5 Spider-Man Villains Who Deserve Redemption

Spider-Man has one of, if not the single strongest, rogues galleries in Marvel. His vast array of incredible opponents come in all shapes and sizes, and there’s truly a Spider-Man villain for every type of story you could want. Need a villain for a gangster-style, street-tier crime story? Kingpin. Want someone to challenge Peter in a science fight? Doc Ock is a great pick. Does the story want to put Peter on the back foot against a foe that’s much stronger and practically morphs it into a horror comic? Morlun is the monster you want. There are countless incredible villains who bring out different aspects of Spider-Man and his world, and a huge reason for that is how human these villains feel.

Of course, the more human a character feels, and the longer they’ve been evil, the more fans want to see them become something more. Spider-Man’s villains have often straddled the line between monster and man, and just about all of them have incredibly tragic backstories. Spider-Man, being who he is, was bound to empathize with them. Plenty of his characters have redeemed themselves over the years, and there are so many more who could follow that same path. Today, we’re looking at five Spidey villains who could have fantastic redemption arcs, so, without further ado, let’s swing right into it.

5) Mister Negative

Mister Negative is a tragic villain, born when Martin Li was split between two personalities, his good half in command of the Lightforce, and his evil half in command of the Darkforce. As Martin Li, he’s a generous philanthropist who uses his fortune to help the homeless and heal the sick. As Mister Negative, however, he’s a ruthless crimelord who has dedicated himself to corrupting or ruling over everyone who gets in his way. Li is a man who is constantly at war with himself, with his evil side always taking the time to undo any good Li has done with his actions. Yet, while this system is very engaging, it’s not balanced in the least.

For every life Martin Li improves, Mister Negative destroys five more. Li has some healing capabilities, but his powers are nowhere near as powerful as Mister Negative’s. Yet, imagine if they were. Li could learn of his dual life and command more Lightforce than ever, taking on a new role to directly undo the damage that his evil persona wrought. It would give Li a great new direction and the chance to show why he’s the good side of Mister Negative. His good nature has always been much more passive than his evil, and this is the chance to change all of that.

4) Mysterio

Mysterio seems like one of Spider-Man’s biggest joke villains, but don’t let the fishbowl fool you. He’s a special effects master who uses illusions and hypnosis to commit all manner of crimes. He’s gone farther than most of Spider-Man’s rogues gallery would even dream. His darkest scheme was convincing Daredevil that a baby was the Antichrist, leading to the Man Without Fear almost murdering a child. Quentin Beck is a monster who is always trying to feed his own ego, and that could either mean pulling off a fake alien invasion for the laughs, or hypnotizing and gaslighting Spider-Man’s loved ones to convince them Norman Osborn slept with Gwen Stacy.

Mysterio is a genuine villain, but that’s why he could do so much good. He’s only ever chased the applause and recognition he felt he deserved, but what if that attention was given when he dedicated himself to good? As Spider-Man’s ally, Mysterio could help him cover any identity shenanigans, or even build illusions to help villains come to terms with what they really want beyond their anger. Mysterio has always wanted to be a star, but he’s chased it from the wrong angle. If given the chance to be a hero who the public loves, I genuinely believe that he could knock it out of the park.

3) Shocker

Where Mysterio is a serious threat dressed like a joke, Shocker is an actual joke villain. Nobody has taken him seriously for decades at this point, with even villains like Boomerang and Overdrive looking down on him. Do you know what you need to do to get Boomerang and Overdrive in a position to do that? The Shocker has a genuinely cool powerset, using sonic gauntlets and armor, but even that was taken away from him with his surprisingly tragic death at the hands of Torment. As it turns out, he was distantly related to MJ, and that was enough to earn him a noose around his neck.

Shocker died, and Peter still blames himself, at least partly. This is the perfect setup for Shocker to see the impact, or lack thereof, of his villainous life, and turn it around when he inevitably returns to life. He could dedicate himself to building up from nothing, even accepting that he’s the butt of the joke and laughing along with it. Shocker turning into a hero after his death could genuinely be inspiring. He’ll never be a world-class inspiration like Captain America, but every good deed counts. That’s a major theme for Spider-Man’s stories, and Shocker using his power responsibly is a fantastic new direction for him.

2) Kindred

Kindred is actually two villains, being both Gabriel and Sarah Stacy. They were long thought to be the result of an affair between Norman and Gwen, but were eventually revealed as clones created to torment Spider-Man and Norman alike. At the height of his psychosis, and guided by Mephisto, Harry created these clones to drive Peter over the edge. They became empty shells for Mephisto’s influence, ruining Spider-Man’s life for months in an attempt to make him give in to despair. At the end of their time as Kindred, they died, but that doesn’t have to be where their story ends.

These two never had a fair shot. They aged at a much faster rate than normal, robbing them of any childhood they should have had. Everything was against them. The literal Devil used them as vessels, for crying out loud. If any duo deserves the chance at a normal life, it’s these two. Norman is on his own redemption arc, and Gwen was a great person. Between the two of them, these kids have every inspiration they need to want to be better. They could turn some of Spider-Man’s worst characters into something memorable and inspiring. Rising above adversity is the most Spider-Man thing of all.

1) Harry Osborn

Harry was Peter’s best friend, but after learning the truth about how his dad died and falling into mental problems, he became the new Green Goblin and dedicated himself to destroying Spider-Man. He tormented Peter beyond belief and was pretty darn creative about it. He set up a minimum of two posthumous plans to torture Peter and make him lose faith in his loved ones. Harry chose to save Peter just before his own death, but he never had the chance to do more. Even when he seemingly returned, it turned out to be another clone, his soul in Mephisto’s hands. When Spider-Man stopped Kindred, the Devil released Harry’s soul, which gives him the perfect chance to return for redemption.

Harry and Peter care more about each other than almost anyone else. The reason that Harry even hated Peter so much in the first place is that he felt so betrayed when he learned his secret. They have one of the greatest friendships in comics, and Harry’s return as a friend and ally is exactly what they both need to go to the next level of emotional development. Harry’s arc should always end with him as Peter’s friend, and there’s no better way to prove that than by returning and being there for the person who he once considered his greatest enemy. After years of torment in Hell, Harry deserves to come back as a greater hero than ever before.

All of Spider-Man’s villains are people too, at the end of the day. They all have the capacity for great change, and I think these villains could be incredible heroes. Which Spider-villain do you want to see redeemed?

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