Released in 2018,Spider-Manwas a huge hit for Insomniac Games. Not only was it wildly popular, but it was also widely considered to beone of the greatest superhero video games ever created. There were plenty of reasons for that, from gameplay to truth to the source material to the great story.
To have such a stellar plot, the game needed to give Spider-Man a handful of strong villains to battle with. He’s a hero with a memorable rogues gallery, so there were some good baddies to choose from. Some stood out more than others, so here’s a look at every villain inMarvel’s Spider-Man.
Updated on July 25, 2025, by Ritwik Mitra:With the release of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 coming sooner than later, there’s no better time to jump into the first game and have a blast with Insomniac Games' incredible take on the web-crawler. While the open-world trappings of this game are a bit tiresome, most people would agree that Marvel’s Spider-Man is easily the best game starring the webhead, featuring an incredible story and fun combat that keeps players entertained till the very end. There are many villains that Spidey needs to deal with during this adventure, with some of them being way more memorable than others.
16Screwball
The bane of every gamer’s existence, Screwball is a D-list Spidey villain from the comics who actually has one of thelengthiest side questsin the PS4 game. Screwball tasks Spider-Man with combat and stealth challenges so that she can get more viewers on her live streams. Spidey only agrees because he’s under the impression she has hostages.
The whole point of her is to be an annoying nuisance to Spider-Man, and while she excels on that front, her threat level is nowhere near anyone else on this list. Her personality is also grating which leads some gamers to skip her missions entirely.
Does Spidey Fight This Villain?
Not directly. Players have to fight her fans before nabbing her in the base game. In the expansionThe City That Never Sleeps, players need to chase her with Miles once again.
15Harry Osborn
Peter’s closest friend doesn’t really make an appearance in the game, operating from the shadows and giving Peter one of many open-world activities to complete in the game. The in-game reason for his absence stems from a mysterious illness that has taken hold of him.
At the end of the game, it’s revealed that his father, Norman, was using an experimental treatment to cure Harry that involved the green liquid made famous by the Green Goblin along with what looked like the black symbiotic substance used by Venom.
No. In fact, calling Harry a villain at this point would be a stretch… although it’s clear thathe’s going to play a bigger role inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2.
14Silver Sable
Far froma classic Spider-Man character, Silver Sable was introduced in the Spider-Man comics in the late 1980s, where she would lead her Power Pack group of mercenaries. Her status as a villain has always been a bit muddled, to say the least, and this continues inSpider-Man PS4.
While she begins as the leader of Norman Osborn’s militarized police force, she becomes disillusioned with the job thanks to Spider-Man’s efforts in showing her the error of her ways. She didn’t stay a villain for very long, but she could definitely hold her own in a fight.
No. She captures him at one point, but Yuri’s interception puts a stop to this abduction. Later on, she works in tandem with Spider-Man during the main story andThe City That Never SleepsDLC.
13Black Cat
Yet another female Spider-Man character whose villain status is murky,Felicia Hardy a.k.a Black Cat is only teased in the base game, as players track down her planted cats only to find a swanky new black costume at the quest’s end. In the DLC however, Hardy’s plans are revealed.
Due to their past relationship and Peter Parker being characteristically gullible, Hardy tells Spidey that Hammerhead’s criminal gang will kill her son if she doesn’t help them. She toys with Spidey’s head, implying he could be the father. While she doesn’t cause death and violence like others on this list, the manipulation earns her a spot here.
No. Players can capture some cat dolls through the city that she places in the base. Her role grows exponentially inThe City that Never Sleeps, but she and Spider-Man never get into a physical conflict — in fact, they even team up together at one point.
12Hammerhead
One of the more bizarre Spider-Man villains in the Wall-Crawler’s rogues gallery, Hammerhead was simply a thug who, after his skull was fractured, had it replaced with one made of steel. He develops a fascination with the style of1920s gangstersand adopts a whole new aesthetic to his criminal ways.
In the PS4 version of the game, Hammerhead is much more of a paint-by-numbers mob boss. While he may not have the fun mannerisms of his comic counterpart, he is the lead villain of the DLC and gives players a hell of a boss fight.
