After it seemed like it was going to take forever to release, we are mere months away from the release of Spider-Man on PlayStation 4. Before Batman's Arkham series of video games came along to redefine superhero video games, Spider-Man was the king of the genre. Titles like Spider-Man on PS1, Spider-Man 2 on the PS2, and Spider-Man: Web of Shadows on Xbox 360 were all classics, but in recent years the wall-crawler has been just hanging around as Batman soared above him. With this new title, Marvel looks to take back the crown, but how are they going to do that? By taking a page from Arkham's playbook and loading this game with more villains than you can shake a web at.
Developer Insomniac Games has released a ton of info in the past couple months about the title and much of that was its villain lineup. Tons of fan favorites and classic Stan Lee/Steve Ditko era villains have made the cut along with some newer antagonists. That doesn't mean however the villain roster is complete as games like Batman: Arkham City showed us that it is possible for dozens of villains to make appearances in some way shape or form in just one game. That's what this list is for, as I'll give you the rundown on all the villains who have been confirmed for the game along with some dream choices that deserve a spot. Here are 10 villains confirmed for Spider-Man along with 10 that need to be there.
20 Confirmed: Doc Ock
A contender for the most iconic Spider-Man villain of all time, every time Doc Ock is around you know that he's going to be the big mastermind about some plan to destroy Spider-Man. And thanks to a voice actor who presumably got a tongue lashing from Sony, we know that Doc Ock is in the game.
Perhaps a Superior Spider-Man skin will be included as well?
During an interview for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, of all things, voice actor Chris Jai Alex accidentally spilled the beans about the inclusion of Doc Ock in an interview with YouTuber Drift0r. I'm not too surprised about this, but it's good to know for sure.
19 Needs To Be There: Sandman
One of the most powerful enemies in Spider-Man history, Sandman doesn't live in your dreams but he is a nightmare to deal with just the same. Being able to control sand in the environment down to a molecular level, Spider-Man always has to get creative when fighting him and think outside the box. In a video game sense, this could translate into big things for the player.
Sandman's ambitions as a criminal have never been anything more than get rich, so even if he's in the game as a one-off mission, that'd work for me. Alternatively, there have been times in the comics when Sandman goes to the side of good, so Insomniac can play that card if the want. Spidey looks like he needs the help.
18 Confirmed: Scorpion
Aside from a blink-and-you'd-miss-it appearance in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Mac Gargan a.k.a. The Scorpion has never been in a major Spider-Man film, but he still remains one of the wall-crawler's most powerful foes. Makes sense, scorpions are predators to spiders after all.
Scorpion is the villain to put down Spider-Man in the trailer.
While we don't know much about his inclusion in the game, we do know that he is a part of the breakout at the Raft prison facility shown in the game's E3 trailer. With his poisonous stinger, super strength, speed, and battle armor, he is sure to give Spidey all he can handle.
17 Needs To Be There: Venom
For many fans, Venom is the premier Spider-Man villain. Whether or not you agree with that assessment is a different story, but he is indeed one of the web slinger's most dangerous and popular foes. Which just makes it all the more necessary for him to be in this PS4 outing.
Now, this isn't to say that he has to have a major role. We don't want a Spider-Man 3 situation where he's the "main villain" with only 10 minutes of screen time. He could always make an appearance in a post credits scene or an easter egg bonus as a tease for a potential sequel because in all honesty, how is there not going to be a sequel to this?
16 Confirmed: Vulture
After wowing audiences in Spider-Man: Homecoming, people might be a little bit shocked to see how old the Vulture looks in the trailer for this game. Well, this is actually closer to the comic version of the character, who is in his late 50s to early sixties. Now, how is a geriatric bird going to give Spider-Man problems? Well, with a dangerous suit, that's what.
In his flying harness, Vulture is able to fly around the skies as his namesake suggests and also has super strength. The wings of the suit are also razor sharp and can be launched as projectiles. All we know so far is that he's a part of what appears to be the Sinister Six, but we're sure to learn more as we get closer to its release.
15 Needs To Be There: Hammerhead
Though you might be expecting a villain in a shark suit based on a name like that, Hammerhead is actually a former criminal who after an accident had his skull replaced with a flat metal plate. Due to severe mental trauma, he also latched on to a 1920s mob movie poster and adopted the persona of Hammerhead.
Pro tip for you: go for his legs.
