50 Greatest Spider-Man Villains of All Time (Ranked)

Arguably, the greatest and most popular superhero in the world of comic books is Spider-Man, who has always been ranked at the top of superhero popularity rankings. There’s a good reason why Spider-Man is quite popular: he is simply the most relatable out of all the superheroes we’ve ever seen. But while that may be true, he also has his fair share of haters because that’s kind of normal for a superhero.

With great power comes great responsibility, which is true regarding Spider-Man and the many different character versions. That’s because Spider-Man has had his fair share of run-ins with villains looking to tear his city apart or simply trying their best to make his life miserable. Some of these villains are on the D-list, while others are the most popular in comic book history. Let’s look at the greatest Spider-Man villains of all time.

50. Burglar

This list would never be complete without the man responsible for changing Peter Parker’s life. The Burglar was the man who shot and killed Ben Parker, who was like a father figure to Peter while he was growing up without any parents.

The Burglar was a common criminal named Dennis Carradine, who had a daughter named Jessica. Not many things are known about Dennis, except for the fact that he shot and killed Uncle Ben, causing Peter to lose the man he loved as a father. Ben’s death allowed Peter to understand what it meant to be a true hero, but there was also a point wherein the Burglar’s actions caused Peter to become vindictive.

49. Grizzly

While he isn’t one of the main villains in Spider-Man’s rogues gallery, Grizzly has had a few encounters with the web-slinger. Named Maxwell Markham, Grizzly used to be a professional wrestler. However, he became quite violent, leading J. Jonah Jameson to write an article that got Markham expelled.

To that end, Grizzly became a supervillain after he met the Jackal. He used a grizzly bear suit and an exoskeleton, making him stronger and more durable. And he attacked the Daily Bugle to take revenge for what Jameson did to him, as Spider-Man did the right thing by protecting one of his haters from a criminal.

48. Fusion

Fusion isn’t really one of the characters associated with Spider-Man, but this character has a unique backstory. Hubert and Pinky Fusser were twins born with dwarfism, and one of them became a nuclear scientist while the other became a janitor in the corporation where his brother worked.

When Hubert got into an accident in the lab, his twin brother came in to help. The radiation caused the twins to combine and become a twin-headed being called Fusion. Of course, they eventually had their own run-in with Spider-Man as this superpowered, radiated villain became too dangerous for the city.

47. Calypso

Not many people are familiar with Calypso, but this character became a minor Spider-Man villain at one point in the comics. That’s because she is associated with Kraven the Hunter, who we know is one of the top villains in the Spider-Man storyline.

Calypso Ezili is a voodoo woman who worked together with Kraven. That’s how she became a villain to the web-slinging hero. Of course, let’s not forget that she is also a very skilled villain and almost just as capable as Kraven. And she enjoys making Kraven hate Spider-Man even more than he already did.

46. Demogoblin

There are a lot of different goblin characters in the world of Spider-Man, and we have seen four versions of Hobgoblin. One of them was Jason Macendale, who once became hungry for power as he attempted to sell his soul to a demon. While this demon declined Jason’s soul, he gave him power by grafting a demon to him.

That was how Demogoblin was born, as Jason became a hideous demonic creature that drove him insane due to his appearance. This demon eventually tore itself from Jason to become Demogoblin as it attempted to purge the world of its sinners. Of course, Spider-Man tried to do something about that.

45. Scream

Named Donna Diego, Scream was one of the Life Foundation Symbiotes created by Venom. In that regard, she had the power of Venom and was just as hideous or even more hideous than the Symbiote it came from. 

While Scream may have just been a minor Spider-Man villain, she was still a fearsome enemy to the web-slinging hero as she was the five Life Foundation Symbiotes leader. She and the other Symbiotes became threats to Spider-Man and even Venom himself.

44. Spencer Smythe

There are a lot of different characters who aren’t entirely agreeable to the fact that Spider-Man was a hero. Thanks to J. Jonah Jameson’s efforts to destroy the public image of the web crawler, Spencer Smythe was convinced that Spider-Man was actually a true menace to society.

As such, Smythe created an army of different robots that were crafted using his expertise in robotics and spiders. These were called the Spider-Slayers. Their goal was to catch and destroy Spider-Man. However, Spencer could not follow through on his effort to destroy Spider-Man because his radiation exposure caused him to go ill.

