Top 10: Rogues Galleries

2. SPIDER-MAN

Spider-Man villains generally fall into two categories: hapless thugs caught in some super-science that turns them into a freak or a brilliant scientist either using their work for evil or driven mad by some experiment. Despite this rather formulaic construction, there’s this strange chemistry between Spider-Man and his rogues due in part to the hero’s quips and the way it often feels like the villains set themselves up for the Wall-Crawler’s antics. Several of his enemies also tend to have very tragic stories which offers depth and caring; such include Curt Connors who was a good man that lost his arm and became the Lizard when he tried to regrow it, Molten Man who reformed and made a life for himself but was forced back into becoming a villain, and Eddie Brock who wanted to desperately be a good reporter only to lose his career. A number of them even reformed (if only for a short period), becoming allies to the Webhead (prime examples being the Outlaws, working under the mercenary with a heart of gold Silver Sable, and the duo of Grizzly and Gibbon that turned on their Legion of Losers).

Beyond this, the mark of a good villain is often identified by their relation to the hero. Some notables examples being Dr. Octopus who was Peter Parker’s favorite teacher before going mad, Harry Osborn who was Peter’s best friend and suffered years of abuse by his father only to become the Green Goblin to try and gain his approval supposedly postmortem, Norman Osborn who was Harry’s father and someone Peter greatly respected, and the black symbiote which was Spider-Man’s living costume but was rejected when it tried to change Peter into what it thought he wanted to be that conflicted with his values and desire for freedom. But Spider-Man’s rogues not only had quality, but significant quantity.

If the Wall-Crawler doesn’t have the most villains in comics (perhaps even fiction itself) after him, it’s certainly close. There’s so many, they broke up into clubs like the Sinister Six, Sinister Syndicate, and Exterminators. Finally, the mark of a good villain is impact on the hero, something accomplished by Octopus when he murdered Spider-Man’s friend Captain Stacy and Green Goblin the then love of his life Gwen Stacy. A small sample of some of the hero’s greatest enemies include the Green Goblins, the Hobgoblins, the Doctor Octopuses, the Vultures, the Mysterioes, the Kravens, the Spider-Slayers, the Venoms (and associated symbiotes like Carnage and Scream), the Scorpions, the Carrions, the Enforcers, Sandman, Electro, Lizard (who led to Stegron and Iguana), Rhino, Shocker, Kingpin, Silvermane, Hammerhead, Tombstone, Hydro-Man, Beetle, Speed Demon, Boomerang, Chameleon, Jackal, Swarm, Man Mountain Marko, Chance, Shriek, Morlun, and Mr. Negative.

Spider-Man Villains

1. BATMAN

Born by a compulsion to make right the injustice done against him as a youth, it’s poetic that the enemies of the Batman are equally born from a deep psychosis. However, where the Dark Knight used his pain to forge a force for good, his enemies took their deep rooted, disturbed psyche to revel in their id, making sport of the poor people of Gotham. Indeed, the enemies of Batman are legendary, many making the transition to film and television and featured in the blockbuster video game Batman: Arkham City. For the Riddler, it’s a compulsion to tell the truth, rather he wants to or not, so he employs misdirection and riddles to express himself and his crimes. Catwoman, always a victim in life, chose to take control of her destiny and never bow to anyone again, taking what she wants and being free. Harvey Dent, suffering from dissociative identity disorder, generally had a manner that wanted to do what was right but often felt too weak to accomplish his desires; this would develop into a second, latent personality that was strong, but angry and vengeful. However, Batman’s most dangerous foe, and one of fiction’s scariest villains, is the Joker.

Complete and utter chaos, Joker is the living embodiment of id with a deranged fascination with death and suffering. A psychopath, sociopath, and egomaniac who has no long term goals in his life but relies solely on satisfying his desires, he maybe the most challenging villain to exist because you can’t assume his next action, can’t clearly view his endgame without understanding his latest fascination, and he commits murder on a whim. The Joker would have a huge impact on Batman and his allies, murdering Robin Jason Todd, crippling Batgirl Barbara Gordon, and slaying Commissioner Gordon’s wife Sarah. Some of Batman’s greatest challenges include Joker, Ra’s al Ghul, Two-Face, Hugo Strange, Bane, the Clayfaces, Penguin, Black Mask, Catwoman, Riddler, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, Killer Croc, Man-Bat, Catman, Deadshot, Hush, Mad Hatter, the Blockbusters, KGBeast, Calendar Man, Killer Moth, Maxie Zeus, Firefly, Cavalier, Captain Stingaree, Spook, Black Spider, Merlyn, Gentleman Ghost, Getaway Genius, Ventriloquist, Mr. Zsasz, Dr. Hurt, and Professor Pyg.

Batman Villains

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Hulk, Firestorm, Thor, Hawkman, Daredevil, Ghost Rider, Justice League, Captain America, Teen Titans, Darkwing Duck, Savage Dragon, Aquaman, Spawn, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Wonder Woman, and Legion of Super-Heroes.