Spider-Man has been swinging his way onto comic book pages since 1962. In that time, he has taken on one of the most iconic rogues and galleries of villains ever introduced by any of the major comics companies. But in the character's more than 60-year history, some of the villains he has fought have made a turn for the good and use their unique powers and abilities to help others rather than hurt innoncent people.
Dozens of Spider-Man villains have started fighting for heroic causes even becoming heroes themselves. While some of these changes are temporary, others are permanent and make for a dramatic shift in the character. Still, comic book fans love a good redemption arc for their favorite characters. Some of these villains may have started out bad, but they didn't remain so.
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Like most major superheroes, Marvel's Spider-Man has met his end several times throughout the comics, only to later make a return.
8 Carnage
Carnage became a hero during the Axis event when the moral alignment of heroes and villains flipped. He became one of the heroes seeking to do good, but since he's Carnage, he still caused more harm than good. His attempt at being a creepy hero was both funny and sad, yet it was certainly an interesting twist for readers.
This version of Carnage wound up sacrificing himself to save humanity and stop the inverted X-Men. Carnage received a statue in his honor but would return as a villain in later runs.
7 Scarlet Spider
Introducing villainous clones of the heroes is a comic book trope as old as time, but still one of Spider-Man's clones became a hero after years of treachery. Kaine was scarred and mentally unstable. He basically served as the template for Red Hulk. Kaine murdered several Marvel villains while trying to hunt the real Spider-Man.
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After appearing to sacrifice himself for Peter Parker, Kaine healed both physically and mentally taking on the identity of Scarlet Spider. He even worked alongside Peter Parker in the "Spider-Verse" series.
6 Morbius
Morbius the Living Vampire started off as an adversary for both Spider-Man and Blade, however, he would be one of many to become an anti-hero over time. Morbius exists as a pseudo-vampire due to an experiment gone awry. Morbius struggles with his need for human blood as he tries to find a cure.
While Morbius is responsible for turning Blade into a dhampir, he usually uses his dark powers for good rather than evil. Although, his bloodlust leads to him slipping back into villain territory.
5 Sandman
The Sandman was one of the most iconic Spider-Man villains until a scheme saw him merge with Hydro Man. During this timeframe, Sandman began to question the villainous actions he had undertaken. He then started on a path to becoming a hero.
Sandman would actually be tapped to become a reserve member of the Avengers. Unfortunately, he's one of many villains whose time as a hero was brief as he became a complicated villain again. Yet this makes him far more interesting.
4 Dr. Octopus
Doc Ock may have done something villainous to become a hero, but he was forever changed by his experience. As Otto Octavius was dying, he managed to swap bodies with Peter Parker. As Dr. Octopus pretended to be a hero, some of the joy of Peter's actions rubbed off on him.
Doc Ock became committed to being a hero. When the effects were reversed and Octavius was back in his own body, he was never quite as evil as he once was. It may have controversial, but Dr. Octopus was better for it.
3 The Punisher
Calling the Punisher a hero may be a bit of a stretch, but Frank Castle certainly moved from villain to anti-hero during his comics run. Introduced in Spider-Man, the Punisher began on a mission to kill the friendly neighborhood superhero. Castle continue his adversarial stance towards heroes until he became so popular, he started having to fight bad guys.
His creators didn't want him to become the typical good guy, so he kept up his ends justify the means approach to fighting crime. This is why he's more anti-hero than hero. He's willing to break any law or violate any code to make sure his target pays the price.
2 Lizard
Curt Conners is an honorable man, but when The Lizard takes over, he becomes a deadly villain. Still, he has found ways to control The Lizard and still serve with the heroes so that he can use his powers for good rather than evil. The most famous time he turned good was during the Hunted storyline.
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When Kraven the Hunter was tracking both Black Cat and Connors' son, Billy, Spider-Man removed the inhibitor chip that kept The Lizard at bay. Connors was able to control The Lizard and fight alongside Spider-Man to save his son. Family, above everything else, made him heroic and served as an interesting redemption story.
1 Venom
While Venom proved to be, arguably, the most popular Spider-Man villain, it became clear that he would fight for the side of good sooner or later. After Peter Parker freed himself from an alien symbiote, that symbiote bonded with reporter Eddie Brock who became a bloodthirsty monster. Eventually, he followed in the Punisher's footsteps and ended up fighting bad guys.
Venom developed principles and became a "lethal protector." Venom still didn't like Spider-Man, and while principled, was still willing to go beyond justifiable means to stop other villains from harming innocent people. This character development is what makes Venom such an interesting character regardless of if they are in comics, movies, or games.