43. The Spider-Slayers

As mentioned, Spencer Smythe created an army of robots to kill Spider-Man. The Spider-Slayers were strong enough to hunt down the web-crawling hero because Smythe thought he was a menace to society.

The Spider-Slayers were composed of different robots that were unique in their own right. The latest Spider-Slayer model was Mark XXI. Alistair Smythe, who carried his father’s legacy, eventually became Ultimate Slayer.

42. Tinkerer

Tinkerer was originally an alien in the earlier Spider-Man comic book storylines but was reimagined as a brilliant man named Phineas Mason, known for creating advanced mechanical devices designed for other supervillains.

However, in the ‘Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ video game, Tinkerer was rebranded into Phin Mason, whose brother was the original Tinkerer named Rick. She used to be Miles Morales’ best friend until they both found out about one another’s secret identities.

41. Swarm

There are a lot of weird enemies and villains in Spider-Man’s gallery of rogues, and Swarm is simply one of them. Of course, there’s a reason why he is weird, as he is basically a living swarm of bees.

Fritz Von Meyer used to be a simple beekeeper in South America. However, one day, a colony of mutated bees devoured him. His consciousness merged with all of the bees that ate him as he became a killer swarm that could form its body into the shape of a human. And it became a spider vs. bee affair between Spider-Man and Swarm.

40. Puma

Another character who isn’t quite popular compared to the other names on this list, Puma, was once a man named Thomas Fireheart before he was used in mystic ceremonies and selective breeding to create the ideal warrior. Through this, he obtained the ability to become a powerful puma-like warrior.

With his ability, Puma became a skilled mercenary. During his time as a mercenary, The Rose hired him to kill Spider-Man. That was how he became a villain to the web-slinging superhero, even though he wasn’t exactly the most prominent Spider-Man villain.

39. Man-Wolf

Unlike his father, John Jameson believed in what Spider-Man stood for. He didn’t agree with his father’s opinion about Spider-Man being a menace to the city. Nevertheless, he eventually became a villain to Spider-Man even though he actually supported him.

John was an astronaut and found a gem on the moon because of his job. He crafted a pendant from this gem but turned into a werewolf while wearing it during a full moon. Because he became a bloodthirsty monster named Man-Wolf, he became a villain to the hero he supported and believed in.

38. Boomerang

Even though he was never a superhuman, Fred Myers was an athlete in top physical shape because he was once a baseball player. Because of that, he can throw projectiles better than any other ordinary human being. And his abilities are at the peak of any non-superpowered person.

In that regard, he became Boomerang. Using his talents, Boomerang used an arsenal of specialized boomerangs modified for specific purposes. Some of them exploded upon contact, while others were meant to slice. Whatever the case, Boomerang’s physical abilities and skills became a problem to Spider-Man.

37. Beetle

Born Abner Jenkins, Beetle was an ordinary master mechanic who worked at an aircraft parts factory. However, he eventually became bored with his low-paying job, so he used his knowledge and expertise to his advantage by building an armor-plated suit that allowed him to have a more exciting life.

Beetle’s suit augmented his strength and allowed him to fly. So, despite his lack of superpowers, he became a strong villain who used his suit for fame and wealth. And it was because of that fact he became a villain to Spider-Man.

36. Screwball

While she may not be very threatening, Screwball is a D-list villain straight from the comic books. She was never an important character in the world of Marvel Comics. Still, she earned a somewhat bigger role in the ‘Spider-Man’ PlayStation game when she was rebranded into a supervillain meant to annoy Spider-Man.

In the game, she has one of the longest side quests requiring Spider-Man to complete challenges meant to get Screwball more views on her live streams. But she is nowhere near the threat level of the other villains in the game or the comics.

35. Taskmaster

Taskmaster isn’t necessarily a Spider-Man villain but is more of an all-around villain who has faced a lot of different superheroes. However, in the ‘Spider-Man’ game, he was rebranded as a villain who played a minor role that made the game much more enjoyable.

In the game, Taskmaster was meant to be a killer for hire, leaving different challenges for Spidey to accomplish all over New York. In a sense, he is a side-mission kind of character. But he has one of the best boss fights in the game because he was always known for being one of the best martial artists in the world of Marvel. Taskmaster excels at copying the moves of a fighter, making him a popular villain to fans.

34. Hammerhead

Hammerhead is one of the strangest villains in Spider-Man’s rogues gallery because he looks weird and bizarre. He used to be an ordinary thug whose skull was fractured. After that, he replaced it with one made of steel, and that was when he became a criminal who developed a weird love for 1920s gangsters.

