Nearly every Marvel hero, from Captain America to Iron Man, has died at least once, and Spider-Man is certainly no different. But considering how beloved Spidey is within the pantheon of Marvel’s superheroes, it’s odd that he has suffered some of the most horrific deaths out of anyone else.
Spider-Man is remarkably powerful, but he’s still primarily a street-level hero. He’s gotten into tons of fights that he’s barely survived, because at the end of the day, he’s just a man with enhanced strength and agility. He doesn’t have the borderline invulnerability of Thor or Hulk. A well-placed bullet would be all it takes to kill Spider-Man, which is why there are plenty of versions across the Marvel multiverse where Spider-Man simply doesn’t survive one dangerous encounter and instead meets a horrific death.
10 Peter’s Life Force is Drained by the Symbiote
What If #4 by Danny Fingeroth, Mark Bagley, Keith Williams, Tom Vincent, and Ken Lopez
One of the darker periods of Peter’s life as a hero is when Spider-Man wears his black symbiote suit. Peter gets this suit during the events of Secret Wars after his old costume is destroyed. Eventually, Peter realizes this suit is an alien and seeks to remove it before it bonds to him personally. On Earth-616, he succeeds, but in another world, he isn’t fast enough and the symbiote bonds to him permanently. This results in it draining his life force, aging him 50 years in the span of a few weeks, before leaving him to die of old age.
9 Peter’s Life and Identity are Stolen by Doctor Octopus
The Amazing Spider-Man #700 by Dan Slott, Humberto Ramos, Victor Olazaba, Edgar Delgado, and Chris Eliopoulos
Doctor Octopus has always been one of Peter’s smartest villains, and when Doc Ock finds himself broken and dying, he conceives a plan for his ultimate revenge against Spider-Man. Using a device he creates, Dock Ock is able to transfer his mind into Peter’s body, allowing him to become the Superior Spider-Man. While Peter tries to get his body back, he ultimately fails and dies as Doc Ock’s body breaks down. Otto then takes Peter’s identity and lives his life for several years, while Peter’s friends are entirely unaware he has died.
8 Spider-Man is Beaten to Death by Thanos’ Perfect Lover
Infinity Gauntlet #4 by Jim Starlin, Ron Lim, George Perez, Josef Rubinstein, Bruce N. Solotoff, Jack Morelli, Max Scheele, and Ian Laughlin
One of the biggest events in Marvel history is 1991’s Infinity Gauntlet, which sees Thanos declare war on every living being in the universe. Thanos is able to use the all-powerful Infinity Gauntlet to slaughter the Avengers as well as create his own perfect love interest in Terraxia. As Thanos tears off Iron Man’s head and transforms Thor into a glass statue, Terraxia is able to pin Spider-Man down and beat him to death with a nearby rock. It’s not exactly a glorious end for the Wall-Crawler, and it’s a particularly brutal death, as Spider-Man’s physical strength just can’t stand up to Terraxia.
7 The Green Goblin Gives Ultimate Spider-Man a Brutal Ending
Ultimate Spider-Man #160 by Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Bagley, Andy Lanning, Andrew Hennessy, Justin Ponsor, and Cory Petit
Marvel has a huge multiverse that it has played with the ideas of different versions of its heroes. One of the most successful versions of this is Ultimate Spider-Man. Unrestricted by 80 years of character history and continuity, Ultimate Spider-Man gives Peter Parker his own story with a beginning and, unfortunately, a brutal ending. While trying to save Captain America from the Punisher, Peter ends up getting shot, then has to fight the Sinister Six as they try to attack his family in Queens. After Peter defeats most of the Sinister Six, the battle comes down to an intense one-on-one fight between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin. Spider-Man is able to stop the Green Goblin from harming his family, but he unfortunately dies from his wounds shortly after.
