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

12th Best Villain: Electro

Here’s a bit of Spider-Man trivia: who was the first super villain J. Jonah Jameson accused as being the web-head in disguise? It wasn’t the Chameleon. It was Maxwell Dillon, otherwise known as the electrifying Electro. An odd assumption to make given this villain’s powers, but it definitely wouldn’t be a mistake any one would make twice.

This villain, created in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man vol. 1 #9, also has one of the simplest origin stories. While repairing some cables on a telephone, a bolt of lightning struck him, giving this former electrical technician electricity-based super powers. How he survived has been a subject of debate, with one theory suggesting he might have latent mutant genes. Max didn’t really care. With his new powers, he figured he could quit his job and get rich quick as a super crook.

As you might expect, being able to generate and manipulate electricity makes Electro pretty tough for Spidey to beat. Not to mention his Steve Ditko designed lightning bolt mask made him stand out visually, too. He’s also a founding member of the original Sinister Six, but also lead his own team called the Emissaries of Evil, and joined with the Fantastic Four villains called The Frightful Four.

Electro became powerful over time, but has lost his powers more than once, too. Perhaps because various media adaptations depict him as living energy, this became Electro’s status as well. He’s currently deceased, however, as a clone of a former girlfriend he accidentally electrocuted to death named Francine Frye did the same to him. That’s because she also had his powers, thus replacing Max as the new Electro. Although time well tell if she can live up to her processor’s name.