Spider-Man’s First 10 Villains in Marvel History (Including 3 the MCU Hasn’t Touched)

Spider-Man fought a significant number of villains in his first year as a hero, and three of them haven’t even been touched by the MCU yet. The Marvel Universe is home to some of the most iconic villains in comic history, and Spider-Man is perhaps the hero with the most notable roster of enemies.

His lineup of foes crafted specifically for him arguably rival Batman’s, and a good number of them showed up in his first year. Of course, with a pre-existing Marvel Universe already established at the time, Spider-Man did come toe-to-toe with other famous villains in this time, including Doctor Doom. However, it was the antagonists Stan Lee and Steve Ditko created to battle the Webslinger that have best stood the test of time, making them one of the most successful rogues’ galleries in Marvel’s history.

1 The Chameleon: Spider-Man’s First Ever Supervillain

First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #1 – Written By Stan Lee; Art By Steve Ditko & John Duffy

The Chameleon was a harrowing first enemy for the Wallcrawler; a master of disguise, he used Spider-Man’s growing unpopularity, due to the Daily Bugle’s misinformation, to his benefit. In his first appearance, he stole Spider-Man’s identity in order to steal crucial military secrets, and then pin it on the hero.

It is remarkable that, among the many notable Spider-Man villains that have become fan-favorites over the decades, the Chameleon was his first major antagonist. He’s a character that has made regular appearances as years have gone by, but to think that he was the first, over names like Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus, is enough to catch even long-time Spidey fans off-guard. While his plot to frame Spider-Man ended up failing, he came close to getting away with it, so it’s incredible to think he could have put a stop to the Webhead before he actually started.

2 Spider-Man Elevated The Vulture From Petty Thief To Supervillain

First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #2 – Written By Stan Lee; Art By Steve Ditko & John Duffy

The first of two new villains in Spider-Man’s second issue, the Vulture got his start by being a common jewel thief with the ability to fly. When he learned that a shipment of diamonds was making its way through New York City, he hatched a scheme to steal them by alerting the media. Then, using his own gimmick to cause people to keep their eyes on the sky, he surprised the authorities by popping out of a manhole and swiping them.

Vulture’s first appearance also contained a notable first in Spider-Man’s lore: he was actually Peter’s first subject as a photographer for the Daily Bugle. This was a landmark story that set the stage for how fans know him today, and while a continuity error referred to him as a now-canon “Peter Palmer,” the story introduced the world to one of Spidey’s most dangerous villains to date.

3 Spider-Man’s Villain The Tinkerer Has An Out-of-This-World Origin

First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #2 – Written By Stan Lee; Art By Steve Ditko & Art Simek

The second villain featured in The Amazing Spider-Man #2 was the Tinkerer. While a lesser-known villain today, he was initially depicted as a world-class genius. Tinkerer was first shown working with what appear to be aliens as they bug various devices to learn government secrets without suspicion. When he was found out, the Tinkerer escaped following a brief fight with the hero, leaving behind a mask to suggest he was an alien as well.

This intergalactic plot was later changed in future issues to make the Tinkerer and his team human, but it was still a remarkable way to introduce the character. Spider-Man first appeared in Amazing Fantasy, which was known for its outlandish plots, making anything possible. In this way, Tinkerer’s original appearance made for a unique callback to where Spider-Man got his start.

4 The Iconic Doctor Octopus Was Spider-Man’s Fourth Villain Ever

First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #3 – Written By Stan Lee; Art By Steve Ditko & John Duffy

This issue of The Amazing Spider-Man gave fans the first full-length comic featuring the hero rather than two stories melded into one book, and Lee and Ditko certainly saved one of their best villains for it. Doctor Octopus made his striking first appearance, and he was by far the most evil villain to date. Rather than stealing money or harboring secrets, he used the force of his arms to overtake a nuclear plant in a power play that threatened everyone’s lives.

One thing that was notable about Doc Ock’s inclusion is that he was the first villain in Spider-Man’s rogues’ gallery to have their original name revealed. Beforehand, his enemies were simply referred to by their villain names. However, Doc Ock is immediately called Otto Octavious during his origin. This was history in the making, as it opened up the path to the human side of Spider-Man’s foes, something that has made them some of the most treasured villains in Marvel history.

5 Enter The Sandman

First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #4 – Written By Stan Lee; Art By Steve Ditko

The Sandman is a unique entry to Spider-Man’s lore because his first issue actually addressed his powerful potential. By being able to turn into sand whenever he wanted, he could easily slip by Spider-Man and the police. This ultimately made him overly arrogant, leading him to undertake a crime spree in broad daylight, believing no one can stop him. His hubris ultimately got the best of him though, as Spider-Man stopped him with a simple vacuum cleaner.

