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From enemies-turned-friends to his closest of loved ones, here are the 10 best Spider-Man allies in Marvel Comics.
10) Boomerang
One of Spider-Man’s most unlikely allies is Fred Myers, the great Spider-Man villain known as Boomerang. This happened during Nick Spencer’s run on the title, where Fred became roommates with Peter Parker and Randy Robertson, without either of them knowing the other’s secret identity. However, when they found out, something shocking happened, and Boomerang became an anti-hero who helped out Spider-Man, although he still had secrets of his own. Boomerang even fought to help Spider-Man during the Sinister Wars as a double agent, but then he died trying to save Spider-Man from Morlun. Boomerang has since come back to life, but he remains a complicated character who has a bond with Spider-Man.
9) Ben Reilly
Ben Reilly has been back and forth over his existence when it comes to being a Spider-Man ally and someone who can’t seem to stay on the same page as Peter. He is Peter Parker’s clone, created by The Jackal, and someone who, at one time, believed he was the real Peter Parker and operated as Spider-Man for a time. He has had moments as a villain, although it was never really him in control when it happened. While Spider-Man hates his clones, Ben has tried to do the right thing, and in current comics, he is pretending to be Peter Parker while the hero is off-planet.
8) The Human Torch
The relationship between Spider-Man and the Human Torch goes back to the beginning. After Peter Parker got his powers, he decided to try to get a job with the Fantastic Four, thinking it paid. This eventually led him to become friends with the Human Torch, as they were both teenagers who had a little more in common than either of them had with other heroes of the era. They are also a fun pairing. No one can forget the Bombastic Bag-Man costume that Spider-Man needed, and to which Johnny Storm added the “Kick Me” sign to his back.
7) J. Jonah Jameson
J. Jonah Jameson was one of Spider-Man’s most persistent antagonists for many years. He wasn’t a supervillain, but was a newspaper publisher who printed lies and half-truths about Spider-Man to ruin his reputation at every chance he got. Meanwhile, JJJ was also close to Peter Parker, and almost looked to him like a son. When Spider-Man finally revealed to JJJ that he was Peter Parker, things changed. Jonah became one of Spider-Man’s biggest cheerleaders and closest allies, and he has done everything he can to help his former nemesis. JJJ even said in a recent comic that he considered Spider-Man to be the second greatest hero in the world, behind only Steve Rogers as Captain America.
6) Norman Osborn
If seeing J. Jonah Jameson as a Spider-Man ally is strange thanks to their history, it is even weirder seeing Norman Osborn as one of his closest allies. This happened when Norman had his “sins” purged by Sin-Eater in the Kindred storyline, and he suddenly had his head cleared for the first time and set out to make up for all the damage he caused. In current Spider-Man comics, Norman has been wearing the Spider-Man costume and fighting crime as the Wall-Crawler, trying to keep the hero’s reputation alive, although it hasn’t gone over well with Spider-Man’s other friends. That said, Norman is doing what he thinks is best for Spider-Man, and he has a great respect for Peter Parker like few others.
