13 greatest Spider-Man villains ranked from worst to best

8. Sandman

His real name is William Baker, his alias is Flint Marko, and everyone has a terrifying title for him: The Sandman. He was one of the first villains ever to fight Spider-Man back in 1963 in an encounter that didn’t end well for our hero. Spidey had no option but to accept defeat and flee the scene when his mask was torn by one of the Sandman’s attacks. Worst of all, Peter realized that none of his punches damaged Flint, who was physically undefeatable thanks to his shape-shifting powers.

Sandman was created to be a big deal, a really dangerous foe, an unstoppable force of nature who couldn’t be faced by anything or anyone in the world …until he was eventually defeated by being vacuumed.

The ‘60s were a goofy era.

Even then, The Sandman would go on to become one of the most iconic Spider-Man characters ever created. His unique set of powers made him a constant threat to the wall-crawler and other heroes like the Fantastic Four. But what makes him shine above other one-dimensional villains is his troubled conscience.

See, Flint Marko is a crook, but he’s constantly trying to redeem himself as well. His origin story in Spider-Man 3 even gave him a compelling reason to be a robber since he needed the money for his sick daughter’s treatment. While that doesn’t excuse any of the wrongs he did, you can understand why he made them. That conflict is the sign of a three-dimensional villain whose motivations were properly developed. Besides, most incarnations of his character always deal with some sort of moral dilemma, just like the one in Spider-Man 3. On some occasions, Flint has even been an anti-hero rather than a straight-up villain, proving there can be good in his heart.

However, when he decides to be a bad guy… well, let’s just say his shape-shifting powers make for a deadly opponent, and I bet Spider-Man can attest to that. So you’ll probably be better if you don’t ever mess with The Sandman.

First appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #4 (1963)

Notable appearances:

• Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 (2007)
• The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 (1964)