In the list of Marvel superheroes, Spider-Man is one of the most iconic. His wide assortment of villains is almost unmatched. His list of villains includes a man who looks like an octopus, a living vampire, a rampaging rhino and his best friend. But what made these villains turn evil?
Every super villain has an origin story just like every superhero. And many of Spider-Man super villains have some of the most tragic origins. A look back at the history of these villains and most can understand what led to them turning evil. These villains prove not everyone is unredeemable.
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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 Kingpin
Kinpin is New York City's most dangerous crime lord who embraces his villainous ways and can bring the City that Never Sleeps to its knees. However, Wilson Fisk is a family man who often tries to leave the life of crime. It's the betrayal of his son that brings him back to being a villain.
His son tries to destroy his empire, and Kingpin sees his wife, Vanessa, seemingly killed right in front of him. He has experienced plenty of tragedy to shape his villain persona. It's why he's tough enough to take on Spider-Man, Daredevil and Punisher.
7 Harry Osborn
Harry Osborn started as Peter Parker's best friend before becoming Spider-Man's worst enemy when taking up the mantle of his father as the second Green Goblin. Harry was the son of Norman Osborn, a distant father who drives his own son to drugs before becoming the initial Green Goblin.
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Harry's complicated relationship with his father caused him to be self-destructive until he witnesses his father's death. Harry blames Spider-Man and when he learns that Norman was the Green Goblin, he follows in his father's footsteps.
6 Norman Osborn
While the Norman Osborn version of Green Goblin is the most dangerous Spider-Man villain, his moments of lucidity in Spider-Man: No Way Home make him sympathetic. This version was created way back in the 2002 Spider-Man film as a desperate scientist.
Norman took his own formula to try to meet tight deadlines for his struggling company. By the time he reaches No Way Home, Norman is horrified by his actions as the Green Goblin. As Green Goblin, he's driven by chaos, but as Norman Osborn, he's an everyday person who ended up in a bad situation.
5 Monster
While Monster may not be as well-known as other Spider-Man villains, her backstory is no less tragic. Carlie Cooper was one of Peter Parker's love interests who broke up with him after discovering Parker was Spider-Man. However, Green Goblin kidnaps her and infects her with Goblin Formula.
Carlie Cooper never chose to become a villain and all her evil actions came under the orders of Norman Osborn when she was the monster. Her time as a villain was short-lived, but her origin is one of the most sympathetic, as her downfall was not of her making.
4 Sandman
While Spider-Man 3 has received its fair share of negative press over the years, the film still found a way to make one of the antagonists incredibly sympathetic. The film revealed the Sandman was responsible for the death of Ben Parker, but it was an accident that haunted the character for years to come. Then, he fell into a supercollider giving him his Sandman powers.
These powers proved to be more curse than blessing as they prevented him from seeing his daughter which was his main motivation in life. The Sandman was a victim of circumstance who never wanted powers and never wanted to be a villain, but he ended up being one anyway.
3 Morbius the Living Vampire
Born with a rare blood disease that affected his physical appearance, Michael Morbius experienced a very rough childhood. Still, Morbius pursued a career in biology, hoping to cure the rare blood disease. But an experiment with a vampire-bat altered his DNA, turning him into Morbius the Living Vampire.
Michael Morbius became a pseudo-vampire for the rest of eternity. He was immortal and needed human blood to sustain himself. On top of his thirst for blood, Morbius was forced to watch his friends and family grow old and die while he would no longer age.
2 Dr. Octopus
While some comics writers have written Otto Ocatvius as unredeemable, the best storylines for the villain involve his humanity. In the films, he was pushing the boundaries of science when an accident killed his wife and fused metal tentacles to his body. He was driven mad and controlled by the tentacles until he installed an inhibitor chip to take control of his body.
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Spider-Man may be known for his quips and webs, but he's been the focus of some of Marvel's darkest comic storylines.
This version of Doc Ock is the most tragic as he was presented as a brilliant man in a loving relationship until the accident. While he had a thirst for knowledge, Octavius wasn't pure evil. This makes him far more compelling than some of the comics writers' origins for him.
1 Lizard
Few villains hold as tragic of origins as Dr. Curt Connors transformation into the Lizard. Dr. Connors experimented with lizard DNA in an effort to regrow a missing arm, but it tragically transformed him into a feral lizard. Even after Spider-Man seemingly fixes the problem, the Lizard returns taking over Connors' mind.
Connors is an honorable man in his everyday life, but when the Lizard takes over, his live becomes a living hell. Connors neglects his family in his quest to find a cure. Still, Connors is able to ally with Spider-Man in crucial moments.