With the world of PS4 Spider-Man seeming to be more of a grounded, classic street level Spidey adventure, it would only make sense for a mob boss to appear at some point. How could you wrong with a literal chrome dome equipped with a tommy gun?
14 Confirmed: Kingpin
He's typically more associated to Daredevil than he is Spider-Man nowadays, but make no mistake about it; the original menace who plagued the biggest man in crime was none other than the web-head.
Before we got a whole bunch of news about the game in the summer of 2018, Kingpin was one of the first villains confirmed in the game. He's actually one of the first villains that Spidey puts away, and as he's being put in the ambulance, Kingpin warns him that his absence will give birth to a greater evil in the city. We also know through gameplay videos that he supplies Spidey with information about villain Mr. Negative's plans. Even behind bars, Wilson Fisk will have an impact on this game.
13 Needs To Be There: Kraven The Hunter
Sometimes all it takes is one storyline to turn a villain from a joke character into somebody who is a menacing threat. Without a doubt, that was the case with Kraven The Hunter. Introduced in the 1960s, it wasn't until 1987's "Kraven's Last Hunt" where this Russian hunter became a true terror for the webhead.
Kraven has been in a few Spider-Man video games, but not nearly as many as other characters like the Venom or the Green Goblin. What's more, none of them have really nailed the character aside from surface details. With Insomniac crafting the biggest Spider-Man ever, they can really dig into what makes this hunter such a revered villain.
12 Confirmed: Mr. Negative
Easily the newest Spider-Man villain on this list, Martin Li was introduced to the world back in 2007 as a foe of our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. While his backstory is a little complicated, the basics are that while his "positive side" is a philanthropist for New York's impoverished masses, his "negative side" is the head of a crime family.
Mister Negative draws from the same power source as Marvel's Cloak and Dagger.
When the game was first announced, it appeared that Li was going to be the primary villain and while that might not be the case anymore, he's still a big deal. Peter's Aunt May runs the homeless shelter Li owns and Spidey has to deal with Li's gang throughout the game.
11 Needs To Be There: Stegron
The Lizard has been shown in Spider-Man cartoons, movies and video games for decades now. But you know who should get more love? Stegron, the Dinosaur Man. Vincent Stegron was a scientist who grew to be obessessed with Curt Connors' experiments with lizard DNA and decided to take it one step further.
After obtaining dinosaur DNA (specifically a stegosaurus) from the Savage Land, he became a half human half dinosaur hybrid.
What's the goal of Stegron? To rule the world as its prehistoric leader! I know this sounds like a 90s cartoon action figure line up waiting to happen, but Stegron is a source of great fun for Marvel fans despite his dangerous power set. It'd just be joy to see him in this title.
10 Confirmed: Shocker
Quilt Man. Padded Pete. Mr. Triple Ply. The Cushion. These are all monikers given to Shocker by Spider-Man throughout the years. Despite his witty nicknames, Shocker has given Spider-Man several problems throughout his career and looks to give him some more in Spider-Man on PS4.
Yellow and brown? Not great color choices for a villain.
At E3 2018, attendees were treated to a boss fight between the hero and villain inside of a bank. Shocker of course uses his vibrational gauntlets to destroy massive chunks of the environment as the player dodges his blasts. This boss battle might be all we see of Herman Schultz in the game and that's okay. He's always been a minor Spidey villain and that won't change in this game.
9 Needs To Be There: Chameleon
Holding the distinction of being the first ever costumed super villain that Spider-Man ever fought, Chameleon never was quite on the level of a Doc Ock or Venom. That doesn't mean that he's a chump as he poses a unique challenge to Spider-Man.
Not every villain encounter has to translated into a fist fight.
Thanks to his tremendous impressionist skills and technology which allows him to holographically project the image of whoever he chooses onto himself, Dimitri Smerdyakov can essentially take on the appearance of whoever he wants. If Insomniac is clever (which of course they are), this could translate into great missions where you have to be a detective and discover where the Chameleon is to take him out.
8 Confirmed: Rhino
In terms of pure physical strength, there are few other Spider-Man foes in the tier of Rhino. Known primarily for that strength and his low intelligence, Rhino has become a fixture of many different pieces of Spider-Man media and that trend will continue with Spider-Man on PS4.
Rhino has strength to give the Fantastic Four's Ben Grimm a fight.
