Top 10 Greatest Spider-Man Movie Villains
#10: Harry Osborn [AKA New Goblin]
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“Spider-Man 3” (2007) After Norman Osborn perishes in battle in 2002’s “Spider-Man”, his son Harry believes Spider-Man landed the fatal blow. The situation gets worse when the surviving Osborn learns that his best friend Peter is the webhead. All this bad news motivates Harry to become the New Goblin. He tried his best to dismantle Peter's life and crush Spider-Man. And since audiences knew how close Harry used to be with the hero, it was sad watching the Goblin lose his way. Unfortunately, the villain's attempts to turn over a new leaf ultimately led to his swift demise. Fans will always remember Harry as a complex and misguided character who embraced his heroic side a little too late.
#9: The Mugger Who Ends Uncle Ben
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Various Spider-Man Movies In many Peter Parker origin stories, he fails to stop a thief from stealing money from an unpleasant person. Unfortunately, this mugger eventually goes on to take the life of Ben Parker. While the thief is just a small-time Criminal, his effect on the Spider-man mythos is gigantic. Uncle Ben’s passing is often what pushed Peter to use his superpowers to defend the citizens of New York. And it doesn’t matter if Spider-man catches the mugger or never finds this thief again. At the end of day, this low-level crook still plays an absolutely pivotal role in Peter Parker’s life.
#8: Flint Marko [AKA Sandman]
“Spider-Man 3” (2007) While Flint Marko was running away from the police, he ended up right in the middle of a sandy particle accelerator experiment. This basically turned him into a mass of living sand. Flint could now reform his body, reshape himself at will and give heroes like Spider-Man trouble. His unique powers were also beautifully rendered in unforgettable scenes. Underneath all his sand abilities, Flint was a man who was trying to acquire enough money to help his sick daughter. Thomas Haden Church perfectly portrayed how torn and lost Sandman was in “Spider-Man 3”. Although we don’t know if the villain was able to get the money he needed, we’re confident that he made for a fantastic antagonist.
#7: Aaron Davis [AKA The Prowler]
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2018) Aaron Davis was a funny and caring man who often mentored his nephew. At the same time, he was an intimidating supervillain known as the Prowler that relentlessly pursued his targets. Aaron’s worlds collided after his nephew Miles became Spider-Man. Watching the Prowler unknowingly hunt his own nephew made for a few sad and nail-biting moments. Thankfully, Aaron immediately decides not to hurt Miles after learning the truth. But the celebration turns out to be short lived when the former super villain is fatally wounded by his boss for hesitating. While we never saw Aaron destroy a city, he absolutely broke our hearts with his tragic story. We won’t be forgetting how the Prowler’s love for his nephew became his undoing anytime soon.
#6: Quentin Beck [AKA Mysterio]
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“Spider-Man: Far From Home” (2019) When longtime Spider-Man rogue Mysterio was finally brought to live-action for the first time, audiences got a great performance from Jake Gyllenhaal. He was able to convincingly play a heroic figure that was secretly hiding truly sinister intentions. Although Mysterio didn't have real superpowers, he was able to masterfully use drones and illusions to disorient all his enemies. And if left unchecked, he could have run around the MCU pretending to be a hero while putting an untold number of lives in danger. Mysterio’s love for twisted schemes made him the perfect opponent for Tom Holland’s earnest Spider-Man to overcome. Unfortunately for this version of the webhead, Quentin’s defeat couldn’t stop this great villain from ruining Peter Parker’s life.
#5: Wilson Fisk [AKA Kingpin]
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2018) It became clear that this animated Kingpin was dangerous after he terminated a version of Spider-man in the movie’s first half hour. But it turned out his goals made him into a multiversal threat. After losing his wife and son in a car accident, Kingpin tried to open doorways to other dimensions to find new variants of his family. His attempts to reach alternate worlds threatened to destroy multiple universes. Although this hulking villain could have come off as irredeemable, the movie makes him sympathetic by constantly reminding us of what he’s lost. Despite Kingpin being larger than life in more ways than one, he still feels like a realistic rogue in the film.
#4: Curtis Connors [AKA The Lizard]
“The Amazing Spider-Man” (2012) The brilliant Dr. Curt Connors always believed he’d find a way to regrow the part of his body he lost. Once Garfield’s Peter introduces an algorithm his father came up with, the doctor uses it to create a formula that restores his limb. But this scientific breakthrough also turns Curt into a human-lizard hybrid. The doctor’s struggle to balance his intellect with his animal instincts is fascinating to watch. As Curt slips further into his Lizard identity, actor Rhys Ifans does a great job of portraying his increasingly unhinged mental state. And the knowledge that Peter helped create this Lizard adds another interesting layer to the duo’s dynamic. This villain’s search to feel whole turned him into a memorable monster that needed to be stopped.
#3: Norman Osborn [AKA Green Goblin]
“Spider-Man” (2002) An experimental chemical turned Willem Dafoe's Norman Osborn into a legendary comic-book antagonist. While the businessman gains enhanced strength and reflexes that make him capable of fighting Spider-Man, his abilities come at the cost of his sanity. Dafoe fully commits to all the character’s highs and lows. And since he delivers all his dialogue in unique and energetic ways, most of his lines are extremely quotable. While Dafoe’s performance can feel a little ridiculous at times, he knows how to turn back on the menace for the movie’s darkest scenes. We truly worried about the webhead whenever the Green Goblin attacked. Dafoe’s ability to leave us scared and laughing in the same movie shows how excellent he was for this villainous role.
#2: Adrian Toomes [AKA Vulture]
“Spider-Man: Homecoming” (2017) Although Adrian spent lots of money preparing to clean up New York after a big battle, he was told to stop working. After losing the job, he uses alien technology to build himself an advanced suit and create weapons he could sell under the table. Adrian had a successful criminal career that allowed him to support his family until Spider-Man interfered. His relatable motivations made it easy to understand why he wanted the webhead gone. And thanks to superb costume design and Keaton’s intimidating acting, we were terrified every time the Vulture took to the skies. Since Adrian is one of the few Spider-Man big bads to survive a movie, we are definitely looking forward to seeing this understandable and frightening supervillain again. Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Max Dillon [AKA Electro], “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (2014) A Former Spider-Man Fan Who Went Through a Shocking Transformation Maximus Gargan, [AKA Scorpion], “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2018) A Unique Design Made This Famous Spider-Man Rogue Stand Out Eddie Brock [AKA Venom], “Spider-Man 3” (2007) Bitterness & a Symbiote Turned This Ordinary Reporter Into a Vengeful Villain Herman Schultz [AKA Shocker], “Spider-Man: Homecoming” (2017) Multiple People Have Worn This Dangerous Supervillain’s Gauntlet Dr. Olivia Octavius [AKA Doctor Octopus], “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2018) You Really Don’t Want This Scientist to Experiment on You
#1: Dr. Otto Octavius [AKA Doc Ock]
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“Spider-Man 2” (2004) During Peter’s first conversation with Otto, the doctor makes it clear he wants to help humanity. But after the scientist loses his wife and begins being corrupted by his mechanical arms, he starts walking down a darker path. Alfred Molina’s tremendous performance made us feel for Doc Ock every step of the way. Whether he was robbing banks or kicking off epic action scenes, we never forgot about the good man he once was. In the end, Doc Ock finds his light and sacrifices himself to save lives. Although his tragic ending was satisfying, fans were thrilled to hear he’d appear in the MCU. Seeing people embrace Doc Ock nearly two decades after his debut cemented how much of an impression this iconic villain made.
