Spider-Man is probably Stan Lee’s greatest creation, and a big contributing factor to the hero’s success has been his rogue’s gallery. Villains pose grand challenges for their rivals and exciting adventures for the readers watching from home. Superheroes are nothing without their supervillains, and largely, their rivalries helped shape Marvel’s success.
Spider-Man’s road to success is no different, as he’s largely become pop culture’s greatest superhero because audiences have been utterly captivated by the villains he faces off with. Spidey’s villains rank among the most iconic and instantly recognizable in comics. Even the least talked-about baddies created by Stan Lee are deserving of being remembered.
12
Chameleon Was Spider-Man’s First Villain
He’s Not His Most Popular or Most Dangerous, But No One Forgets Their First
The Chameleon may not rank among the biggest supervillains on Spider-Man’s list, but he has the distinction of being his first. He’s not the first criminal to challenge Spidey in his earliest adventures, but he’s the first to fit the criteria of an actual super-powered villain, sporting the ability to disguise his appearance as anyone he so pleases.
The Chameleon’s staying power in the Marvel Universe stems from the fact that he was one of the first supervillains for both Spider-Man and the Marvel Universe. The distinction makes it hard for fans to forget him, even when he is being overlooked.
11
The Jackal Gets Overlooked Because of The Clone Saga
There’s More to Him Than a Connection to Spider-Man’s Worst Storyline
Whenever readers hear “The Clone Saga,” they think of a ’90s story arc that’s so confusing it requires its own comprehensive guide to understand. Prior to that version, there was a 70s “Clone Saga” kick-started by a Jackal obsessed with Gwen Stacy, blaming Spider-Man for her death. He used clone experimentation in an effort to torture him.
Not only did this produce a villain that was equal parts layered and disturbing, but it also created a domino effect of one of the earliest tragedies in comic history. Jackal’s name receives an unfairly bad reputation due to its association with the “Clone Saga.”
10
Spider-Man Has Faced Not One, But Three Beetles
The Modern Beetle is the Most Terrifying Iteration
The original Beetle was Abner Jenkins, an engineer bored with his mundane life who simply created the Beetle armor in search of a newfound excitement. In his mind, the best way to progress from a dead-end job was to use his armor as a hitman and occasional henchman (because that’s where the real bucks lie).
Related
There Are Some Enemies Spider-Man Must Have, But Marvel Has Forgotten One of Them
Spider-Man has some of the greatest villains in comic book history, which is why it’s so strange that Marvel has moved away from one of them.
His career peaked as a frequent henchman and member of the Masters of Evil. Even more forgotten is the second version, Leila Davis, The Ringer’s widow, who attempted to use the Beetle moniker to emulate her late husband’s career, only to die in the process. Finally, she’d be succeeded by Janice Lincoln, the daughter of Lonnie “Tombstone” Lincoln and the third Beetle. Some will argue that this version remains the most formidable and noteworthy of the three.
9
Molten Man is Arguably Spider-Man’s Most Underrated Villain
Molten Man Always Gets Forgotten Despite How Much of a Threat He Poses
Oscorp Industries lab tech Mark Raxton had his life changed forever when the accidental spilling of a meteor’s metallic alloy was absorbed into his skin. Not only was his body transformed into an entirely molten form, but he could generate fire from himself at will (or uncontrollably, depending on the story).
He’s a villain who consistently proves difficult for Spider-Man to tame, particularly as his webbing slips off him at every turn, and Molten Man has the advantage of super-strength. It’s surprising to think that despite how much of a consistent challenge he’s posed to Spider-Man, Molten Man always flies under the radar and is seldom used.
8
Crime-Master Became Forgotten When Spider-Man Expanded Beyond Street Crime
Crime-Master’s Legacy Can Get a Little Confusing
For many, Crime-Master is one of Spider-Man’s more obscure villains, but that doesn’t automatically make him one of the worst or a bad villain. He’s one of Spider-Man’s earlier foes at a time when his storylines focused deeper on him being a street-level hero.
The more that Spider-Man evolved to become more than that, launching into the cosmos and fighting enemies with actual superpowers, enemies like Crime-Master became a thing of the past. Even worse, Crime-Master’s legacy can become a little murky, considering that there are five different men who have held the mantle on Earth-616. A Crime-Master resurgence seems unlikely.
7
Big Man Led The Enforcers Against Spider-Man
Daily Bugle Reporter By Day, Mob Boss By Night
The Enforcers are street-level villains who fought Spider-Man early on, led by Big Man. As leader, Big Man had interesting origins. Despite moonlighting as a mob boss, Frederick Foswell was a Daily Bugle reporter by day. He’d keep his identity secret thanks to an eerie mask.
Even after being caught and serving his time in prison, he regains his job at the Daily Bugle and resumes a life of crime under a new name and alias, Patch. Now that Spider-Man’s more of a cosmic hero than street-level, the need for intricate mobsters like him in his stories is practically rendered obsolete.
6
The Rose Might Actually Make a Return to Prominence
His Father, Kingpin, Revived Him
The Rose was one of the few crime bosses in Spider-Man’s life who was as dangerous, cold, and calculating as he was debonair and charismatic. The gentlemanly character rarely got his hands dirty, using them to hold his roses or his leather mask, instead hiring goons to do his dirty work.
If this sounds almost reminiscent of a somewhat flamboyant Kingpin, it should. Under the mask, The Rose is Richard Fisk, Wilson’s son. Unlike most forgotten Spider-Man villains, The Rose has a good chance of making a significant comeback now that Kingpin’s brought him back from the dead fairly recently.
5
Man Mountain Marko Never Reached That Next Level
One of the Strongest Enemies Spider-Man Has Ever Faced
Not to be mistaken for The Sandman’s Flint Marko, or The Juggernaut’s Cain Marko. Man Mountain Marko bears no relation to either, but is strong enough to make a formidable adversary for Juggernaut. A combination of genetic manipulation and steroids has helped Marko develop heaps of super-strength.
He’s served as the muscle behind numerous crime entities and big-wig villains, including Silvermane. However, unlike antagonists like Tombstone, who graduated from henchman to mafia boss, Marko has never elevated himself beyond a bodyguard, and as a result, he’s permanently relegated to background roles. Until that day comes, he’ll forever remain irrelevant.
4
The Looter Has Never Found Success as a Supervillain
This Explains Why He’s Been Used So Sparingly On-and-Off Over the Years
Despite the name, The Looter doesn’t care about looting businesses as much as he cares about meteors, hence his alternate codename, The Meteor Man. No, he’s not Robert Townsend, but instead, Norton G. Fester, whose passion for meteors saw him quietly fund into researching an incoming asteroid despite other scientists thinking he was out of his element.
His own genius was his undoing, as an overexposure to the meteors’ gas had given him super agility and super strength. That almost sounds like a superhero origin, but predictably, he chooses to be a criminal, and an unsuccessful one, at that.
3
Silvermane Isn’t the Average Crime Boss
His Greed for Immortality Saw Him Fight Many Superheroes, Not Just Spider-Man
What separates Silvio Manfredi from most mob bosses is that he wasn’t obsessed with stealing money, cars, or jewelry, but with stealing life. Frail in his dying age, he was constantly searching for a means to expand his lifespan, most notably through the “Lifeline Tablet Saga.”
More than just a Spider-Man villain, alliances with HYDRA have put him in the crosshairs of the likes of SHIELD, Nick Fury, and even Daredevil. It’s surprising that the Spider-Man villain isn’t still such a prominent force in the Marvel Universe. Perhaps one day, Silvermane will rise back to prominence on Spider-Man’s top-tier villain list.
