Unmasking the Ultimate Threat: Ranking Every Spider-Man Villain from Most Menacing to Surprisingly Underrated
Can I let you in on a little secret? Spider-Man might snag the headlines, but it’s the villains who truly spin the web of intrigue. Over the past two decades, we’ve seen Tobey, Andrew, and Tom each bring their own brand of Spidey to life, plus a dazzling array of animated Spider-heroes swinging through the multiverse. Sure, the mask-wearing hero steals most of the spotlight, but if villains didn’t exist, would those films really be as gripping? Some definitely fall flat without a worthy baddie to face off against. Now with the fresh release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day featuring a villain who might just change the MCU game forever, it feels like the perfect moment to dive headfirst into the full gallery of Spidey’s foes — the good, the bad, and the utterly forgettable. From the closest betrayals to the strangest random antagonists, we’re ranking every live-action and animated villain that’s tested our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Ready to see who swings high and who gets stuck in the web of mediocrity? Let’s get into it! LEARN MORE
13 min readCAN I SAY something that’s only, like, half-true? Spider-Man is nothing without his villains. Again: only half-true. In the last 20 years, we’ve gotten three different live-action versions of Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland) who have all been varying levels of excellent, and an animated assortment of Spider-Mans (in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) just as good if not somehow better. If Spider-Man was truly nothing without his villains, all of those Spider-Man films would be, well, excellent. And while most of them are entertaining, not all of them are excellent. And part of that is because villains are just so, so important to the very fabric of what makes a Spider-Man movie great.
Perhaps you’ve heard that a new Spider-Man movie, titled Spider-Man: Brand New Day has recently been released. Perhaps you’ve also heard that the movie features a rather unique villain/antagonist—one rather important to the larger Marvel lore—who could reshape the future of the MCU. And, so, when could be a better time to talk about the best and the worst of the baddies we’ve seen on screen?
Below, we get into many of the faces who’ve terrorized our various versions of Peter Parker (and Miles Morales) from both near (his enemies tend to be people he once thought of as friends) and far (there are also some randos in the mix; with great power comes great random aggression). These villains span from utter classics to complete snoozes; but that’s OK, because we’ve always got a wise-cracking webslinger on the other end.
Without further ado, here’s a complete ranking of every Spider-Man movie villain we’ve seen.
26. Flint Marko/Sandman (Thomas Haden Church, Spider-Man 3, Spider-Man: No Way Home)
They can’t all be winners. Thomas Haden Church is a good actor, but there’s just nothing compelling about his Flint Marko; he’s a criminal on the run who winds up being genetically changed into, you guessed it, a man made of sand. This villain has a sympathetic arc, is “only doing it for his daughter,” and is a complete and utter snooze. Not to mention his being the subject of easily the worst retcon in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man series: that he was the one who really killed Uncle Ben and not the mugger who Peter let go. The story has always gone that Raimi didn’t want to include Eddie Brock/Venom in his movie and was forced by the studio; that’s fine, but it’s Sandman’s boring narrative that ultimately sinks the movie. He pops back up in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and it’s interesting that he’s still not really a villain there. But it’s not enough to save his snooze of an original plot.
25. Donald Menken (Colm Feore, The Amazing Spider-Man 2)
Remember this guy? No? OK, that’s cool, I don’t blame you. He’s a nothing Oscorp suit who basically exists to push Harry Osborn further toward evil. He frames Harry for covering up Max Dillon’s incident, and then is just generally an asshole.
Stream The Amazing Spider-Man 2
24. Tombstone (Marvin Jones III, Spider-Man: Brand New Day)
Tombstone is a very cool Marvel character, cast perfectly in Spider-Man: Brand New Day with Marvin Jones III (who also played the character in the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse animated film). Unfortunately he’s only in the movie for about six seconds, so this is the best spot we can offer on this list.
Buy Spider-Man: Brand New Day Tickets
23. Max Dillon/Electro (Jamie Foxx, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man: No Way Home)
Max Dillon has an interesting arc to start in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. At first, he’s just a sort of sad, lonely, antisocial Oscorp employee who’s taken advantage of by his boss (played inexplicably by BJ Novak!) and just wants a friend; you understand why he sort of clings to his overwhelmingly positive experience with Spider-Man. Unfortunately, after a totally avoidable and utterly neglectful accident at work leaves him alive as some sort of blue electric monster, he loses any bit of character he has, naming himself “Electro” for no reason (I get that it’s his comic nickname, but people in real life don’t just give themselves these sorts of names randomly, and when it happens like this it seems utterly ridiculous), and doesn’t really have any sort of humanity left until he literally explodes. Why does he want to kill Spider-Man? It doesn’t even make any sense, really. Then he comes back in Spider-Man: No Way Home looking less blue and more like Jamie Foxx, but with no real storyline of his own. It’s not a strong part of the movie, and he’s totally overshadowed by much better turns by Willem Dafoe and Alfred Molina (who are also playing much better characters).
