Spider-Man, one of the most popular superheroes of all time. One of the main reasons for that is how relatable the character is to the audience.
He can capture people’s hearts even after nearly 60 years since he first appeared. He is the most iconic superhero for many. Even his rogue gallery consists of one of the most dangerous villains of all time. “With great superhero, comes great supervillains”.
Today we’re just going to dive deep into his rogue’s gallery and discuss 10 of the greatest foes he ever faced in his heroic carrier. So let’s get started:
Checkout: Spider-Man becomes Captain Universe
List of Spider-Man Villains
Let’s first have a look at a quick summary of the top 10 greatest villains our Spider-Man/Peter Parker ever came across along with their abilities in a tabular form:
| Name | Abilities |
|---|---|
| 1. Carnage | • Symbiote's autonomous defense capabilities |
| 2. Morlun | • Extended longevity |
| 3. Venom | • All powers of the symbiote's first human host, Spider-Man |
| 4. Dr. Octopus | • Brilliant engineer and inventor |
| 5. Green Goblin | • Regenerative healing factor |
| 6. Carrion | • Telepathy, Levitation, and Density control |
| 7. Sandman | • Size and mass manipulation Shapeshifting |
| 8. Mysterio | • Master illusionist and special effects expert |
| 9. Kingpin | • Criminal mastermind/tactician |
| 10. Kraven | • Ultra Instinct |
So this was just a short and precise summary of these characters. If you wanna read more about them, then proceed to the next section where we’ll discuss these characters in a little bit more detail.
Must Read: Greatest Spider-Man Quotes
Spider-Man Villains Character Info
Here you’ll find some information about these Spider-Man Villains. We’ll discuss all these characters in a little bit more detail. So without any further delay, let’s get started:
10. Kraven the Hunter
- A maniac big game hunter
- One of the most enduring rogues of Spider-Man
Kraven’s real name is Sergei Kravinoff. He is one of the most enduring rogues of Spider-Man. Kraven is the half-brother of Dmitri Smerdyakov, also known as Chameleon. He is a maniac hunter who is after Spider-Man only to prove that he is the greatest hunter in the world.
Even though he is a manic hunter but he still has some kind of code he follows. He refuses the use of guns or bows and arrows and prefers to take down large dangerous animals with his bare hands. Weird Flex, right?
But that’s what he considers as his code and chooses to hunt his game fairly. Kraven consumes a mystical serum that grants him enhanced strength and slows down the aging process. After hunting pretty much every creature on Earth his Ultimate Prey is Spider-Man.
With his impressive hunting skills along with the enhanced strength and ultra instinct thanks to his mystical serum, he has been a thorn in Spider-Man’s guts. Being trained by a mysterious mercenary named Gregor, Kraven has turned Spider-Man life into a living hell.
9. Kingpin
- Crime Boss Wilson Fisk
- Peak human strength and durability
Wilson Fisk aka the Kingpin of New York City is undoubtedly one of the most feared, dangerous, and powerful crime lords in the Marvel Universe. There are only a few villains who can genuinely frighten you the moment they come on screen. And Wilson Fisk is one of them.
Especially Vincent D’onofrio’s portrayal of the character in Netflix’s Daredevil series. Although over the year he has grown as an arch-enemy of Daredevil and recurring foe of Punisher. But originally he was introduced as an adversary to Spider-Man.
However, he remains an integral part of the character development of Spider-Man. We have also seen Kingpin in Sony’s Spider-man: Into the spider-verse. Wilson Fisk began his life as a poor child who was bullied by his classmates due to his obesity.
He started training himself and intimidated the bullies into joining his gang. Fisk was then discovered by crimelord Don Rigoletto and became his bodyguard. He then killed his boss and took over his criminal empire and ruled over New York’s underworld.
Since then he has come across Spider-Man on many occasions but fortunately for us, the fans, he hasn’t succeeded yet. One of his most iconic quotes is, “Approx. 2% of my body mass is fat. Allow me to show you what 350 lbs of muscle is capable of.”
Find out: Marvel’s Deadliest Anti-Heroes
8. Mysterio
- Master of illusions
- Advanced technology and gadgetry embedded in the suit
Quentin Beck aka Mysterio was a gifted special effects artist. He worked with a major Hollywood studio as a stunt-man with a desire of making his name in the industry. However, his desires and attempts to become an actor were poorly received.