While he was never a popular Spider-Man villain, Hammerhead became a villain in the PlayStation game, wherein he was a mob boss, one of the more important villains in the game. 

33. Silver Sable

Introduced in the Spider-Man comics in the 80s, Silver Sable is a classic villain with a few run-ins with the web-slinging hero. In the comics, she was the leader of the Power Pack mercenaries. Throughout her story in the comics, her status as a villain wasn’t always clear.

Nevertheless, in the PS4 game, Silver Sable’s story was quite good because she was the leader of Norman Osborn’s military force but ended up becoming disillusioned with the job because of Spider-Man. In that regard, she realized the error of her ways as she eventually turned from a villain into a hero.

32. Spider-Carnage

Spider-Carnage was one of the most entertaining villains in the Spider-Man animated series. He comes from an alternate reality where Doctor Miles Warren created a clone of Peter Parker. However, because none of the Peter versions in the lab knew which one was a clone, one fell victim to the Carnage symbiote from another dimension. As such, Spider-Carnage was born.

This alternate version of Spider-Man’s goal was to destroy all of the realities in the multiverse. He became a very capable villain in the animated series as he was a confused and hurt person trying to make sense of reality. As such, he was the opposite of the original Peter Parker as he mirrored the path Peter could have taken had he turned into an evil version of Spider-Man.

31. Hydro-Man

Formerly known as Morris Bench, Hydro-Man used to date Mary Jane Watson back when they were in high school. But because Morris was a jealous boyfriend, Mary Jane ended things with him. After high school, he joined the Navy but got exposed to underwater gas, which ultimately gave him the ability to control water.

After that, Hydro-Man tracked Mary Jane down and committed a series of robberies, hoping to look good to her. He became an obsessed stalker who wanted to get his ex back. In that regard, it was clear he was a villain obsessed with Mary Jane, as Spider-Man needed to take him down in the animated series.

30. Alistair Smythe

Alistair Smythe was born the son of Spencer Smythe, who created an army of robots designed to kill Spider-Man. After his father’s illness, Alistair took it upon himself to continue his legacy as he became the new man behind the robots designed to hunt down the web-slinging superhero. He even eventually became known as Ultimate Slayer.

In the animated series, Alistair Smythe went on to work with Kingpin. But he failed to defeat Spider-Man and was eventually replaced. That was when he became one of the best villains in the animated series as he mutated into a Slayer himself. And he was driven by vengeance the entire time as he hoped to kill Spider-Man before the hero broke him free from Kingpin’s control.

29. The Prowler

While he wasn’t the most popular villain, the Prowler ultimately rose to popularity due to the success of the ‘Spider-Verse’ movies. In the comics, he was just a misguided kid caught in an attempted robbery while using a suit with some fancy gadgets. And he even became one of Peter Parker’s allies in the comics.

But in the ‘Spider-Verse’ movies, he was Miles Morales’ uncle. While Miles was close to him, he didn’t know that his uncle was the Prowler, a mercenary working for Kingpin. Nevertheless, the Prowler changed and redeemed himself in the last moment after learning that his nephew was actually Spider-Man. Miles Morales became the Prowler in an alternate universe because of his close relationship with his uncle.

28. Morlun

Not many fans are familiar with Morlun, but those who know him actually regard him as one of the greatest Spider-Man villains of all time because of how cool he is. He also has one of the most threatening powers in the world of Spider-Man comics, as there aren’t a lot of villains that could stand up to his crazy abilities.

Morlun can absorb the life force of other people, as this grants him a nearly unlimited pool of power that he can draw from. He can also track people he has come into close contact with, allowing him to locate any person at any given time. Morlun was also among the greatest villains during the 2000s due to his amazing abilities and incredible durability.

27. Richard Fisk

Yes, Richard Fisk is the son of none other than Wilson Fisk, whom we will discuss later. As the son of one of the greatest Spider-Man villains of all time, Richard Fisk didn’t have an easy life. He became known as The Rose at one point in time but failed to match the antics and brilliance of his father as a criminal. Nevertheless, he eventually became more brazen in his approach until he caught the attention of Spider-Man.

Richard eventually rebranded himself as Blood Rose as he and Spider-Man remained enemies. Nevertheless, he couldn’t reach his father’s success as a villain. He did appear in the ‘Spider-Verse’ movies, but in an entirely different capacity. Still, being the son of Kingpin earns himself a spot on this list.

