Spider-Man is one of the most popular Marvel characters. His web-slinging skills captivate audiences, and so do his amazing lifting moments.
He has a modest superhuman level of strength but also shows amazing bursts of strength that place him among the strongest of superheroes.
Spider-Man lifts and holds up many objects that we would not expect. Here is every unbelievable thing that Spider-Man can lift and hold out against in the comics and the MCU.
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Spider-Man’s Lifting and Holding Ability
![07 Marvel's Spider-Man - Lifting Rubble [NO HUD/SUB]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZlIvdNM-ACg/0.jpg)
When he was bitten by a radioactive spider, Peter Parker, the teenage reporter-scientist-photographer, was granted incredible powers. One of those powers is the amazing strength to lift and hold up objects of great weight.
At his base level, Spider-Man can lift about 10 tons, with a level 4 strength on the Marvel Power Grid. He has superhuman strength but is not as strong as the Hulk or Thor.
Updated measures of Spider-Man’s strength have him lifting about 20 tons and throwing automobiles “with ease.” So, he can lift and hold up very heavy objects.
Yet, Spider-Man has bursts of strength that push his strength level higher and put him up there with Thor and the Hulk. We can say he is stronger than we think, lifting and holding buildings and more.
Let’s see what he lifts in the comics and movies that show his full potential.
In the Comics
In the comics, Spider-Man demonstrates impressive levels of strength by lifting and holding out against numerous heavy objects. From trucks to subway cars, Spider-Man is amazing.
1. Trucks and Buildings
Spider-Man was able to lift a truck over his head, for example, in the comic Ultimate Spider-Man #160. He not only lifted it but threw it at the Green Goblin. We could say he lifted it with ease.
More impressive is how Spider-Man hoisted the Daily Bugle building on his back in Spider-Man #98. He is poised under it like a weightlifter and keeps it from collapsing.
In Amazing Spider-Man #365, he likewise lifts Penn Station while chasing after Lizard Man. This building-level lifting ability is a good indication of Spider-Man’s full lifting potential.
2. Trapped Under Machinery
In Amazing Spider-Man #33, Spider-Man lifts a steel gate crashing down on him. He draws on all his strength to do so, but he manages it.
This issue showcases Spider-Man’s strength because it depicts how he is trapped under machinery with water coming down over him after fighting Doc Ock. Although he is beyond tired and thinks lifting this weight is impossible, he summons the strength to do so.
With Amazing Spider-Man #75, the creators aimed to test Spider-Man’s strength. As editor Nick Lowe commented, “The whole point of working on Spider-Man is trying to put new unliftable weights on top of him.” That means heavy physical objects like buildings, but also emotional and psychological weights to test Spider-Man’s strength.
Pushing Spider-Man to his limits, and beyond them, showcases his bursts of strength.
In Spectacular Spider-Man #168, he has to lift and hold out against a giant metal disc that had taken the strength of Space Phantom (disguised as She-Hulk) and Spider-Man to lift. Spider-Man thus took on the strength of two Marvel characters.
In the comics, Spider-Man shows off his amazing feats of strength regularly. The number of times and objects are almost innumerable.
3. Subway Cars
One more example shows the range of items Spider-Man lifts and holds. In Amazing Spider-Man #424, Spider-Man lifts a subway car when fighting Electro.
As with the truck, this object gives us a sense of the more common, yet unbelievable things that Spider-Man has lifted. In the comics, Spider-Man lifts and holds up heavy metal objects, trucks, subway cars, and buildings.
In the MCU
Spider-Man also shows off his amazing strength in the MCU. He may appear not to measure up to the full extent of the comics, but he ultimately does.
1. Cars and Bridges
In Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man easily holds out against a car moving at 40 mph, which is about 3,000 lb (1.5 tons) and equivalent to falling from a 90-foot tall building. This puts Spider-Man at his base level of strength.
In this movie, Spider-Man also holds up a jet bridge or aerobridge that weighs about 27 metric tons, 27,000 kg, or 59,400 lb. This stretches him into higher echelons of lifting and holding objects.
To put it another way, Spider-Man is lifting about 30 tons for 12 seconds in Civil War. That places him at the comic level of trucks and subway cars but not quite buildings.
2. Buildings and Planes
In Spider-Man: Homecoming from 2017, we do see the comic level of strength emerge when Peter Parker is trapped under a building.
As Spider-Man tries to capture Vulture, the building supports are taken out by Vulture’s flying vehicle. Peter Parker is left desperately trapped under the rubble.
He calls on the full strength and will of Spider-Man to lift the building on his back and then push it up with his hands. His lifting and holding are equivalent to moments in the comics.
As a fan discussion has pointed out, Spider-Man also lifts a 90,000-lb cargo plane in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Both examples put Spider-Man at the comic level.
3. SUVs and Walls
In The Amazing Spider-Man, now part of the MCU multiverse, Peter Parker holds an SUV with one hand to keep it from falling. This amounts to holding an object that weighs between 2,000 to 6,000 lbs.
In Spider-Man 2, audiences see our hero catching and holding a gigantic wall. He also holds back a bus from falling. Like the comics, these examples bring us back to heavy, metal objects as a barometer of Spider-Man’s lifting and holding strength.
Spider-Man’s Lifting and Holding Out
From the comics to the movies, Spider-Man can lift and hold out against the heaviest of objects. In the comics, the items include trucks, subway cars, and buildings.
The movies reflect this level of strength too. On the big screen, Spider-Man lifts and holds cars, buildings, and planes. In comics and the MCU, Spider-Man shows us a comparable level of lifting and holding out.
Todd Wahlstrom is a creative and analytical freelance writer and life-long Star Wars fan who has expanded into writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He has written about recent shows such as The Mandalorian and Andor and classic topics like Darth Vader, the Jedi, and Boba Fett. His recent articles include the MCU’s Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor. Todd is the author of a non-fiction book, holds a Ph.D. in history, and enjoys hiking, running, and reading about science.