Shown off in the E3 2018 trailer like so many others on this list, Rhino can be seen chucking a giant piece of concrete at our hero and then beating the stuffing out of him at the end of the trailer. It would be highly surprising if he were used for anything else honestly, but you never know.
7 Need To Be There: The Big Wheel
I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that not many people reading this have heard of the Big Wheel. If you’re thinking that “Oh, there’s no way this thing can be a powerful villain”… well, you’d be right. But that doesn’t mean that he should be left out of Spider-Man’s PS4 outing.
Imagine a series of missions where you have to save a villain from his own stupidity.
Introduced in Amazing Spider-Man 182, the Big Wheel is piloted by Jackson Weele. Weele has no superpowers but he has a giant mechanical wheel equipped with weaponry and can also climb walls. Against a regular human, this would prove dangerous, but Spider-Man deals with him easily and actually has to save him in their first encounter. This can be a fun, palette cleansing side mission.
6 Need To Be There: Hypno Hustler
Hypno-Hustler: Now here we have possibly the most awesomely terrible villain in Spidey’s rogues gallery. Introduced in 1978, Antoine Delsoin has a band who can put people in trances with their music. That’s it. Spider-Man defeats them with the power of ear plugs.
Not only would the addition of the Hustler and his gang be hilarious, but if they really wanted to they could actually turn the Hustler into a serious threat. What if New Yorkers download some music that is so good it gets them in a trance. Like a good feeling, maybe? And the player has to track down the source? My ideas are yours to take, Insomniac.
5 Confirmed: Black Cat
Possibly the most popular supporting character in Spider-Man to never be featured in a film, Black Cat has long been a staple of Spider-Man video games for decades, and this game is no different.
The addition of Black Cat will surely add to the complexity of Mary Jane and Spidey’s relationship.
You should never let a black cat cross your path, but in the case of Felicia Hardy, you might not mind it considering just how charming and beautiful she is. Thankfully Insomniac knew this, and has confirmed to Game Informer that she is in the game as downloadable paid story missions as well as part of a pack of side missions in the main game.
4 Needs To Be There: Green Goblin
The most important villain in Spider-Man’s life (come at me, Doc Ock fans), the Green Goblin has given Spidey more grief than anyone else. It would be foolish of Insomniac to not include the Goblin in some capacity in this game.
As of right now, we do know that Norman Osborn is in the game as the mayor of New York City. However, since this is a brand-new take on Spidey’s world, it’s up in the air whether or he’s the green menace. It’s true that Osborn can wreak havoc on the web slinger from his mayoral office just as hard as he could on the glider, but Osborn can never help himself. I hope he can’t because I want to whoop his behind.
3 Needs To Be There: Mysterio
If looks could end lives… then Mysterio wouldn’t be able to beat a cold. Clearly one of the most ridiculous looking of all Spider-Man villains, special effects, chemistry, and robotic expert Quentin Beck is nonetheless an A-list foe.
Combine this with an appearance in the new Spider-Man film, and Mysterio could have quite a couple of years.
Debuting all the way back in 1964, Mysterio was able to frame Spider-Man for crimes and then defeated him in front of thousands to lay claim as the city’s new hero. With his fields of knowledge, manipulative abilities, and flair for the dramatic, Mysterio would make an excellent addition to Spider-Man.
2 Confirmed: Electro
After The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ruined Electro in the eyes of many fans, leave it up to Insomniac Games to give this electric criminal a much needed jolt in the arm to get him back up to full power.
Given the most screen time in the E3 showcase demo for the game, Electro seems to be the one responsible for breaking out Riker’s Prison’s most dangerous foes. Spidey chases Electro throughout the entire facility, until he ends up defeated on a rooftop at Electro and other villains’ hands. As one of Spider-Man’s most powerful villains, Electro can make for a great scrap in this game.
1 Confirmed: Taskmaster
He isn’t the first name that comes to mind when thinking of Spider-Man villains, but that doesn’t mean Tony Masters is a pushover. Far from it, as he actually several characters combined into one. Sort of.
The potential of a boss battle who knows the moves of several superheroes is incredible.
Taskmaster doesn’t possess any superpowers aside from one: photographic reflexes. Essentially, after watching somebody do something once, he can copy with perfect precision. Naturally, he became a supervillain after studying videos from countless fighters like Captain America, Wolverine, and yes, Spider-Man. While he’s been confirmed in the game by Game Informer, it’s unclear what exactly his role is.