Spider-Man has one of the greatest rogues’ galleries in comic book history, rivaled only by Batman’s roster of villains. However, there are still many of Spider-Man’s deadly foes who have yet to appear on the big screen.
Most of Spider-Man’s most popular enemies have already been adapted to film, of course — Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Venom, Electro, Mysterio, and even Carnage, just to name a few. Even some of Spidey’s lesser-known bad guys like Shocker, Tombstone, and Molten Man have played bit parts in recent movies. But despite that, there are still some important Spider-Man villains who haven’t currently appeared in the web-head’s many cinematic adventures.
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Kraven the Hunter
Arguably themost important Spider-Man villainwho has yet to make his film debut, Sergei Kravinoff — aka Kraven the Hunter — is among Spidey’s earliest enemies. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Kraven first appeared all the way back in August 1964 withThe Amazing Spider-Man#15. Born into former Russian nobility, Kraven sought to reclaim his lost glory by becoming a famous big game hunter. But when he became bored with hunting wildlife, Kraven chose to pursue a greater challenge by battling Spider-Man.
Unlike most of Spider-Man’s enemies, Kraven is not driven by a desire for power or wealth, but rather by the thrill of the hunt. He’s obsessed with fighting and defeating Spider-Man, whom he sees as a worthy opponent. Writer J. M. DeMatteis and artist Mike Zeck delveddeep into Kraven’s psychologyin the dark and atmospheric 1987 storyline “Kraven’s Last Hunt,” which is still regarded as one of the best Spider-Man comics ever put to print. Sony Pictures is currently producing a solo movie for Kraven, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson (the MCU’s Quicksilver) as Sergei. But considering the poor performance ofMorbius, it’s too soon to say for sure whether the film will see the light of day.
Chameleon
It seems that villainy runs in the family, because Kraven’s half-brother Dimitri Smerdyakov is a notorious supervillain in his own right. The Chameleon is actually the very first supervillain Spider-Man ever fought, debuting in issue #1 ofThe Amazing Spider-Man. Unlike most of Spidey’s enemies, Chameleondoesn’t have any flashy superpowersor gimmicks. Rather, he’s a master of disguise who often sells his services as a thief, spy, and assassin. The exact nature of Chameleon’s disguises depends on the writer: sometimes he wears simple masks, other times he uses holograms or even shapeshifting powers. But no matter how he’s hiding his true face, Chameleon is always a crafty foe.
It’s worth noting that one of Nick Fury’s subordinates inSpider-Man: Far From Homeis a man named Dimitri, played by Numan Acar. However, Dimitri’s last name is never mentioned, and it’s never been confirmed that this character is intended to be Dimitri Smerdyakov. As such, it’s difficult to consider this character an adaptation of the Chameleon, especially since he never employs any disguises.
Hobgoblin
It’s easy to look at the Hobgoblin and write him off as a cheap knock-off ofSpidey’s arch-nemesis, the Green Goblin.But while he was initially created by writer Roger Stern as a replacement for the then-deceased Norman Osborn, the Hobgoblin is anything but a pale imitation of his predecessor. While he uses similar weaponry and even receives powers from a modified version of the Goblin Formula, the Hobgoblin is a much more cunning and manipulative figure than the Green Goblin. While Norman often employs showmanship and brute force in his schemes, Hobgoblin prefers careful planning and misdirection.
In fact, a major part of Stern’s original Hobgoblin storyline is that the Hobgoblin often employed proxies and impostors to throw Spider-Man off his trail, keeping his true identity a secret as he pulled the strings from the shadows. The original Hobgoblin mystery lasted from 1983 to 1987, whenthe man behind the maskwas revealed to be none other than Peter’s friend Ned Leeds — a name that MCU fans will surely recognize. However, this reveal was an editorial mandate that Stern objected to, and he eventually wrote a follow-up story in 1997 to establish that Leeds was yet another decoy. The true Hobgoblin was in fact Roderick Kingsley, a billionaire fashion designer who stole Norman Osborn’s tech in pursuit of greater power. However, Ned Leeds’ one-time appearance as the Hobgoblin was memorable enough to earn a nod inSpider-Man: No Way Home, when Tobey Maguire’s Spidey compares Ned to his own friend-turned-Goblin Harry Osborn.
Hammerhead
One of the more offbeat members ofSpidey’s main rogues’ galleryis the hard-headed mobster Hammerhead, who was created by Gerry Conway and John Romita in 1972. Hammerhead was originally a low-level gangster who was saved from a mortal injury by the back-alley surgeon Jonas Harrow, who repaired his damaged skull using steel plating. Equipped with an unbreakable skull and a new lease on live, this no-name crook reinvented himself as the supervillain Hammerhead, styling himself after old-school mafiosos like Al Capone.
Rarely found without a pinstripe suit or a tommy gun, Hammerhead has often been a major player in the Marvel Universe’s gangland power struggles. He was introduced as a rival of Doctor Octopus, and he’s served as both an ally and enemy to fellow crime lords like Kingpin and Mister Negative.
Mister Negative
Speaking of Mister Negative,he’s a relatively recent additionto Spidey’s cast of colorful criminals. Created in 2007 by writer Dan Slott and artist Phil Jimenez, Mister Negative is a villain with a double life. To the public, he’s Martin Li, kindly philanthropist and founder of the F.E.A.S.T. Project — the very same charity where Aunt May works inNo Way Home. But in secret, Li is also Mister Negative, a superhuman crime lord who leads a gang called the Inner Demons. Wreathed in darkness that grants him a photo-negative appearance, Mister Negative possesses superhuman strength and agility, and can imbue his sword with crackling dark energy. He even has the power to mind control people with a single touch.
In the comics, Martin Lisuffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder,making his civilian and Mister Negative Personas completely different identities. However, this element has been left out of the character’s adaptations to other media. Such is the case in the 2018Marvel’s Spider-Manvideo game from Insomniac Games, which popularized Mister Negative among non-comic fans — despite being a more obscure villain, he’s the main antagonist of the first half of the game, before eventually becoming Doctor Octopus’ right-hand man in the Sinister Six. The game even gave Li a revised backstory in which he was experimented on as a child by Norman Osborn, resulting in an accident that granted him powers and killed his parents. He may be a more recent addition to Spidey’s rogues’ gallery, but Mister Negative’ssympathetic origin story, cool powers,and striking design have made him a fan favorite.
