" starter kit.
In fact, Darkseid is more akin to Galactus and only appears to mortals in an Avatar form where his true self is a lot more vast and incomprehensible. That's way too much for Spider-Man's paygrade, as with all cosmic-level threats. Miles Morales possessed by the Uni-Power might stand a chance but the odds of that happening are not exactly up to him.
9 CAN DEFEAT: THE JOKER
Darkseid is on a whole different league compared to Spider-Man so let's scale down a dozen-fold to street-level threats: the Joker. He's one of the most popular (if not the most) comic book villains ever and has the depth and dynamics to match Batman's. Spider-Man would have no trouble putting Joker behind bars since the clown prince of crime is just a mere human.
That isn't to say it would be an easy victory. If Joker manages to get his hands on Aunt May or Mary Jane, it could be game over for Spider-Man, but that really depends on who's crossing over where. In any case, Spider-Man is no stranger to dealing with sickos like Joker; it should be manageable for him.
8 CAN'T DEFEAT: ZOOM
Surprisingly enough, one of the most similar superhero to Spider-Man in DC is The Flash. They both share an optimistic attitude and lighthearted aura. Nevertheless, The Flash's enemies can be way too much for Spider-Man to handle. Eobard Thawne (a.k.a. Zoom) is one of The Flash's most troublesome enemies and also his arch-nemesis.
He's someone whom Spider-Man won't be able to handle no matter how much his Spidey senses tingle. On top of being too fast even for Spider-Man, Thawne also has this penchant of ruining timelines to his advantage. There's really nothing Spider-Man can do about that.
7 CAN DEFEAT: DEATHSTROKE
Menacing as Thawne may be, there are still some DC villains who ooze with a murderous aura that they make Thawn look like a prankster by comparison. That villain would be Deathstroke, he's a lot weaker than Thawne or Darkseid but is still formidable for the likes of the Justice League or the Teen Titans.
Deathstroke's no mere human too, he's a genetically enhanced killing machine which puts him slightly higher than Batman on the physical aspect. Even so, Spider-Man is easily stronger, faster, and has better reflexes than Deathstroke. It would probably go down as Spidey's most difficult and life-threatening victory in this list, however; Deathstroke is no slouch and has better experience than Spider-Man. There's no doubt he can do it, though, having faced more lethal threats like the Hulk or Juggernaut.
6 CAN'T DEFEAT: ANTI-MONITOR
Anti-Monitor is one of the closest beings to Galactus that DC has. Like the Marvel's resident planet eater, Anti-Monitor is also out to destroy celestial bodies and sometimes even galaxies. As such, Anti-Monitor is the usual standard omnipotent threat that requires more than a dozen superheroes to defeat.
Spider-Man, for that matter, is no match for the Anti-Monitor. No amount of webs, punches, or quips will take down the cosmic behemoth. Of course, that should already be a given since Spider-Man cannot defeat beings like Galactus by himself.
5 CAN DEFEAT: BANE
Bane is one of the few enemies who was able to give Batman a humiliating defeat though he sort cheated. His favorite choice of steroids on steroids whom he calls "Venom" gives him superhuman strength (though it's still a lot weaker than Superman-level).
Even Spider-Man might be able to match Bane on his regular dosage of Venom. It doesn't look like it but Spider-Man can easily lift or press 25 tons (perhaps more). Combined with enhanced reflexes, webs, and the Spider-sense, Bane will have to overdose just to keep up and even so, he'll likely still lose.
4 CAN'T DEFEAT: BRAINIAC
Another cosmic-level threat from DC whom Spider-Man can't handle on his own would be Brainiac. Brainiac is such a powerful being that it usually requires Kryptonians and more, to defeat him. Funny thing is, most of the bad deeds he's doing is only due to his hobby of being a cosmic collector of sorts.
Brainiac likes to collect a sample of every living being in existence to study them. Brainiac is also believed to be the most intelligent being in the DC universe who also has the physiology to rival Superman's. As you can imagine, Spider-Man would look good in Brainiac's terrarium.
3 CAN DEFEAT: BLACK MANTA
Aquaman's arch-nemesis, Black Manta, is but a mere human who's able to go toe-to-toe with Atlanteans through technology and his lethal inventions. In that regard, Black Manta has an awesome résumé; he has constantly ruined Aquaman's life and was even able to scar and disfigure him.
It's a good thing Spider-Man is used to inventive killers who use technology to grain powers. Having faced the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and many other mad geniuses with advanced weaponry, Black Manta is routine for Spider-Man-- as lone as he takes the fight seriously.
2 CAN'T DEFEAT: NEKRON
Nekron is the Lord of the Unliving in the DC universe and it stands to reason that Spider-Man should steer clear of this multiversal threat. Nekron simply cannot be killed... he's probably not even alive either and his reappearance after a defeat is only a matter of time.
That is assuming Spider-Man can even tickle Nekron. Spider-Man is not exactly immune to magic and just one touch from Nekron is enough to bring the mortal Peter Parker (or Miles Morales) to death. Other than that, Nekron can even revive Uncle Ben's corpse to fight Parker just to add insult to injury.
1 CAN DEFEAT: OWLMAN
Since we can't pit Batman against Spider-Man here, he'll have to contend with the next best evil thing: Owlman. He's basically Batman if Bruce Wayne had an evil psycho brother who kills him and their parents then grew to have a fixation with owls instead of bats.
Like Batman, Owlman's cunning or intelligence transcends multiverses and has a contingency for any threat. Still, we'd have to give this to Spider-Man because of his ace against Owlman: his Spider-sense. It's a secret weapon that's not something Owlman could anticipate. Besides, Spider-Man already has the physical advantage.