As he came to see that his career in special effects is a dead-end job, his lofty Hollywood aspirations passed him by. Beck then decided to use his expertise in illusions to become an effective criminal. His first act of villainy involved Spider-Man.
Where Beck tried to frame Spider-Man for robbing the Midtown Museum. He restrains Spider-Man’s spider-sense with gas and dissolves Spider-Man’s webbing with a chemical abrasive. However, Spider-Man tricked him into revealing that he robbed the museum.
After that Mysterio was sent to jail blaming Spider-Man for his ruined career. Mysterio then took a vow to take revenge on him. He even joined the Sinister Six. Since then they have come across each other on many occasions.
Although Mysterio with his illusion, hypnosis, and mind games has been able to disturb Spider-Man on many occasions but hasn’t succeeded in defeating him. Jake Gyllenhaal’s portrayal in the MCU pretty much sums up his extraordinary illusions.
7. Sandman
- A nuclear accident turned him into a shapeshifter
- Founding member of the supervillain team Sinister Six
William Baker, aka Sandman was born in Queens, New York. His father abandoned him when he was just three years old. He has a rough past and turned to a criminal life. As his illegal activity increased in depth and scope he turned into a violent, bitter man.
Eventually, Baker ended up in a prison on Ryker’s Island where he meets his father. He doesn’t tell him who he is and introduces himself as Flint, after his former teacher and first crush, Marko, after his former coach taunting him not “making a mark” on the world.
From then he used the alias Flint Marko to prevent her mother from discovering that he was a criminal. He then comes into contact with sand that had been irradiated by an experimental reactor on a nuclear testing site. His body and the radioactive sand bond together.
Hence changing Marko’s molecular structure into the sand. He then calls himself Sandman. Marko clashes with Spider-Man for the first time in Peter’s high school. Spider-Man defeats Sandman quite easily with a vacuum cleaner and hands him over to the police.
Since then they have come across numerous times but Sandman hasn’t quite succeeded yet. A similar version of the character appeared in MCU’s Spider-Man: Far From Home which later turned out to be just an illusion of Mysterio.
Related: Top Deadpool Villains
6. Carrion
- Dr. Miles Warren clone version of Carrion also known as Jackal.
- Has one of the most complicated histories of any Spider-Man villain.
Carrion is a clone version of no fewer than three characters. These clones are villain versions of their original. The first clone version of Carrion was of Professor Miles Warren, who came to be known as Jackal. Over the years Carrion’s history has been retconned several times.
In the last update, it was revealed that carrion is a virus that can attach itself to different hosts and transform them into a clone of the villain. The Original Carrion aimed to destroy Spider-Man. Somehow he knew that Spider-Man is Peter Parker.
He hired Maggia to kill Spider-Man but he failed. He later attacked Spider-Man himself blaming him for the death of Gwen Stacy. Since then Carrion has sought to destroy Peter Parker several times. Fortunately, he hasn’t quite succeeded yet. Other clones of Carrion have also come across Spider-Man.
Carrion possesses an incredible set of powers like telepathy, telekinesis, Levitation, density control, and the ability to disintegrate organic matter at a touch. All of these make him one of the deadliest villains Spider-Man ever faced.
5. Green Goblin
- Uses goblin-themed weapons and a Goblin Glide
- Goblin Formula grants him Superhuman strength, stamina, durability
Over the years a lot of character has taken the mantle of Green Goblin in the Marvel Universe. But Norman Osborn is the original and best-known incarnation of Green Goblin.
He is popularly known as the arch-nemesis of Spider-Man. Norman Osborn was turned into the Green Goblin after experimenting with the Goblin Formula.
This process granted Osborn superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, and stamina as well as a low-level rapid healing factor. It also enhanced Norman’s already-above average intellect.
Although this incident is also responsible for driving him insane. He is well known for the demise of Gwen Stacy but still, stand as one of the greatest Spidey villains outside of that.
Green Goblin has appeared in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man as Norman Osborn. Also in 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 as Harry Osborn. Just like in the comics Osborn’s son Harry would take on the persona.
Harry Osborn is highly manipulative as he manages to worm his way into government as the head of H.A.M.M.E.R. following the events of “Secret Invasion”.