26. Molten Man

Molten Man has a quite vanilla backstory because he was a scientist who developed superpowers after he ended up getting himself in a terrible accident. But back when he was introduced during the 60s, this wasn’t a common origin story for supervillains. Nevertheless, in the current era, he is a pretty generic character regarding his origins.

Nevertheless, Molten Man is a powerful villain covered in molten metal and a very cool character who is supposedly difficult for someone like Spider-Man to deal with due to his extreme heat. However, he was never one of the most popular villains in Spider-Man’s gallery of rogues, no matter how badass and powerful he may be.

25. Black Tarantula

It’s a shame that this character has yet to appear in a Spider-Man movie, even though he has been around for a long time. Black Tarantula may not be that popular, but he has often proven himself a worthy and challenging adversary to Spider-Man. And that’s because he has the same badass look and a set of powers similar to Spider-Man, who has struggled to beat him outright.

Black Tarantula is stronger, faster, and more durable than Spider-Man, who himself admitted that he’s weaker than the mysterious villain. This is why Black Tarantula was a promising villain, as he could have easily been a character that the movies could have used to give Peter Parker a good challenge. Nevertheless, let’s keep our fingers crossed that he would soon be given a live-action movie debut.

24. Spot

While Spot isn’t a very threatening villain in terms of his personality, he is one of the most interesting Spider-Man villains because he has unique powers that allow him to create portals from one place to another using the spots on his body. He debuted in the 80s but struggled to become popular due to the many villains already in Spider-Man’s gallery. However, Spot has become quite popular in the ‘Spider-Verse’ movies.

As the main antagonist in ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,’ Spot’s uniqueness came to life because his powers were perfect for a movie about traversing the multiverse. The spots on his body allow him to easily travel from one universe to another, and he uses that power to try to take revenge on Miles Morales, who was responsible for turning him into the villain that he was in that movie. This allows us to see a character who lacks brute force but focuses more on his unique powers to try to defeat Spider-Man.

23. Mister Negative

There have been a lot of different villains who have seen a lot of video game adaptations, but the one villain who has rarely been the main villain of a big Spider-Man movie or video game is Mister Negative. While Mister Negative hasn’t been around for a long time, he is one of the most unique Spider-Man villains we’ve seen because we have never seen anyone quite like him in terms of his overall design, powers, and abilities.

Mister Negative’s personality stood out as one of the main villains in the PlayStation Spider-Man game. He was one of the most charismatic and magnetic villains we’ve seen in a while. Of course, this allowed fans to see a fresh face, especially because we know that the likes of Doc Ock and Green Goblin have always been the ones who are used when it comes to telling a good Spider-Man story.

22. Kaine

There are a lot of complicated characters in Spider-Man’s gallery of rogues, but Kaine tends to have a more complex story than most of the other villains because he has been described as both a hero and a villain. Of course, we know that Kaine was cloned from Peter Parker by the Jackal. However, he was discarded when it became clear that there were flaws in the cloning process. And that was how Kaine became mentally unstable as he feared abandonment and other similar feelings.

Kaine became a hitman for the mob after he was discarded but quickly became an antihero when he started killing all the criminals he deemed threats. Peter Parker was arrested for murder because he and Kaine had the same DNA. But Kaine proved himself a changed man by owning up to his crimes and serving his time in prison. From time to time, Kaine ended up having run-ins with Spider-Man after he served his time in prison.

21. J. Jonah Jameson

A list of Spider-Man villains would never be complete without J. Jonah Jameson because he has always been one of the constants in Spidey’s career as a superhero. For some reason, JJ just seems to hate Spider-Man, even though he has proven himself a real hero. And this is why Jameson has always been an antagonist to the web-slinging hero.

The thing about Jameson is that he is neither evil nor a villain. He is simply the man running the Daily Bugle, constantly trying to bring Spider-Man down by describing him as a menace to society. The awkward part is that Peter Parker works for the Daily Bugle, and this is where we get to see the unique and complex relationship between Spider-Man and JJ.

20. Black Cat

If Batman has his Catwoman, Spider-Man has his Black Cat. There are many reasons to think that Black Cat, aka Felicia Hardy, is Marvel’s version of Catwoman, as they are very similar in many ways outside of having alter egos related to black felines. Of course, Black Cat and Spider-Man commit burglaries and similar crimes.

