Happy New Year, Crawlspace readers! I hope this year finds you off to a good start. As for this month’s article title? You read correctly, Spidey fan! This month’s Spider-Tracer will be detailing the top ten foes of Peter Parker!
As for the list’s criteria, each foe had to create some kind of major trouble for Peter Parker specifically; they also had to primarily focus on tormenting him or his loved ones, even if they later received powers to go toe to toe with Spider-Man in some way later (which usually included figuring out that Spidey and Peter were one and the same). That left Venom off of this list, for example. Despite his first two attacks happening to Peter Parker, Venom also knew he was Spider-Man. They weren’t focused on Peter in particular, even if he later did harass Peter as Brock (such as showing up at Aunt May’s house unannounced). With that in mind, let’s begin.
10. Ned Leeds
Betty Brant was the first true love interest of Peter Parker, dating allllll the way back to “The Amazing Spider-Man” Vol. 1, #4. Peter and Betty both worked at the Daily Bugle together. Betty was a little older than Peter. Enter Ned Leeds (in issue #18 of the same volume as Betty, to be specific), someone closer in age to Betty who also happened to have feelings for her, which set up one of Marvel’s earliest romantic rivalries. Alas, something always seemed to come up between Peter and Betty, whether it was Betty’s own past, romantic rivalry from Liz Allan, or, more commonly, Peter’s double life as Spider-Man. It was easy to see why Peter was not the biggest Ned fan, but eventually Betty and Peter grew apart, and Betty accepted Ned’s proposal. Peter eventually grew to like Ned, and even accepted his help during the 70’s Clone Saga. While Ned and Betty’s marriage had its ups and downs, they stayed together through it all. However, Ned’s life was tragically cut short, the tragic result of brainwashing and framing at the hands of the original Hobgoblin, Roderick Kingsley. It was Betty, with help from Spider-Man, that eventually exposed Kingsley as the true Hobgoblin, thus avenging her late husband. Peter and Betty have remained longtime friends, before and after Ned’s unfortunate demise, making her one of the longest supporting characters in Spider-Man history.
9. Harry Osborn and Gwen Stacy
Sure, Harry Osborn might not come as a big surprise, but Gwen Stacy? You read that correctly, dear reader. Both characters, introduced in “The Amazing Spider-Man” Vol. 1, #31, first meet Peter Parker during their start at Empire State University. It was during this time that Peter was overwhelmed with a sick Aunt May, his studies, and the usual super-villains. Harry and Gwen took his preoccupied thoughts as snubbing them. Gwen, who had been attracted to Peter, didn’t take this well, nor did Harry Osborn; Harry was also possibly a little jealous that Gwen liked Peter. Harry and Gwen quickly met with Peter’s high school bully (oooooh, foreshadowing!), Flash Thompson, which only fueled their dislike for the stand-offish kid from Queens, which was something they all had in common. Eventually, Harry got to know Peter and realized he hadn’t been snubbing them, and the two became good friends. Gwen did as well, which led to an eventual romance. Starting Gwen and Harry out as enemies of Peter Parker was quite a catalyst for change in the supporting characters in book; their eventual friendship radically changed the tone of the book. Peter was no longer quite the loner he’d once been. Add in a little Mary Jane Watson (along with Betty Brant and Liz Allan’s return to the book), and you have one of the most fondly remembered supporting casts in all comicdom.
8. Lance Bannon
Introduced in “The Amazing Spider-Man” #208, photographer Lance Bannon quickly became Peter’s primary rival for taking Spider-Man photos. Even worse, Bannon’s photos usually fit J. Jonah Jameson’s negative Spider-Man narrative, a fact that Jameson loved. Lance was eventually murdered by the mysterious wearer of the FACADE armor. If you’re getting the feeling that being Peter Parker’s rival gets you killed… you’re not wrong! Sheesh, that’s quite the reputation, Pete!
