Spider-Man’s power and strength come into question again as fans debate about his position in a fight against DC’s Bane.
Spider-Man is one of the most popular superheroes of all time. Known for his web-slinging, Spidey sense, and general scrappy attitude to life as a high-schooler turned vigilante, the Marvel hero has become an irreplaceable part of pop culture and has been depicted multiple times in other media as well.
One of the web crawler’s most impressive abilities is his strength but the aspect is not as discussed when compared to other heroes known for their power. Spider-Man has achieved incredible feats with his strength and has on many occasions performed beyond what is expected. But fans debate on whether he can hold himself up against a powerful DC villain.
Is Spider-Man strong enough to hold his ground against Bane?
A still from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 | Credits: Sony Pictures
The Marvel and DC debate is as old as time itself and there are enough similar heroes to compare and contrast to. Fans have long pit heroes like Batman and Iron Man, Captain Marvel and Superman, and Quicksilver, and Flash, against each other and depending on the hero, have come to certain conclusions.
Spider-Man has always been the poster boy for coming-of-age in the comic book world. Gaining his powers through a radioactive bite as a high schooler, his main conceit was how he would manage his academic and personal life along with his vigilante activities. Apart from the slinging, however, Spider-Man has incredible strength.
Bane in The Dark Knight Rises | Credits: Warner Bros.
But, will he hold up against some of the most unhinged villains from the other side? Fans debated whether Spider-Man would be able to clean up Gotham as the vigilante of the city as opposed to Batman, who seems to constantly face his foes repeatedly. While some argued that Peter Parker would be able to pull it off, others did not.
you put spider-man in gotham and he clearing that city inna week
— Jozu 🇵🇦 (@thaboyjozu) January 13, 2025
peter on his first day against comic accurate bane https://t.co/cVjHVNkao6 pic.twitter.com/JjHAsSm9he
— Neb | 🏳️🌈 (@NebsGoodTakes) January 13, 2025
Spiderman after his first fight against Deathstroke pic.twitter.com/qsQlwAKYcf
— Oui (@Gawain11350543) January 13, 2025
People really don’t understand how strong Spider-Man actually is. He once lifted part of a building that was underwater and flooding *after* fighting Doctor Octopus. He was exhausted and pinned under literal tons of steel and water and basically just decided not to die. pic.twitter.com/pX3FZIgYkB
— DaemahnFriday: Extremely Single (@DaemahnFriday) January 13, 2025
in the superior spider-man arc doctor octopus possesses spider-man’s body and inadvertently punches scorpions lower jaw *off of his head* because he didn’t realize that spider-man had been pulling his punches the whole time https://t.co/WzluClgnwa
— Miss Gender (@girldrawsghosts) January 13, 2025
Spider-Man against an unhinged villain such as Bane, who famously broke Batman’s back in the comics (and in The Dark Knight Rises), is a tough sell for sure but the superhero has shown several feats of strength in the comics and otherwise to prove that he can hold his ground.
Spider-Man once held up a crashing building that weighed several tons
A still from Spider-Man 2 | Credits: Sony Pictures
Among other heroes like Thor and the Hulk, Spider-Man may be more puny compared to the god-level strength they possess. But that does not mean that Peter Parker gained nothing from the radioactive spider bite. Fans have seen his live-action iterations battle several foes and even save the public.
Spider-Man is known to display super-strength and is reportedly canonically able to lift 10 tons. According to CBR, he once lifted up a fallen building and escaped from the rubble to save Aunt May. He also reportedly caught an armored car mid-air with his web. Armored cars usually weigh more than 25,000 pounds. He only weighs 167 pounds (via Marvel).
However, Spider-Man is known to have pushed his limits when the need arises. In the Spider-Man #98 issue, he reportedly held up a falling Daily Bugle as he tried to save his love Mary Jane. The building is a skyscraper that is speculated to have weighed more than 100,000 tons, and Peter Parker held it up long enough to save the love of his life.