Yes. There are multiple confrontations with the Mafia boss in theTurf WarsDLC. Players need to dodge whenever their Spider-Sense kicks in to avoid unnecessary damage, get some hits in when the boss is vulnerable, and use tech like Electric Web shots to stun the goons around Hammerhead.
11Vulture
If this list were talking about the best Spider-Man villains from films, then Adrian Toomes would rank much higher. The Vulture was a highlight ofSpider-Man: Homecoming,but he is much more of a side character in most media he’s featured in.
In the game, he’s nothing more than someone to round out the Sinister Six. He first showed up in the mission, “Out of the Frying Pan,” and had potential. A fight through the skiesusing the game’s excellent web-swinging systemcould’ve been awesome. Instead, he doesn’t even get his own boss battle. This would change inSpider-Man: Miles Moralesas he (or at least a VR simulation of him) is a side quest boss in that game.
Yes. The player needs to fight both Electro and Vulture in a pulse-pounding boss fight. For Vulture, avoiding his ranged feather attack and sending it back at him is the best way to deal damage.
10Electro
Vulture shares his boss battle with Electro. Interestingly, the in-game bio for Max Dillon notes that he was the first bad guy the Spider-Man in this universe fought. Something like that would’ve been great to dive into to make him a better villain.
Alas, Electro just ends up being the other guy to complete the Sinister Six. He gets the edge over Vulture because of the role he plays in freeing the prisoners from The Raft. Together, he and Vulture do deliver a pretty strong boss battle. It’s worth noting that the voice actor for Electro is none other than Josh Keaton, who voiced Peter Parker himself in many Marvel video games such asSpider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Marvel Vs. Capcom 3,and more.
Yes. He needs to be fought alongside Vulture. Stunning him with web shots to deal damage and destroying the generators he uses to recharge is the best way to defeat this boss. During the fight though, it’s best to focus on Vulture since his attacks are easier to read.
9Shocker
Shocker appears earlier inSpider-Manthan a lot of the other entries on this list. He’s part of two key missions, too. The first sees Spider-Man chase him down through the city in “A Shocking Comeback.” Once that’s over, players face him in “Financial Shock.”
The main issue is that Shocker has never been really threatening. Combine that with the fact that he was mostly used as a way to hype up the Demons, and the result is a less-than-thrilling villain. He felt like the definition of untapped potential, but fans still aren’t all that interested in him returning for a sequel, even if his look is an improvement over his comic counterpart.
Yes. Shocker is a classic boss fight that tests a player’s knowledge of the game. Using the debris in the boss arena is a great way to deal damage without opening Spider-Man up to unnecessary hits. Whenever he’s vulnerable, players will get a button prompt that allows them to close the distance and launch a flurry of strikes before he recovers.
8Rhino
Rhino proves to beone of the game’s most destructive villainsas soon as he escapes The Raft with everyone else in “Out of the Frying Pan.” Along with having his own one-on-one fight against Spider-Man, he also has more to his motivations.
Rhino can’t take off the armor he wears, and he only works for Doc Ock to get that removed. It’s not the greatest of motivations, but it’s at least more grounded than simple revenge or being a mercenary.
Yes. In the initial fight against Rhino, players need to lure the villain and make him charge into a spot under some objects that Spider-Man can pull to fall on top of him. The fight gets trickier when Scorpion joins the fray, and players should focus on the newcomer before dealing with Rhino. After all, the brute might hit like a truck but is so slow that Spider-Man will find it easy to dodge his strikes.
7Tombstone
Here’s one of the most interesting villains in the game. Unlike most of the other entries here, Tombstone isn’t really part of the game’s main storyline. He does show up in it though, first appearing in “Dinner Date” and working as a henchman for Martin Li.
Tombstonegets his own series of side missions. It’s some of the most fun players will have away from the plot, and it wraps up after a satisfying fight. In his fight, Tombstone takes a hit and keeps coming back, making him a highlight of the game.
Yes. Tombstone’s fight involves avoiding the combos of his sledgehammer in the first phase, and his deceptively long whip in the second one. His goons make things more complicated, but the fight mainly boils down to dodging his attacks and hitting him when an opening presents itself.
