50 Greatest Super Villains In Comic Book History

48. Electro

(Write-up by Daniel Wood, Whatever a Spider Can Editor)

Max Dillon was a quiet unassuming electrical engineer who was involved in a freak lightning accident whilst fixing a power-line, becoming the dangerous super villain Electro, with the ability to manipulate electricity and fly.

Since then, Electro has appeared frequently as a nemesis for Spider-Man — ever since his inception in Amazing Spider-Man #9 all the way back in 1964 — and has managed to remain a prominent part of the Spider-Man universe to this very day. He was even part of the original line-up for the Sinister Six, a super villain team intent on taking down Spidey.

Despite this, he’s always been seen as a peripheral character in Spider-Man’s world, not quite able to break into the ranks of the iconic Spider-Man villains like Doctor Octopus or Green Goblin. In fact, he’s quite often treated as a joke, or an easy opponent for Spidey and others.

Let’s not forget that in their first ever confrontation, Electro actually defeated Spider-Man using his electrically charged touch. There aren’t many villains in Spidey’s rogues gallery that can claim they beat Spidey in their first battle.

Max Dillon hasn’t just been a straight out-and-out villain though, as his storyline has always been tinged in tragedy. He was an immensely powerful villain hampered by a string of failures who just wanted to be normal. In fact, Spider-Man once managed to convince him to retire from criminal activities, and most recently he was de-powered by Spider-Man after destroying an entire prison and accidentally killing someone close to him.

It’s this tragic story that helps propel Electro from a standard comic book villain to a fully fleshed out character deserving a higher status than he currently has. His recent starring role in Amazing Spider-Man 2 has helped address the balance slightly but Max Dillon still hasn’t quite broken through as one of the iconic villains, and that’s why he finds himself way down the list in 48th place.

Next: No. 47: The fifth-dimensional court jester