Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We’re back with the first Top 5 Villains List of the new year. I can’t believe we lasted this long before mentioning Spider-Man’s top villains. Let’s rectify that. Here’s our list of the Top 5 Spider-Man Villains.
5: Carnage
We could’ve gone several different directions here. I wanted to put a classic Spider-Man at the fifth spot, someone like Electro, Sandman, Kraven, or even Vulture, but Carnage trumps each of them. The alien symbiote that merged with Cletus Kasady Carnage may be the offspring of another character on this list (spoilers, I guess), but Carnage is a formidable Spider-Man villain and worthy of this list. If we were to discuss Spider-Man’s most violent villains, Carnage would be atop that list.
Carnage has had some stellar storylines, some of the best Spider-Man stories in the past three decades or so since his first appearance: Absolute Carnage, Maximum Carnage, and Carnage, U.S.A. to name a few. Carnage rampages his way near the top of Spider-Man’s rogues.
4: Mysterio
I always liked Mysterio as a villain. Quentin Beck’s penchant for the dramatic and choosing to manipulate and confuse Spider-Man instead of trying to out science or beat Spidey to a pulp made Mysterio unique. Beck spent years on Spidey’s back catalog of villains. Wearing a fishbowl as a helmet couldn’t help.
Even with a ridiculous outfit—or perhaps because of a ridiculous outfit—Mysterio has been in some great Spider-Man stories. The five-issue mini-series Symbiote Spider-Man rescued Mysterio from obscurity. He even returned from the dead in “Mysterioso” (Amazing Spider-Man #618). This story bridged the gap from the goofy Silver Age version of Mysterio to the more sinister character in “Guardian Devil.” And the 2019 MCU film Spider-Man: Far From Home did a lot to improve Mysterio’s image to non-diehard Spidey fans.
3: Doctor Octopus
There was a time when Doctor Octopus would’ve dominated this list, or he’d at least be second to another character we’ll see later, but Otto Octavius finds himself in the third spot. Many comic book characters have changed their looks and even their backstory, but Doctor Octopus may be the king of makeovers. He’s been an Atlantean, an octopus-like monster, and he’s even been Spider-Man before in the storyline Superior Spider-Man.
Many of Spider-Man’s villains may know his identity as Peter Parker, but Doctor Octopus was one of the first. And he used that knowledge to torture Peter. Add in the fact that Doc Ock assembled the original Sinister Six and that makes him a no-brainer for this list.
2: Venom
Venom got teased in the Carnage write-up. When an alien symbiote merged with Eddie Brock to form Venom, it shook up the Spider-Man mythos. Since Spidey has such a great rogues gallery, Venom is the only modern Spider-Man villain who can sneak into the top three. One could argue that Venom is equal parts hero and villain, and many of Venom’s best stories cast them as a hero. Venom Vs. Carnage and Maximum Carnage pit them against their offspring Carnage. I especially liked Venom’s turn as a hero in the latter story because it forced Venom to join forces with their hated enemy Spider-Man. But I always thought Venom worked best as a villain.
Since Venom is a symbiote, more than one character has formed an alliance with the alien. Famously, Peter Parker was Venom’s first host. Other hosts include Mac Gargan (Scorpion), Flash Thompson, and even Mysterio. And since the symbiote has merged with Peter Parker Spider-Man in the past, Venom typically knows Spider-Man’s identity, which makes them even deadlier. Throw in the fact that Spidey’s spider-sense can’t detect Venom, and they’re easily a top villain.
1: Green Goblin
Could it be anyone else? Green Goblin takes a lot of what makes the villains on this list formidable and combines them into one character. Norman Osborn knows Peter’s identity. He isn’t afraid to use his knowledge of Spider-Man’s identity to his advantage and has leveraged Spider-Man’s identity on multiple occasions. He has a personal connection with Spider-Man through his son Harry Osborn being one of Peter’s friends. He can manipulate, out-science, and even overpower Spider-Man physically. Green Goblin even killed Peter Parker’s first girlfriend Gwen Stacy.
I could go into numerous Green Goblin stories here, but that may need a future list. Simply put, Green Goblin was the obvious choice for the first Spider-Man big-screen adaptation.
Did we get the list right? Let us know who you would add or remove in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
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