In the ever-spanning and wide-reaching world of comics, fans always want a villain to hit the mark, to be the worst of the worst. Everyone's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man faces this problem with his massive Rogues Gallery, full of some of comics' most iconic villains, some of which have been seen on the big screen and in an animated series.
Among those masters of evil though, there are plenty of duds, smaller time villains that fans and readers of all ages see as jokes. While many of Spidey's classic and iconic villains rise to fame and fortune, the lesser-known ones drop into the category of C, D, and Z level baddies for mostly obvious reasons.
Legend: Kraven The Hunter
The funny thing about Kraven the Hunter is that he began as a joke. He was a ridiculous villain who hunted Spider-Man in a variety of over-the-top manners only to fail every time. For a while, Kraven wasn't the best villain. Until his "Last Hunt".
In the now-iconic comic, Kraven, enraged and fed-up with losing, shoots and seemingly kills Spider-Man, buries him alive, then dons Spidey's suit and battles crime before dying of suicide. Even after his death, Kraven's legacy stayed strong, with the once silly villain become an icon and definitely deserves a movie appearance.
Joke: Swarm
Naturally, for someone like Spider-Man who's been around for more than fifty years, their list of villains, good and bad, is endless, with not everyone having time to be spoken about. Swarm, however, is someone who needs to be talked about.
Originally a German scientist/Nazi Beekeeper, Swarm is a literal swarm of bees with the consciousness of a man inside. It's as weird as it sounds and unfortunately, Swarm never really went anywhere or became anything beyond a guy made of bees. Not the best arch-enemy out there.
Legend: Black Cat
Now, usually at the top of everyone's list is the typical villains, like Green Goblin. Yet, beyond those cream-of-the-crop baddies, there are other villains who are legends like Kraven and Felicia Hardy, the enigmatic master thief Black Cat.
As time has worn on Felicia has trodden the line between villain and hero but always falls back into the life of crime. Constantly keeping Peter on his toes with her capers and their complex romance, Black Cat has transcended the years as one of Spidey's best.
Joke: The Looter
What made Black Cat a fascinating enemy was her drive. She was always a three-dimensional villain who had ulterior motivations. The Looter, on the other hand, another master thief, is one of the more one-dimensional baddies out there.
Like so many other Spider-Man foes, Norton G. Fester was a scientist who cracked open a meteorite and was given special powers through alien gas, and decided to become a bank robber. Of course, Fester has had no success with any of his plots and has dropped off the face of comics.
Legend: Tombstone
Marvel's New York City has seen plenty of crime bosses come and go. From the very wealthy Kingpin to the supernatural and spooky Hood, the list goes on and on with one name always coming back up: Loonie Lincoln, Tombstone.
Originally starting out as a hitman for the Kingpin, Tombstone's influence and name grew over the years, with his power and menace become well known. Possessing super strength, near invulnerability, and teeth filed into fangs, Tombstone is a terrifying force that has left his mark on Spider-Man in more ways than one.
Joke: Silvermaine
Just because someone can be given a robot upgrade, doesn't mean they should. Silvo Manfred was once a proud gangster who, as he was aging, decided to replace his body with robotics and became the cyborg villain known as Silvermaine.
While that sounds cool, Silvermaine never really went anywhere. He would continually just be a stereotypical mob boss with a robot body and a human head. He was even reduced to just being a head at some point down the line, which just made him more of a Z-list villain.
Legend: Venom
It can be said heroes have a dark side and Spider-Man is no different. Eddie Brock is a lot like Peter Parker: a mild manner reporter whose life gets turned upside down. Instead of getting bit by a radioactive spider though, Eddie became the host for a symbiote and became Venom.
Venom in any form, anti-hero or villain, is an icon among Spider-Man villains. Detailing the dark side of Peter Parker and the villain Spider-Man could've become, Venom's vicious and brutal nature lifts him to villainous heights like many others.
Joke: Stegron
How many times have scientists turned themselves into lizards for science? There's of course the classic Lizard, the ripoff Iguana, and other Marvel villains like the Serpent Society who just like reptiles. Then, of course, there's Stegron.
Stegron was a scientist named Vincent Stegron who turned, to no one's surprise, into a dinosaur. His masterplan? Turn everyone else into dinosaurs. His habit of speaking in the third-person and his goofy nature has devolved the good doctor into a joke of himself that not even years of comic lore can fix.
Legend: The Sinister Six
Villain team-ups are always the highlight of comics. The moment when most hated foes join forces to take on a common enemy. Of course, one of the most well-known villain teams out there and one of the first for that matter is the Sinister Six.
While the roster has changed over the years, the Sinister Six is and always will be a team of iconic villains. From the tragic Doc Ock to Electro, Vulture, and Mysterio, the dastardly team-ups are endless and always welcomed by comic fans new and old.
Joke: Superior Foes Of Spider-Man
There are times when jokes can be in good taste, no matter how bad they are. The Superior Foes of Spider-Man are an incarnation of the Sinister Six with five low-level members: Beetle, Shocker, Speed Demon, Overdrive, and Boomerang.
Even though the team is an absolute joke, what with the D to C list villains always messing things up, the shenanigans that the team offers up are always delightful to see. Not to mention that they revel in the fact that their jokes almost make them legends. Almost.