Spider-Man: No Way Home is on its way and it promises to feature the return of many of the most iconic Spidey villains we’ve met in previous movies from across the webhead’s cinematic history. The trailer showcased Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus, with hints at Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, Jamie Foxx’s Electro and Thomas Haden Church’s Sandman. At long last, it looks like the Sinister Six is finally about to form on screen.
So now is the perfect time to debate who is the best Spider-Man movie villain of them all. That’s the discussion that u/hell012445 started on the r/marvelstudios subreddit this week. Along with their question they shared an image highlighting the 12 most prominent villains faced by Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland so far. Namely, Norman Osborn, Otto Octavius, New Goblin (James Franco), Flint Marko, Venom (Topher Grace), Lizard (Rhys Ifans), Max Dillon, T-ASM 2‘s Goblin (Dane DeHaan), Rhino (Paul Giamatti), Vulture (Michael Keaton), Shocker (Bokeem Woodbine) and Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal). So who did fans go for?
As you’d imagine, Doc Ock proved to be a highly popular response. That’s not a surprise considering Molina’s layered portrayal is a major reason why Spider-Man 2 is so beloved.
Likewise, Vulture was another frequent pick. Keaton’s Adrian Toomes is generally agreed to be one of the best villains in the MCU overall, let alone the Spider-Man franchise.
He’s more grounded… and yet he can fly.
Folks also love Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio, a villain who actually managed to kind of win – by totally destroying Peter Parker’s life from beyond the grave.
Not a bad ranking at all.
Yes, his Green Goblin get-up might be divisive, but there’s no denying Dafoe killed it in his performance as Osborn Senior.
And let’s not forget the surprisingly sympathetic Sandman in Spider-Man 3.
Of course, some commenters also had some fun with the question, hence this low-blow of a response.
OK, this one still hurts.
On balance, it looks like Dr. Octavius won this round, which is good as Spider-Man: No Way Home promises to deliver more from him when it swings into cinemas on December 17th.
