Marvel: Strongest Female Characters With Powers Like Spider-Man

Marvel: Strongest Female Characters With Powers Like Spider-Man

Peter Parker has been a household name over the years, and yet he is far from the only one to adopt the Spider-Man moniker. Marvel has introduced several stunning female versions of this fan-favorite crime-fighting Spidey, with the same basic qualities as the original Earth-616 hero, with a few other perks mixed in for a more distinctive style.

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Most versions of Spider-Man have been endowed with superhuman speed, strength, agility, and durability, not to mention the iconic webbing (which is either organic or synthetic). Some female Spider-Man admirers have mimicked their hero by mechanical means, such as Lady Spider (Earth-803), Spinneret (Earth-18119), and Peni Parker (with SP//dr in Earth-14512) but don’t technically have superpowers of their own. Similarly, others like young Penelope Parker (Earth-11) and Betty Brant (Earth-78227) have yet to fully develop their Spidey abilities.

Updated March 27, 2024, by Ben Painter: The Sony movies, Into The Spider-Verse and Across The Spider-Verse showcased just how many alternate versions of Spider-Man there really are. Sony’s Madame Web took this one step further. Although the movie was not well received, it still showed off three characters who have become Spider-Girl or Spider-Woman in the comics, on the big screen. Throughout Peter Parker’s run as Spider-Man in the comics, there have been female characters who have taken his mantle, they are their reality’s Spider-Man or even female villains who have similar powers to everyone’s favorite neighborhood Spider. This update adds three of the strongest female characters in Marvel Comics, who have similar powers to Spider-Man.

Spinneret: Mary Jane Watson-Parker (Earth-18119)

Powers shared with Spider-Man: A specialized suit which absorbs all the powers of Spider-Man

• First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows #1 (June, 2015)

In this reality, Spinneret is Mary Jane Watson, now the wife of Peter Parker. Peter, for once in a reality, is alive and well and needs his wife’s help in his crime-fighting endeavors. She donned a specialized suit which absorbed the powers of Spider-Man, with the downside that his powers are weakened as a result.

Spinneret has all the usual tricks of Spider-Man and the suit is also shown to absorb the powers of Venom, even wearing the symbiote for a time as well. As a husband and wife crime fighting duo, both Spiders are a formidable team and need to see some time in the spotlight in a future Spider-Verse movie.

Mahyem: April Parker (Earth-982)

Powers shared with Spider-Man: Every single one, including some Symbiote powers

• First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Girl #20 (May, 2008)

In this reality, Peter and Mary Jane have a daughter known as May Parker. Mayhem is a clone of their daughter, which was done in secret by Norman Osborne. He used her genetic code to make a Symbiote/Human hybrid, which resulted in a powerful amalgamation of the two. As the symbiote DNA is not sentient in her, she has full control.

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It is actually in the air as to who is the real clone, April or May. The two have had an on-and-off relationship throughout their comic run together, but ultimately see themselves as cousins or even sisters. With all the powers of May Parker (Spider-Girl) and the abilities of a symbiote, she is one of the strongest female Marvel characters with powers like Spider-Man.

Spider-Girl: Kitty Pryde (Earth-1610 Ultimate Universe)

Powers shared with Spider-Man: Superhuman Strength, Superhuman Durability, Superhuman Physical Resistance, Web-slinging

• First Appearance: Ultimate X-Men #21 (August, 2002)

Kitty Pryde is better known as a member of the X-Men, with phasing/intangibility powers and all those secondary abilities that come with that. This version of the character is essentially the same, but she and Spider-Man are in a relationship, and she dons a costume to aid Peter in his crime-fighting.

Going by the alias of Spider-Girl, she learned how to web-slinging and wore a disguise to not give away Peter’s identity. Although not technically a version of Spider-Man, going by Spider-Girl, even for a short period of time, is enough to be considered for this list.

Peni Parker & SP//dr (Earth-14512)

Powers shared with Spider-Man: Mechanical suit which has wallcrawling, web-slinging and various over spider powers

• First Appearance: Edge of Spider-Verse #5 (October, 2014)

Although Peni Parker herself has no actual powers, she pilots the powerful mech suit ‘SP//dr’ which has the same powers as Peter Parker including wallcrawling, web-slinging, increased strength and agility.

In a very interesting take on the character, Peni Parker was also bitten by a radioactive spider, which lives inside the suit, so in a sense, she does have powers, as she shares a psychic bond with the spider that controls the suit. It is very much inspired by anime which shares the Japanese origin of Peni Parker.

Lady Spider: Maybelle Reilly (Earth-803)

Powers shared with Spider-Man: Mechanical spider arms similar to the Iron-Spider suit

• First Appearance: Spider-Verse #1 (November, 2014)

As a child, Maybelle Reilly was bitten by a spider, a tale as old as time, but in this instance, this was a normal spider which was kept in a cage by her father for his experiments. Instead of gifting her the powers of a spider, it taught her the valuable lesson ‘Don’t let anyone cage you’.