The thing about Black Cat is that she also has a complicated relationship with Spider-Man, similar to Catwoman’s relationship with Batman. While Felicia did indeed have a romantic relationship with Spidey, her natural tendency to steal ultimately made this relationship an unfortunate one. Still, we can’t deny that Black Cat is a complex character who has shown that there is some good in her.

19. Tombstone

Tombstone is one of the most recent villains introduced in Spider-Man’s rogues gallery, but that doesn’t mean he’s new. He’s been around for about three decades already, so he isn’t as new as some other characters on this list. Nevertheless, the fact that he hasn’t been around for as long as the other villains on this list says a lot about how Marvel keeps introducing new enemies for the web-slinging hero to deal with.

Of all of the different villains that Spider-Man has faced, Tombstone doesn’t have the same kind of unique powers and abilities as some of his peers. But he is still superhuman in terms of his strength and durability. Tombstone is also a very skilled fighter with many skills he can use in a fight. And his albino design gives him a unique look.

18. Shocker

There are a lot of different Spider-Man villains with their motivations and reasons for wanting to live a life of crime, and Shocker is unique among them because he has no real desire to be the most powerful man in New York. On top of that, he doesn’t even hate Spider-Man as much as the other villains do. Nevertheless, he is still after the money that comes with being a villain, and that’s why he has no problems breaking the law if it means becoming rich.

For Shocker, being a villain to Spidey is nothing personal as he sees it as one of the hazards of a life of crime. This is probably why he isn’t as popular as the other villains regarding directors who may want to make movies or video games featuring Spider-Man villains. Still, the fact that he has had a lot of run-ins with Spider-Man makes him one of the best villains for the web crawler.

17. Hobgoblin

The thing about Hobgoblin is that he doesn’t have the same compelling storyline that comes with his predecessor, Green Goblin. He has had a lot of different moments against Spider-Man, and that’s why he is such a popular character. But while he may be popular, he is still ranked second behind Green Goblin out of all the different goblins that Spider-Man has faced.  

Hobgoblin was created by Roderick Kingsley, who used the same formula Osborn used, albeit an altered version. Since his debut, Hobgoblin has seen his fair share of new reincarnations, as more and more characters have adopted the Hobgoblin persona, including Ned Leeds, whose MCU counterpart might become a villain at some point in the future.

16. Jackal

While there have been a lot of different characters who adopted the name of the Jackal over the years, the very first person to do so was Miles Warren. His origin story is fairly vanilla because he was a biology professor who became a supervillain. But what isn’t vanilla about him is that he was obsessed with Gwen Stacy and quickly blamed Spider-Man for her death at the hands of Green Goblin.

As such, the Jackal went on to swear revenge for Gwen’s death as he fought Spider-Man a lot of different times in the comics. While Jackal was strong, he was even better at manipulating people as he was one of the few people aware of Spider-Man’s true identity. He even went on to make clones of Parker, and one of them happened to be Kaine. As strong and as smart as the Jackal was, he was easily outmaneuvered and outsmarted by Green Goblin.

15. Chameleon

Out of all of the different Spider-Man villains we’ve seen, Chameleon is arguably right up at the top regarding his cruelty. He debuted in the first issue of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ and was the first villain Spidey crossed paths with in that storyline. And since then, Dmitri Smerdyakov has been a problem to him due to how difficult it was to deal with this villain.

As the name suggests, Chameleon is a master of disguise and one of the villains who harbor an intense hatred for Spider-Man because he blames him for the death of his half-brother, the original Kraven. His cruelty was shown when he created androids of Parker’s parents after learning of Spider-Man’s true identity. Chameleon also regularly goes after Peter’s loved ones instead of going after him.

14. Rhino

Even if most of the other characters on this list are some of the most intelligent villains that Spider-Man has ever faced, there is room for someone who is lacking in the intelligence department. That’s because Rhino, despite being one of the dumbest Spider-Man villains of all time, has always been described as one of the most effective villains due to one thing—brute strength.

Few Spider-Man villains are a match to Rhino in terms of brute strength and durability. He may lack the cunning and intelligent nature that the other villains have, but he can easily beat any of them in a straight-up fight, and that’s why he was always more than a match to Spider-Man. Still, in almost all of the Spider-Man storylines, Rhino is a secondary antagonist, answering to a much more intelligent villain.