What was exciting about Sandman’s first issue appearance was how much he used his abilities. He showed that he was able to harden himself to make sure no one could punch him, as well as mold his finger into a key to break into a bank. He was a villain that had immediate, enormous potential due to his malleability, making his debut a fantastic showcase of why Spider-Man, and the Marvel Universe, should fear him.

6 The Lizard Was A Formidable Foe

First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #6 – Written By Stan Lee; Art By Steve Ditko & Art Simek

The Lizard holds a notable place in Spider-Man lore as the first new villain following The Amazing Spider-Man‘s shift from bimonthly to monthly publication. His debut featured Peter Parker being sent to Florida to investigate sightings of a lizard creature. However, he quickly realized that the Lizard was actually a scientist called Dr. Curt Connors. After a series of fights, Spider-Man managed to find a cure and returned the doctor to his family.

What started out as a fairly standard villain-of-the-week concept immediately catapulted Lizard into the hearts of fans everywhere. The villain began to make regular appearances once Connors moved to New York City and befriended Peter Parker, with the good doctor turning back into the Lizard in classic Jekyll-and-Hyde fashion. The Lizard proved that any villain created by Lee and Ditko had the potential to become a fan-favorite, even if their first story had a solid ending.

7 The Living Brain Makes A Short-Lived Appearance

First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #8 – Written By Stan Lee; Art By Steve Ditko & Art Simek

It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for some comic fans not to know who the Living Brain is. This villain, who debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man #8 was a run-of-the-mill villain-of-the-week, where a brain piloted an out-of-control robot rampaging through Midtown High. The story that followed feature Peter try to fight off the killer intelligence before it hurt any of his classmates.

Unsurprisingly, the Living Brain barely reappeared following its initial debut. It was overall a villain that didn’t grab fans like the Lizard or the Sandman did, so it eventually faded into obscurity. That is, of course, until it made a shocking reappearance in the acclaimed series The Superior Spider-Man as one of Doc Ock’s assistants.

8 Electro Would Play A Big Role in Peter Parker’s Life

First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #9 – Written By Stan Lee; Art By Steve Ditko & Art Simek

Upon first glance, Electro’s first appearance was fairly standard for a Spider-Man story. He had an accident that gave him electric powers, then used those powers to rob banks and enrich himself. He even defeated Spider-Man with a powerful electric shock, in one of the most notable early set-backs for the Webslinger. However, it was the underlying story of Electro’s turn to villainy that made his debut stand out.

In the background, Aunt May was suffering from an illness that requires an expensive operation. The lack of funds made Peter desperate, and actually caused him to superimpose himself over Electro in pictures for the Bugle, after Jameson makes the claim that Spider-Man is secretly the villain. This proved to be a fascinating dynamite for the iconic villain because of how much he played into a more personal Spidey story; as a result of that, and his visually-exciting power set, Electro would go on to play a significant role in Spider-Man lore for decades.

9 The Enforcers Were Built To Last (To This Day)

First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #10 – Written By Stan Lee; Art By Steve Ditko and Sam Rosen

Forty issues before the Kingpin first debuted, the Enforcers and their boss, the Big Man, attempted to dominate New York’s criminal empire. Consisting of Montana, Fancy Dan and Ox, the criminals actually managed to make a fool out of Spider-Man before putting their takeover into action. While Spider-Man did eventually put a stop to them, this was Marvel’s first real look into the Big Apple’s world of organized crime, which continually played a huge part in the Webhead’s stories.

What’s even more remarkable about the Enforcers is that they continue to appear to this day. Shortly after their first appearance, the gang teamed up with the Green Goblin to take on Spider-Man, leading to his shocking defeat. Then, the group later branched out to various parts of the Marvel Universe, with their most recent appearance being during the Gang War storyline. While the group may not be as well known by many MCU fans, they have a storied history with Marvel that yearns to be explored on the big screen.

10 Mysterio Showed How Much The Series Grew In A Year

First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #13 – Written By Stan Lee; Art By Steve Ditko & Art Simek

Rounding things out, Mysterio made his official debut as Spider-Man’s tenth original villain, undertaking an improved version of an earlier scheme to frame the Webhead for committing crimes in New York. Like the Chameleon, he disguised himself as the hero to set the stage. However, due to Spider-Man’s exposure to the public, Mysterio had spent time studying him to not only perfect his disguise, but also craft his villain suit to counter Spidey’s abilities at every corner.

It was a genius plot, managing to knock Spider-Man off his feet during a battle on the Brooklyn Bridge. In fact, he needed to get the villain to gloat about his plan in order to not only clear his name, but figure out his weaknesses. Without this knowledge, Spider-Man could have been handily defeated for good, before his most famous stories took place. Mysterio ultimately worked as the perfect villain to wrap up Spider-Man‘s first year, because not only did he hearken back to the Chameleon’s first plot, but it also showed just how far the hero has come since his first printing.