Marvel just showed how powerful Spider-Man is in a truly harrowing way in the build up to the franchise’s next on-screen release. Marvel’s movies and shows have provided plenty of insight into the powers Spider-Man obtained after being bitten by a radioactive spider, but tend to shy away from showing the more brutal side of how these powers could work.
Ultimately, this is somewhat par for the course. Spider-Man has long been primarily characterized as a hero who wants to look out for everyone, even his enemies, meaning his feats of strength tend to avoid certain territory. However, one upcoming Marvel release sets up a scenario wherein its version of Spider-Man can go well and truly all out.
Marvel’s Newest Trailer Provides A Terrifying Look At Spider-Man Power Level
Marvel Zombies is a unique place to show off many of the franchise’s heroes, both in terms of Marvel’s zombified heroes being capable of using their powers on a more brutal level, and in terms of heroes having to break out all the stops when it comes to taking down the hordes of undead they now face off against.
This latter category is particularly interesting when it comes to Spider-Man. Historically, Spider-Man has often been a hero who’s shown to hold back to some degree when it comes to facing foes, with his immense super-strength effectively requiring this, lest he slaughter someone by accident because of his abilities.
However, it’s clear that Spider-Man has no such concerns in Marvel Zombies when dealing with the undead threat, as is evidenced in dramatic fashion by the Marvel Zombies trailer showing him decapitating several zombies at once with his webs and his super-strength.
Given we know the MCU’s main Spider-Man is strong enough to do great feats like holding the cut-apart halves of a ferry together with only webs and his super-strength, this moment underlines that this is the kind of maneuver this version of the hero could have been carrying out the whole time, were his personality and morals to be different.
Marvel Zombies Underlines How Powerful The MCU’s Spider-Man Really Is
Given “with great power comes great responsibility” is a lesson all versions of Spider-Man embody in some way – even if Holland’s Peter Parker only hears this lesson from Aunt May later in Spider-Man: No Way Home – it’s understandable that we often don’t get to see the full extent of Spider-Man’s lethal potential.
Spider-Man in the MCU is largely shown dealing with human criminals in a way that suggests he’s not going all out in terms of brute strength, and some of his biggest fights involve non-lethal standoffs with other heroes – like in the cases of Captain America: Civil War‘s airport fight, or his conflict with Doctor Strange in No Way Home.
Even moments wherein Spider-Man is shown dealing with his enemies in more heavy-handed ways, this tends to avoid outright showing the viewer that he could theoretically tear someone apart with his bare hands, like when the upgraded Avengers: Endgame spider-suit uses its legs to stab a bunch of attacking Chitauri seemingly to death.
That said, it’s interesting to get an example of just how easily Spider-Man’s abilities could be used for lethal means, as it underlines how much the hero is pulling his punches throughout the MCU, and how different things could be were he not to.
This also makes moments like Spider-Man: Homecoming having the hero apologize for pulling a group of criminals a little harder than he meant to with his webs more reflective of his good nature, suggesting he actively aims to avoid even small overuses of his powers – and is aware of just how lethal he could be if he isn’t careful.
Ultimately, Marvel Zombies is a great place to provide on-screen examples of what Spider-Man is capable of, and demonstrate what the MCU’s web-swinger could in theory do any given day were he not a moral hero. This is also perfectly timed, since it comes before Spider-Man: Brand New Day sees Spider-Man meet The Punisher, one of Marvel‘s most lethal heroes.
