Easily Marvel's most iconic hero, Spider-Man has been swinging around New York for 63 years, matching wits and trading punches with some truly impressive villains. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Spider-Man's early adventures introduce some of his most legendary villains, with impressive powers and superhuman strength.

Here are the 12 most physically powerful Spider-Man villains debuted by his co-creator Stan Lee. This list includes some of Spider-Man's most famous enemies as well as a few underrated gems who never quite achieved the same fame as his A-list supervillains. We'll be ranking each entry on their average strength level across Spider-Man history, including their many appearances once Lee handed Spider-Man over to other creators.

12 Ox and the Enforcers

Debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #10 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

Marvel's definitive gangland enforcers, Fancy Dan, Montana and the Ox have worked for a range of mobsters including the Kingpin, the Big Man and the Jackal. While Fancy Dan has knowledge of martial arts and Montana is skilled with a lasso, Ox (real name Raymond Bloch) boasts incredible strength, grappling with heroes including Spider-Man and Daredevil. Capable of lifting around two tons, Ox's strength doesn't stack up to most superhumans, but it's terrifying to the powerless gangsters and street heroes he usually fights.

11 The Vulture, aka Adrian Toomes

First Seen in Amazing Spider-Man #2 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

While flight is the Vulture's most iconic ability, the magnetic harness he invented also grants him superhuman strength, only slightly lesser than Spider-Man's own. The Vulture can break concrete with his bare hands, often enhancing his blows with claws or razor-sharp 'feathers.' Indeed, the Vulture's deadliest trick is to grab his victims and drag them into the air before dropping them to their death - a tactic fans saw in Spider-Man: Homecoming, where the villain is played by Michael Keaton. Over the years, Vulture has constantly upgraded his armor, enhancing his strength with every new upgrade.

10 The Scorpion, aka MacDonald 'Mac' Gargan

First Appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #19 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

A former private eye, Scorpion can lift approximately 20 tons thanks to his enhancile armor (according to the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z.) The suit also equips Scorpion with a deadly tail that he can wield with even greater strength, capable of snapping Spider-Man's near-unbreakable webbing. Scorpion has been upgraded several times, with Alistaire Smythe equipping the villain with powerful pincers that could cut through steel. The villain has also played host to numerous symbiotes, including Venom, who enhanced his strength even further, while also allowing him to shapeshift a new tail and pincers.

9 The Looter, aka Norton Fester

Introduced in Amazing Spider-Man #36 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

A larcenous villain gifted immense strength by an alien meteor, the Looter can lift around 20 tons at his strongest. One of the Looter's main gimmicks is stealing and using the gadgets of other villains, utilizing the weaponry of Spider-Man foes including the Ringer, Paste-Pot Pete and the Mauler. Looter's strength allows him to intimidate and overpower normal people and his fellow street-level villains, but he isn't quite in Spider-Man's league when it comes to raw power.

8 The Green Goblin, aka Norman Osborn

First Seen Amazing Spider-Man #14 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

While Norman Osborn's cackling villain loves gadgets, the Goblin Formula in his veins also gives him enhanced musculature, granting him strength on par with Spider-Man's own - enough to lift approximately 40 tons. This strength enhances his use of explosive pumpkin bombs, deadly razor bat projectiles, and electro-blast gloves, as well as allowing him to fly his imposing Goblin Glider across the New York skyline.

7 The Lizard, aka Curt Conners

First Appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #6 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

Peter Parker's friend and ally Doctor Curt Conners turned himself into the Lizard while developing a serum to try and regrow his arm. However, his other self lacks the capacity for empathy, becoming a superstrong predator with designs on transforming humanity into a race of lizardlike humanoids. With deadly claws and teeth, as well as a wrecking ball-esque tail, the Lizard has consistently been depicted as being slightly stronger than Spider-Man.

In recent years, the Lizard has used Conners' genius mind to enhance his serum, transforming the doctor into an even larger and more powerful reptile. This dinosaur-like version of the Lizard towers over Spider-Man and is a truly monstrous beast, eating Conners' son alive in an attempt to kill off its creator's will to fight for his body.

6 Doctor Octopus, aka Otto Octavius

First Seen in Amazing Spider-Man #3 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

One of Spider-Man's oldest enemies, Doctor Octopus typically fights using four mechanical arms made from titanium or adamantium. These arms are wildly powerful, capable of throwing cars, binding Spider-Man, and even tearing apart Iron Man's armor. Doctor Octopus is constantly upgrading his weaponry, with arms that can extend to 24 feet in length and travel at ninety feet per second.

While Octavius is an otherwise normal human without his arms, he has also upgraded his body on some occasions. As the Superior Spider-Man, Octavius first stole Peter Parker's body and later bonded with the Venom symbiote, reaching incredible levels of strength. Later, as the Superior Octopus, Octavius transferred his mind to a clone body designed with ideal human attributes. Today, Octavius is back in his own body, but his arms are stronger than ever, with the villain recently debuting a new design where each segment of his arm is also a drone robot called an Ocktoid.

5 Robot Master, aka Mendel Stromm

Debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #37 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

An early partner of Norman Osborn, Mendel Stromm's life and reputation were destroyed by the future Green Goblin. The genius inventor created a robot duplicate to continue his war on Osborn, facing off with Spider-Man many times since. Stromm has operated under both the Gaunt and Robot Master codenames, and is constantly enhancing his cyborg body with immense strength and advanced weaponry.

Mendel Stromm is constantly building new robots and hacking existing technology to wage war against Norman Osborn and Spider-Man, including several gigantic upgrades with strength far in excess of Spider-Man's own.

4 The Spider-Slayers and Alistaire Smythe

Spider-Slayer Mark I Debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #25 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

A genius inventor, Spencer Smythe initially created the Spider-Slayer Mark I based on the anti-mutant Sentinel robots. Spencer's work was subsidized by J. Jonath Jameson, who hated Spider-Man and wanted to develop new ways to rid New York of the superhero 'Menace.' Jameson has piloted severals versions of the Spider-Slayer armor, but he's not alone. Other operators have used the Spider-Slayer, and Spencer's son Alistaire Smythe eventually took full control of the project, first commanding an army of Spider-Slayers and later developing a cybernetic 'carapace' which grants him many of his armor's abilities on a biological level.

While Smythe himself isn't particularly strong for a Spider-Man villain (able to lift around 10 tons), the Spider-Slayer armors are some of the most powerful challenges Spider-Man has ever faced. Various models of the Spider-Slayer armor have exceeded Spider-Man's strength, and the armor has been a major threat from the very beginning, with even the Mark II being able to break concrete with ease.

3 Molten Man, aka Mark Raxton

Introduced in Amazing Spider-Man #28 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

Able to lift upward of 40 tons, Molten Man is the step-brother of Spider-Man's childhood friend Liz Allan. Raxton gained superpowers while working with Spencer Smythe, exposed to a dangerous serum after trying to rob his fellow scientist. As the Molecule Man, Raxton's entire body was transformed into a fiery liquid metal that exudes incredible amounts of heat. He also gained immense strength and stamina, as well as the ability to increase his body's heat through focus.

While he's one of Spider-Man's most physically imposing villains, Mark Raxton isn't all bad, and many of his crimes were committed in an attempt to cure himself or stop his powers from killing him.