Summary
Few Marvel superheroes have a rogues gallery as diverse and impressive asSpider-Man. Despite his young age and seeming lack of experience, Peter Parker became an iconic hero of the Marvel universe. His story spanned multiple comic book series and received countless adaptations in movies, TV shows,and video games.
This popularity extended toSpider-Man’s villains. Many of them appear in multiple media formats and battle the hero numerous times. While some are murderous maniacs who could be described as pure evil, others have mitigating circumstances and sympathetic backstories that allow people to understand them better.
10Lizard
Real Name: Curt Connors
Curt Connorsis a scientist who mentored Peter Parker before the two of them had to clash. He suffered from the loss of his arm and sought to regrow it via his scientific research. However, it backfired, and as a result, he turned into a humanoid lizardmonstrosity that became one of the most iconic Spider-Man villains. Occasionally,Lizardwill create a lizard army as well.
Despite his cruel actions and attempts to transform other people into lizards, Connors isn’t entirely responsible for his crimes. His lizard form is a separate identity with its own goals and desires. Connors is a relatively well-meaning man who is motivated by his pursuit of knowledge. He often comes to regret his actions across different media.
9Venom
Real Name: Eddie Brock
Venomis one of the most important antagonists for Spider-Man, as he represents the darkest side of the hero himself. He emerged when Peter ditched his black symbiote suit that was corrupting him. Eventually, it latched ontoEddie Brock, a disgraced journalist with a vendetta against Peter.
While some of the things Eddie did as Venom were vile, he was never an irredeemable person. His anger came from a place of hurt and injustice inflicted upon him, and eventually, he grew as a person and moved past it. He is one of the few villains to have a long redemption arc, but in the end, he becomes a hero called Anti-Venom.
8Sandman
Real Name: William Baker/Flint Marko
William Baker, better known by his pseudonym,Flint Marko, is one of the more recurring Spider-Man villains. He fell victim to an experiment with the sand’s molecular structure, which changed his DNA and allowed Flint to change his entire body structure into sand. This makes him an incredibly versatile and dangerous villain, and very difficult to beat.
Marko’s character changes throughout the adaptations. Some media portray him as a regular bandit. Still, others, such as theSpider-Man 3movie, give him a more sympathetic motivation: getting the money needed for his family, especially his sick daughter. This shows thatSandmanis not entirely selfish, and deeply cares for his family.
7Scorpion
Real Name: MacDonald Gargan
Mac Garganwas a victim of arather unfortunate fate. He was hired by Jonah Jameson to become a test subject for a program designed to destroy Spider-Man. Gargan received enhancements and a Scorpion suit, which made him a deadly foe, but due to side effects, he was locked in it and unable to take it off, taking on theScorpionidentity.
Gargan was never noble, and he seeks vengeance not just against Jameson, but against Spider-Man, despite the hero having nothing to do with the experiment. Scorpion remained a consistent villain, yet his unfortunate circumstances left room for sympathy in the readers' hearts, as his humanity was taken from him.
6Rhino
Real Name: Alexei Sytsevitch
Rhinohas a backstory similar to Scorpion.Alexei Sytsevitchwas a thug who wanted to get stronger. He became the subject of an experiment that made him grow a Rhino-like skin and supernatural strength, which served as his main weapon and line of defense. While not particularly smart, Rhino is a very strong opponent.
When it comes to the evil villains ofSpider-Man, Alexei belongs right in the middle. He is most often portrayed as a selfish thug with neither redeeming qualities nor vile characteristics that would make him stand out from the others. This makes Rhino not so different from regular thugs Spider-Man fights, even if he has super strength.
5Dr. Octopus
Real Name: Otto Octavius
Dr. Octopusis easily one of the most iconic Spider-Man villains, and his story has been adapted into games, movies, and series.Otto Octaviuswas a brilliant scientist who mentored Peter, but his obsession with progress led him into an unfortunate state. After a failed experiment with four mechanical arms, they became tied to Otto’s body, becoming his own weapon as a villain.
Otto was one of the more ruthless Spider-Man villains. His inventions were often the source of mass misery and destruction as he grew more obsessed with beating Spider-Man. Once, he managed to hijack Peter’s body and take on his identityas the Superior Spider-Man. In the end, he makes peace with his former enemy and earns a measure of redemption by returning Peter’s body.
4Kraven The Hunter
Real Name: Sergei Kravinoff
Sergei Kravinoffis obsessed with hunting, and the simultaneous thrill and glory that it brings. He enjoys a challenge, usually avoiding the use of firearms and instead sticking to knives, blades, and bows in his hunt. Spider-Man became his primary target due to how difficult it is to bring him down and how much energy it requires.
Kravenis a ruthless hunter with no concern for the lives of others, which makes him extremely dangerous. He would not hesitate to harm a bystander if it meant getting closer to Spider-Man. Kraven also came incredibly close to succeeding, being one of the few villains who managed to bury the hero alive.
3Mysterio
Real Name: Quentin Beck
Quentin Beckis perhaps among the flashiest and most unique Spider-Man villains. He hides his face behind a glass mask, which makes his identity a mystery. He was an illusionist before giving in to a life of crime. He specializes in manipulation and trickery, which makes him an incredibly dangerous and unpredictable villain.
There are many different depictions of Mysterio, sometimes under different names, but most have been ruthless and self-centered. Most notably, therecent version of Mysterio inFar From Homeis incredibly power-hungry and arrogant. Believing that Tony Stark owes him, he ends up waging war against his heir, Peter Parker.
2Green Goblin
Real Name: Norman Osborn
Perhaps the most well-known antagonistin Spider-Man, and definitely the one who caused the hero most pain, isNorman Osborn, also known asGreen Goblin. A wealthy businessman and father of Peter’s best friend developed the split personality of an incredibly vicious psychopath. He is known for wearing a green suit, using pumpkin bombs, and flying on his glider.
Norman is incredibly vicious and merciless. He is known to target civilians to toy with Spider-Man, and he’ll strike at those closest to Peter in universes where he knows the hero’s identity. He uses the resources of his own corporation to spread chaos and devastation, all for his selfish goals and pleasure, which makes him a mesmerizing villain but a contemptible person.
1Carnage
Real Name: Cletus Kasady
Carnage’sname conveys the nature of his character as an incredibly dangerous villain. A symbiotic offspring of Venom, Carnage joined himself with a serial killer namedCletus Kasady.He is notorious for his crimson coloring, associated with blood, and violent temperament. Carnage is also stronger than his predecessor andproved to be a dangerous opponent in his debut movie.
Out of all Spider-Man villains, Carnage is arguably the most vicious. Being a serial killer long before meeting the symbiote unveils Cletus' cruel and vile nature, showing that he didn’t need an inciting incident or contact with superpowers to become evil. He takes joy in murdering anyone, not caring whether they’re innocent or not, treating his crimes as a game.
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is one of the biggest names in entertainment today. The superhero first appeared in the Marvel comic Amazing Fantasy #15 before becoming a leading figure in the Marvel comic-book universe.Spider-Man has also featured in numerous films and a plethora of video games, most notably Insomniac Games' Spider-Man (2018) and Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
