Every ‘Spider-Man’ Movie Villain On Screen, Ranked From Worst To Best

Few franchises have thrown as many costumed antagonists at one hero as the Spider-Man movies. Across three separate live-action Peter Parkers, two animated multiverse epics, and a run of standalone spinoffs built around Spidey’s rogues, the web-slinger has fought everything from mad scientists to alien symbiotes to fellow superheroes gone wrong.

With that much material to draw from, some of these Spider-Man movie villains have become genuine cinematic icons while others barely register as a footnote. Here is the full rundown, ranked from the ones best forgotten to the ones that define the genre.

Green Goblin III

Dane DeHaan’s Harry Osborn turns into the Green Goblin in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ after Spider-Man hesitates to give him his blood. The turn happens too fast to feel earned, though the character does deliver major consequences for the story.

Doctor Crawdaddy

This mad scientist voiced by Aaron LaPlante kidnaps Peter Porker in the short film tied to ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.’ He is whimsical and gets the job done despite only a couple minutes of screen time.

Scorpion II

Joaquín Cosío voices this cybernetic henchman of Kingpin in ‘Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse.’ He holds his own against a team of Spider-People and destroys Peni Parker’s mecha, even if he lacks much personality.

Tombstone

Marvin Jones III plays this mobster with super strength in both ‘Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse’ and ‘Spider-Man Brand New Day.’ He remains a competent threat across both appearances without much individual characterization.

Sea Devil

This anthropomorphic marlin villain appeared in the 1978 Japanese film ‘Supaidāman.’ He works for the mostly unseen Professor Monster and is eventually destroyed by a giant robot piloted by Spider-Man.

The Hand

This cabal of ninjas shows up late in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ mind controlled by the film’s main antagonist. They lack individual character but prove genuinely dangerous, giving Spider-Man a serious physical challenge.

Green Goblin IV

This version of the Goblin appears as one of Kingpin’s superpowered enforcers in ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.’ He is transformed into a massive flying dragon creature, gaining a genuine power upgrade even without much personality.

Scorpion I

Michael Mando’s Mac Gargan is introduced as a low level criminal in ‘Spider-Man Homecoming’ before finally becoming Scorpion in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day.’ Mando brings a blue collar confidence to the role that helps the character stand out.

Electro

Jamie Foxx plays this electricity themed villain across ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ and ‘Spider-Man No Way Home.’ He gets significant screen time but never becomes especially compelling despite Foxx’s efforts.

The Lizard

Rhys Ifans plays Dr. Curt Connors in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man,’ transforming into a giant reptilian creature. His sympathetic performance almost sells the character despite an origin story that feels too silly for real pathos.

Shocker

Logan Marshall-Green and Bokeem Woodbine share this role across ‘Spider-Man Homecoming.’ The film’s clever idea is that anyone in Vulture’s crew can become Shocker just by picking up the power gauntlet.

Rhino I

Paul Giamatti appears briefly as this mechanized villain in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2.’ He does not get much screen time, but he is far more entertaining than the character’s later cinematic version.

The Tinkerer

Michael Chernus plays this weapons manufacturer in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming.’ He never leaves his workshop, yet he is likely responsible for arming most of the MCU’s Spider-Man villains and gets away with it entirely.

Prowler I

Donald Glover voices this reasonable, working class version of the character in ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.’ He ultimately turns on Vulture’s crew because their weapons are bad for his neighborhood.

Vulture II

Jorma Taccone voices this Renaissance inspired version of the character in ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.’ He lacks complexity but looks visually striking, swooping through the film with a pocket dimension full of weaponry.

Venom I

Topher Grace plays Eddie Brock in ‘Spider-Man 3.’ He does not transform into Venom until the third act, limiting his screen time, but his dynamic as the anti-Peter Parker still resonates.

Prowler III

Shameik Moore voices this alternate version of Miles Morales, revealed at the end of ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.’ His identity crisis, stemming from a reality where nobody else became Spider-Man, gives the ending genuine emotional weight.

Doctor Octopus II

Kathryn Hahn voices this version of Otto Octavius in ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.’ The reveal subverts assumptions about the character’s gender, and she is portrayed as confident, funny, and fully in control of her villainy.

Sandman

Thomas Haden Church plays Flint Marko in ‘Spider-Man 3.’ Sam Raimi frames him as a tragic figure trying to provide for his daughter, giving the character real pathos despite a forced connection to Uncle Ben’s death.

Green Goblin II

James Franco plays Harry Osborn across the original Sam Raimi trilogy. The character earns significant sympathy over three films, even as his eventual storyline spirals into soap opera territory.

Jean Grey

Sadie Sink plays this X-Men character reimagined as the antagonist of ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day.’ The film frames her as a hero in her own mind responding to trauma, and Sink’s performance brings out previously unexplored dimensions of the character.

Mysterio

Jake Gyllenhaal plays this illusionist in ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home.’ He exploits Peter Parker’s need for a father figure, then betrays him and exposes his secret identity to the world in his final moments.

Prowler II

Mahershala Ali voices Miles Morales’ uncle in ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.’ The reveal that he helped kill Miles’ Spider-Man gives the character enormous emotional weight alongside genuine menace.

The Spot

Jason Schwartzman voices this dimension hopping villain in ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.’ He begins as an accidental joke before growing into a genuine multiversal threat after Spider-Man mocks him.

Vulture I

Michael Keaton plays Adrian Toomes in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming.’ His convincing motivation, rooted in being cut out of government contracts, actually shapes Spider-Man’s own morality over the course of the film.

Kingpin

Liev Schreiber voices this version of Wilson Fisk in ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.’ His attempt to reopen a multiversal portal to reconnect with his dead wife and son gives him understandable, tragic motivation.

Doctor Octopus I

Alfred Molina plays Otto Octavius in both ‘Spider-Man 2’ and ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home.’ Molina brings remarkable humanity to a man whose mind unravels after a lab accident kills his wife and leaves him controlled by his own mechanical arms.

Green Goblin I

Willem Dafoe plays Norman Osborn across the original ‘Spider-Man’ and its return in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home.’ Dafoe explores the psychological depths of a father torn between two sons, and his murder of Aunt May cements the character as Spider-Man’s greatest cinematic nemesis.

Four different live-action Spider-Men and two animated ones have now squared off against this staggering rogues gallery, and the gap between the very best and the very worst says a lot about what makes a Spider-Man movie work. Which of these villains do you think deserves a better shot on screen, and who would you send straight back to the Vulture’s scrapyard.