Spider-Man remains one of the most popular heroes in Marvel history, but he has some comic villains who are too dark to make the jump to the MCU. Over his history in live-action movies, starting at Sony and then moving to a co-production with the MCU, Spider-Man has fought some of his most iconic villains. He battled the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Sandman, Venom, Electro, Vulture, Lizard, and Mysterio, and there are so many more he could still fight down the road. However, for every Kraven, Tombstone, Shocker, and Rhino, some villains are so dark that most Spider-Man movie fans would be thrown if they showed up in a movie.
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From a villain coming straight from Hell to two of the most disturbing bad guys Spider-Man ever faced, here are three Spider-Man villains who are too dark for the MCU.
3) Kindred
Kindred is a newer villain that Spider-Man fought in the comics, and he was a brilliant bad guy for most of the storyline. Kindred’s identity was a mystery for much of the comic book run, and even when it looked like Marvel had pulled the curtain back and exposed who this villain really was, it was still just a red herring. What was known was that Kindred was a villain who had returned from Hell to gain revenge against both Spider-Man and Norman Osborn.
While it looked like it was Harry Osborn, the real Kindred’s identity was a shocking twist that was actually disappointing in the end. However, that doesn’t take away from the storyline twists and turns that led to it, including Sin-Eater running rampant through Spider-Man’s villains and a surprising face turn by Norman when he had his sins “eaten.” The problem here is Kindred. Having a Spider-Man villain literally come from Hell is something the MCU likely wouldn’t do, even with Mephisto now part of the franchise. Plus, there is too much lore here to work in a movie. Kindred would never work in the MCU.
2) Freak
Freak is a Spider-Man villain who is too dark for the MCU for a very different reason. This is a villain who is just horrifying and way out of line for a franchise as pure and family-friendly as the MCU’s Spider-Man movies. Freak was a junkie who broke into Curt Conner’s lab looking for drugs. Thinking that the animal stem cells he finds there are meth, he injects them into his body. The idea of a junkie injecting drugs into his body is already enough to end any MCU talk.
However, it gets worse. The animal stem cells destroy the junkie’s body, and he comes out of the lab a skinless monster. He then dies, only to return from the dead, stronger than ever, and even further mutated. Plus, every time Freak dies, he comes back even stronger, similar to Doomsday in DC Comics. His entire goal is still finding more drugs and looking for his next high. This isn’t a Spider-Man villain for an MCU movie. It is a monster for a body-horror flick, and it would never work for the franchise.
1) The Thousand
One of the more obscure, yet horrifying Spider-Man villains who would never make it in the MCU is known as The Thousand. This man was once Carl King, someone who debuted in Spider-Man’s Tangled Web. He was a school bully who witnessed the radioactive spider bite Peter Parker during his origin. Wanting the power for himself, too, he eats the radioactive spider. This leads to a horrific moment. The spider biting Peter gave him powers, and he turned into Spider-Man.
However, when Carl ate the spider, his body broke down completely, and he turned into a hive of a thousand spiders. He could then use the spiders to consume victims from the inside and then wear their skin, growing stronger every time he eats someone, from his girlfriend to his parents, to strangers. He then stalks Peter for years, waiting for the right time to attack. There is no way a Spider-Man villain this disturbing could ever make it in an MCU movie.
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