13. Scorpion

Born MacDonald Gargan, Scorpion is one of the most powerful villains in terms of his overall physical capabilities. He was subjected to a shady medical procedure that eventually turned him into a powerful and very lethal villain whose body resembles a scorpion’s own physiology. Scorpion’s armor is almost impenetrable and can withstand bullets and even attacks from Spider-Man. And his strength is even higher than Spider-Man’s strength level.

He has always been a big part of Spider-Man’s storylines in the comics, video games, movies, and animated shows. There were many times when he pushed Spider-Man to his very limits. In fact, Scorpion has seen his fair share of run-ins with Spidey and even the Avengers because he can actually be an Avengers-level threat.

12. Kraven the Hunter

Kraven the Hunter has been one of the most popular Spider-Man villains, as he has been around for decades already. While he doesn’t always get the opportunity to shine, he never disappoints in all of his different appearances in the comics and the games. He even has his own Sony standalone film. And that’s because Kraven is an iconic Spider-Man villain.

The reason why Kraven is so popular is the fact that he is strong and is just as capable as Spider-Man in a fight. But more importantly, he uses real tactics that give justice to his name as a hunter. Kraven was able to sedate Spider-Man in a comic book storyline and even impersonate him to prove that he was superior to Spidey. And he has done many cool things that make people accept him as one of the villains who could defeat Spider-Man in a fight.

11. Morbius

Morbius looks like a generic villain because vampires can be quite generic as far as villains are concerned. However, while his solo movie under Sony’s banner may be downright bad, we got to know more about the character in that film. And the thing about his character is that he has always been complex in terms of his motivations.

Due to his vampire-like physiology, Morbius needs to drink human blood, and the movie shows that this wasn’t something he entirely loved doing. Nevertheless, he has to do so because he has to, and the fact that he had to drink human blood made him a target to Spider-Man. While bats are known to eat spiders, the fights between Morbius and Spider-Man have always been toss-ups due to how strong these characters are.

10. Electro

Of course, there’s no doubt that Electro would make it to the top ten of this list because he has always been one of the most iconic Spider-Man villains. He even has one of the most interesting backstories in Spider-Man’s rogues gallery. That’s because Max Dillon was just a simple lineman working on a power cable before lighting struck, giving him the power to manipulate electricity.

As such, Electro became an incredibly powerful villain with energy projection capabilities that are right up there with the best of them. He became one of the founding members of the Sinister Six. But while he lacks the desire to kill Spider-Man with every fiber of his being, Electro is willing enough to destroy the web crawler if Spidey wants to stand in his way.

9. Sandman

Few villains in the world of Spider-Man have the strength and durability of Sandman. Formerly known as Flint Marko, he is a deep character with a very deep personality and history. We can’t deny that there’s a good reason why he became a criminal. Nevertheless, he is far from being a good guy, as he is always willing to do terrible things for a goal that may seem angelic.

What made Sandman so iconic was the fact that his body is made up of sand and that he can even grow to become bigger and stronger by gathering sand particles. This allows him to decimate an entire battlefield with sand-based attacks. He can even manipulate the density of his sand to strike using harder attacks. And because his body is made of sand, defeating or even hurting him is incredibly hard.

8. Vulture

Vulture doesn’t seem to be as popular as some of the other top ten members on this list. However, he still stands as one of the greatest Spider-Man villains because he was a founding member of the Sinister Six and was the second Spider-Man villain featured in the comics. He is one of the few villains who are aware that Spider-Man is Peter Parker.

Adrian Toomes was never superpowered, but he has always proven himself to be a true challenge to Spider-Man using a mechanical suit capable of pushing Spidey to his very limits. Several versions of the Vulture across the vast Marvel multiverse tend to vary in terms of the construction of their suit, but they are all very capable and challenging opponents to Spider-Man.

7. The Lizard

Of course, another brilliant scientist turned into a supervillain on this list because that has always been a staple in Spider-Man’s rogues gallery. We are now talking about Dr. Curt Connors, who was a brilliant scientist who used lizard DNA to find a way to regrow his amputated arm. However, in doing so, he turned himself into a lizard-like creature.

Connors was actually a nice guy because he played the role of Spider-Man’s ally a few times. However, it was an entirely different conversation whenever he turned into the Lizard because he became a feral and wild creature thirsty for human flesh. He also has enough physical abilities to make Spider-Man work hard enough to try to find a way to stop this man-eating beast.

