Spider-Man has a wide array of villains in his rogues gallery. Only Batman arguably has a better and more memorable list of enemies. Through six live-action films, one coming up very soon, and the recent Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse film, we’ve seen plenty of villains on the big screen.
One of those live action movies was Spider-Man: Homecoming, which was the first to take place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In it, Peter Parker did battle with the Vulture, and the MCU managed to take a character who was silly in the comics and turn him into a menacing force. The sequel, Spider-Man: Far From Home, is introducing Mysterio, but we’re focusing on what comes next. The villains we want to see in the MCU going forward, and a handful that we think they should avoid.
Want: Chameleon
Amazingly, we’ve never seen Chameleon come to life on the big screen. He’s a notable and historic character because he was the first ever bad guy to face Spider-Man, debuting in the first issue of The Amazing Spider-Man. Chameleon is a master of disguise made even more impressive by his incredible work as a method actor.
Take the fact that Chameleon can look and act like anyone, and combine it with his enhanced strength and you’ve got a formidable foe. He’s also the half brother to another character you’ll see later on this list. The one potential negative to him in a movie is that he’d be in disguise often, so an actor wouldn’t do much playing him.
Don’t Want: Rhino
Rhino is someone we got to see in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 for two brief scenes. He’s the kind of villain who would probably work better in the MCU, partially due to the technology they could implement to improve his suit. He would also be valuable as a part of an eventual Sinister Six appearance.
However, there’s not much to Rhino outside of his superhuman power and speed. A writer once described him as being one of Spider-Man’s “dimmest” opponents. Rhino might be okay as part of a team or as a big henchman but is too dull on his own to want in a film.
Want: Scorpion
Technically, we’ve already seen Scorpion in the MCU in Spider-Man: Homecoming. The talented Michael Mando portrayed Mac Gargan, who comic book fans know is the real name of the Scorpion. At the end of the movie, Gargan is in jail and attempts to get Adrian Toomes/Vulture to give up Spider-Man’s real identity since he blames Spidey for his imprisonment.
His appearance in that film makes us believe he may pop up in the future, but nothing is confirmed. If he does show up, we want him in full on Scorpion costume. It’s a unique and fresh look. His precognitive scorpion senses and body armor are both things that would make him an excellent foil for Spider-Man.
Don’t Want: Screwball
Screwball isn’t one of Spider-Man’s better-known enemies, but there’s potential there. For starters, we haven’t seen Spidey take on a female villain in these movies. There’s also the cool idea that she’s the first “live streaming supervillain.” She commits crimes with a camera crew to get hits on her webpage. That is an ideal idea for our current age.
All that being said, Screwball doesn’t feel like a genuine threat to Spider-Man. She doesn’t have any special skills or super abilities outside of being a gymnast. That doesn’t sound very cinematic. In the 2018 Spider-Man video game, she’s limited to the side missions for a reason.
Want: Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus was famously played by Alfred Molina way back in Spider-Man 2. Since then, he has been absent from the films but recently played a pivotal role in Spider-Man for the PS4. The relationship between Peter and Otto Octavius is an interesting one because of the way Peter looks up to him.
With Tony Stark dead, Peter Parker looking for a new mentor figure in Otto could make for a fantastic storyline. Watching Peter struggle with whether or not to blindly follow him or to stop him would be compelling. Plus, you have to imagine how cool Doc-Ock would look with the technology available to us these days.
Don’t Want: Tombstone
Tombstone is a more recent character, not appearing against Spider-Man until the late ’80s. He has appeared in 2018’s Spider-Man video game and Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. However, in both cases, he was nothing more than a side character. That’s because he’s more suited to being a rival for a short TV episode rather than the main antagonist.
With superhuman strength, street fighting skills, and resistance to injury, Tombstone can cause problems for Spider-Man. He just doesn’t bring anything of note to the table. Other than his odd razor sharp teeth, he’s pretty bland and that doesn’t bode well for him on the big screen.
Want: Black Cat
The Sam Raimi trilogy gave us Mary Jane Watson. The Marc Webb duology focused on Gwen Stacy. The MCU Spider-Man does have Zendaya as a different take on MJ, but Felicia Hardy would be the most interesting way to go for a love interest. It’s something we have only seen briefly so far (Felicia popped up, but not in full costume) and makes for a great dynamic.
Black Cat is a thief who starts as a villain for Spidey, but they eventually fall in love. Their relationship is similar to Catwoman and Batman in that way. The difference is that Hardy is only interested in Spider-Man and not really into Parker. The wrench this could throw into Peter and MJ’s relationship would be entertaining on its own. But Black Cat growing from enemy to lover to friend/partner against another bad guy is something we’re dying to see.
Don’t Want: Morbius
When we said Spider-Man’s list of rogues had a lot of variety, we meant it. Morbius is a vampire. Dr. Michael Morbius was a biochemist who was imbued with vampiric abilities. With it, he got all the powers of a vampire, but also all of the weaknesses.
The idea of Spider-Man fighting a vampire doesn’t sound appealing. Each battle would have to be staged at night since Morbius can’t go out during the daytime and there are just too many restrictions on this loony character. Plus, Jared Leto is slated to play Morbius for a Sony Pictures film, so the chances of this aren’t too likely.
Want: Kraven The Hunter
Remember how we said Chameleon had a half brother on this list? Here he is. Kraven is obsessed with hunting down Spider-Man because he’s the biggest game there is. The fact that he can use jungle herbs to improve his skills and strength, while always preferring to use hand to hand combat makes him an incredible foe.
The people behind the MCU movies know how to adapt comic aspects into their films. That’s why we badly want to see their take on the infamous tale, “Kraven’s Last Hunt.” In it, Kraven defeats Spider-Man, seemingly shoots him dead, and dons the Spidey suit to prove his superiority. Even when Spider-Man returns, Kraven doesn’t fight back. He feels that he’s won and with his hunt over, he retires and commits suicide. That has cinema written all over it.
Don’t Want: Green Goblin
The Green Goblin is arguably the most famous Spider-Man villain. There’s a reason he was the first one to ever appear in a major motion picture. The father/son relationship between Peter Parker and Norman Osbourne is a match made in movie heaven because it comes with so many complications.
Honestly, the Green Goblin would be a perfect fit within the MCU. It’s just that we really don’t want to see it. And that’s because it happened in both the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield Spider-Man eras. We don’t need to see the story of Norman Osbourne and his family again anytime soon.
