Spider-Man has by far the best rogues gallery in Marvel comics. In fact, he may have the best rogues gallery of any superhero (Batman might have something to say about that). These many villains continue to come back after Spider-Man has beaten them, hoping to eventually end the webhead once and for all.
Some of these villains, however, haven't returned in some time. In other cases, once prominent villains have only returned in minor roles in cameos, not having served as a significant antagonist for quite some time. Here are ten Spider-Man villains that completely disappeared from the comics.
10 Grey Goblin
Originally appearing during a particularly horrible Spider-Man retcon, the Grey Goblin is actually the son of Norman Osborn and Gwen Stacy. During a trip to Europe, Gwen was seduced and impregnated by the villainous Osborn.
Her two children, Gabriel and Sarah Stacy would return to seek revenge on Peter Parker. Although eventually, Peter won Sarah over, Gabriel rejected him and took up the mantle of the Grey Goblin. Although he is still alive, Grey Goblin has only appeared once since his initial inception. Hopefully, before returning someone retcons his awful.
9 Cyclone
One of the few French villains in Marvel comics, Cyclone was an engineer and former employee of NATO. After falling out with his employer, Cyclone took the device he had been working on for NATO and used it to further his own self-interests.
Although this original Cyclone has since died in the comics, several other criminals have used this technology and taken up the supervillain mantle. While he can be seen in the background from time to time, it seems that Cyclone, along with many other Spidey villains from the '90s, has essentially disappeared.
8 Big Wheel
A villain from the late '70s, Big Wheel was one of Spider-Man's more interesting foes. An embezzler, Jackson Weele sought out the Tinkerer in search of a powerful weapon he could use to become a dangerous supervillain.
The Tinkerer designed a giant wheel that Jackson used to commit various robberies while also fighting off the police and Spider-Man. While Jackson Weele caused a lot of damage with his giant wheel, he hasn't been heard from in a while. A few other villains have used variations on the original weapons design, but we have yet to see this original villain return to his former glory.
7 Looter
When Norton G. Fester discovered an unusual meteor that had crashlanded on Earth, his days of being a hack scientist had finally come to an end. When a mysterious gas emanated from the meteor and infected Fester, he was given various superhuman abilities.
Even back in his early days, Looter was always a bit of a hack villain. Fester is just a loser through and through. Although he was never a big challenge for Spidey, it was always fun to see him get beaten by our favorite web-slinging hero. It's been quite some time since he has had a run-in with Spidey, or any other superhero for that matter.
6 Judas Traveller
During the crazy, overcomplicated mess that was the Clone Saga, Judas Traveller appeared to be the master manipulator messing with Peter Parker and Ben Reilly from behind the scenes. He was shown to be one of the most powerful characters that Spider-Man had come across, possessing powers that could drastically alter human perception.
This doctor and evil genius was one of the key players in the Spider-Man books during the 1990s. He has not been seen on a comic book page since that time. Traveller's powers were at an extremely high level, and it seems quite unlikely that he would simply disappear from the Marvel world altogether. Perhaps the fact that the Clone Saga is considered one of the worst runs in Spider-Man comic book history has something to do with his disappearance. Either way, it does seem odd that he has yet to return.
5 Puma
One of Spidey's more significant villains in the '70s, its been a while since Puma has been relevant. In fact, it's been a while since we've seen much of Puma at all. Although he makes a brief cameo here and there, he has not had a significant appearance since his heyday.
From time to time Puma has given up his villainous ways to fight on the side of good. This switch is never permanent, however. It's been quite some time since comic book readers have seen Puma appear as a villain or a hero.
4 Molten Man
In the recent Spider-Man: Far From Home film, one of the elementals is actually a nod to long-time Spider-Man villain Molten Man. Other than this psuedo-appearance on film, however, its been a while since this supervillain played a big role in any Spider-Man comic.
Since his introduction way back in the '60s, Molten Man has had very few appearances compared to some of his other villainous cohorts in the Spider-Man rogues' gallery.
3 Tombstone
A hardened gangster with white skin and a horrifying face, Tombstone is one of Spider-Man's most powerful foes. That is because not all of Tombstone's power lies in his strength (which is quite extraordinary). He is also an effective leader of many criminal underlings.
Despite having had a big influence on Spider-Man comics back in the '80s and '90s, it has been some time since he has been a major player in the Marvel universe.
2 Hydro-Man
Hydro-Man is one of Spider-Man's most interesting opponents. He is often compared to Sandman. The application of the two villains' abilities is often quite similar, the only difference is that Hydro-Man is made of water and Sandman is made of sand. On one occasion the two villains merged to create a mud monster.
During his heyday, Hydro-Man was a key member of Spidey's rogues' gallery. Since those days back in the '80s this villain has almost completely faded into obscurity, save a few cameo appearances here and there.
1 Hobgoblin
Hobgoblin has appeared for a few minor appearances in recent years but compared to his original status he might as well have disappeared. After stealing some of the Green Goblin's gear, the Hobgoblin changed up the color scheme and used Norman Osborn's abilities and gadgets to become one of the most powerful criminals in New York City.
Many Spider-Man fans may forget that Hobgoblin was actually Spider-Man's main antagonist during most of the 1970s. Not only was he an influential force working with various criminals behind the scenes, but Hobgoblin also proved to be Spidey's equal in battle whenever they faced off. At times he would even defeat the wall-crawler. Now, many decades later, it is almost as if the Hobgoblin never existed.