Miles Morales
Miles Gonzalo Morales
Character profile
Spider-Ham
Peter Porker
A spider bit a pig. Somehow it is one of Marvel's most durable ideas.
Biography
On Larval Earth, May Porker was a scientist spider who irradiated herself in a nuclear hair dryer accident and, dying, bit her pet pig Peter. The pig became an anthropomorphic pig-person with spider powers. That is the actual canon, and Marvel has committed to it since 1983 — Peter Porker works as a photographer for the Daily Beagle under J. Jonah Jackal, fights villains named Ducktor Doom and King Pig, and takes the responsibility part completely seriously.
The joke works because cartoon physics are treated as a power set. Peter survives anvils, pulls mallets out of nowhere, and bends the rules of the frame he is drawn in — which makes him genuinely useful in a multiversal crossover where everyone else obeys conventional physics. Spider-Verse (2014) put him on the front line, and Into the Spider-Verse gave John Mulaney the role and let him steal several scenes from an Oscar-winning film.
Vital statistics
- Real name
- Peter Porker
- Also known as
- Peter Porker, The Spectacular Spider-Ham
- Species
- Anthropomorphic pig (formerly a spider)
- Place of origin
- Larval Earth (Earth-8311)
- First appearance
- Marvel Tails Starring Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham #1 (November 1983)
- Created by
- Tom DeFalco, Mark Armstrong
- Affiliations
- Spider-Army, Web Warriors, Avengers of Larval Earth
- Groups
- Heroes Spider-Verse
Power grid
Intelligence3
Strength4
Speed3
Durability5
Energy1
Fighting3
Rated 1–7 on the classic Marvel power-grid scale.
Powers
- Cartoon Physics
He survives impacts, falls and explosions that would kill anyone drawn more realistically.
- Superhuman Strength
Proportional spider strength, in a body that weighs considerably less than it should.
- Wall-Crawling and Web-Slinging
The full spider package, with web-shooters of his own design.
- Hammerspace
He produces mallets, anvils and props from nowhere, a genuine tactical advantage.
- Spider-Sense
Standard danger precognition, played for both laughs and rescues.
Abilities
- Photographer for the Daily Beagle
- Experienced multiversal operative
- Comedic timing weaponised as misdirection
Weaknesses
- Physically small
- Treats almost nothing seriously enough
- Bound by the logic of whatever universe he is standing in
- Genuinely vulnerable when drawn in a realistic style
Comics history
Peter Porker debuted in Marvel Tails #1 (1983) and got his own 17-issue Star Comics series, Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham. He was revived for Dan Slott's Spider-Verse (2014) as a fully functional member of the Spider-Army, and Into the Spider-Verse cemented him as a permanent part of the franchise's roster.
Allies
- Miles Morales
- Spider-Gwen
- Spider-Man Noir
- Spider-Army
Enemies
- Ducktor Doom
- King Pig
- The Inheritors
Weapons & equipment
- Web-shooters
- Cartoon mallet
- Spider-Ham costume
- Daily Beagle camera
Trivia
- In his origin, a spider named May Porker bit a pig — meaning Peter Porker is technically a spider who became a pig, not the other way round.
- He headlined a 17-issue Star Comics series in the 1980s aimed at younger readers.
- John Mulaney voiced him in both Spider-Verse films, and his 'that's all, folks' gag had to be legally reworded.
Famous quotes
I'm a pig. I'm also Spider-Man. Both of those are true.
It's called cartoon physics, and it has saved my life eleven times.
Timeline
- 1983
Debuts in Marvel Tails #1.
- 1985
Headlines his own 17-issue Star Comics series.
- 2014
Joins the Spider-Army in Spider-Verse.
- 2018
John Mulaney voices him in Into the Spider-Verse.
Gallery
Poster art is generated from each character’s signature palette. Drop official art into assets/images/ and set the img field to swap it in.
Related characters
Spider-Gwen
Gwendolyne Maxine Stacy
Spider-Man Noir
Peter Parker (Earth-90214)
Spider-Man
Peter Benjamin Parker
Spider-Man 2099
Miguel O'Hara
Frequently asked
How did Spider-Ham get his powers?
A spider named May Porker irradiated herself in a nuclear hair-dryer accident and bit her pet pig Peter as she died. He became an anthropomorphic pig with spider powers — which technically makes him a spider who turned into a pig.
Is Spider-Ham a real Marvel character?
Entirely. He debuted in Marvel Tails #1 (1983), headlined a 17-issue series, and has been a functioning member of the Spider-Army in Spider-Verse events since 2014 — cartoon physics and all.