Avengers: Infinity War, as Peter Parker showed just how terrified a teenager could be about suddenly dying.
Surprisingly, however, the comic book version of Spider-Man once showed he was more than powerful enough to take on one Infinity Stone – and win! The stone in question was the Mind Stone, as Spidey showed his powers allowed him to evade a person who moved at the speed of thought!
This happened in Web of Spider-Man #105, when Spider-Man was recruited into the Infinity Crusade, the final big event in Marvel’s original “Infinity Trilogy.” In the main story, a powerful being called “The Goddess” who represented all the good in Adam Warlock (a hero who once wielded the Infinity Gauntlet), recruited several superheroes into her holy army, claiming she was on a crusade to rid the universe of evil.
Spider-Man was recruited into the army as the Goddess felt his morality would be an asset to her cause. Once among the Goddess’ other brainwashed zealots, however, Spidey’s famous self-doubt actually allowed him to overcome the Goddess’ influence as he questioned the righteousness of their mission. His troubled mind ended up attracting the attention of the Goddess’ right-hand-woman Moondragon, who confronted Spider-Man.
A member of Adam Warlock’s “Infinity Watch,” Moondragon wielded the Mind Stone, an Infinity Stone that granted her every psychic, psionic, and mental power imaginable. This allowed Moondragon to telepathically read Spider-Man’s doubt-filled mind and fire powerful mental blasts at him when he wavered in his resolve to aid the Goddess. Worse, these attacks came at the speed of thought. To Moondragon’s surprise, however, Spider-Man easily evaded every single one of her attacks. Thanks to his spider-sense and hyper reflexes, Spidey reacted purely on instinct and moved before he thought. Unable to anticipate his actions, Moondragon’s mental attack kept hitting nothing but empty air as Spider-Man danced around her. Even when she landed a glancing blow, it barely stopped him.
Things got even crazier when Spider-Man began taking the offensive by throwing web balls in a random pattern at Moondragon, allowing him to score several hits. However, just as it seemed he had the upper hand, Spidey fell into the Goddess’ room, where the powerful being sent him into a mindscape that pushed him back to her side. Spider-Man ended up fighting many of his superhero friends, although he later shook off the Goddess’ brainwashing for good. Peter Parker’s mental strength and moral center have allowed him to overcome many powerful mind attacks, but his fight against Moondragon is significant since Spider-Man won by literally not thinking. Spidey might be one of Marvel’s more intelligent superheroes, but he also knows when to turn his brain off and let instinct lead the way, making him the rare hero who can actually overcome an Infinity Stone all by himself.