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She used spare parts from her father’s garage to create mechanical legs and web shooters and began to fight crime as Lady Spider. Although she is powerless, she has the same drive as Peter Parker and uses technology to emulate some powers as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

Spider-Woman: Charlotte Witter (Earth-616)

Powers shared with Spider-Man: Superhuman strength, superhuman speed, superhuman agility, wallcrawling

• First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #5 (March, 1999)

As the granddaughter of the mystical Madame Web, she also has psychic-based powers which were manipulated by Dr Octopus, turning her into a Spider/Human hybrid and used as a weapon to absorb the powers of those who have taken the name of Spider Woman before her.

With wallcrawling, web slinging, enhanced speed and senses, she can do all that Spidey can do, but also with psychic abilities, she is a danger to those with spider powers, as she can also absorb them thanks to the experiments of the Spider-Man villain. She has also shown the ability to generate bio-electricity venom blasts akin to Miles Morlales, who is just about as famous as the classic Spider-Man at this point.

Spider-Woman: Ashley Barton (Earth-807128)

Powers shared with Spider-Man: Superhuman strength & superhuman agility

• First Appearance: Wolverine (Vol. 3) #67 (July, 2008)

Set in the world of Earth-807128, where the supervillains teamed up and took over the world, the most famous story set in this universe is Old Man Logan. Ashley Barton is the child of Tonya Parker (Spider-Man’s daughter) and Hawkeye.

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Unlike her mother, she inherited some of her grandfather’s abilities, including superhuman strength and agility and although she cannot wall crawl, she does have a knack for bouldering. Sporting a costume similar to her grandfather’s retro look, she has used the names of Spider-Woman, Spider-Girl and even Spider-B*tch.

Silk: Cindy Moon (Earth-616)

Powers shared with Spider-Man: Every single one

• First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 3) #1 (April, 2014)

Cindy Moon was bitten by the same spider that got Peter, giving her an almost identical skill set. However, her training experience differed vastly. Incapable of keeping her powers a secret, Cindy gets whisked away to a facility run by a Spider-Totem named Ezekiel Sims and is forced to live a Rapunzel-inspired lifestyle. After thirteen years of hiding from the deadly Morlun, Peter eventually tracks Cindy down and frees her, sparking their whirlwind romance.

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Cindy’s Silk-Sense is more advanced than Peter’s early warning system, while her webbing also appears to be slightly superior; extruding from her fingertips in such a controlled manner that she can weave clothing. Furthermore, Silk can create claw-like protrusions from her webbing that are perfect for battle, while her Eidetic Memory has also proven quite useful. Cindy has earned herself an exclusive spin-off series from Sony and Amazon, titled Silk: Spider Society.

Spider-Girl aka Mayday: May Parker (Earth-982)

Powers shared with Spider-Man: Every single one

• First Appearance: What If…? #105 (December, 1997)

In a world where Peter has retired to give fatherhood more attention, his talented offspring protects him in secret, eliminating any enemy that comes sniffing around the Parker family. After a great deal of undercover crime-fighting, May eventually joins the Spider-Girl ranks when her parents finally get on board after an epic battle with Hobgoblin, making her the official Spider-Man replacement.

Although Mayday is not as physically strong as Peter, her agility, Spider-sense, and overall equilibrium are superior. Other skills, like wallcrawling, have proven to be rather tricky; however, the clever May has adapted by using her electrostatic ability to repel herself from surfaces, essentially giving her a boost when launching herself forward. Spider-Girl can also extend these powers to nearby targets, temporarily gluing them into place or forcing them to rebound away from her.

Spider-Gwen aka Ghost-Spider: Gwendolyn Stacy (Earth-65)

Powers shared with Spider-Man: Every single one

• First Appearance: Edge of Spider-Verse #2 (September, 2014)

Arguably the most popular female spider-hero, Gwendolyn Stacy gets a chance to test her superhero savvy after a run-in with an enhanced arachnid. She received some much-needed help from the Wasp when her Spider-Woman career first began. Unfortunately, Gwen doesn’t initially take her role seriously — that is, until her friend Peter Parker dies by her hand during an ill-fated encounter, becoming the wake-up call that changes her life.

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Ghost-Spider, better known as Spider-Gwen, possesses a valuable Dimensional Travel Watch, allowing her to transverse the multiverse with ease, meeting numerous heroes (and villains) along the way. As rumor has it, the spider that bit Gwen was developed by none other than Cindy Moon (the evil version from Earth-65), who later steals those powers back. However, this sexy spider refuses to surrender and bonds with a Venom symbiote instead.

Nestling aka AMP/Spiderling: Anna-May Parker (Earth-18119)

Powers shared with Spider-Man: Superhuman strength, superhuman speed, superhuman agility, wallcrawling, precognition

• First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows #1 (June, 2015)

Unlike her mother, Mary Jane Watson, aka Spinneret, “Annie” was born with superpowers resembling Spider-Man’s, but is forced to keep her abilities a secret while living in the Regency under Augustus Roman’s rule. She eventually aligns herself with the Power Pack, marking the beginning of Spiderling’s crime-fighting spree, which often involves saving her dad, along with the rest of the world.

