10 Marvel Villains We Desperately Wish Had Been In Spider-Man: The Animated Series

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Spider-Man: The Animated Series had an impressive roster of villains, but still missed out on some potent picks for Spider-Man enemies that would have been incredible inclusions. Compared to most heroes, Spider-Man has quite the iconic rogue"s gallery, rivaling even that of Batman. While the many villains of Spider-Man: The Animated Series were phenomenal adaptations of Spidey"s classic bad guys, the cartoon had some true unrealized opportunities with its antagonists.
1994"s Spider-Man: The Animated Series is still considered one of the best animated Spider-Man shows to this day. Set in the same universe as the 90s" X-Men: The Animated Series, the show did a great job exploring Spider-Man"s most famous villains while occasionally even peppering in bad guys from the wider Marvel universe. Sadly, for a variety of reasons, the show wasn"t able to include a few bad guys that are more well-known today, despite how great for the series they would"ve been.
10 Kindred A dark duo ripped from Spider-Man's loved ones

For the most part, Spider-Man"s villains tend to be based in science, but exceptions like Kindred make for some of his most haunting enemies. A demonic entity who has literally been to hell and back, Kindred is a Freddy Krueger-like villain who can project themselves into the dreams of others, tormenting Peter Parker with visions of his past mistakes. In addition to that, their terrifying zombie appearance and giant mutant centipede weapons make for a spine-chilling threat in direct combat.
The animation of the 90s cartoon would have been the perfect platform to explore Kindred in a TV show, able to get truly surreal with the visuals from within Spider-Man"s own head. The stunning reveal that Kindred"s true identity is actually a pair of twin clones made from the combined DNA of Norman Osborn, Gwen Stacy, and Peter Parker himself would also be perfect for the series" soap opera drama sensibilities. Sadly, Kindred only debuted in a comic 6 years after Spider-Man: The Animated Series ended.
9 The Maker The ultimate evil version of a Marvel hero

Another villain that was only not able to be included in Spider-Man: The Animated Series because he was only introduced long after the show had ended, The Maker is one of the greatest modern comic book villains. By far one of the best things to come out of the Ultimate Marvel universe comic continuity, The Maker is that timeline"s version of Reed Richards who has given into Mr. Fantastic"s worst traits, becoming a megalomaniacal supervillain with delusions of grandeur. Intelligent, cruel, and armed with Mr. Fantastic"s stretchy powers, The Maker is a formidable threat indeed.
Spider-Man actually had a crossover with The Fantastic Four in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, and the show has dabbled in alternate universes before. It"s these factors that would have let The Maker fit right in as a great dastardly villain, possibly even responsible for a multi-episode serialized arc due to his sheer threat level. If only a modern Spider-Man cartoon could take advantage of this newer supervillain.
8 Mister Negative Would have looked amazing in the series' art style

Yet another fresher Spider-Man villain, Mister Negative would have been particularly suited to Spider-Man: The Animated Series. Once a Chinese criminal boss and human trafficker, Martin Li would be split into two personalities in the same experiment that created Marvel"s Cloak and Dagger. While the good Mister Positive is a benevolent philanthropist, Mister Negative is a dangerous villain with Darkforce energy, capable of throwing hands with Spider-Man and corrupting others to follow his command.
Mister Negative wouldn"t have only been a great villain on his own, but he also would have served as an amazing way to also give Spider-Man some allies by introducing Cloak and Dagger. Mister Negative"s photonegative color scheme would have looked amazing with the series" signature animation, and the insidious nature of a threat that hides within an unsuspecting alter ego is a unique challenge for any hero to face. It"s a shame that Mister Negative was only created so long after the cartoon ended.
7 Scream Would have been a cutting-edge inclusion

Unlike many of the villains Spider-Man: The Animated Series missed out on, Scream made her comic debut right before the first episode of the cartoon aired. One of the five symbiotes spawned by Venom, Scream was considered the unofficial leader of the troupe. Though the symbiote has had multiple hosts over the years, her first bonded human was a doomsday prepper obsessed with creating the perfect wasteland soldier. Scream ends up holding on to its first host"s body even after her death.
First appearing in a comic in 1993, one year before the first episode of Spider-Man: The Animated Series was released, Scream would have been a timely and cutting-edge inclusion. Her rare status as a female villain and unique symbiote hair powers would have helped differentiate her from the series" other symbiotes like Venom and Carnage. Not only that, but the idea of a symbiote that hangs on to its host long after they"ve died, puppeting nothing but bones, is a fascinating concept to explore.
6 Sandman Unfortunately buried in copyright issues

