Spider-Man: Every Villain, Ranked By IMDb Poll Score | ScreenRant
At the time of writing, there have been seven live-action Spider-Man movies. The first blockbuster, starring Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, released back in the summer of 2002. And, since then, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland have also pulled on the iconic mask - both in The Amazing Spider-Man series and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Across all movies, many villains have appeared. After all, what's a Spidey movie without having any bad guys around? Some, inevitably, have been better than others. But we'll now take a look at the results of a poll from IMDB to determine just who Peter's greatest enemy has been so far.
10 Rhino
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a divisive movie. It certainly has its highlights, with Garfield and Emma Stone's chemistry as Peter and Gwen Stacy particularly memorable. It makes good use of New York City, too, and the bad guys are all different. In the case of Rhino, however, it's not for the best.
Rhino, played by Paul Giamatti, takes a back seat in the blockbuster for the most part. He's on the fringes of the action and, in one of his only scenes, the character is merely used for comic relief. Aleksei Mikhailovich Sytsevich finally dons the armor near the end but, by that point, fans are beyond caring. It's no surprise it comes bottom of the list with just nine votes.
9 Lizard
The Amazing Spider-Man is a solid enough movie but fails to take many risks. The story is pretty similar to the first installment of Maguire's trilogy, with Uncle Ben dying, Peter obtaining his powers via a spider bite, and a love interest in the picture as well. And Lizard disappoints, despite Rhys Ifans giving it his best shot.
Lizard's plan is to turn all of New York City into giant reptiles. Even for a comic book movie, that's pretty far-fetched. The CGI is startlingly obvious and there doesn't seem a genuine chance of the bad guy ever reigning supreme. He's turned back into Curt Connors at the end and was meant to reappear further down the line but, ultimately, that never happened.
8 Electro
Also in the second Amazing Spider-Man movie, there's Jamie Foxx as Electro. Max Dillon becomes the villain when he falls into a giant vat of eels. They turn him blue, alter his mind, and also fix the gap in his teeth - in one of the most-pointless uses of CGI in Hollywood history.
Electro is entertaining and proves to be a tough adversary for Peter to overcome. However, the character's design was questionable and he lacked the same emotional depth and mystique as many other villains on this list. For years, he's been forgotten about. However, it was recently revealed that Foxx will be reprising his role in Marvel's Spider-Man 3 - and we're excited to see how that plays out.
7 New Goblin
In 2007's Spider-Man 3, Sony decided to turn Harry Osborn into a different version of the Green Goblin, appropriately named the New Goblin. This had been foreshadowed in the previous movie, with Harry discovering that Norman had worn the creepy green suit prior to his death. Determined to appease his father, who is speaking to him from beyond the grave, Peter's great friend tries to do his father justice by going after Spider-Man.
Unfortunately, Harry doesn't get much of the spotlight. He should have been central to the film but spends most of it suffering from amnesia. His death is admittedly hard-hitting but we can't help but feel Sony didn't make use of the character's full potential. He should have been the main man, rather than shunted to the side.
6 Sandman
Sandman was another bad guy introduced in the third act of the Maguire trilogy. It was revealed in that movie that he, rather than Dennis Carradine, had been responsible for Uncle Ben's death. He'd shot the old man at point-blank range and decided to escape jail so he can raise funds for his daughter Penny, who needs expensive treatment for a life-threatening illness.
Along the way, Thomas Hayden Church's character gets transformed into Sandman. He's a formidable opponent, using his flexibility and immense strength to pose all sorts of problems. In the end, however, he opts against fighting Peter. He apologizes for murdering his uncle and then flees the scene, never to be seen again.
5 Venom
Venom was a last-minute entry into Spider-Man 3. Director Sam Raimi never wanted the character to be included, instead hoping Harry Osborn and Sandman would be intriguing enough to be worth the cinema ticket. But, when Sony producer Avi Arad put the pressure on, Raimi ended up relenting - to mixed success.
He comes fifth on the poll but, a bit like Osborn, his potential was never fulfilled. Eddie Brock only becomes the famous character late on and he dies shortly before the end, going out in a blaze of glory. Raimi pinpointed Venom's inclusion as the reason Spider-Man 3 wasn't up to the same standards as before but it was enjoyable to see him on the big screen nonetheless.
4 Vulture
After deciding to scrap The Amazing Spider-Man 3, Sony gave Marvel permission to use Spider-Man in the MCU. Holland's character debuts in Captain America: Civil War before then getting his own solo movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming. And, in that blockbuster, fans were given the chance to see the character of Vulture played out in live-action for the first time.
Michael Keaton donned the famous wings, although they were mechanical rather than soft like the comic book version of the villain. He was a perfect bad guy, oozing charm, and menace throughout the movie. And Keaton is set to reprise his role in Morbius, which is due to release in March 2021.
3 Mysterio
After the sob-fests that were Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, the MCU's Phase 3 ended with the light-hearted Spider-Man: Far From Home. Still reeling from the death of Tony Stark, and struggling to deal with the responsibility of being both a schoolboy and an avenger, Peter's life is made worse when Mysterio enters it.
Mysterio tricks Spidey into handing over EDITH, Tony Stark's super glasses that basically let the wearer control the world. His illusions are ridiculously trippy and he seems to know every move Peter is going to make. Fortunately, he's defeated at the end of the movie and dies but we wouldn't be surprised if that was another trick as well. Only time will tell...
2 Green Goblin
When fans got their first glimpse of Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin shortly before Spider-Man's release in 2002, some weren't impressed. After all, the metallic armor was a far cry from the costume the character wore in the comics. But any doubts were dismissed when the movie hit screens, with just about everybody loving Dafoe's portrayal of Norman Osborn.
He's a villain with firepower, a brilliant mind, and quips - which makes him ideal for a movie involving the webhead. Even after his death, he orchestrates things, manipulating son Harry into becoming the New Goblin. With talk of a live-action Spider-Man movie being rife we'd love to see the character return. And only one bad guy seems to be more popular than Norman...
1 Doctor Otto Octavius
Taking the gold medal with the most votes is Alfred Molina's Dr. Otto Octavius. Even in this day and age where superhero movies are everywhere, 2004's Spider-Man 2 is still pretty magical. It's like the comic has been brought to life and Octavius is a superb villain, stealing the spotlight from Spidey himself through Molina's outstanding performance.
He's smart and dangerous - which makes him the perfect blend. His actions very nearly destroy New York and his decision to transform back into a good guy towards the end of the movie is something few saw coming. Like Norman, Otto is another character fans would love to see again. And if the Spider-Verse live-action blockbuster takes place, we wouldn't bet against that happening.