Spider-Man’s Best Monster Villains, Ranked

Summary

• Morbius, a genetic experiment gone wrong, is a living vampire with superhuman abilities.
• Knull, the King In Black, can destroy the universe with his symbiotes and Necrosword.
• Vermin is a rat-like villain that has contended with Spider-Man and Captain America.

Spider-Man is a Marvel hero who has many kinds of science fiction-based supervillains to contend with as he protects his friendly neighborhood of New York City. Several villains can be described as monsters thanks to their powers being matched with physical attributes that make them inhuman.

Given how much of a flagship character Spider-Man is to Marvel, there is a wide variety of villains to be found thanks to sixty years’ worth of history in the comics and other forms of media. The scarier monster villains range from iconic to obscure, with some being genetic experiments gone wrong, while others are intergalactic beings.

9

Man-Wolf

J. Jonah Jameson’s Son Is A Sword-Wielding Space Werewolf

• First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #124
• Creator: Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Gerry Conway, Roy Thomas

Spider-Man already gets enough trouble from J. Jonah Jameson, but he also has to contend with John Jameson. Thanks to a mission on the moon, John Jameson was afflicted by a gemstone that transformed him into a werewolf-like creature known as Man-Wolf. Like many cases of lycanthropy, Jameson lost control of his actions and became a mindless beast preying on innocents.

Man-Wolf was far from Peter Parker’s first encounter with a man-beast hybrid, but the more supernatural-based creature proved to be a difficult foe. However, Jameson’s curse would later come in handy as he was able to use his Man-Wolf side as a weapon for S.H.I.E.L.D. on missions thus becoming an anti-hero.

8

Vermin

Steve Rogers And Peter Parker Share A Common Enemy

• First Appearance: Captain America #272
• Creator: J. M. DeMatteis, Mike Zeck

Though he is just as famous for being a Captain America villain, Vermin has had many encounters with the web-slinger over the years as a rat-like monster. Helmut Zemo created him to hunt Captain America, but was later found in New York City where he simultaneously became a foe of both Spider-Man and other villains.

At first, Vermin comes off as the typical monster found in many comic books, but there is more to his story. For example, his origins are rather tragic, as a man named Edward Whalen who came from a well-off family. Unfortunately, Edward was sexually abused by his own father, which led to him breaking down and living on the streets as an adult.

7

Swarm

Nazi Bees Are Scarier Than Regular Bees

• First Appearance: The Champions #14
• Creator: John Byrne, Bill Mantlo

Even before he transformed himself into a living mass of bees known as Swarm, Fritz von Meyer was already a monster, gladly serving under Adolf Hitler in World War 2. His expertise in toxicology and melittology made him obsessed with bees; after being consumed by a swarm of mutated bees, his consciousness bonded with them, and he was reborn as Swarm.

Swarm is already a problem for Spider-Man with the ability to control the bees that compose his entire body, but he is also an evil Nazi whose power is matched by his cruelty. This is what led to him becoming part of the Sinister Six and a threat against other heroes, including members of the Avengers, and the Thunderbolts.

6

Doppelgänger

The Spider-Man That Peter Parker Could Have Been

• First Appearance: The Infinity War #1
• Creator: Jim Starlin, Ron Lim, Al Milgrom

Spiders are the source of fear for many and, fortunately, Peter Parker turned out as conventional of a hero as possible. Doppelgänger shows what Spider-Man could have been, thanks to being a creation by Magus during the Infinity War. He is a massive eight-limbed creature with sharp teeth and looks like how J. Jonah Jameson probably views Spider-Man.

Thankfully, Doppelgänger does not have Peter’s intelligence and is more of a mindless spider beast that first served Magus and then became the pet of Demogoblin and Shriek in their respective stories. At one point, Doppelganger was recruited into the Cult Of Knull by Carnage, dedicated to the resurrection of the evil Symbiote god.

5

Morbius

The Living Vampire Is An Iconic Hero And Villain

• First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #101
• Creator: Roy Thomas, Gil Kane

While vampires exist in the Marvel Universe, Morbius is unlike any other because he was a genetic experiment gone wrong. In an attempt to cure his degenerative blood disease, his attempt to mix bat and human DNA resulted in him becoming a powerful vampire with many of their strength and few of their weaknesses.

Morbius is able to walk freely in the daylight and is immune to garlic, silver, and many of the other typical ways of dispatching vampires. However, he does feature the same hunger for human blood that devolves him from a brilliant scientist to a ravenous beast. Similar to Man-Wolf, Morbius has spent just as much time as a hero and villain in the Marvel universe.

4

The Lizard

The Good Doctor Becomes The Deadliest Beast

• First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #6
• Creator: Stan Lee, Steve Ditko

One of Spider-Man’s first foes is a classic Jekyll and Hyde scenario, with a brilliant scientist trying to regrow limbs using a formula derived from reptile DNA. Doctor Curt Connors regrows his amputated arm but also triggers a transformation into an evil monster known as The Lizard, who commits atrocities that Connors would never think of.

Connors also happens to be a friend and mentor of Peter Parker, which makes the battles between The Lizard and Spider-Man sad to witness. In some versions, Lizard maintains Connors’ intellect and in others, he is a cold-hearted beast that rampages through New York City.

3

Venom

The Symbiote Anti-Hero Has Become A Famous Marvel Character

• First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #300
• Creator: David Michelinie, Todd McFarlane

Often regarded as one of Spider-Man’s greatest villains, Venom was the result of Spider-Man breaking his bond with the alien symbiote. The creature bonded with the already unstable Eddie Brock. The result was a dark reflection of Spider-Man, who did everything in their power to physically and emotionally destroy Spider-Man’s world.

With sharp teeth and the passive ability to bypass Spider-Man’s spider-sense, Venom proved to be one of Peter’s deadliest foes. Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote would, however, become allies of Spider-Man. However, other hosts have bonded with the symbiote, such as Mac Gargan, who became the scariest and most brutal version of Venom.

2

Carnage

Cletus Was A Monster Before His Transformation

• First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #361
• Creator: David Michelinie, Mark Bagley

Take everything that makes Venom a terrifying monster, but make him red and hosted by a sadistic serial killer and the result is Carnage. He is the offspring of Venom and one of the most terrifying villains because Cletus Kasady and the Carnage symbiote are so much of a match that they are bonded on a much deeper level.

Where Venom is a mastermind who plots ahead, Carnage is more or less an agent of chaos. All he does is murder, maim, and create mayhem to satisfy his insatiable bloodlust. For many fans, Carnage is considered one of the most evil foes Spider-Man has ever faced, hence why he is forced to ally himself with Venom to stop him.

1

Knull

Spider-Man And Venom’s Greatest Foe Can Destroy The Universe

• First Appearance: Venom Vol. 4 #3
• Creator: Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman

Also known as the King In Black, Knull is the creator of symbiotes like Venom, known as The Klyntar. The symbiotes even refer to him as a god, as there is a reason for that: his creations are his ultimate weapon, especially the Necrosword, which he can wield with such power to murder celestial beings.

Knull is an eldritch god-like monster on the same level as Thanos or Annihilus, but he was locked away on their homeworld for centuries. Spider-Man never directly fought the villain, but he and many other heroes fended off Knull from conquering the Earth, with Venom playing a major part in the resistance, since he was one of Knull’s most important creations.