There are some evil Spider-Men out there thanks to alien symbiotes, genetic experiments gone wrong, and, of course, the multiverse. From doppelgangers and monsters to apocalyptic versions of himself and beyond, Spider-Man has shown he’s capable of evil.
Updated on July 23, 2024 by Scoot Allan: Peter Parker is dealing with a dark turn as Spider-Goblin in the currentrun of Amazing Spider-Man. However, that isn’t the only evil version of the character that fans have seen over the years. Variants like the cannibalistic Patient Zero or Marvel Zombies‘ undead Peter Parker have made fans fear the usually friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. This article has been updated with even more terrifying Spider-Men, new site features, and to conform to current CBR standards
30Peter Parker Became His Worst Self As Spider-Goblin
Norman Osborn’s sins transformed Spider-Man into an evil villain with dangerous technology
First Appearance:
Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 6) #51 (June 2024)
Creators:
Zeb Wells, Ed McGuinness, Todd Nauck, Mark Farmer, Cliff Rathburn, Wade Von Grawbadger, Marcio Menyz, Erick Arciniega and Bryan Valenza
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Peter Parker may be one of the funnier Marvel heroes, though Spider-Man has dealt with tragic losses and devastating moments that challenged the hero.
Spider-Man’s greatest arch-enemy has always been Norman Osborn, who was the first to don the Green Goblin costume. He was recently forcibly reformed by the Sin-Eater, who stole his sins. Those sins were used to create the villainous Queen Goblin, though they recently also turned Peter Parker into a terrifying mockery of his former heroic self.
After hitting one of his lowest points, Peter Parker accepted a job with Norman Osborn at Oscorp. He gained a powerful new Spider-Man suit equipped with new weaponry and it’s own Spider-Glider. However, Spider-Man saved Osborn from a spear containing his sins. After Osborn returned to his Goblin persona, those sins were used again to transform Parker into the terrifying Spider-Goblin.
29Web-Man Was Spider-Man’s Evil Double
The inverted Spider-Man is similar to Superman’s Bizarro
First Appearance:
Spidey Super Stories #25 (May 1977)
Creators:
Jim Salicrup, Nicola Cuti, Bill Mantlo, Win Mortimer, and Mike Esposito
Over the years, Spider-Man has faced a few terrifying duplicates of himself. Doctor Doom actually created one of the first using his twisted mirror Twin Machine invention. When the real Spider-Man stood in front of the mirror, Doctor Doom used it to create a dark twin of Spider-Man, who became known as Web-Man.
Web-Man’s costume was the same, though it featured an inverted color palette. He also had all the same powers as Spider-Man, though Web-Man’s intelligence was greatly reduced. Spider-Man could outsmart Web-Man, who returned to Doctor Doom defeated. Spider-Man destroyed Doctor Doom’s Twin Machine, and Web-Man disappeared into obscurity.
28Superior Spider-Man Became A Brutal Fist Of Justice
Peter Parker’s memories still influenced Otto Octavius to be a hero
First Appearance:
Amazing Spider-Man #697 (January 2013)
Creators:
Dan Slott, Christos N. Gage, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Dan Green, John Dell, Antonio Fabela, and Chris Eliopoulos
One of the most dangerous Spider-Man versions was born when Otto Octavius’s mind took over Peter Parker’s body. He became the Superior Spider-Man who enforced justice much harsher and more brutally than Peter Parker.
Superior Spider-Man built an army of Spider-Bots to patrol the city and help him take on villains and heroes. Otto Octavius ruined Parker’s reputation among the superhero community and attempted to use his increased power to take over the city. However, Otto fell for someone and sacrificed his control of Peter Parker’s body so the real Spider-Man could save the woman he loved.
27Savage Spider-Man Was A Horrifying Monster
It wasn’t Peter Parker’s first altered form, but it was one of his most monstrous
First Appearance:
Non-Stop Spider-Man #5 (November 2021)
Creators:
Joe Kelly, Chris Bachalo, Cory Smith, Gerardo Sandoval, Tim Townsend, Wayne Faucher, Victor Nava, Victor Olazaba, Chris Sotomayor, Jim Charalampidis, and Travis Lanham
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Spider-Man faced the threat of the Immaculatum and Baron Zemo in the pages of Non-Stop Spider-Man. The Immaculatum created a new serum called A-Plus that increased the subject’s physical attributes before making them obedient slaves to the evil group. Zemo injected Spider-Man with A-Plus, though the serum had a unique reaction with his radioactive physiology.
A-Plus mutated in Spider-Man’s system, transforming him into a massive spider monster. While he retained a semblance of his humanity, Zemo still took control and used the Savage Spider-Man. However, the A-Plus mutated again, and Spider-Man regained his human form with increased intelligence. He took down Zemo and the Immaculatum before purging A-Plus from his system.
