13 greatest Spider-Man villains ranked from worst to best
7. Carnage
Most villains have a reason for being evil. Some may have a troubled past, and others might have transformed into a huge reptile when regenerating their missing arm. Whatever the case may be, many bad guys lived through something that changed their hearts from that point onwards. You could even argue that the more compelling and human a villain is, the better.
However, some people enjoy chaos without any logical explanation at all. From the moment they were born, something evil overcame their minds and hearts. No matter how hard you try to save them, they are a lost cause until the end of time. They will stop at nothing to wreak havoc just because it’s their definition of fun, and that alone is terrifying.
But what would happen if someone like that could get unlimited power? What if a symbiotic alien was to bond with one of the most twisted minds in the whole world? What would become of that combination, if not pure carnage? Fortunately, we don’t have to worry about that ever happening… right?
Well, thanks to Cletus Kasady, we do.
Carnage is one of the most unhinged Spider-Man villains ever. Cletus pushed his grandmother down the stairs, killed a dog, and burned down his orphanage, all while being just a child. As if that wasn’t enough, things got worse when he grew up and shared a prison cell with Venom. A piece of Eddie Brock’s symbiote bonded with Cletus creating a nightmare for Peter, Eddie, and the world itself.
Carnage’s status as one of the most dangerous villains in the Marvel universe made him the antagonist in Venom: Let There Be Carnage and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 video game. He’s also the reason why Spider-Man and Venom were forced to join forces and team up in the Maximum Carnage comic book run. And who can forget that time the Carnage symbiote bonded with Doctor Octopus to create “Monster Ock,” the final enemy of the Spider-Man (2000) videogame? (I still see him in my nightmares to this date).
Cletus is ruthless, demented, and a total menace as Carnage. He will always be worthy of a spot in a ranking of Spider-Man villains, and maybe even Marvel villains in general.
First appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #359 (1992)
Notable appearances:
- Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
- Maximum Carnage (May through August 1993)
- Spider-Man the animated series (1994)