Spider-Man has one of the greatest rogues galleries of all time. While most heroes only have a couple of primary antagonists, Spider-Man has dozens. From this long list of enemies, there's much debate as to who exactly his greatest villain is.
One such villain that doesn't always make it into the conversation is Electro. Most people think Green Goblin, Doc Ock and Venom are the top three enemies of our friendly neighborhood wall-crawler. Here are the top ten reasons that Electro is Spider-Man's most lethal enemy.
10 Can't Touch This
Electro has the power to absorb and generate massive amounts of electrical energy. With all of that power flowing through him, he is one tough enemy to deal with. You can't even touch him.
In their first battle, Spider-Man managed to get his hands on Electro. He was then immediately electrocuted and nearly knocked unconscious. Although he would eventually find other ways to defeat his new foe, this remains a huge advantage for Electro. Spidey is used to physically overpowering his enemies and this simply isn't an option when fighting Electro.
9 Power to the People
What makes Peter Parker great is that he is your average everyday guy. Electro is much the same. He isn't a genius scientist or the head of a company. He was an electrician working on power lines. In this regard, his alter ego Max Dillon seems to be a dark reflection of Peter Parker.
In the Power to the People storyline, Electro leads a movement to fight against the "one percent". Although he is unsuccessful in achieving his goal, it shows that the villain's relatable roots garner some sympathy among the average New Yorker.
8 Charges Up
Electro has the ability to absorb energy from any electrical object. This makes him insanely difficult to deal with. The more energy he absorbs the more powerful he becomes.
Not only does this give Dillon more energy to shoot out from his fingertips, but absorbing large amounts of electricity also enhances all of his physical attributes, such as strength and speed. On the few occasions that Electro has managed to gain access to big generators, he has become a big problem for Spider-Man to handle.
7 Breakout
During the original New Avengers story arc, Electro is hired to free all of the prisoners from Ryker's Island. He is able to do so, giving this new group of heroes hundreds of enemies to dispose of. Although Electro is eventually caught, his display of power in this story is a serious game-changer.
In order to release all of the prisoners at Rykers, Electro had to manipulate massive amounts of energy and machinery. With the ability to cause such chaos, Electro could come back and release these supervillains at any time. A scary thought.
6 The New York City Power Supply
There were a few occasions when Electro got ambitious. He didn't want to merely rob a bank or stage a heist. Electro chose to go after the New York City power supply. As he taps into such a vast amount of electricity, Electro's powers grow exponentially.
Despite this great advantage, Spider-Man was able to thwart Dillon's plans. After the villain's first attempt to tap into this power, Spidey actually convinced him to retire from his life of crime. This retirement would be short-lived however, as Electro later came back with a vengeance. If Electro ever manages to reach his goal of taking over the power supply, there may not be any hero able to stop him.
5 Another Master of Magnetism
In more recent years after Dillon gained additional powers, he was able to manipulate magnetic fields. This Magneto-esque power gave Electro a huge advantage on the field of battle. Not only could he hurl bolts of electricity, but he could now throw cars, steel beams and other metal objects towards our favorite hero.
His powers of electricity by themselves are devastatingly strong. We've seen what superhumans such as Magneto and Polaris can do with the ability to control magnetic fields. Adding another power to a villain who already had such incredible gifts makes Electro a serious powerhouse.
4 Sinister Six
Spider-Man’s greatest foes assembled together. If you want to be a top Spider-Man enemy, you have to have been in the Sinister Six. Electro has not only been on the team, but he is also a founding member.
In the many years since the Sinister Six's inception, Electro has proven himself to be a valuable member. While he has never been the leader of the team, he is always one of the most powerful villains on the roster.
3 Destroys the Daily Bugle
Since Peter Parker spent most of his early years working at the Daily Bugle, it has become an absolute staple in Spider-Man lore. It is the source of many of Spidey's greatest stories and characters.
What better way for a villain to prove himself one of Spider-Man's greatest foes than by destroying the Daily Bugle? That's exactly what Electro did. In one of the most important moments in Spider-Man's history, Electro demolished the entire building, bringing a temporary end to the famed publication.
2 Rebirth
After a brief period where he lost his powers, Electro quickly came back better than ever. Due to experimentation by the crime boss known as the Rose, Electro not only got his powers back but was also given a huge power boost. In his first battle with Spidey after the procedure, Dillon had the hero on his knees begging for mercy.
In order to defeat this more powerful Electro, Spidey was forced to think outside the box. He created a new, insulated suit specifically designed to resist electrical blasts. This was one of Spider-Man's toughest battles and without the new suit, he never would have won.
1 The Gauntlet
Although he got a power boost during the rebirth storyline, it was in The Gauntlet that Electro truly became one of the most powerful Spider-Man foes. Sporting new lightning bolt scars on his face, Dillon was also given the most incredible power he's ever possessed: the ability to turn into living lightning.
This new power allowed Electro to travel through electrical circuits, travel from one end of the city to the other in seconds and turn his entire body into pure electrical energy. This is Electro at his absolute best. Although he begins to lose control over these fantastic new abilities, his short time as a living lightning bolt proved that the upper limits of his powers are absolutely insane.