The villain is often more interesting than the hero. At the very least, they’re more entertaining. Sadly,Spider-Man’senemies don’t have much going on beneath the surface. The vast majority of them are petty crooks. They just have a plethora of creative gimmicks, and these lend themselves extremely well to battling their acrobatic adversary.
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Because of this, theSpider-Manmovies have attempted to flesh out these antagonists beyond their surface-level powers. At the same time, the filmmakers have also tried to maintain what fans know and love. It’s always a tricky balancing act when adapting a story, deciding what to keep and what to change. Whether it’sMarvelorSonyin charge, the series has had mixed results in this area.
11Wilson Fisk/Kingpin - Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
Despite beingthe bestSpider-Manmovie since 2004,Into the Spider-Versehad the most boring version of the Kingpin. He’s just a generic mob boss; any humanity is pushed to the back burner. Liev Schreiber can’t do much with his performance as a result, paling in comparison toVincent D’Onofrio’s excellent portrayalinDaredevil.
The film would have been better off focusing on the Prowler. Because of his connection to Miles Morales, he had the potential for a much more engaging arc. Instead, he gets the shaft from Fisk, who’s more egg than man.
10Max Dillon/Electro - The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Max makes the worst first impression imaginable. He’s a socially awkward dork who quickly becomes a Spider-Man fanboy. It’s essentially the same setup asJim Carrey’s RiddlerinBatman Forever, and that’s not a good thing.
Having this cartoonish scenario fuel his descent into villainy doesn’t help audiences connect with him; itjust makes him annoying and pathetic. The filmmakers might have had something with a stalker storyline, but the tone surrounding this character is all over the place. Of course, it doesn’t help that he’s always accompanied by obnoxious dubstep music.
9Harry Osborn/Green Goblin - The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Studio interference makesThe Amazing Spider-Man 2feel like five flicks crammed into one. Nowhere is that more apparent than when the Green Goblin shows up in the last ten minutes to reenactthe death of Gwen Stacy from the comics. His look and demeanor are every bit as silly and random as the rest of the movie.
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Thankfully, he has one advantage over Electro: he’s not nearly as irritating in human form. Harry Osborn grows more desperate as his terminal illness progresses. It’s fragmented like the rest of the plotlines, but it’s perfectly tolerable when it’s there. Then again, the fact that such an uneven arc looks good by comparison speaks to how amateurish the movie is.
8Eddie Brock/Venom - Spider-Man 3
Speaking of tossing baddies in at the last minute, this slimy sack of smarm is one of the things people point to the most when denigratingSpider-Man 3. After sitting through an entire movie of Topher Grace doing his “sleazy dweeb” schtick, audiences watch as the poorly-defined symbiote latches onto him and forms a throwaway monster for the final battle.
Though he looks decent, this version of Venom should have had much more time to build up his rivalry with the web-slinger. His meager presence feels every bit like the studio mandate that it was. He’s as petty and annoying as Eddie Brock, and his villainous turn is downright laughable, due in large part to Grace’s inability to convey any menace. At least fans latergot a better Venom with Tom Hardy.
7Quentin Beck/Mysterio - Spider-Man: Far From Home
Quentin Beck initially appears to be a hero from another world, but he eventually turns out to be a fraud who just wanted Tony Stark’s tech. Yep, Marvel pulls the same trick they did with the Mandarin inIron Man 3and Quicksilver inWandaVision. While it’s more appropriate for an illusionist like Mysterio, it’s still not as satisfying as it should be.
This reflects a larger problem in theMarvel Cinematic Universe:Spider-Man has little agency or presence of his own. The disgruntled loser wants revenge onIron Maninstead,which audiences have seen multiple times at this point. Jake Gyllenhaal’s charisma keeps viewers watching, but he can only do so much to salvage this uninspired trickster.
6Curtis Connors/The Lizard - The Amazing Spider-Man
The studio pressure was there from the beginning ofthis reboot series. Hence, a potentially engaging villain has his arc cut short. Dr. Connors has never felt fully capable with only one arm. When his experimental lizard serum lets him regrow his lost limb, it seems like a godsend. The problem is that it has the unfortunate side effect of turning him into a reptilian monster.
That’s about where his development ends. Extensive editing leaves many of his more empathetic scenes on the cutting room floor, so he quickly jumps from a well-intentioned scientist to a maniacal supervillain who wants to transform everyone in New York into lizards. Rhys Ifans proves a good fit for the role and strives to create some enigmatic humanity in the misguided doctor, but the caricature he morphs into clashes with the more subdued tone that the film goes for.
5Harry Osborn/New Goblin - Spider-Man 3
Since his father’s apparent death at the hands of Spider-Man, Harry Osborn has wanted revenge on the wall-crawler. This seething hatred builds up over two movies, pushing out any fleeting happiness he has with his friends and setting the stage for a deeply personal showdown.Spider-Man 3delivers on that promise…for 10 minutes. The film frequently pushes Harry aside as he fights for screen time with the other villains.
He works when he’s there, channeling his dad’s sadistic glee while James Franco puts his own youthful spin on it. He’s simply not as prominent as he should be. As a result, any drama that develops between him and his former friend is cut short.
4Adrian Toomes/Vulture - Spider-Man: Homecoming
In the comics, Vulture is a frail, old gentleman covered in feathers. Changing him to a blue-collar, middle-aged dad is an odd choice, but it oddly works. The little guy getting stepped onamidst these cataclysmic Avengers battlesis an effective setup. On top of that, Michael Keaton credibly conveys the working-class persona with a dangerous edge.
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He’s a guy whom audiences can sympathize with while fearing him at the same time. This bit of dimension makes him one of the more interesting antagonists in the MCU.Considering the sad track record of MCU villains, though, that’s not saying much.
3Flint Marko/Sandman - Spider-Man 3
This is who should have been the main villain ofSpider-Man 3. Desperate to pay for his sick daughter’s operation, Flint Marko uses his newfound sand powers to steal money. He harbors the same sense of responsibility as Spider-Man, almost making them two sides of the same coin. It’s hard to root against him, especially with Thomas Haden Church’s understated yet poignant performance.
What’s truly sad is that he shares the same problem as Harry: he’s routinely sidelined by other bad guys. The only interaction with his daughter comes at the beginning, and there are long stretches where the filmmakers forget about him and focus on the more showy villains. His pathos feels undercooked as a result. Thankfully, even with this limited screen time, Sandman still generates the most genuine emotion in the movie.
2Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus - Spider-Man 2
Possibly Spider-Man’s most iconic foe,Doc Ockalso ranks among the most compelling comic book movie baddies. Rather than the stereotypical mad scientist, Alfred Molina’s Otto Octavius is a man with the gift of genius. He dreams of using that gift to better the world. When that dream turns selfish, he must find the strength to let it go for the good of everyone.
It’s all thoughtful stuff, executed with great care and precision. It furthers the theme of great power calling for great responsibility and mirrors Spider-Man’s own identity crisis. They both must place the common good above their own happiness. Plus, their train fight has yet to be matched anywhere in the series.
