Marvel Comics’ original Spider-Man Peter Parker first slipped into his crime-fighting togs back in 1962, and in the decades since, he’s sported a bunch of different looks. But which of the many Spider-Man suit designs Peter Parker has donned is the best?
It’s a tough question. However, several hours of thumbing through Spider-Man back issues has us convinced we know the answer — or can narrow it down to the top five, at least. So, read on for our round-up of the very best Peter Parker Spider-Man suit designs.
5. Future Foundation Suit
Peter Parker joined the Future Foundation in 2010 to honor the dying wish of one of his best buddies, the Human Torch. This membership came with crime-fighting clobber that incorporated the philanthropic organization’s brand colors designed by its founder, Mister Fantastic — and it looked awesome.
Displaying the same flair for fashion that he brought to the Fantastic Four’s clothing, Reed did a stellar job combining elements from the classic Spider-Man costume (such as the lenses, logo, and arm/torso paneling) with the Future Foundation’s minimalist, black-and-white aesthetic.
The result is an outfit that still says “Spider-Man” without making Peter look out of place alongside his fellow Future Foundation members. So, props to Reed (and real-life Marvel artist Steve Epting) for coming up with it.
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4. Iron Spider Suit
While Peter Parker typically favors lightweight spandex, the wall-crawler has rocked several armored suits over the years. While each of these high-tech outfits has a certain appeal (particularly the all-silver Spider-Armor MK 1) for our money, none of them tops the Iron Spider gear.
Designed by Tony Stark during the mid-2000s Civil War crossover event, the Iron Spider suit is a visually arresting blend of Stark’s Iron Man aesthetic with Peter’s established Spider-Man motif. What’s more, it’s loaded with a bunch of cool gadgets, including a trio of fully-articulated faux-spider legs.
We aren’t the only ones impressed with comic book writer/artist team J. Michael Straczynski and Ron Garney’s vision for the Iron Spider armor, either. Marvel Studios liked this Spider-Man suit so much, it was introduced to MCU canon in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming.
3. Spider-Man Noir Suit
Full disclosure: this entry is a bit of a cheat. While Spider-Man Noir is a Peter Parker, given he’s from an alternate Earth, he’s not technically the Peter Parker this list is about. That said, we’ve decided to bend the rules because Marko Djurdjevic’s 1930s pulp vigilante-style riff on the webslinger’s iconic design is too dazzling to be denied.
Combining a stereotypical gumshoe’s fedora and trenchcoat with a Spider-Man face mask and over-sized period goggles, Spider-Man Noir’s suit is a monochrome mash-up masterpiece. It also earns bonus points for its double-breasted button-up leather jacket, which seemingly takes its cues from another pulpy superhero pastiche, Dave Stevens’ Rocketeer.
2. Symbiote Suit
Better known today as the costume worn by the original Venom, Eddie Brock, and his successors, this spider logo-emblazoned alien symbiote suit belonged to Peter Parker first. Our hero scored these new threads during an offworld jaunt in the mid-1980s Secret Wars limited series. Aside from looking sharp as hell, the symbiote suit also boosted Peter’s powers and produced its own webbing — making it a rare case of form and function going hand-in-hand.
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That said, the outfit (designed by contest winner Randy Schueller) had a few shortcomings. For starters, it’s rubbish against sound waves and intense heat. Also, it’s a living being with a mind of its own, which tends to exert a negative influence on its wearer. So, it’s hardly surprising Peter ultimately ditched this Spider-Man outfit, although the symbiote suit is so rad that he still sometimes wears a cloth replica.
1. Classic Suit
Was there ever any doubt which Spider-Man suit would nab the number one spot? Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko’s original costume design remains Peter Parker’s most iconic look 61 years later for a reason: it’s a stone-cold classic.
Admittedly, little about the design screams “spider,” apart from the chest and back logos and web motif. The red-and-blue (or is it red-and-black?) color scheme is unlike that of any arachnid out there, and the same goes for those mask lenses, which resemble cat-eye glasses more than a spider’s peepers.
And yet for some reason, it just works. Heck, even Hollywood — infamous for mucking about with superheroes’ kit — has largely left Peter’s classic Spider-Man costume alone, correctly intuiting that there’s nothing to improve on.
