Though Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy ended over a decade ago, the movies still remain incredibly influential and paved the way for today’s trend of superhero movies. With news and rumors about the MCU’s epic Spider-Man 3 film, it seems like audiences will be seeing some of the classic characters from Raimi’s universe returning.

Not only is Tobey Maguire expected to return as Spider-Man, but several of the villains he faced off with seem to be involved as well. Raimi brought some of the most famous villains from the comics to the big screen, though some more successfully than others. Have a look back on the timeline of the villains in Raimi’s Spider-Man movies and who could be returning.

7 Flash Thompson

The first villain who is introduced is actually an adversary for Peter Parker rather than Spider-Man. Flash Thompson is the muscle-bound bully who is dating Mary Jane and spends his free time tormenting Peter.

Flash is a classic high-school bully character from the comics and was played by Joe Manganiello. Though he manages to be a real pain to Peter before, he makes the mistake of picking a fight with Peter after he gained his spidey powers. Flash gets a taste of his own medicine as Peter easily defeats him and he is humiliated in front of most of the school.

6 Carjacker

Though he is not even given a name in the movie, the character of the carjacker is a very important part of Spider-Man’s origins and the first villain he comes up against as a crime-fighter. After refusing to stop the thief from robbing a crooked boxing promoter, Peter comes outside to find Uncle Ben has been shot and killed by a carjacker.

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After Spider-Man chases down the carjacker, he is shocked to see that it is the same man he let go before. It is a terrible lesson for Peter that with great power comes great responsibility, and it is a lesson he never forgets. Unfortunately, they retconned the carjacker’s role in Uncle Ben’s death in Spider-Man 3, which was a terrible decision.

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5 Green Goblin

For the first supervillain that Spider-Man had to battle, Raimi brought the classic character of the Green Goblin into the live-action world. Norman Osborn ran Oscorp, an ambitious and innovative company working on sophisticated weaponry and super-soldier serum. In an attempt to speed up the process, Osborn used the serum in himself which caused him to go mad. Using the advanced glider and explosives, he became the Green Goblin and began his mission of revenge.

Willem Dafoe really sunk his teeth into this role and seemed to have a lot of fun playing the duality of the character. The only downside of the villain was that the silly costume hid Dafoe’s face, which would have been a lot more fun to see than the helmet they stuck him in.

4 Doc Ock

Doc Ock is one of the most beloved of Spider-Man villains and Raimi certainly did the character justice in Spider-Man 2. Otto Octavius is a brilliant scientist whose ambition also led to an accident that caused him to lose his mind and become a dangerous criminal. With four robotic arms attached to his back, he is a formidable foe against the wall-crawler.

Alfred Molina has already been announced as returning to the role for the MCU sequel, which is great news as he was terrific in Spider-Man 2. He was sympathetic yet threatening while also being part of the amazing train sequence that still ranks as the best action scene in any Spider-Man movie.

3 Green Goblin II

Though Harry Osborn was Peter Parker’s best friend at first, their relationship eventually grew strained and Harry grew darker following the death of his father. In Spider-Man 2, Harry learns that Peter is Spider-Man, whom he blames for Norman’s death. Harry also finds the hidden serum and weapons in his father’s stash, which sets him on a path to avenge his father’s death.

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Though Spider-Man 2 set up a compelling conflict between Peter and Harry, Spider-Man 3 takes it in a strange direction from the beginning. Following his first fight as the new Green Goblin, Harry hits his head and suffers amnesia. The soap opera storyline is pretty lame, but the movie then delivers a legitimately great and brutal fight scene between Harry and Peter before they bury the hatchet and fight alongside each other.

2 Sandman

Though Sandman was not as popular of a villain as some of the others, he did make for a visually engaging adversary in Spider-Man 3. Thomas Haden Church took the role of Flint Marko, a career criminal who accidentally stumbles across a government testing site where his body is broken down and he becomes made of sand.

Sandman is also revealed to be the real killer of Uncle Ben, though the only reason he takes up a life of crime is to try and save his sick daughter. His powers provide for some really fun fight scenes, but ultimately he is not a very entertaining villain. Maybe he will get a second chance to impress as it is rumored Church will reprise the role in the MCU’s Spider-Man 3.

1 Venom

Ever since Spider-Man made it to the big screen, fans were eagerly waiting for the beloved villain Venom to make an appearance. When the character finally did appear in Spider-Man 3, it was one of the biggest letdowns in comic book movie history.

Topher Grace was hilariously miscast as Eddie Brock, a rival reporter at the Daily Bugle who is eventually taken over by the alien symbiote and turned into the powerful and villainous Venom. The fact that he doesn’t appear until the final act is just one of the issues with this version of the character. He is used for the lackluster final battle and done away with.

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About The Author


Colin McCormick
(2027 Articles Published)

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Colin McCormick is a Senior Writer with Screen Rant and has been a proud member of the team since 2019. In addition to his work as Screen Rant, Colin is also a writer of News, Feature and Review pieces at Game Rant. Colin has had a long passion and obsession with movies going back to the first time he saw The Lion King in theaters. Along with movies, Colin stays up-to-date on the latest must-see TV shows. While he loves to find interesting projects in any kind of genre, he has a special movie of crime stories that are infused with a little dark humor much like the work of his favorite author, Elmore Leonard.

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