6 Spider-Man is Crucified and Killed by an Evil Wizard
X-Men #191 by Chris Claremont, John Romita Jr, Dan Green, Tom Orzechowski, and Gylnis Wein
One of the weirder villains that the X-Men have ever fought is a deranged wizard named Kulan Gath. Kulan uses his magic to transform Manhattan into his own medieval kingdom, turning everyone in the city, X-Men included, into medieval versions of themselves. Spider-Man, for some reason, is unaffected by the spell. Capturing Peter Parker, Kulan intends to torture and kill him to empower his spell to affect the entire world. This involves crucifying Peter, and when Spider-Man breaks free, he is struck down by a spell, dying on the spot. Fortunately, Dr. Strange is able to use his magic to reverse time and save everyone.
5 Spider-Man is Murdered by a Demonic Wolverine
What If #6 by Danny Fingeroth, Ron Lim, Keith Williams, Tom Vincent, and Gary Fields
Spider-Man and Wolverine aren’t exactly best friends, but they’re certainly on friendly terms. They’ve worked together a few times and no doubt have respect for one another, which is why the events of What If #6 are so disturbing. During the events of X-Men: Inferno, the X-Men are able to repel a demonic invasion, but in this alternate outcome, the X-Men themselves end up possessed and the world is overrun by demons. Only a few heroes are left to lead the resistance, including She-Hulk and Spider-Man. While She-Hulk ends up having her neck snapped by her demonic cousin, Peter is brutally stabbed to death by Wolverine.
4 Deadpool Eats Spider-Man’s Brain while Wearing the Venom Symbiote
Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe Again #2 by Cullen Bunn, Dalibor Talajic, Goran Sudzuka, Miroslav Mrva, and Joe Sabino
Marvel has explored plenty of dark universes over the years. Usually, these dark universes end up with everyone being killed for one reason or another. In this particular universe, while being manipulated by Red Skull, Deadpool hunts down and kills every hero he comes across. By far the most brutal death is when Deadpool kills Spider-Man while wearing the Venom symbiote. Deadpool uses the symbiote’s ability to bypass Peter’s spider-sense in order to ambush him. He then quickly overpowers Spider-Man, and horrifyingly, eats his brain while Peter is completely helpless to stop him.
3 Dr. Doom Utterly Obliterates the Avengers, Spider-Man Included
Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #11 by Jim Shooter, Mike Zeck, John Beatty, Joe Rosen, and Nelson Yomtov
It’s common in Marvel stories for items of great power, like the Cosmic Cube or the Infinity Stones, to end up in the hands of villains. Such is the case during Marvel’s original 1984 Secret Wars event, where Dr. Doom steals the powers of the Beyonder. This allows Dr. Doom to do essentially whatever he wants, and as the Avengers hold a meeting, Dr. Doom calls down a blast of energy that completely obliterates them, Spider-Man included. This is notable because it’s one of the few times that Spider-Man has actually died on Earth-616.
2 The Gospel of Hunger Turns Spider-Man into an Undead Monster
Marvel Zombies: Dead Days by Robert Kirkman, Sean Phillips, June Chung, and Rus Wooton
One of the darkest universes that Marvel has ever explored is the one depicted in Marvel Zombies. This is a twisted world where every hero and villain on Earth is infected by a virus known as the Gospel of Hunger. The Gospel of Hunger has a level of sentience and specifically tries to infect super-powered beings, so it can have a higher chance of spreading. This results in Spider-Man being bitten by Colonel America. From there, Peter goes home and proceeds to eat Aunt May and Mary Jane. While Peter isn’t technically dead, he is transformed into a flesh-craving monster, which is certainly close enough.
1 Sandman Murders Spider-Man From the Inside Out
Marvel Zombies Return #1 by Fred Van Lente, Nick Dragotta, Simon Bowland, and Lee Loughridge
One of the main goals of the creatures in Marvel Zombies is to continually invade other universes and continue eating people. This eventually leads an infected Spider-Man to Earth-Z, which is completely untainted. Zombie Spider-Man tries to resist his urges, but ends up slaughtering and eating the Sinister Six, with Sandman being the only survivor. Later, Sandman encounters the Spider-Man of Earth-Z, who is unaware of what has just happened. Driven insane by zombie Spider-Man, Sandman immediately attacks Peter by forcing himself into Peter’s body and then exploding out of him, instantly murdering Spider-Man in the most horrific way possible.