Stream The Amazing Spider-Man 2
22. Cash Register Thief (Leif Gantvoort, The Amazing Spider-Man)
The guy who kills Uncle Ben (a perfect Martin Sheen, by the way) in The Amazing Spider-Man is the same classic principle (a bad guy who Peter doesn’t stop out of spite) but just not quite as memorable as previous iterations. Kind of a Lebowski vibe? Either way, yeah, there’s this guy.
21. Herman Schultz/Shocker #2 (Bokeem Woodbine, Spider-Man: Homecoming)
There are two “Shockers” in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and neither of them are particularly compelling (and they’re not entirely meant to be; they’re henchmen to Michael Keaton’s Vulture). That said, Shocker #2 falls a bit behind Shocker #1, just because this shocker is played by Bokeem Woodbine, a great actor (particularly in season 2 of Fargo), who doesn’t really get much to do here.
20. Jackson Brice/Shocker #1 (Logan Marshall-Green, Spider-Man: Homecoming)
Shocker #1 is played by Logan Marshall-Green, a good actor who also happens to look like Tom Hardy. He’s very animated and does make a bit of an impression, but doesn’t last super long before Vulture accidentally turns him into a pile of ash.
19. Mac Gargan (Michael Mando, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Brand New Day)
Mac Gargan, in the Marvel Comics and Spider-Man animated series, is the first Scorpion and, eventually, a version of Venom. In the MCU, though, he’s just a broad bad guy/criminal who eventually ends up in prison. Then he returns as a side villain in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. It’s cool to see him in the full costume, but it doesn’t really add up to much.
18. Phineas Mason/The Tinkerer (Michael Chernus, Spider-Man: Homecoming)
Tinkerer lasts the entirety of Spider-Man: Homecoming as yet another key member of Vulture’s post-New York attack black market arms dealer operation. He doesn’t get a ton to do outside of being eccentric and, well, tinkering.
17. Brad Davis (Remy Hii, Spider-Man: Far From Home)
Fucking Brad. While Peter was lucky enough that his close friends (and others in his circle) all seemed to blip and stay the same age despite the five-year gap, Brad went from a little kid to a big teen. And in turn, he started competing for MJ’s attention with Peter, including taking photos of him in a state of undress and threatening to rat him out. Peter almost had a Stark missile shot at Brad, and honestly maybe he should have!
Stream Spider-Man: Far From Home
16. Eddie Brock/Venom (Topher Grace, Spider-Man 3)
Let’s break this whole deal down into a couple pieces. The Topher Grace casting as Eddie Brock/Venom has always been a point of contention; he’s not the hulking, big-bodied Eddie of the Marvel Comics or cartoon (Tom Hardy’s Eddie in the Venom movies is closer to this depiction, however). But Grace’s Eddie is quite entertaining to watch in Spider-Man 3 as purely a foil for Tobey Maguire’s Peter. He has a false confidence that comes across often in antagonists, and it’s fun to watch. Unfortunately, he’s not super well written; he jumps to wanting to kill Peter Parker very quickly, and his Venom is kind of a major cringe. The Eddie—good. The Venom—bad.
15. Carjacker (Michael Papajohn, Spider-Man)
This asshole doesn’t have much to do, but if it wasn’t for him we wouldn’t have Spider-Man (and we’d still have Uncle Ben). Makes this spot for impact alone.
14. Dr. Curt Connors/The Lizard (Rhys Ifans, The Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man: No Way Home)
Rhys Ifans is a wildly underrated actor who does a good job with this complex character (and it’s easy to feel bad for Dylan Baker, who played Connors in two of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movies but never got to complete the transformation into The Lizard). The movie isn’t great, and this storyline is basically the same as Doc Ock’s in Spider-Man 2 (except that one is done better). But it’s a decent character with a good performance. He is in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but is basically irrelevant in it.
13. Harry Osborn/Green Goblin (Dane DeHaan, The Amazing Spider-Man 2)
Another tale of two performances. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 kind of changes up the Norman/Harry/Peter dynamic; Norman Osborn (played this time by Chris Cooper) is on his deathbed, with a genetic sickness that makes him literally turn into a goblin (unlike the Power Ranger suit that Willem Dafoe’s Norman wears). DeHaan does a good job as the grieving Harry who reunites with Peter Parker, and plays the character in a different, significantly weirder way than James Franco did. Unfortunately when he transforms into the Green Goblin at the end of the movie, he looks like an Elf from The Santa Clause and it almost ruins the whole performance. Clearly the plans were for this Harry to be some sort of Lex Luthor-level orchestrator, but that never came to pass.
