13 greatest Spider-Man villains ranked from worst to best

2. Doctor Octopus

Otto Octavius needs no introduction whatsoever. After all, he was the main villain in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, Marvel’s Spider-Man for PS4, and one of the big bads in Spider-Man: The Animated Series. He formed the Sinister Six with the sole goal of taking Spidey down, and he even became the wall-crawler himself in the Superior Spider-Man comic book run. He’s a mad scientist, a brilliant mind tormented by his creation, and one of the greatest Marvel villains of all time.

That’s right; we’re talking about Doctor Octopus.

He is the perfect balance between great intellect and incredible strength (which was given by his mechanical arms). He was one of the first supervillains to ever defeat Spider-Man in comic books and was also close to marrying Aunt May and becoming Peter’s new uncle in a pretty comical turn of events. However, not everything’s fun and games when talking about Otto Octavius.

When the mad scientist was on his deathbed, he managed to exchange minds with Spider-Man, leaving Peter to die in Otto’s body. That caused him to become a new and far superior Spider-Man than Peter ever was. This new iteration of the wall-crawler became an instant hit for comic book readers. While in the beginning, Otto still had a taste for doing evil things; he started to become an actual hero as time went by. He also mixed Spider-Man powers with his classic tentacles to create one of the greatest Spidey suits ever.

Spider-Man and Doc Ock have developed a pretty complicated relationship over the years. While the two of them have been adversaries above everything else, they also have a deep respect for each other. That has led them to team up on certain occasions, and Otto even saved Peter’s life in the Web of Death storyline.

Alfred Molina’s portrayal of the character gained critical acclaim worldwide, and he’s now considered one of the best live-action villains to ever be featured in a Marvel movie. Coupled with how he’s considered one of the best comic book villains of all time as well, it’s easy to see why he’s such an important character.

First appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #3 (1963)

Notable appearances:

• Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 (2004)
• Superior Spider-Man #1 (2013)
• Marvel’s Spider-Man for PS4 (2018)