7. Mamie Muggins
When Peter moved into his Chelsea apartment, we’re introduced to his landlady, Mamie Muggins in “The Amazing Spider-Man” #139. Muggins made sure to always harass the cash-strapped Parker for his rent, and constantly complained about any noise that came from his apartment (being Spider-Man isn’t exactly a quiet lifestyle), and constantly threatened to kick him out. Peter eventually moved into Bedford Towers after marrying Mary Jane, and Mrs. Muggins hasn’t been seen since. I wonder what she’s been up to… Don’t say dead just because she’s old; case in point? Aunt May.
6. J. Jonah Jameson
First introduced in “The Amazing Spider-Man” Vol. 1, #1, Jameson has been hounding Spider-Man… er, wait, wrong list. Sure, Jameson has been a longtime thorn in Spider-Man’s side, but that doesn’t mean Peter Parker has gotten off easy. During his early days of employing the young Parker, Jameson would constantly underpay Peter for his photos, even when he needed the money to pay for bills (usually for Aunt May’s medicine or hospital stays). And if Peter wasn’t right there when he needed a photographer, (he was typically busy as Spider-Man) you can believe Jameson was right there criticizing him. And if a picture turned out to be not to Jonah’s liking? Peter could forget any money for his time. And if someone got a photo of Spider-Man appearing guilty, even if it wasn’t the case? Peter’s pics were ignored. Few people could torment both Peter Parker and Spider-Man, but JJJ’s been leading by such an example for years.
6. Nick Katzenberg
Look up the word “sleeze” in the Marvel Universe’s dictionary, and there’s probably a good chance that there’s a picture of Nick Katzenberg. Much like Lance Bannon, Nick took unflattering pics of Spidey whenever he could (we know how much JJJ loves that). However, upon getting a pic of Peter dressed as Spider-Man with Mary Jane through their apartment window, Nick attempted to blackmail the Parkers, suggesting a one night stand with Mary Jane to assure his silence. Nick’s answer came in the form of a punch from Mary Jane Watson-Parker, which knocked him out cold. That’s the kind of guy Nick Katzenberg was since his introduction in “Web of Spider-Man” #50. Competing with Peter for pics is one thing, but trying to score with his wife through blackmail? You can see why this dirtball ranked as high as did on this list. Nick later died of cancer, the result of years of smoking.
4. Alison Mongrain
This one might be a bit of an obscure choice, but you’ll see why she ranks so high in just a moment. So how do you rank higher than a guy trying to blackmail Peter Parker’s wife into sleeping with him? You kidnap the Parkers’ recently born child. Acting on orders from Norman Osborn, Mongrain drugged Mary Jane’s food, inducing an early, painful labor. She then snuck into the hospital, pretending to be a staff member, and seemingly absconded with the child (writers, Marvel staff, and fans have gone back and forth on this matter for years). Hurting Mary Jane is one thing, but seemingly kidnapping the Parkers’ child too? That’s another level of scum entirely. Mongrain first appeared during the ending “Clone Saga” storyline “Revelations” in “The Spectacular Spider-Man” #240. She later died in “The Amazing Spider-Man”#441 as a result of injuries from fleeing the Molten Man, who Norman Osborn was controlling as a way to silence her. Before she died, Mongrain told Spider-Man that “May” was alive. It turned out that she meant Aunt May, who had seemingly died early on in the “Clone Saga” and was later discovered held captive by Osborn. It may that Mongrain meant the elderly aunt, but until another writer says differently, that’s the way it is.
3. Jonathan Caesar
So once the Parker’s moved into Bedford Towers (after Peter left his Chelsea apartment, remember?), we’re introduced to Jonathan Caesar, a man obsessed with the famous model Mary Jane. Sure, he competed with Peter over (the already married) Mary Jane’s affection, but things soon got worse. While Peter was out of town promoting his book of pics “Webs”, Caesar kidnapped Mary Jane. Upon learning that Spider-Man was looking for her, Caesar hired Styx and Stone to combat the Wall-Crawler. But Mary Jane is no slouch and could handle herself. She knocked out the obsessed Caesar with a lamp, which ended with him being sent to jail. Even behind bars, Caesar would make life hell for the newlyweds. He used his connections to blacklist Mary Jane from finding work, and had her and Peter evicted from Bedford Towers. Upon his release, Caesar planned to kill Mary Jane but she was saved… by another obsessed fan, one that shot and killed Caesar before he could commit the deed. Proving again why she’s one of comics’ most resilient non-powered female characters, MJ used her wits to stall this other nutty fan, before knocking him out as well. And yet another rival of Peter’s bites the dust. Ouch.
