Spider-Man is Stronger Than Thor (When He Needs To Be)

When it comes to super strength, Spider-Man often ranks fairly low compared to powerhouses like Thor and Hulk. Although Peter Parker’s strength level has fluctuated, most people agree Spidey can lift about 10 tons on a regular basis. While that sounds like a lot, Spider-Man often fights alongside the Thing and the Hulk, who can lift anywhere from 70 to 100 tons. For the most part, Spidey accepts his limitations and relies on his speed, agility, and strategic thinking to take down his foes, rather than raw power.

Sometimes, however, Spider-Man runs into a situation where he has no other option than to rely on sheer brute strength. At various points in his career, Spider-Man has had to face off against foes like the cosmic-powered Firelord, a former Herald of Galactus, and the unstoppable Juggernaut, who’s been known to regularly deliver savage beatings to the all of the X-Men. During these times, desperation and adrenaline can boost Spider-Man’s strength to unheard of levels, temporarily making him rival Hulk or even Thor in the strength department.

While this might sound impossible, it actually makes a lot of sense. Normal people have been known to display superhuman strength under desperate circumstances thanks to a surge of adrenaline. Stories abound of instances where even elderly, out-of-shape, or physically disabled people have tapped into hidden reserves of power, allowing them to lift cars, jump incredible distances, or even bend steel.

And considering that Spider-Man already has super strength and keeps himself in prime fighting shape all the time, when he runs into a desperate situation, the power he can tap into is considerable. Readers first witnessed this in The Amazing Spider-Man #32-33 where Spider-Man tracks Doctor Octopus to a laboratory to retrieve a stolen serum that can save his Aunt May.

During the fight, the entire lab comes crashing down and Spider-Man is pinned under a huge iron structure, too heavy for his normal super strength to handle. Worse, the lab is filling up with water, threatening to drown Peter if he doesn’t do anything. In a gripping 18-panel sequence, however, Peter reminds himself that Aunt May needs him and finds the will to slowly gather his strength and throw the machine off, allowing him to retrieve the serum.

This famous sequence was later adapted to the big screen in MCU’s Spider-Man: Homecoming when the Vulture smashes multiple pylons with his wings and brings his entire warehouse down on Peter Parker. While Peter understandably suffers a massive panic attack at basically being buried alive, he regains his focus, forces himself to lift the impossibly heavy beams and pillars pinning him down, and frees himself from the wreckage.

As famous as both of these sequences are, there was one Spider-Man story where Peter had to lift a structure that he believed even Thor or Hulk couldn’t lift. In The Amazing Spider-Man #365, Spider-Man faced off against the Lizard who had found an underground laboratory beneath Penn Station full of unstable equipment another scientist had left behind from an earlier adventure. Spider-Man warned the Lizard that using the equipment would cause massive explosions and kill him, but the Lizard just lashed out wildly at the web slinger.

In the process, the underground lair began caving in and massive amounts of rubble, train tracks, and entire trains began raining down on Spider-Man. Fortunately, some heavy pillars managed to give Peter enough leverage to the point where he wasn’t immediately crushed, but he was still pinned down and unable to squeeze free. Realizing that the Lizard still intended to go through with his experiment, Spider-Man struggled to basically lift the better part of Penn Station off of him, but only succeeded in nearly cracking his collar bone.

Fearing that even Hulk or Thor couldn’t move all of that wreckage, Spider-Man acknowledged that what he was trying to do was impossible – but unable to quit, he once again tapped into his indomitable will and managed to push the massive structure off of him long enough to jump free. Feeling like every muscle in his body was popped loose and bleeding, Spider-Man remarked “that’s gotta be one for the Guinness people” – and then went off to save the Lizard.

Of course, whether or not lifting Penn Station is really beyond the limit of Hulk or Thor is debatable. Hulk has been known to lift mountains weighing several billion tons. Hulk’s strength is said to be limitless as long as it can be fueled by his anger, and while he can usually lift 70-100 tons in a “calm” state, when fully enraged, he’s been known to destroy asteroids with a single punch, start earthquakes with a single step, and even clap an entire dimension out of existence.

Likewise, while Thor can “normally” only lift about 100 tons, he does possess a magic belt that can double his natural strength. He’s been known to lift the Midgard Serpent, a creature said to weigh almost as much as the Earth itself, with the help of a mystical fishing pole. There have also been instances where Thor launches into a warrior’s fury, causing him to attack anything and everyone. In such a state, he’s been known to even take out the Hulk. There’s a reason these characters are known as Marvel’s heavy hitters, and their greatest feats put them in a class that (appropriately) includes the gods.

Nevertheless, it should also be emphasized that Thor and Hulk’s greatest feats of strength were also made under desperate circumstances where anger and magic pushed their own capabilities far beyond their usual strength levels. For Spider-Man to even begin to approach lifting structures that even Thor or Hulk would struggle to lift under normal circumstances without a magic belt or rage-increasing strength says a lot about Peter Parker’s ability to push beyond his limits with just his will. He may be a lightweight in the eyes of many heroes, but when Spider-Man decides to give something his maximum effort… he gives everything.

About The Author

Michael Jung
(700 Articles Published)

Michael Jung is a mild-mannered freelance writer-for-hire, actor, and professional storyteller with a keen interest in pop culture, education, nonprofit organizations, and unusual side hustles. His work has been featured in Screen Rant, ASU Now, Sell Books Fast, Study.com, and Free Arts among others. A graduate of Arizona State University with a PhD in 20^th Century American Literature, Michael has written novels, short stories, stage plays, screenplays, and how-to manuals.

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Michael’s background in storytelling draws him to find the most fascinating aspects of any topic and transform them into a narrative that informs and entertains the reader. Thanks to a life spent immersed in comic books and movies, Michael is always ready to infuse his articles with offbeat bits of trivia for an extra layer of fun. In his spare time, you can find him entertaining kids as Spider-Man or Darth Vader at birthday parties or scaring the heck out of them at haunted houses.

Visit Michael Jung’s website for information on how to hire him, follow him on Twitter Michael50834213, or contact him directly: michael(at)michaeljungwriter(dot)com.

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