Thanks to directors Sam Raimi, Marc Webb, and Jon Watts, there have been three different Spider-Man variants across three different franchises. Now with Spider-Man: No Way Home released, all three versions collided in a multiverse event that had fans clamoring for more.
With eight different Spider-Man movies, there came twelve villains with different designs and costumes to go along with their characterizations. Some of these designs have become iconic pieces of Marvel's cinematic history, while others left a lot to be desired.
Updated on March 23rd, 2022 by Melody MacReady: The amount of cinematic Spider-Man villains remains the same from Spider-Man (2002) all the way to the current Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). However, No Way Home brings together a collection of various villains of the past from the different Spider-Man universes.
Not only are they back but they are nearly all given brand new costumes and designs. Some of these iconic villains actually look better than their previous times on-screen while others could have benefitted from keeping their previous looks. We won't be including any of the Venom-Verse characters since Tom Hardy's Venom was only a small cameo and was not an antagonist to any Spider-Man.
Green Goblin - The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Green Goblin was changed from Norman Osborn to Harry Osborn in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. It is the result of a rare genetic disease that gives the victim Goblin-like features such as pale green skin, claws, and disfiguration of the skin. A neat concept when first presented but the execution is another story.
Harry injects himself with the spider venom to keep himself from being killed by the disease. The result is a very lackluster design that felt as if it was thrown together last second with a well-designed armored suit and glider that should have been used for a better Green Goblin.
Venom - Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Fans were not fond of how Venom kept peeling his face back to reveal Topher Grace with sharp teeth in the climax of Spider-Man 3. Venom himself was also a disappointment due to being a third of the size fans expect him to be.
The teeth he's famous for are barely ever shown, and his body is more akin to a modified Spider-Man suit than a symbiote. Thankfully, fans were given a much better representation of Venom even though he was not depicted as Spider-Man's rival.
New Goblin - Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Not much about Harry Osborn's New Goblin in Spider-Man 3 resembles a Green Goblin. In fact, with the mask, goggles, and the design of the glider, he looks closer to a pro-snowboarder.
Besides that, there is nothing all that egregious about the design and costume, it just comes off as bland. However, the design did return in the Spider-Man video game known as Spider-Man: Friend Or Foe. So in a way, it did leave an impact.
Shocker - Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Where both versions of Shocker in Spider-Man: Homecoming lack is the overall design. Granted, the Shocker does feature a very silly design but so do so many other villains who got great cinematic costumes.
The most they get to wear is a yellow hoodie with a diamond pattern, which is a nice touch. Unfortunately, they only get to wear one shock gauntlet when the character is famous for wielding two. As a result, Shocker comes off as a prototype version of Shocker rather than the actual villain.
The Lizard - Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Despite appearing mostly similar in design to his 2012 appearance, the Lizard somehow looked worse in Spider-Man: No Way Home. The detail in his scales is much too rubbery with too vibrant of tones.
His eyes and teeth are also much more exaggerated, especially the teeth that are almost perfectly triangular. The result is a much more cartoonish look for Lizard that lacks the realism and weight of his previous look.
Green Goblin - Spider-Man (2002)
Sam Raimi's Spider-Man helped kickstart a Golden Age of comic book movies that fans still live in today. However, that doesn't mean it hasn't aged poorly in some aspects. These days, the Green Goblin costume is often mocked by fans.
The open mouth mask and clearly plastic finish of the mask combined with the less-than-stellar bodysuit made Green Goblin look akin to a villain from a Power Rangers show. Despite Willem Dafoe's now-iconic performance, the design just doesn't do the actor justice.
Rhino - The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
It's an exo-suit that resembles a Rhino which fits the more technological take on the Spider-Man mythos that The Amazing Spider-Man was known for.
That being said, Rhino's design still could have been better with more of an attempt to mix humanoid aspects to the suit. Also having more than three minutes of screentime would have helped.
The Lizard - The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
From the neck down, the Lizard represents the comic design rather well with a bipedal reptilian design with green skin, a long tail, and even the famous labcoat in some scenes. The CGI itself is praise-worthy as well with each scale and blemish in the Lizard's design visible in each frame.
Where fans tend to be divided on the design is the Lizard's face. It's easy to see why some fans may like or dislike it but as a whole, the design of Lizard itself is far from bad.
Electro - The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 takes inspiration from the Ultimate Spider-Man comics. Jamie Foxx's Electro has blue skin made from energy and he wears two different costumes. The first is a simple black hoodie and pants that help Electro's blue glow pop and is the better design.
However, in the final act, Electro wears a fancy new stylized suit that seemingly appears out of nowhere. It does the job fine for Electro but it isn't the most memorable villain design.
Sandman - Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Since Thomas Haden Church could not physically appear on set for Spider-Man: No Way Home, they did the best they could by making Sandman into a literal sandman.
Sandman is pure sand throughout the film and he still resembles Church but unfortunately, there's not much else to the design. The sand itself is still impressive CGI with plenty of sand formations and constructs.
Electro - Spider-Man: No Way Home
Since many weren't too fond of the blue design, Electro regenerated in the MCU with a more back-to-basics design. Green and yellow suit with yellow electricity coursing through him with Max Dillon back to being human again.
His design is reminiscent of the design from the game Marvel's Spider-Man and Jamie Foxx wore it well. Electro was one of the best villains in Marvel's Spider-Man so it made sense to capitalize on the game.
Doc Ock - Spider-Man 2 & Spider-Man: No Way Home (2004-2021)
Alfred Molina as Doc Ock has a design that is a simple one but it reflects the comic just enough to be effective in a semi-realistic world. His goggles are replaced with rounded sunglasses, he wears a dark green trenchcoat with a suit underneath.
Then there are the tentacles that are brought to life via a mixture of CGI and practical effects with the two pairs of tentacles providing different purposes which lead to dynamic uses. This design was so beloved that Jon Watts didn't even bother changing it for No Way Home.
Sandman - Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Thomas Haden Church was a panel to screen accurate representation of Flint Marko from the striped green shirt to his hairstyle. Sandman was a proper mix of realistic and comic book designs. Some would even argue that Sandman was the best villain in the Spider-Man trilogy.
Thanks to still impressive visual effects, Sandman was brought to life perfectly. One of the most commendable scenes comes when Sandman first rises in his sand form: the attention to detail on him is nothing short of stellar.
Vulture - Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Rather than try to do the original comic design, Jon Watts updated Adrian Toomes AKA The Vulture to fit within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He wears a green leather uniform that is decorated with an exo-skeleton and mechanical wings.
He wears a modified pilot's helmet that almost resembles a bird head and his jacket features a fluffy collar similar to that of an actual vulture. It keeps all of the elements that can help fans recognize him as a Vulture while implementing enough updates to seem somewhat believable and iconic.
Mysterio - Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
First, it looks straight out of the comics with the bubble-like helmet, eye-centric armor, and flashy cape that fits Mysterio's theatrical style. Being a big showman, Mysterio mixes elements of Doctor Strange and Iron Man into one.
Later on, Quentin Beck wears what is essentially a motion capture suit and he projects his suit onto it which fits into both the villain's showman gimmick, cleverly satirizing how many superhero suits are portrayed through mocap these days.
Green Goblin - Spider-Man: No Way Home
Though he starts in the same costume from the Sam Raimi movie, Jon Watts listened to fans and gave Green Goblin an upgrade. Gone is the silly mask and the green armor is given a tattered purple cloak along with some new weapons and attachments.
Willem Dafoe was able to act even better with his elastic face and Green Goblin was given a classic but modernized comic book design. Fans were happy and felt that Willem Dafoe was even better this time around due to the change.