6. Carnage

Like Venom, Carnage is a Symbiote and was actually created from Venom himself, as Symbiotes are often created from other Symbiotes. But the thing about Symbiotes is that the offspring is almost always stronger than the parent, and that’s why Carnage has almost always been stronger than Venom. The difference, however, is that Carnage lacks the reasonable personality that comes with Venom.

Bonded with Cletus Kasady, a deadly serial killer, Carnage lived up to its name by becoming an unstoppable force of death and destruction. On top of the fact that he was meant to be stronger than Venom, Carnage is deadlier and more sadistic than its parent Symbiote. That’s why there have been a lot of different instances wherein Spidey and Venom needed to work together to put Carnage down.

5. Mysterio

Unlike most of this list’s characters, Quentin Beck has no superhuman abilities or powers. He is simply a very talented and smart man who was able to perfect the art of illusions to find ways to advance his own selfish interests. In that regard, he became a supervillain named Mysterio, who used the power of illusions to his advantage.

Because of his ability to create illusions, Mysterio could go toe-to-toe with Spider-Man in many different illusions, as he used tricks and gave Spidey plenty of different problems. As such, Mysterio presents an entirely different type of problem that Spider-Man must deal with because he doesn’t have the same brute strength or powerful attacks as the other villains. Instead, Mysterio attacks the senses and tends to overload Spider-Man’s advanced senses with his illusions.

4. Kingpin

The thing about Wilson Fisk, aka the Kingpin, is that he has reached the pinnacle of human physical strength while he doesn’t have any superpowers. He is known for being the biggest crime boss in all of New York, and that’s the reason why he has become one of the biggest villains in Spider-Man’s rogues gallery. Of course, we also know that Kingpin also became a Daredevil villain.

Thanks to his commanding physique, Fisk can match Spider-Man’s strength as he is pure lean muscle. His fighting abilities are superior to almost any other villain Spider-Man villain. But the scariest part about him is that he is a crime boss who can order just about anyone to do his bidding. Even the strongest Spider-Man villains tend to be secondary to the Kingpin due to his power and influence over the crime world of New York.

3. Venom

While Venom has become some sort of an antihero today, he was initially a villain born when an alien Symbiote bonded with Spider-Man and turned him into an evil version of himself. Nevertheless, Peter Parker purged the Symbiote out of his body until this creature became Venom when it bonded with Eddie Brock, a journalist who hates Spider-Man. It was through Eddie that Venom was able to have its own identity.

Thanks to the fact that it bonded with Spider-Man, Venom has a lot of different abilities that it was able to acquire from Spidey. However, Venom’s physical strength and durability are superior to Spider-Man’s. That’s why he has become a match for the web-slinging hero in many ways. However, there were also instances wherein they needed to work together to defeat a common enemy that was a bit too difficult for either of them to defeat.

2. Doctor Octopus

Many people would rank Doc Ock at the top of their lists of greatest Spider-Man villains, but he falls short at the number two spot on our list. Nevertheless, he is still one of the greatest comic book villains of all time, and there’s a very good reason for that. Although he wasn’t necessarily evil, his backstory contributed to his development as a villain, so he became one of Spider-Man’s top enemies. And the thing about Ock is that he used his intelligence more than any of his other assets to defeat Spider-Man.

Few villains have ever been able to bring about the demise of their rivals, and Ock is one of them. Using his brain instead of his muscles, he was able to go toe-to-toe with Spider-Man and many other superheroes, including Iron Man himself. There were even storylines wherein he played the role of a hero instead of a villain. Of course, we can’t forget about the metallic octopus tentacles that act as his primary weapons.

1. Green Goblin

Norman Osborn, who became the Green Goblin, ranks at the top of this list as the most iconic Spider-Man villain of all time. Like many other Spider-Man villains, he is intelligent and cunning. But he is also a master manipulator and a superb tactician who has done many different things that allowed him to become powerful, as he even became president of the United States at one point in time.

As the Green Goblin, Norman Osborn is a maniacal and crazy lunatic who isn’t afraid of doing anything and everything to try to hurt Spider-Man. The firepower in his Goblin Glider isn’t anything to scoff at, as he has a lot of different weapons that can kill Spider-Man if they get a clean hit on the web-slinger. He isn’t afraid of attacking Peter Parker’s heart, as he even killed Gwen Stacy at one point in time, proving that his ferocity and insanity as a villain are unparalleled. 

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!