26Peter Parker Never Gave Up The Symbiote in Spider’s Shadow
Spider-Man became Venom in this dark alternate-reality take on the symbiote saga
First Appearance:
Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow #1 (June 2021)
Creators:
Chip Zdarsky, Pasqual Ferry, Matt Hollingsworth, and Vc Joe Caramagna
Peter Parker was at his worst when the symbiote took him over and he became the black-suited Spider-Man. His relationship with the symbiote turned him into a powerful antihero. However, his newfound brutal tactics made him less a symbol of hope and more a symbol of fear.
It took all of Peter Parker’s will and strength to rid himself of the alien symbiote, but unfortunately, his actions led to the creation of Venom and a slew of villainous symbiotic foes. Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow followed an alternate version who never separated from the symbiote, and Peter Parker almost turned evil for good. He murdered his villains and attacked his allies before finally freeing himself from the symbiote.
25Dark Spider-Man Was A Serial Killer
Mac Gargan was just a pawn of both Norman Osborn and the Venom symbiote
First Appearance:
Dark Avengers #1 (January 2009)
Creators:
Brian Michael Bendis, Mike Deodato Jr., Rain Beredo, and Cory Petit
While Peter Parker was the first Earth character to bond with the Venom symbiote, he wasn’t the last. After abandoning its previous host, the Venom symbiote tracked down Mac Gargan, the villain formerly known as Scorpion. Gargan agreed to bond with the symbiote to become the new Venom, though he didn’t have as much control as his predecessors.
When Norman Osborn took over S.H.I.E.L.D. during the Dark Reign event, he formed his team of Dark Avengers. He gave Gargan a symbiote and a special serum that altered his appearance and allowed him to masquerade as Dark Spider-Man. He was a vicious and bloodthirsty version of Spider-Man who tarnished his name and reputation until Gargan lost the symbiote.
24Spiders-Man Was Comprised Of Literal Spiders
Peter Parker of Earth-11580 is one of the darkest variants that appeared during Spider-Verse
First Appearance:
Spider-Geddon #3 (January 2019)
Creators:
Christos N. Gage, Dan Slott, Carlo Barberi, Todd Nauck, José Marzan Jr., David Curiel, and Travis Lanham
Things went differently for Peter Parker of Earth-11580 after the young science student accidentally fell into a genetically engineered colony of spiders at Horizon Labs. The spiders completely consumed Peter’s body, and then a hive mind formed and merged with Parker’s consciousness.
Peter formed a human body from spiders and became Spiders-Man to protect the city. However, the spiders that make up his body had a ravenous appetite, making him a threat to other Multiversal Spider-Men during the Spider-Geddon event. Spiders-Man spread his spiders across the multiverse before helping another evil version destroy the Web of Life and Destiny.
23Assassin Spider-Man Had No Issue With Killing
This alternate Peter Parker took a very different path after the dark events of Spider-Man vs. Wolverine
First Appearance:
What If? Spider-Man Vs. Wolverine #1 (March 2008)
Creators:
Jeff Parker, Paul Tobin, Clayton Henry, Chris Sotomayor, and Nate Piekos
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One of Peter Parker’s defining traits is his refusal to take a life, opting to find another way to stop a villain or threat. On Earth-8351, Peter chose a different path and became one of the world’s top black ops assassins alongside Wolverine.
After following Wolverine to Russia, Peter accidentally killed Wolverine’s friend, who wanted to end her own life to stop the KGB from hunting her. Haunted by his actions, Spider-Man stayed with Wolverine and trained to become an assassin. This version of Spider-Man would later fight against the Inheritors during Spider-Verse and Spider-Geddon.
22The Other Was A Terrifying Spider-Totem
The Other created a dark avatar known as Ero to get back at Spider-Man
First Appearance:
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #4 (March 2006)
Creators:
Peter David, Mike Wieringo, Karl Kesel, Paul Mounts, and Cory Petit
The most powerful evil Spider-Man is The Other. In a storyline known by the same name, Peter Parker began having weird dreams and symptoms related to his Uncle Ben and spiders. Worried about his mortality, the impossibly powerful Inheritor known as Morlun beat him so badly that he ended up in the hospital.
Parker fought Morlun again in the hospital, taking the villain’s life with his final breath. Peter later emerged from a cocoon with enhanced powers after a powerful Spider-Totem known as The Other resurrected him. However, when Spider-Man rejected The Other, it passed on to other Spider-heroes, like Kaine/Scarlet Spider.
21A Symbiote Bonded With Spider-Man’s Dead Body To Become Poison
Peter Parker’s rejection of The Other had a dark outcome in an alternate reality
First Appearance:
What If? Spider-Man The Other #1 (November, 2006)
Creators:
Peter David, Khoi Pham, Sandu Florea, Marte Gracia and Joe Caramagna
In most realities, Spider-Man rejected The Other’s offer to be its avatar, though on Earth-70134, he killed The Other as well. Unfortunately, that halted his resurrection, leaving him trapped in his webbing cocoon. The Venom symbiote sensed Parker’s struggle, abandoned Mac Gargan, and bonded again with what was left of Peter Parker.
