There is probably no superhero series with a rogue’s gallery of such quality as Marvel’s Spider-Man, where the titular protagonist has taken on villains of all kinds. A side effect of this is that even well-known bad guys can be underutilized, be it in adaptations of the series or over time in the comics.
Along with that, there are the antagonists who have had few appearances with intriguing setups but these weren’t built upon as they should have been, leaving more to be desired. While fans are aware of A-list villains like Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, Venom, among others, it’s worth looking into the baddies who are a blend of high profile but underused characters and those who should’ve been better known to mainstream fans.
10 Electro
While he can simultaneously be considered among Spider-Man’s best comic book villains, Electro hasn’t become as mainstream famous as others. Few are aware that Electro is among the very first villains Spider-Man fought, along with being a founding member of the Sinister Six, and the leader of the Emissaries of Evil.
Electro’s reputation has been soured by his lackluster portrayals in games like Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro and movies such as The Amazing Spider-Man 2, where he’s come across as a joke character rather than a full threat. However, he’s one of the Webslinger’s longest-running foes and has always given him a fight, so it’s a shame the character doesn’t have the A-list villain status he deserves.
9 The Spot
While this villain doesn’t have big feats to boast of, he does have a unique ability that few others possess. The Spot’s powers are to create space warps that allow him to make portals anywhere and even within his body, which causes serious problems for Spider-Man to combat since Spot can open up portals to nullify his attacks.
His underrated quality comes from the lack of implementation of the character within the series, as The Spot has been used as a background villain despite being so different. His best interpretation was in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, where he was made into a tragic villain who sacrificed himself to save the city, proving that the character has more to offer.
8 Shathra
A being from the Astral Plane, Shathra learned about Spider-Man and resolved to make him a meal for her hatchlings, as she saw him as the “spider” to her “spider-wasp” instincts. She even took on a human form to manipulate Peter into falling for her trap, and he was only able to overcome Shathra after giving into his arachnid side.
Shathra has been seldom seen, but the fact that she made Peter give up his human element and dive into his spider side is an incredible feat that should be pointed out. In addition, there’s a level of intrigue around the dynamic of Spider-Man being akin to Shathra through their spider instincts that should have been explored further.
7 Shocker
Despite being well-known to mainstream audiences, Shocker has always been treated as a C-list villain at best. What really makes him underrated is how Shocker’s been treated onscreen despite providing solid support to the other major villains.
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, the first Shocker was killed as a joke and replaced with another, while Spider-Man: The Animated Series made him one of the few villains the titular character manhandled. His powers of sending blasts through the arm gauntlets may not be too dangerous, but Shocker has definitely been a major player in being a thorn at Spider-Man’s side to keep the plot progressing.
6 Hydro-Man
A bystander on a ship who got knocked into the ocean where experimentation turned him into a being essentially made of water, Hydro-Man’s grudge with Spidey has been personal from the get-go as it was the wallcrawler who accidentally sent Hydro-Man overboard.
Unfortunately for the character, he’s been treated as a Sandman replacement due to Hydro-Man being a water swap of the former’s abilities. Still, his personal vendetta against Spider-Man is understandable and he’s one of the more creative villain types as well. Hydro-Man should’ve gotten a legitimate adaptation in live-action, but the MCU turned him into an illusion created by Mysterio.
5 Hammerhead
A mobster who models himself after Al Capone, Hammerhead has reinforced vibranium fit into his surgically repaired skull that allows him to shatter things he runs into. He’s basically a mob version of the Kingpin, but one that does have promise.
Depending on the story medium, Hammerhead has either been a comedic villain or one with a sadistic kill streak. Due to this, there’s a lot of potential in this character to pull off his role based on where the story is heading. Not to mention the mob background and appropriate name for his ability all make him out to be a twist in the crime villain category.
4 Tombstone
Having a new villain is one of the things fans want to see in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Tombstone could be something to surprise viewers with. He’s been underrepresented in other adaptations, having only recently been seen in a cinematic release with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
The reason why Tombstone should be rated higher is due to his character having a sympathetic factor attached to him, as he was bullied early in life owing to his appearance. His strength has been immense enough to give Spider-Man and even Daredevil a hard time, and Tombstone is usually a good option to throw in a new challenge towards the protagonist.
3 Alistair Smythe
Another villain with a personal grudge against Spider-Man, Alistair Smythe’s issues stemmed from his father’s foolhardy attempts at disrupting the protagonist’s life, resulting in his own death. Alistair’s greatest inventions have been the Spider-Slayers, who are recurring robots intent on taking down Spider-Man.
Smythe has also had dialogue with greater depth than standard villains, bringing in entertaining banter against Spider-Man. However, he’s only been well utilized in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, apart from which his role has diminished over the years. In The Superior Spider-Man comics, Smythe was defeated fairly simply, which a villain of his kind of history didn’t deserve.
2 Chameleon
The Chameleon is usually acknowledged as one of Spider-Man’s underrated foes, mainly due to the fact that he was the first-ever villain for the superhero, as seen in The Amazing Spider-Man #1. He’s also the half-brother of well-known antagonist Kraven the Hunter.
Despite having bamboozled Spider-Man in one of his best moments in the comics by taking on the appearances of just about anyone he wants to, the character has been ignored in adaptations. He’s taunted Peter in various ways like fooling him by constructing androids of Peter’s parents and mocking Gwen Stacy’s death, taking their rivalry to personal levels. Sadly for him, Chameleon doesn’t get much acknowledgment as a major villain, with some incarnations only portrayed as side villains.
1 The Superior Spider-Man
Branded as a superior version of the hero, this is one of Spider-Man’s underrated comic arcs as it saw Doc Ock take over Peter’s body to become Spider-Man. Fans were largely outraged at this change and refused to accept the Superior Spider-Man, but that’s overlooking the fact that he was supposed to be an antagonist.
The Superior Spider-Man used Peter’s body to kill many the latter would never have, along with deleting a conscience of Peter in his mind while laughing at his death. This was essentially the most developed villainous arc in the Spider-Man series. It’s too bad that it goes underrated due to fans wanting the Amazing Spider-Man back, as the Superior Spider-Man’s actions showed what an evil version of the hero would look like.
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