The 20 greatest (and 10 worst) Spider-Man villains of all time

As Spider-Man: Homecoming nears, we count down through some of the most celebrated — and some of the most despised — bad guys Peter Parker has ever faced.

There are many explanations for why Spider-Man is one of the most popular comic book superheroes in the world. One of them is, undoubtedly, are his villains. Next to Batman, Spider-Man has some of the most different, colorful, and sometimes out right bizarre collection of criminals, mad scientists, thugs, monsters, and more than a few masked lunatics. In some respects, they’ve become just as popular as the web-slinger himself.

Yet for every great villain, there’s also some really terrible ones, too. The kind that once they made it on the page, their mere presence was more horrible than anything even the most diabolical mind could fathom. And poor Spidey definitely has had his share of some of the worst comics can offer.

But just what makes a great villain, or a terrible one? Why do we love to hate some, and other we just plain hate?

In anticipation of Spider-Man: Homecoming arriving nationwide in theaters this July 7, we’re going to look at some of these villains now. And to keep your spider-senses alert, we’re also going to mix it up, with two good villains, followed by one awful villain. Only until we get to the end will we see the two worst, followed by the two best. And in some cases, you might be surprised to see which ones up in the best and worst spots.

So strap on your web-shooters, and we get ready to swing through the twenty greatest (and ten worst) Spider-Man villains!