As perhaps the most popular superhero in the genre, Spider-Man has amassed a diverse rogues gallery of brutal villains. Fans will likely see some of these villains in Across the Spider-Verse as Miles and hundreds of Spider-People travel the multiverse. The motifs and gimmicks for Spidey villains are inherently zany, but they still make Peter Parker's life grueling.
Whether it's through nuanced motives or just hatefulness, the likes of Green Goblin and Carnage find intimate and/or violent ways to spread misery. Cruelty is a defining trait in what makes many Spider-Man villains memorable, including characters like Mephisto in more controversial comics like "One More Day."
10 Kingpin
While Kingpin is now more associated with Daredevil's darkest moments as his arch-nemesis, he's still a noteworthy Spider-Man villain. Wilson Fisk is the premier crime lord of New York, known for his strategic cunning and mercilessness.
It also helps that he's a physical powerhouse for someone who's more "normal" by supervillain standards. Not many can handle a Kingpin pushed into a rage. During the events of Civil War, Kingpin even used Spider-Man's identity reveal to nearly assassinate Aunt May, paving the way for the infamous "One More Day."
9 Kraven The Hunter
One of the most acclaimed and darkest Spider-Man comics was Kraven's Last Hunt. Kraven leads an onslaught on Spider-Man after mentally breaking from years' worth of losses at the hero's hand. He's a master hunter, martial artist, and overall weapons expert.
As showcased in that storyline, what makes Kraven such a vicious adversary aside from his skill set is his relentlessness. His entire personality is based on taking down his next big game using whatever callous means. It speaks a lot to Kraven's twisted ambitions that he was able to nearly kill Spider-Man and bury him alive for two weeks.
8 Mephisto
Mephisto has been the subject of speculation within the MCU. However, one of the things he's best known for was ruining Peter and Mary Jane's lives in "One More Day." Many fans maligned th story for its treatment of the characters, but it's nonetheless emblematic of Mephisto as evil incarnate.
He successfully conned Peter into selling his marriage to MJ in exchange for saving Aunt May from Kingpin's attempted hit. Effectively acting as Marvel's version of the devil, he's gotten the better of many heroes as an otherworldly tempter, but this act goes down as one of his bleakest.
7 Carnage
Aside from Venom, Carnage is one of the most iconic – and powerful – symbiotes in Marvel comics. This extraterrestrial organism has taken on several hosts, but perhaps the most popular was Cletus Kasady.
Kasady was the original and most infamous host, as the villain was a deplorable serial killer well before he became Carnage. Taking on the parasite simply enhanced his already heinous tendencies, giving him the power to live up to his name. From mass murder to warping his therapist into a mindless cannibalistic killer, what drives Carnage is ultimately his insatiable bloodlust.
6 Green Goblin
Green Goblin is one of Spider-Man's most popular villains since his debut in Amazing Spider-Man #14. Similar to what the Joker is to Batman, Norman Osborn is constantly looking for ways to twist his fingers in Peter Parker's wounds.
He's responsible for much of the mystery in Peter's life, as well as those around him. Osborn has done so in and out of the suit, including kidnapping, assaulting, and murdering Gwen Stacy, giving Flash Thompson brain damage, and so much more. Much of what makes Osborn so brutally reprehensible is how personal his attacks on Peter's life are.
5 Lizard
Of the many villains comprising Spider-Man's rogues' gallery, Curt Conners is certainly one of the most tragic figures. A brilliant scientist, Conners tried experimenting with reptile DNA for its regenerative qualities, but it ended up morphing him into a rabid lizard hybrid.
Since Conners is a good-natured and altruistic person at his core, he's sometimes able to reign in his alter ego's primal fury. However, "pulling his punches" is often the most he can hope for. Animalistic tendencies mostly take control, making his encounters with Spider-Man bloody, hyper-violent, and decided by razor-thin margins.
4 Hobgoblin
There have been several Goblin variations in the years since Green Goblin's debut. Hobgoblin is one of the most prominent in that subcategory, with several donning the persona. The original identity – technically – was Roderick Kingsley, who fiendishly used one of Peter's greatest friends to cover up his evil identity.
It was a crushing turn of events, as Ned Leeds was a stalwart supporter of Peter's before Kingsley brainwashed the former into believing he was the Hobgoblin. Hobgoblin fooled Spider-Man into thinking one of his closest allies betrayed him.
3 Morlun
Morlun is a unique threat to Spider-Man, as he is an interdimensional vampire determined to devour those powered by the Spider-Totems. Not only does that include Peter in mainline continuity, but this supernatural villain succeeded across multiple timelines in annihilating his victims.
Wreaking immense violence is inherent to his being, using psychic powers, superhuman physicality, and energy absorption. Along with the rest of the Inheritors, Morlun has a singular focus and is among the few to decisively beat Spider-Man and his equivalents across the multiverse.
2 Red Goblin
One of the more recent Goblin variations, the "Going Down Swinging" story arc introduced a new grim symbiote host. Norman Osborn not only manages to steal the Carnage symbiote from S.H.I.E.L.D., but he also persuades the parasite into hosting it.
Forming the Red Goblin, this brutal amalgamation of villains once again indulges the worst characteristics in both characters. Red Goblin almost effortlessly beats down the likes of Human Torch, Miles Morales' Spider-Man, and rids the symbiote's conventional weaknesses. Disturbingly, Norman transfers a portion of the symbiote to his grandson to extend the Red Goblin's presence.
1 Shriek
Shriek is one of Spider-Man's most gruesome villains for two major reasons. The first is for her sheer powers and lust for violence on her own, and the second for pairing up with Carnage to amplify their evil on grand scales.
She already possesses sonic abilities to manipulate sound, causing raw physical damage and mass hysteria. But having her and Carnage fall in love is a recipe for gore and death, which is exactly what the duo did after escaping Ravencroft. Together, Shriek fostered a twisted family to lead a slaughter on the streets of New York.