2. Carl King/The Thousand
And you thought Flash Thompson was bad? Wait’ll you get a load of this guy. He picked on Peter as far back as elementary school. Where Flash had some humanity, King was devoid of any, taking great delight in those he preyed upon. Not only did he physically hurt Peter, but he assaulted him mentally, going so far as to try and convince him that his Aunt May, whom Peter loved dearly, asked King to do this to him. King was a savage, but it didn’t end there. In fact, things were about to get a lot grosser. King was there the day Peter got his Spider-Man powers. He watched Peter from afar, soon discovering that Peter and the new hero Spider-Man were one and the same. King was furious, jealous over the life he felt that was stolen from him. King eventually made his way back to the science lab and found the irradiated spider and… ate it. And if you thought that was the grossest thing, just wait. Days later, King learned that his consciousness was comprised of tons of spiders, big and small. A thousand spiders, to be exact. King soon consumed his parents, his girlfriend, and those he felt no one would miss, like homeless people and the odd kid or two (after consumption, King would wear his victims’ skin and assume their identity). King was now a monster, both physically and mentally. The Thousand, as he now called himself, kept tabs on Parker over the years until he felt he was ready to attack. The Thousand had killed Peter’s male landlord (boy did Mrs. Muggins fans get lucky!) and a Daily Bugle secretary before confronting Peter as Spider-Man. He related his origins to a horrified Peter, and revealed that he planned to kill and assume Peter’s life, the life he felt should have been his all along. Peter broke free, and during their battle, the Thousand was electrocuted. Believed dead, Spider-Man left. Unbeknownst to our hero, one spider remained, it still containing King’s consciousness… until he was stepped on by a passerby, thus ending the bully’s existence forever. The Thousand’s story can be read in “Spider-Man’s Tangled Web” #s 1-3.
1. Skip Wescott
Ha! Gotchya! Bonus points if you remember this dastardly fiend, but we won’t be including Mr. Wescott here due to the question of his status as canon or not. And now, the real number one Peter Parker foe…
1. Flash Thompson
Well, if it isn’t the bully who set the standard, and, ironically, Spider-Man’s number one fan. Flash first debuted in “Amazing Fantasy” #15, right along with Spidey himself. In fact, the story’s opening splash page has him and his crony followers making fun of the “bookworm”, as he called him. We can actually thank Flash Thompson for breaking Peter’s glasses in “The Amazing Spider-Man” Vol. 1, #8. In the same issue, Peter and Flash finally duke it out in a boxing ring. Peter of course has to pull his punches so as to not seriously harm him with his Spider-Strength. But that doesn’t stop Peter from knocking Flash around before knocking him out. Flash and Peter also competed for the affections of Liz Allan until all three graduated high school. And just when Peter probably thought his Flash troubles were behind him, they ended up at ESU together! Thanks to their mutual friendship with Harry Osborn, and Flash having matured by joining the military, the two enemies put aside their differences and became great friends. But their once bitter rivalry is still strongly remembered, having carried over into cartoons and films to this day. Flash, inspired by his hero Spider-Man, eventually became Agent Venom, and later, Agent Anti-Venom, until he died, much like Gwen Stacy, due to the Green Goblin.
And there you have it, Peter Parker’s greatest enemies. Who was your favorite and why? Let me know in the comments below!
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@Hornacek
I remember Johnny showing up after Ditko left right after the Petrified Tablet story to help battle the Lizard, but you’re right, I don’t think he and Peter interacted much afterwards.
And yeah, Peter and Betty together while she was still married was certainly justifiable for Ned to angry over, no doubt. I remember being shocked either of them would do that to Ned, especially Peter.