A down-on-his-luck criminal subjected to a dangerous experiment that gives him full control of a particulate body, Sandman is one of Spider-Man"s most compelling foes. Not only is Flint Marko a tad more relatable than most villains, but his powers consistently give Spider-Man some of the biggest trouble of any villain. Sadly, legal troubles kept Sandman from appearing in Spider-Man: The Animated Series despite being such a reliably exciting antagonist.
Sandman almost appeared in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, but due to a developing script for a Spider-Man movie directed by James Cameron including Sandman, his inclusion was nixed to avoid overlap. Instead, a villain with similar powers, Hydro-Man, took his place in the story. Hydro-Man isn"t nearly as compelling of a character, and considering the James Cameron movie didn"t end up even manifesting, it"s a shame the chance to appear in the 90s series slipped through Sandman"s fingers.
5 Black Tarantula A dangerous martial artist that could've proved Spider-Man's mettle

It"s surprising that Spider-Man doesn"t have more arachnid-flavored villains, with Scorpion being a lone exception. Black Tarantula could have helped fill out Spider-Man"s rogue"s gallery in the animated series with another spider-themed costume. A crime lord trained by the famed Marvel ninja clan The Hand, Black Tarantula moves his operation to New York City, coming into contact with Spider-Man and trading blows with him.
Thanks to his mystical powers, Black Tarantula enjoys enhanced strength, speed, and agility as well as a healing factor and dangerous eye blasts he can use as a last resort. Primarily, Black Tarantula is a martial artist, however, which would have been an interesting front to challenge Peter Parker on. Black Tarantula could have shown up in the Kraven storyline just as he does in the comics as yet another of the infamous hunter"s spider-themed prey.
4 Stegron A Jurassic-themed take on The Lizard

One of Spider-Man"s most compelling villains in Spider-Man: The Animated Series is none other than The Lizard. The Lizard is the first villain Spider-Man fights in the show"s very first episode, still one of Spider-Man: The Animated Series" best, and Dr. Connors" struggle is among one of the more sympathetic for an antagonist. It"s all the more a shame, then, that the show didn"t upgrade The Lizard with Stegron.
In the comics, Stegron uses dinosaur DNA sampled from the Savage Land to become a Stegosaurus-like creature, giving Spider-Man a Jurassic enemy to battle. Stegron could have been the Hobgoblin to The Lizard"s Green Goblin, updating the same type of villainy with a brand-new identity. The Savage Land has also come up multiple times in the 90s Marvel cartoon continuity, giving Stegron plenty of chances to fit right in.
3 White Rabbit An adrenaline-fueled villainess who would've rounded out the rogue's gallery

Sometimes, villains don"t have a tear-jerking backstory or a tragic turn of events that compels them into a life of crime. Occasionally, some villains are simply rotten to the core, committing their crimes out of nothing more than a lack of empathy and sheer sense of boredom. Enter Lorina Dodson, a wealthy heiress who murders her husband and becomes a rabbit-themed supervillain simply for the thrill of it.
White Rabbit battles Spider-Man with a bevy of Alice in Wonderland or rabbit-themed devices, including giant rabbit mech suits, genetically modified bunny monsters, and exploding carrot missiles. Her leoprine crimes would make for a great filler villain if nothing else, and she would have added a much-needed womanly perspective to Spider-Man"s rogue"s gallery in the animated series. First debuting in a comic in 1983, the only thing keeping Spider-Man: The Animated Series from using White Rabbit may have been her revealing costume that might have been too lewd for children"s entertainment.
2 Jackal Was introduced in plainclothes, but never became a villain

Jackal is an interesting case for a villain whose secret identity was, in fact, introduced in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, even if his costumed one never makes an appearance. Miles Warren is introduced as a scientist specializing in cloning, taking an interest in the exploits of many of Spider-Man"s genetically altered villains. Miles manages to clone Hydro-Man and Mary Jane, but neither subject is stable enough to last for long before evaporating.
In the comics, Miles becomes the villain Jackal out of a sense of rage and grief after the death of Gwen Stacy, whom he had unsavory feelings for. Allegedly, Jackal was planned to appear in Spider-Man: The Animated Series" sixth season, but the show sadly came to a close before the vision could be realized. It would have been interesting to see where the cartoon took the character after what they had already established.
1 Mephisto One of Spider-Man's biggest bads

Despite being ostensibly more of a Doctor Strange or a Ghost Rider villain than a Spider-Man villain, Mephisto is indeed quite the notorious presence in Peter Parker"s life in the comics. Essentially Marvel"s equivalent to the literal devil, Mephisto has gone by many names over the ages, ruling over his profane hellish dimension with an iron fist. Mephisto is responsible for many tragedies in the Marvel mythos, including one personally pertaining to Peter Parker.
It"s actually Mephisto"s influence that originally caused Norman Osborn to descend into madness as the Green Goblin, channeling the demonic being"s evil influence through the alter ego. Mephisto has also personally interacted with Spider-Man multiple times, making Peter Parker"s famously hard life even harder. Considering the presence of other eldritch entities like Dormammu in the show, Mephisto would"ve worked perfectly in Spider-Man: The Animated Series.
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