Spider-Man: All Live-Action Villains, Ranked

Despite existing within three different continuities, and three vastly different interpretations of the Webhead, popularity for Spidey’s greatest rogues can last for years or even decades after their first appearance. As a prime example, Alfred Molina returned to the role of Doctor Octopus which has had long-time fans buzzing with anticipations. It goes without saying that Spider-Man’s rogue gallery is notorious for having some pretty notable baddies. That being said, here’s a list of every live-action villain, ranked in ascending order –

Green Goblin

Seeing Harry Osborn become the Green Goblin was a twist made famous by Sam Raimi’s film. But this transition didn’t seem necessarily deranged and it certainly wasn’t manic or brutally violent. However, DeHaan catalyzed an interesting Green Goblin. His screen time after being transformed felt like one of frustration. Fans were forced to endure Oliver Stone’s overcomplicated and interminable plot rather than focusing on DeHaan’s Green Goblin, which fans were dying to see some more of.

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Sandman

The Sandman made quite the impact when he appeared in Sam Raimi’s first Spider-Man movie. Although it was mostly only dramatic eye-rolling, Sandman as a character was actually a pretty interesting bad guy. He’s motivated differently than most. He doesn’t want to steal anything or kill anyone. The Sandman just wanted to earn enough money to take care of his family and provide for them, which almost makes him relatable if you forget all about the brutal murder victims in his past that led him down that dark path.

Electro

The main antagonist in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Jamie Foxx’s twitchy and shallow interpretation of Electro, felt like it was out of a Schumacher Batman movie. More specifically, it’s a direct knockoff at the screenplay level of Jim Carrey’s Riddler in Batman Forever (1995).

Lizard/Dr. Curt Connors

Despite how he was teased in Raimi’s trilogy, Connors didn’t really show any tendencies to transform. However, five years later came Andrew Garfield’s reboot of our friendly neighborhood superhero, bringing with it a more grown-up version of everyone’s favorite wall-crawler. As a result, fans finally got to see Dr. Connors fulfilling his dormant reptilian side – with some interesting results in The Amazing Spider-Man.

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Venom

Although Topher Grace was recruited to play Eddie Brock in Spider-Man 3, he didn’t quite belong there. At the beginning of the film he seemed out of place and the chemistry between him and lead actor Tobey Maguire was awkward. From there, his character development was not clear, nor did it feel organic enough to be meaningful. Grace’s conceptualization later become one of Marvel’s most popular villains (Venom) that was both interesting and cinematically bold.

Vulture

Fans were all chuckled when they first heard that Michael Keaton was playing Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming. After all, the villain’s cinematic record isn’t exactly stellar. However, once we got a look at the villain in action, the Webhead’s latest foe turned out to be one of his more interesting enemies to date.

Doctor Octopus

Molina played Doctor Octopus with sympathy as if he were a real person acting on impulsive desires that most audience members will relate to. He wasn’t the insane and deranged scientist from the comics. Instead, the makers gave his character depth and dimension by putting him in a believable situation.

Mysterio

Gyllenhaal appeared as the embodiment of a trickster who presented himself as a new superhero at a time when the world needed one. With many of the original Avengers having departed from their responsibilities, this wasn’t an individual who could engage Spiderman in combat – after all, nobody thought he could defeat him but himself. However, with the help of technology, he managed to give fans a sense of just how formidable his capabilities were. The scene in which he trapped the Spider-Man in an illusion in Berlin is something that illustrated for everyone just how smart and capable this character was.