The Venom symbiote fought for months against the remains of Peter Parker’s psyche. When it won, it completely took over the partially restored body, though at the cost of Parker’s mind. The Venom symbiote rebranded itself as Poison and sought out Mary Jane, though she spurned him. Poison created a dark partner by bonding the Carnage symbiote to the deceased Gwen Stacy.
20Spider-Doppelganger Had A Lust For Violence
The monstrous Spider-Man was one of the few surviving doppelgangers to escape Infinity War
First Appearance:
Infinity War #1 (June 1992)
Creators:
Jim Starlin, Ron Lim, Al Milgrom, Max Scheele, Ian Laughlin, and Jack Morelli
Adam Warlock’s dark aspect, Magus, created an evil version of Spider-Man, which became known as Doppelganger during the Infinity War event. Presented as a more animalistic version rather than a fully intelligent human being, this evil version proved truly powerful.
Doppelganger had Spider-Man’s super strength, speed, wall-climbing, and spider-sense, but also came with far more dangerous powers like razor-edged webbing, claws, fangs, and six arms. Doppelganger later joined Carnage and his dark family in one of the most shocking moments from Maximum Carnage. While Doppelganger has appeared to die a few times, he keeps returning to challenge Spider-Man in new ways.
19Spider-X Made A Deal With Chthon
Brian Kornfield was a bullied teenager who gained a dark form through a magical bargain
First Appearance:
Midnight Sons Unlimited #3 (October 1993)
Creators:
Mort Todd, Javier Saltares, Mike Witherby, and John Kalisz
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After muggers attacked his mother, the Darkhold Dwarf tempted young Brian Kornfield and struck a deal with the Elder God Chthon. Kornfield became a monstrous spider-creature that took the name Spider-X.
Spider-X tried to fight crime but used brutal methods and ended up terrorizing the city, which caught the attention of the Midnight Sons. He faced off against Ghost Rider, Blaze, and even the Nightstalkers before he ultimately gave his life in a final battle against the electrically powered Zzzax.
18Darkhold Spider-Man Sacrificed Everything To Stop The Unraveling
The horror came from the extreme that Peter Parker would go to save his loved ones in the Darkhold
First Appearance:
Darkhold: Spider-Man #1 (December 2021)
Creators:
Alex Paknadel, Diogenes Neves, Jim Charalampidis and Clayton Cowles
Brian Kronfield wasn’t the only spider transformed by the Darkhold. Peter Parker found himself embroiled in a mystical event when the Darkhold resurfaced. Scarlet Witch assembled a team to stop Doctor Doom from accessing the eldritch power of the Darkhold, though it unlocked twisted visions of dark alternate realities for each hero.
Spider-Man saw a world threatened by an event called the Unraveling, which was a multiversal virus unleashed by Chthon. The Darkhold Spider-Man pushed himself to his limits and beyond as he fought to keep his city alive. He even sacrificed his close friend Reed Richards, whose elastic body he brutalized into webbing to keep the city from withering away. Unfortunately, Darkhold Spider-Man couldn’t save his wife, Gwen Stacy, from the Unraveling, and he lost what little there was left of his mind.
17Ben Reilly Proved More Sinister Than The Jackal
After a brief heroic return, the former Scarlet Spider fell even further as the villainous Chasm
First Appearance:
Amazing Spider-Man #93 (May 2022)
Creators:
Zeb Wells, Patrick Gleason, Sara Pichelli, Mark Bagley, Tim Townsend, Bryan Valenza, Carlos Lopez, and Joe Caramagna
A clone of Peter Parker, Ben Reilly began his heroic career as the Scarlet Spider. He also stepped in as Spider-Man several times over the years. However, Ben sometimes struggled with mental health strains caused by his repeated cloning.
When Ben Reilly returned after his first death, he became a new version of the villainous Jackal. He reformed for another brief stint as Spider-Man, but the Beyond Corp. erased his memories and exposed him to transformative chemicals that transformed his body. Reilly became the dark villain known as Chasm and fought to regain his memories from the original Spider-Man.
16Mindspinner Was A Desperate Clone of Miles Morales
While he followed his brother Selim’s villainous path, he sacrificed himself for his brother Shift
First Appearance:
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #25 (April, 2021)
Creators:
Saladin Ahmed, Carmen Carnero, David Curiel and Cory Petit
Miles Morales went through his own devastating Clone Saga after he became Spider-Man. He was kidnapped by a villain named the Assessor, who used Morales’ DNA to create three clones: Selim, Shift, and Mindspinner. Selim looked exactly like Miles, though Shift and Minspinner’s bodies underwent further mutation due to the unperfected cloning process.
