Ranking Spider-Man’s First 10 Villains By Power

Spider-Man is one of the rare Marvel Comics heroes whose first 10 villains include several that remain iconic and repeat villains over 60 years since he debuted. Spider-Man debuted in Amazing Fantasy #15, and the first bad guy he faced there was an unnamed (at the time) burglar whom he let go. This man ended up killing Uncle Ben, which is what set Spider-Man on his mission to stop criminals and help save people from that point onward. He returned in Amazing Spider-Man #1, where he faced the Fantastic Four when he wanted to become a member of their team. However, it wasn’t until that issue’s backup story that Spider-Man finally faced his first real villain.

When looking at Spider-Man’s first year in Marvel Comics, there are some heavy hitters he had to face, and here are the first 10 actual villains (not including the burglar) that he faced, ranked by power.

10) The Enforcers

The Enforcers were called Spider-Man’s most “merciless foes” when he fought them in The Amazing Spider-Man #10. However, they were far from that description when it came to their actual threat level. Led by Big Man, they consisted of Montana, Fancy Dan, and Ox. Spider-Man had almost no trouble stopping these bad guys in the issue. These villains have no real powers, and they seem almost dismissible as any sort of threat in Spider-Man’s life.

9) Tinkerer

The Tinkerer was a Spider-Man villain from the backup story in The Amazing Spider-Man #2. That was the issue that introduced the Vulture for the first time, so that was a big reason no one really thinks of the Tinkerer as an original Spider-Man villain. It also doesn’t help that he was hired at the time by Quentin Beck, although Mysterio wouldn’t actually make his official debut until later, outside of the first 10 Spider-Man villains. Tinkerer is a brilliant scientist, but he has never been anything more than a minion, working for others.

8) Living Brain

The Living Brain debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man #8. This was an interesting early Spider-Man story that dealt with the fear of technology. Living Brain was a science project brought to Midtown High School by Dr. Petty to show that it could solve any problem. When two thieves tried to steal it, the Living Brain was damaged and became sentient, attempting to go on a rampage through Midtown High. The Living Brain was never truly evil, but was still a powerful robot that could hurt people, even unintentionally.

7) Chameleon

In some fun trivia, the first supervillain that Spider-Man ever faced was actually the Chameleon. He appeared in the backup story in The Amazing Spider-Man #1, and he wanted to ruin Spidey’s reputation using his skills as the master of disguise. Knowing that Spider-Man wanted to join the Fantastic Four to make money, he began to impersonate Spider-Man and commit robberies. With the police looking for Spider-Man, it allowed Chameleon to continue committing crimes until Spider-Man was able to prove his innocence. As just a master of disguise, Chameleon is a dangerous criminal, but not overly powerful.

6) Vulture

Vulture was the first villain with actual superpowered tech that Spider-Man ever faced in the comics. He was in the main story in The Amazing Spider-Man #2, and he sported a pair of wings that allowed him to fly. Vulture was a villain who seemed to like to taunt the public and even announced when he was going to attempt his next robbery. Spider-Man was finally able to use his own scientific knowledge to take out Vulture’s wings and send him to prison. Vulture ended up as one of Spider-Man’s most persistent villains, even helping to co-found the Sinister Six.

5) Doctor Octopus

When it comes to his legacy and tenure as a nemesis, Doctor Octopus might be Spider-Man’s greatest villain and his one true arch-enemy. However, when it comes to the power levels of Spider-Man’s villains, Doc Ock ranks rather low. Doctor Octopus was a perfect villain for Spider-Man because he was an older, smarter scientific genius who used his brain for evil, while Peter was a young, smart scientific genius who wanted to be a hero. However, other than his intelligence, Doc Ock’s only powers were his tentacles, which are extremely mighty weapons, but not as powerful as actual superpowers.

4) Electro

Electro made his debut in The Amazing Spider-Man #9. Unlike all the villains listed beneath him on this list, Electro is the first villain here who has actual superhuman powers. He was a power line worker who was electrocuted, but instead of dying, he gained the ability to control electricity. When Spider-Man first tried to stop him from committing a robbery, Electro simply electrocuted Spidey and left him knocked out. However, all it took was a costume and gloves that resisted the electricity and some water to beat Electro. The villain became much stronger over the years, but was never someone who could beat Spider-Man.

3) Lizard

The Lizard is easily Spider-Man’s most sympathetic villain, and this is because his alter ego never wanted to be a bad guy at all. Curt Connors was a scientist who had lost his arm and wanted to find a way to use reptile DNA to attempt to grow it back. However, while his arm grew back, he also turned into the rampaging and unstoppable Lizard. When it comes to pure strength, Lizard is the strongest of all of Spider-Man’s first 10 villains, and he is also someone that Spider-Man wants to help, not beat up. Lizard became more sympathetic as the years went on, although there were some stories where he was terrifying.

2) Sandman

Sandman made his debut in The Amazing Spider-Man #4 as a criminal and thief who had gained the ability to turn himself into sand. This was the most impressive and powerful superpower of Spider-Man’s first 10 villains he faced in comics. Sandman could make himself impossible to touch when he turned into grains of sand and then make himself almost rock hard to launch an offensive attack. Over time, it was revealed that Sandman was immortal thanks to his powers, and that added an even greater level to his power, making him one of the most unstoppable villains Spider-Man ever faced.

1) Doctor Doom

Doctor Doom was shockingly the sixth supervillain Spider-Man ever fought in comics, making his appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #5. The Fantastic Four villain believed that Spider-Man was also a villain thanks to J. Jonah Jameson’s newspaper editorials, and he went to see if Spider-Man wanted to join forces with him. However, Doom doesn’t take no for an answer very well, and they fought. Spider-Man couldn’t beat Doom, who escaped in the end. As Doom showed in One World Under Doom, he is one of the most powerful characters in Marvel Comics, with few equals, making him easily the most powerful of Spider-Man’s first 10 villains.

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