It’s a shame that company politics behind the scenes caused Ned to be killed off. It added to the Hobgoblin story years later, sure, but it’s a shame that we lost a decent supporting character over it. I hear they did bring a clone of Ned back briefly, but I haven’t read that story yet (I believe it was in an annual).
I think the Johnny/Peter rivalry ended when Ditko left – don’t remember it continuing in the Romita era – so it doesn’t last long enough to rank at the top of the list.
But I would consider Ned to be evenly ranked with Johnny as an enemy of Peter. Ned disappears from the book once Betty leaves, and when he returns they’re engaged and the three of them are friends again (until Peter sleep with Betty after she married Ned, so it’s hard to blame Ned for hitting Peter here). And even during the Ned/Peter/Betty love triangle era, Ned isn’t really much of a villain to Peter. He is quite polite to him, offering to include him when Betty drives him to the airport, etc – especially since he’s proposed to Betty and she keeps telling him “I need to talk to Peter first.” – at that point he should be furious at Peter (and Betty) but he’s still very friendly. I think it’s only at the end of the Ditko run when *everyone* is angry that Ned actually lashes out at Peter.
As far as Johnny is concerned, I think there are at least 3 (?) different Ditko stories where Johnny and Peter (not Spidey) are at odds, so it’s not just that one Dorrie Evans story.
@Jack Brooks
That’s how I felt about it, too.
@Hornacek
I definitely remember the Dorrie Evans thing in issue #21; that was also a nice way to introduce the Beetle to Spidey’s roster of villains. I dunno if Johnny would make Peter’s list, but I could see Peter making his list of top villains (mayyyyyybe at the #10 spot?).
I think it’s best to think of Skip Westcott as non-canon, considering where that story appeared. Like some weird combination of a PSA and an After-School Special.
@Bill – Johnny’s speech did inspire Peter to un-quit and be Spidey again, it’s true. But that was their first meeting, and to Johnny, Peter was just some nameless student who thanked him. After that they had many meetings where they knew each other’s names and were very antagonistic towards each other. In one story Johnny was sure that Peter was trying to steal his girlfriend Dorrie from him so he went to his school to scare him (not flamed on), but Peter stood up to him and Johnny realized he couldn’t do anything without flaming on and hurting (to him) a powerless civilian. There are other interactions but they continue to be very antagonistic towards either.
@Hornacek
Good point on JJJ. It’s funny, I thought of Scorpion, but quickly dismissed creating him as more of a Spider-Man enemy thing to do. But yeah, good catch on jJJ hiring Gargan as a PI.
In regards to Betty? Yeah, I could probably have written a whole article on the worst things Betty has done. I actually caught myself going off on a big discussion on Betty, but had to reel myself in. Perhaps I could delve a little deeper on her down the road.
I don’t think I could include Torchie after the way his words inspired Peter to go back after Doc Ock as Spider-Man, but hey, that’s just my take on it.. But you are right, Johnny was interestingly in a lot of the Ditko era.
@sthenurus
Yeah, it sounds like the couple took on a lot to be with each other. I like to think MJ and Peter inspired each other. I mean, there was the time she set the recently demonic Macendale Hobgoblin on fire. I would almost rather fight Spidey than MJ, honestly.
It’s interresting to see that even without spider-man, MJ life was plenty dangerous to begin with. And that she can hold her own.
Just saying… it’s almost as if being married to Spider-man wasn’t significantly more dangerous than being a celebrity on earth-616.
There’s one glaring omission on this list – Johnny Storm! In the Lee/Ditko era Johnny was basically a supporting character, showing up in many issues. And while he had his rivalry with Spidey, he had a completely separate rivalry with Peter Parker. Josh discusses this in the Amazing Spider-Man Classics podcast.
“While Ned and Betty’s marriage had its ups and downs …” That’s putting it mildly – she left him on her honeymoon so she could spend the night with Peter!
For Jonah, don’t forget that he hired a private investigator to follow Peter to find out how he got his Spidey pictures.