Must Read: Marvel’s Mightiest Mutants
4. Dr. Octopus
- Leader of the Sinister Six
- Wears super-strong and durable mechanical appendages
Dr. Otto Octavius aka Doctor Octopus is one of the web-slinger’s most persistent, enduring, and dangerous foes. Otto Octavius had a turbulent upbringing. His father was abusive and violent towards both him and his mother. Frequently bullied as a teacher’s pet cause of his good work in the school.
Octavius is a brilliant and respected nuclear physicist, atomic research consultant, inventor, and lecturer. He later fuses his body with four mechanical appendages for both movement and combat. These mechanical arms are controlled via a brain-computer interface.
Doctor Octopus is popularly known for forming and leading the first supervillain team to oppose Spider-Man: the Sinister Six. While usually portrayed as a supervillain but occasionally he is also depicted as an anti-hero and an ally of Spider-man under the identity of the Superior Spider-Man.
3. Venom
- Symbiote’s autonomous defense capabilities
- Undetectable by Spider-Man’s “Spider-sense”
Venom is a sentient alien symbiote with an amorphous, liquid-like form. It survives by bonding with a host, usually human. Venom was introduced nearly 25 years later after Spider-Man’s debut. But that didn’t stop him from becoming one of the most iconic villains of the web-slinger.
Venom’s first human host was Spider-Man who separated himself from the creature soon because he discovered its true nefarious nature. But fortunately for Venom, he got all the powers of his first human host i.e., Spider-Man. Venom’s second host was Eddie Brock.
Eddie Brock’s Venom is the most infamous version of the symbiote. This version established him as an arch-enemy of the Spider-Man. Later on, Venom has been portrayed as an anti-hero working side-by-side with Spider-Man.
Other notable hosts of the symbiote include the villain Mac Gargan, formerly known as Scorpion, and Flash Thompson, who became the superhero Agent Venom. Eddie Brock’s Venom has appeared in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 and as well as Tom Hardy’s Portrayal of Eddie Brock in 2018’s Venom.
Also Read: Logan’s worst enemies
2. Morlun
- Superhuman strength and durability
- Enhanced speed, agility, stamina and reflexes
Morlun is an entity from Earth-001 that hunts all the Spider-Man from a different universe. His main aim is to kill all the Spider-Totems from traveling to many multiverses.
He is one of the most prolific Spider-killer in the entire Marvel’s Multiverse. He is one of the greatest threats Spider-Man ever came across.
Morlun is so powerful that an entire Multiverse of Spider-Totems had to come together to fight him. He is popularly known as the temporary killer of the Earth-616 Spider-Man.
Morlun can drain the life force from other beings through physical contact. And absorbing the life of Spider-Totems his powers and vitality increase substantially.
He will age and weaken if he doesn’t get his periodic feedings. Morlun has superhuman strength and durability but the limits aren’t fully known.
But Spider-Man has mentioned that he hits harder than anyone he ever faced including Thor and Hulk. He once tore through an adamantium net. With all these abilities he has become a thorn in all the Spider-Man’s gut.
Must See: Best Tom Holland’s Peter Parker Quotes
1. Carnage
- Offspring of Venom but much more Powerful.
- A sociopath, sadistic and darker version of Venom.
Carnage belongs to a race of amorphous extraterrestrial parasites known as symbiotes, similarly as Venom. Carnage is usually depicted as an offspring of Venom. But more powerful than Venom symbiote. Carnage symbiotes’ nature is much more sociopathic and sadistic.
These Symbiotes form a symbiotic bond with their hosts and give them super-human abilities. Carnage also had multiple hosts but the most infamous one remains his first, serial killer Cletus Kasady. He is the most dangerous Carnage ever because his personality matches with the symbiote.
Carnage was created due to Venom’s immense popularity with fans. He was written as a darker version of Venom. If there is a character that lives up to his name completely it had to be Kasady’s Carnage.
Even without the symbiote, Cletus Kasady is perhaps the most deranged individual in Marvel Universe. Cletus Kasady appeared in the post-credit scene of 2018’s Venom. And is set to reprise his role in the sequel, Venom: Let there be Carnage.
Related: Greatest Fantastic Four Villains
So, guys, this was my complete list of Spider-Man villains which I believe are the greatest foes Spider-man ever came across. Let me know who is your favorite one in the comment section below.