After giving her powers some freedom, it becomes evident that Annie is in fact the avatar of the Patternmaker Spider-Totem, who is essentially capable of manipulating the Web of Life and Destiny in an attempt to maintain order in the world. Moreover, her Spidey-Senses work almost like premonitions, alerting her of impending danger with more accuracy.

Spider-Woman: Martha “Mattie” Franklin (Earth-616)

Powers shared with Spider-Man: Every single one

• First Appearance: Spectacular Spider-Man #262 (August, 1998)

J. Jonah Jameson’s adopted daughter took a huge risk getting involved with the ancient ritual of the Gathering of Five, where each member would receive either Power, Knowledge, Immortality, Insanity, or Death. Blessed with the abilities of Spider-Man (plus the bonus power of flight) is arguably where Mattie’s good fortune runs dry. Things take a turn for the worst after a brief superhero stint lands her on Jessica Jones’ side of the tracks.

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Spider-Woman is basically kidnapped by her boyfriend, who feeds her drugs, sells her body, and harvests her powers to produce a designer Mutant Growth Hormone. Mattie survives the whole ordeal (well, technically) and ends up adopting even more incredible skills from Jessica Drew and Charlotte Witter, such as bio-electric Venom Blasts, psionic spider-legs, and more. Celeste O’Connor brought the character to life for her cinematic debut in 2024’s Madame Web.

Spider-Girl: Anya Corazón (Earth-616)

Powers shared with Spider-Man: Every single one

• First Appearance: Amazing Fantasy (Vol. 2) #1 (June, 2004)

Another Spider-Girl with mystical origins, Anya nearly lost her life as an innocent bystander caught between the Sisterhood of the Wasps and the Spider Society. However, she was saved from the brink of death by the Sorcerer Miguel, and given some nifty powerups and a cute tattoo in the process. Isabela Merced played this character in Madame Web, for the first time in live-action.

Anya (also spelled Araña) is so flexible she may as well be a contortionist. Her stealth skills are on point, especially since her dark Spidey suit blends efficiently into the shadows. This suit is also said to have exoskeletal qualities, and was gifted to Anya by her mentor, Julia Carpenter, and accessorized by Wolverine. She’s also a proficient hacker with a notable social media presence (which, unfortunately, is sometimes used against her.)

Arachnophilia: Nell Ruggles (Earth-31916)

Powers shared with Spider-Man: Superhuman strength, superhuman speed, superhuman agility, superhuman durability

• First Appearance: Squadron Supreme (Vol. 3) #1 (July, 2008)

Things start out rather dark for Nell Ruggles, as the first thing she does after gaining superpowers is seek revenge on the bullies who had made her life a living hell. After massacring her classmates, Arachnophilia is promptly contained by SHIELD and, after much convincing, eventually joins the league of heroes, urged by Biogeneral’s unique charm.

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Unlike other Spider-Men, Nell doesn’t get bitten by an arachnid. Her superpowers have extraterrestrial origins, assumed to have been inadvertently delivered by the Icarus One. Arachnophilia received a red-and-yellow symbiote suit, giving her Venom-like powers.

Arachne aka Madame Web: Julia Carpenter (Earth-616)

Powers shared with Spider-Man: Precognition

• First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #210 (August, 1980)

Starting her Spidey career later in life, Julia had already entered motherhood before her crime-fighting days began, the latter of which wasn’t exactly a voluntary decision. Agent Valerie Cooper essentially tricks the single mom to undergo experimentation to reduce her financial burdens, and not-so-accidentally turns her into Spider-Woman as a result. Arachne then gets roped into teaming up with the X-Men, Avengers, Fantastic Four, and more, surviving a long list of battles before facing the formidable Madame Web.

Long story short, Charlotte Witter ends up dead and passes her paranormal powers and title on to Julia. Julia gains psychokinetic energy-embued webbing (psi-webs), telepathy, precognition, and more. Sydney Sweeney of Euphoria and White Lotus-fame brought this character to the big screen for the first time in 2024’s Madame Web.

Spider-Woman: Jessica Drew (Earth-616)

Powers shared with Spider-Man: Every single one

• First Appearance: Marvel Spotlight #32 (November, 1976)

The first person to bear the weight of the Spider-Woman crown is the iconic Jessica Drew, who almost died from uranium poisoning at a young age, but was saved by her father’s arachnid-focused experiments. She spent most of her days confined to a genetic accelerator chamber and is eventually released as a full-grown woman with practically no life experience. In a surprising twist of fate, Jessica ends up honing her skills under Hydra’s tutelage, who turns her into an efficient assassin. Thankfully, her rebellious streak kicks in, leading her to eventually team up with SHIELD.

Apart from the usual bells and whistles, Spider-Woman has exceptional hearing and high levels of bio-electricity, which fuels her Venom Blasts. Jessica also has an unusual metabolism which renders her virtually immune to most chemical threats. She can produce her own pheromones to manipulate whoever is in the vicinity.

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