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

17th Best Villain: The Chameleon

Many super villains, good and bad, have entered in and out of Spider-Man’s life. This one has the distinction of being the very first one Spider-Man ever fought. Well, perhaps fought wouldn’t be the correct words. More like unmasked. Because this former spy, as you might have already guessed, also happens to be a master of disguise.

At first, readers knew little about the Chameleon when he first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man vol. 1 #1, including his real name (Dmitri Smerdyakov). All they knew was this person in the white mask and velvet robe used his talent to look and sound like anyone to steal government secrets. And that since Spider-Man was already wanted by the police, he decided he’d add treason to the web-spinner’s list of suspected crimes.

But it didn’t take long for Spidey to clear himself, and the Chameleon has sought revenge on him ever since. He also didn’t appreciate Spider-Man calling him a “commie,” either.

One of these revenge schemes involved recruiting his best friend Kraven the Hunter, whom readers would later learn is also his half-brother. And when Kraven died, the Chameleon then came up with a plan to uncover Spider-Man’s identity…by creating robotic duplicates of Peter Parker’s parents.

There was a period where the Chameleon did become somewhat of a joke. Mary Jane Watson beat him up with a baseball bat when he once tried impersonating Peter. Even Aunt May was able to subdue him with cookies laced with sleeping pills. Recent years, however, have revitalized him, the point where he’s even become a member of the Sinister Six.