Most of Marvel's heroes have been fighting the same villains for decades. And 20 years into the 21st century, most superheroes only have a handful of new villains who can stand up to their previously established enemies. However, Spider-Man isn't like most superheroes.
Over the past two decades, the web-swinging Marvel hero has gained several notable new enemies in the main Marvel Universe alone. From new versions of old foes to completely new threats, here are the best new Spider-Man villains of the 21st century, so far.
MORLUN
First introduced by J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita Jr. in 2001's Amazing Spider-Man #30, Morlun is one of the most powerful enemies the titular wall-crawler has ever encountered. An interdimensional energy-vampire, Morlun and his family, the Inheritors, travel the multiverse and kill Spider-Heroes across the multiverse for their energy. Morlun's an almost unstoppable force and has a cruel streak that makes him all the more intimidating.
He's also proven incredibly resilient, becoming a chief villain across multiple Spider-Man crossovers like The Other, Spider-Verse and Spider-Geddon and even going up against other heroes like Black Panther. While Peter may be able to outmaneuver or outmatch many of his villains, Morlun is nigh-unstoppable, which means taht Spider-Man is always scrambling whenever they're in a battle. He keeps Spider-Man on edge, and his presence ratchets up the tension in an inherently fun way. If there's any villain who could be said to dominate the 21st century of Spider-Man stories, it's Morlun.
BEETLE
Before becoming the newest villain to inherit the mantle of the Beetle, Janice Lincoln was created by Ed Brubaker and Jackson Butch Guice in Captain America, before being fleshed out during Nick Spencer and Steve Lieber's The Superior Foes of Spider-Man. On top of being the daughter of Tombstone and a defense attorney specializing in protecting supervillain interests, Janice was able to get the Fixer to build her a new Beetle suit so she could break into super-villainy herself. A surprisingly pragmatic but ambitious character, Beetle is the most charming new Spider-Man villain in years.
She can be utilized well in stories that lean more towards comedy such as Superior Foes of Spider-Man and Ant-Man, where she actually hooked up with Scott Lang. But she also makes for a crafty villain to Spider-Man, especially now that she's formed her own female-only version of the Sinister Syndicate. Beetle is the perfect new B-list villain for Spider-Man, someone who won't dominate too much of the overarching story but can make for a fun and compelling side villain.
MISTER NEGATIVE
Mister Negative was created by Dan Slott and Phil Jimenez during the beginning of the "Brand New Day" era of Spider-Man. Martin Li has set himself up as one of the leading philanthropists in New York. But in actuality, Li was experimented on and given the power to create strange black energy that can heal injuries, project energy and even take over the minds of others. This also led to Martin developing a split-personality. While Li may be compassionate, his dark side, Mister Negative, uses his powers to try and become the new Kingpin of Chinatown.
On top of having a simple but immediately evocative design, Mister Negative makes for an interesting version of the Kingpin template: a man literally at war with his darker half. The tension between his two sides makes him an interesting parallel to Spider-Man and his own identity issues, and his wide range of abilities allows him lots of versatility as a villain. Mister Negative is already becoming an established rouge, appearing in outside media like Marvel's Spider-Man and the PS4 Spider-Man game.
MENACE
Introduced by Straczynski and Joe Quesada in the final pages of the infamous Spider-Man story "One More Day," Lily Hollister was Harry Osborn's girlfriend when the "Brand New Day" era began. Initially appearing to just be a regular woman, she quickly became a surprisingly savage new villain: Menance. While dating Harry, Lily stumbled upon a cache of Norman Osborn's secret labs. There, she was exposed to Goblin chemicals and transformed into a Grey Goblin figure. She became a contradictory and brutal villain, regularly trouncing Spider-Man whenever they actually confronted one another.
After getting tied-up with Norman and having a son with Harry, Menance retreated and joined the Goblin Nation. Lily throws an interesting wrench in the relationship between the Osborn men that usually entangles Spider-Man in the middle. Menace gave Harry someone to fight for and then against. She's even gotten a new lease on life thanks to an AXIS-inverted Hobgoblin, who helped transform her into the heroic Queen Cat.
KNULL
Created by Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman in Venom, the intergalactic villain has been built up to be one of the most powerful dark figures in the entire Marvel Universe. As an ancient and extremely powerful being, Knull was banished to the deep corners of the universe by the Celestials for trying to wage war on the creation of everything as it was encroaching on his kingdom of darkness and nothing. While in this dark place, he created the symbiote species as a whole, with himself at the center of the Hive Mind.
Knull has quickly become one of Marvel's biggest cosmic threats, as Marvel's heroes focused on preventing the spread of his power and influence. Knull hasn't just appeared in Spider-Man-centric stories like Absolute Carnage, but he and his influence have been present in books like Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor and Silver Surfer. After the events of Absolute Carnage, Knull is fully awake and on his way to wage war on the galaxy once more. Of all the new Spider-Man villains, Knull might be the most potentially dangerous.
RED GOBLIN
Coming together in the final chunk of Dan Slott's decade-spanning run on Amazing Spider-Man, Red Goblin isn't a wholly original character but rather the fusion of two of Spider-Man's most dangerous foes. After losing his Goblin powers, Norman Osborn decided to bond with what remained of the Carnage symbiote as a means to regain strength. Turning into the Red Goblin, Norman went on the warpath, trying to bring down Peter, Harry and everyone they ever loved.
He even infected his grandson Normie with a piece of the symbiote, transforming him into a mini-Carnage to assist him in his rampage. By utilizing the powers of Carnage and the skills of the Green Goblin, the Red Goblin was such a fierce threat that it took Spider-Man, all his allies, and even a few of his usual foes working together to bring him down. In the end, the symbiote was disconnected from Norman, but his mind was left shattered by the experience. Red Goblin was a perfectly memorable way for Slott to close out his lengthy tenure with Spider-Man.