Stream The Amazing Spider-Man 2
12. Harry Osborn/New Goblin (James Franco, Spider-Man 3)
Harry’s time as the Green Goblin (or, New Goblin) in Spider-Man 3 is limited, but he falls into a decent spot on the list because the build-up (which came throughout Spider-Man 2) makes it feel worth it. Much of the movie finds Franco playing Harry with amnesia, totally hamming it up in a major way. It’s a fun performance but not totally sinister (DeHaan’s Goblin Harry is actually more believable as far as villainy goes).
11. Doc Ock (Kathryn Hahn, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)
Spider-Verse has a number of villains, but how could you not love Kathryn Hahn—Kathryn Hahn!—as Doc Ock. She’s classic and it’s a great turn. What more is there to say?
Stream Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
10. William Metzger (Tramell Tillman, Spider-Man: Brand New Day)
Tramell Tillman broke through in the 2020s with his outstanding performance as Mr. Milchick in Apple TV’s hit sci-fi series Severance, and he plays a decidedly Milchick-like character in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. When Peter Parker first meets Bill Metzger, he introduces himself with a big smile as the head of the Department of Damage Control. Severance fans know all too well, however, that you can’t trust this man’s smile. Metzger turns out to be a lying terror, a cold, calculating man of science who isn’t afraid to kill—and has some very nefarious plans for the future. It’s a strong performance of a character who doesn’t only feel real to the Spider-Man world, but to our real one too.
Buy Spider-Man: Brand New Day Tickets
9. Jean Grey (Sadie Sink, Spider-Man: Brand New Day)
Look. Anyone who knows anything about the Marvel universe knows that Jean Grey is not a villain. Jean Grey isn’t only not a villain, but as one of the most famous members of the X-Men, she’s one of the universe’s greatest—and most iconic—heroes. But we’re not there yet, and that’s part of what makes Jean’s antagonist role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day such a winner. In setting up Jean Grey (played terrifically by Stranger Things star Sadie Sink) as someone who’s been put in a terrible situation by the world around her, Brand New Day not only gives itself an important power to go up against, but lays the groundwork of a very cool background and origin story for who will eventually be one of its most important heroes. It helps, too, that Sink is up to the task—she plays all the layers of Jean Grey in a manner that’s subtle but compelling. But as every X-Men fan knows, there’s far more to Jean Grey, and we’re just scratching the surface in Brand New Day.
Buy Spider-Man: Brand New Day Tickets
8. Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse)
Look, if we’re going to include Jean Grey on this list, we can also include Miguel O’Hara, also known as Spider-Man 2099. Similar to Jean Grey, Miguel is another character that anyone who knows their Marvel lore knows isn’t actually a villain. But the way in which he functions as an antagonist in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is central to what makes the movie work so well. It’s because Miguel is such a cool, powerful, badass hero (and has such a sad and tragic backstory) that makes it so hard for Miles Morales to eventually realize that he needs to go against him (and for us to ultimately side with Miles). Oscar Isaac is a veteran of superhero films and shows at this point (having also appeared in X-Men: Apocalypse and Moon Knight), but his voiceover work as Miguel is probably his best work in the genre to date.
Stream Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
7. Kingpin (Liev Schreiber, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)
There’s a lot of talk about Kingpin and how tremendously Vincent D’Onofrio plays him in the various shows of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but don’t forget that we also got Liev Schreiber’s fantastic take on the character as the main villain in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Perhaps what’s always so interesting about Kingpin is that while he’s both powerful and strong, what always motivates him is his family—which he tends to keep hidden. This version of the character, too, is just utterly massive in a way that can only really be conveyed in animation. It’s a wonderful take on a classic character.
Stream Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
6. Quentin Beck/Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal, Spider-Man: Far From Home)
Spider-Man: Far From Home lets Jake Gyllenhaal EAT. Jake G is one of the most versatile and unique actors around (just look at how he plays different roles in movies like Zodiac, Nightcrawler, Enemy, and Prisoners for reference). In Spider-Man: Far From Home, he gets to play a guy who has a number of tricks up his sleeve at basically every turn; the scene where he takes Peter Parker through his series of illusions is mystifying in the best ways. Mysterio—a character many assumed would be difficult to adapt for the big screen—had no business working this well.