Mindspinner physically resembled a human spider and had terrifying psionic abilities to further add to his horror. He followed Selim on their quest to find a cure for their cloned bodies’ degeneration. Despite the terror of his physical form, Mindspinner revealed his heroic side when he gave up his life to stop Selim from hurting their brother Shift.
15Spiders Man Was A Reptilian Monster On Earth X
Exposure to the Inhumans Terrigen Mists transformed a homeless man into a powerful villain
First Appearance:
Earth X #3 (April, 1999)
Creators:
Jim Krueger, Alex Ross, John Paul Leon, Bill Reinhold, Matt Hollingsworth and Todd Klein
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Jim Krueger, Alex Ross, and John Paul Leon introduced fans to a dark Marvel future in Earth X. After surviving yet another attack on his people, Inhuman leader Black Bolt unleashed the transformative Terrigen Mists across the world, transforming the population before they left the planet behind. A war between superhuman factions developed as former heroes teamed up with new characters to fight a growing evil.
One of the most terrifying transformations happened to Spiders Man, an unknown homeless man who underwent an intense physical transformation. The Terrigen Mists transformed him into a reptilian monster with red and blue scales that resembled Spider-Man’s former costume. Spiders Man could also use his psionic webs to cast dark illusions against his enemies. He fell under the thrall of the Skull’s telepathy but eventually found a new calling as a follower of Immortus in his future church.
14Spider-NorMan Was A Brutal And Brilliant Combatant
Norman Osborn from Earth-44145 gained spider abilities instead of Peter Parker
First Appearance:
Edge of Spider-Geddon #4 (November 2018)
Creators:
Aaron Kuder, Will Robson, Craig Yeung, Andres Mossa, and Cory Petit
Peter Parker isn’t the only character who has become Spider-Man across the multiverse. On Earth-44145, Norman Osborn was the one who received powerful spider abilities, which he used to become Spider-Man. However, Norman’s transformation went further than most Spider-People, and he developed four extra arms.
Norman’s greatest enemy was his son Harry Osborn, who wore a special Goblin suit designed by Peter Parker. Norman joined the fight against the Inheritors in Spider-Geddon, but he soon struck off on his own with Spiders-Man — causing incredible damage to the Web of Life and Destiny.
13Pestilence Was A Horseman Of Apocalypse
Peter Parker has become a pawn of the villainous Apocalypse in more than one reality
First Appearance:
Cable & Deadpool #15 (July 2005)
Creators:
Fabian Nicieza, Patrick Zircher, M3th, Gotham, and Cory Petit
One unique evil version of Spider-Man fans may not remember is the Earth-5701 version of Peter Parker, who lived in an alternate version of the X-Men’s redesigned Age of Apocalypse reality. In this timeline, Apocalypse chose Peter Parker to become one of his four horsemen, Pestilence.
With six arms and poisoned fangs, Pestilence joined Famine and Archangel in a battle with Earth-616’s Deadpool, Cannonball, and Siryn as they searched for a lost Cable in the multiverse. Another version of this evil Spider-Man, bonded with an alien symbiote, appeared during the Heroic Age.
12The Spider Was A Member of a Multiversal Team of Killers
A murderous Peter Parker bonded with the Carnage symbiote
First Appearance:
Exiles #12 (June 2002)
Creators:
Judd Winick, Mike McKone, John Holdredge, Transparency Digital, and Paul Tutrone
One of the most feared versions of Spider-Man is his alternate version, known simply as The Spider. He appeared as a member of the reality-hopping Weapon X in the Exiles series. This Peter Parker was so dangerous because he merged with the Carnage symbiote, usually bonded to serial killer Cletus Kassidy.
This version of Peter became a wild killer and had been on death row for a time on his world, Earth-15. He would join Weapon X alongside other ruthless characters from across the multiverse. They fixed broken realities like the Exiles, but they took on bloodier missions, which delighted The Spider.
11Spider-Man 2099 Is A Dark, Hardened Crime-Fighter
Miguel O’Hara was given even more of an evil edge in the Spider-Verse movies
First Appearance:
Spider-Man 2099#1 (November 1992)
Creators:
Peter David, Rick Leonardi, Al Williamson, Steve Buccellato, and Rick Parker
While The Spot appeared to be the main villain in 2023’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, it was Miguel O’Hara’s Spider-Man 2099 who really terrified fans. The misguided leader of the Spider Society fought to protect the Web of Life and Destiny by any means necessary.
However, Miguel O’Hara also struggled with a tragic loss and a dark transformation that made him one of the scariest Spider-Man in the film. The comic version of Spider-Man 2099 is equally as dark, though he never felt as terrifying as the animated version on the big screen.