Stream Spider-Man: Far From Home
5. The Spot (Jason Schwartzman, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse)
Jason Schwartzman is not known for his intensity. He’s known for his humor, his humanism, his dry sardonic wit, and the way he can make any character—even an idiot or an asshole—into a pretty funny guy who’s a blast to watch. And at first, it seems like The Spot is just another one of those. A scientist mutated into a shape-shifting, reality-warping villain by Miles’s actions in the first Spider-Verse movie, The Spot shows up to torment Miles early on in the sequel, and doesn’t seem like much of a bad guy to take seriously or any real threat at all. But as the movie moves along, and The Spot becomes more powerful, we understand more and more how serious, and how much of a danger, he really is. It’s a major credit to Schwartzman that he can pull off the character with not only his usual humor and snark, but with a serious sense of menace as well.
Stream Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
4. Aaron Miles/Prowler (Mahershala Ali, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)
Part of the “thing” with Spider-Man villains is that they almost always (or, at least, the best ones) turn out to be someone closer to our hero than they ever expected. Perhaps no villain is closer to the hero than Prowler, who in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is both the Kingpin’s top (and very lethal) enforcer, and also the uncle of our hero, Miles Morales. Mahershala Ali is one of the best actors working today, but he gives a voice performance that has complex layers; he’s the cool, laid-back uncle, but there’s just more there. Great actor, great role, and one that really works.
Stream Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
3. Adrian Toomes/Vulture (Michael Keaton, Spider-Man: Homecoming)
Since 2013’s Birdman, Michael Keaton has been on a career renaissance. And while he’s had plenty of great roles, it never seems like he’s having more fun than when he’s playing Adrian Toomes/Vulture. Keaton brings his everyman energy to the sinister side, and bounces well off of just about every character he shares the screen with, from either Shocker to, of course, Tom Holland’s Peter. And maybe what makes him all the more compelling (one of the best villains in the MCU, for that matter)? He has a point. Tony Stark really screwed him over—let the man pick up his trash. He’s got a contract!
2. Dr. Otto Octavius/Doc Ock (Alfred Molina, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man: No Way Home)
I don’t know how to start this other than simply saying that Doc Ock, as played by the great Alfred Molina, rules. He rules! I don’t often go for the villain with the sympathetic redemption arc (see: Sandman, The), but Molina plays pre-Doc Ock Otto Octavius with a warmness that makes you care and feel for him, but also an edge that makes his turn to villainy (following the death of a loved one and a bad accident) feel legitimate. “Brilliant but lazy,” he says about Peter Parker; we never really know how much is an Otto Octavius heel turn and how much is the tentacles calling the shots. No matter the case, he’s a great, great, villain. And it’s a joy to see him expand on the character in No Way Home, actually allowing Doc Ock to add more layers to the villain we got to know nearly two decades earlier.
1. Norman Osborn/Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe, Spider-Man 1, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3)
Had to go with the king at the top of the list. Willem Dafoe is probably the premier actor in the entire film and television industry when it comes to portraying weird, eccentric, bizarre characters—which is why his turn as Norman Osborn is so inspired. Because at first, he’s not weird, or eccentric, or bizarre. He’s an ambitious businessman who’s tough on his son—but with a twinge of eagerness to make progress (seemingly even more than money). Obviously, Norman becomes the Green Goblin and descends into madness, but who else could be so convincing (and electric to watch) both in a pinstriped suit and under a Power Rangers mask flying around on a glider? And that laugh! Best evil laugh ever? Maybe? I’m willing to say it. The Marvel Cinematic Universe gets this as well, bringing Dafoe’s Goblin in as the de facto main villain of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Not only is he one of the best Spider-Man villains, but he becomes one of the best Marvel Cinematic Universe villains as well.
There’s a reason Raimi brought him back for cameos in both Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3; it’s truly an electrifying performance and character, and there aren’t many other performers who could have done it this way.
Evan is the culture editor for Men’s Health, with bylines in The New York Times, MTV News, Brooklyn Magazine, and VICE. He loves weird movies, watches too much TV, and listens to music more often than he doesn’t.
Red Cherries, 1 lb
(as of August 6, 2026 02:52 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Apple AirPods Pro 3 Wireless Earbuds, Active Noise Cancellation, Live Translation, Heart Rate Sensing, Hearing Aid Feature, Bluetooth Headphones, Spatial Audio, High-Fidelity Sound, USB-C Charging
$199.99 (as of August 6, 2026 02:58 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Amazon Kindle 16 GB (newest model) - Lightest and most compact Kindle, now with faster page turns, and higher contrast ratio, for an enhanced reading experience - Matcha
$109.99 (as of August 6, 2026 03:16 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Temptations Classic Crunchy and Soft Cat Treats, Tasty Chicken, 30 oz | Under 2 calories per treat, crunchy outside & soft inside, resealable tub, use as meal or topper, 100% complete & balanced
$15.48 (as of August 6, 2026 02:52 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Post Comment