World Who is Spidey's arch-nemesis?

[3dman27]

i've always thought that green goblin is peter parker's greatest enemy, while doctor octopus is spider-man's greatest enemy.

qft

 

[C. Pumpkins]

Hmm... guess who I voted for?

 

[Chris Wallace]

Clearly not Venom. He hasn't gained any ground since I voted.

 

[SuperFerret]

Hmm... guess who I voted for?

I don't have to. Public poll.

 

[Chris Wallace]

I've always thought that Green Goblin is Peter Parker's greatest enemy, while Doctor Octopus is Spider-Man's greatest enemy.

What's funny is, Spider-Man is the only hero who has this distinction in his rogues gallery.

Venom is not even a contender for the title. He's a glorified stalker with a chip on his shoulder.

At best. At worst, he's a second-rate Bizarro.

 

[Doc Ock]

I love all three characters, and sometimes it gets difficult to tell who is the arch-nemesis. But in the end it is definitely The Green Goblin!

 

[Hobgoblin]

I love all three characters, and sometimes it gets difficult to tell who is the arch-nemesis. But in the end it is definitely The Green Goblin!

I think the title of "Arch Enemy" is cyclical. Goblin was his worst enemy in the 60's and 00's. Venom ruled the gallery in the 90's. Ock took over from Goblin in the 70's and off and on in the 80's (he battled it out with Hobgoblin).

 

[Chris Wallace]

If anything, Venom "ruled" the gallery strictly by number of appearances in the 90's. He still brought nothing of any real significance to the table. My favorite arc from that decade was "The Child Within", which explored the psychological traumas of Harry, Peter & Vermin.

 

[Hobgoblin]

If anything, Venom "ruled" the gallery strictly by number of appearances in the 90's. He still brought nothing of any real significance to the table. My favorite arc from that decade was "The Child Within", which explored the psychological traumas of Harry, Peter & Vermin.

I agree. The Child Within is an example of what Spider-Man stories should be. Complex, engaging, intelligent. Yes, Venom was the most over used villain in the 90's but that would still seem to make him the major threat (it helped that Octopus and the Goblins were dead).

 

[Chris Wallace]

True. We had a pretender Hobgoblin & a female Ock, against a massive oversaturation of symbiotes.

 

[Hobgoblin]

True. We had a pretender Hobgoblin & a female Ock, against a massive oversaturation of symbiotes.

It was indeed "Planet of the Symbiotes."

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

I think the title of "Arch Enemy" is cyclical. Goblin was his worst enemy in the 60's and 00's. Venom ruled the gallery in the 90's. Ock took over from Goblin in the 70's and off and on in the 80's (he battled it out with Hobgoblin).

Very true, but I think if we look at it as a whole, th Geen GOblim has caused more pain to SPidey/Peter than any other Villian. He found out his scret identity first, killed Gwen Stacy, and then Harry took over. It just kept going. That's one of the reasons I think the Green Goblin really is the greatest Spider-Man Villian ever. As I said, Venom is my favorite, but not the best.

 

[Hobgoblin]

Very true, but I think if we look at it as a whole, th Geen GOblim has caused more pain to SPidey/Peter than any other Villian. He found out his scret identity first, killed Gwen Stacy, and then Harry took over. It just kept going. That's one of the reasons I think the Green Goblin really is the greatest Spider-Man Villian ever. As I said, Venom is my favorite, but not the best.

Over all, yes, Gobby wins. But decade by decade we could say that other bad guys have been on top.

 

[Rincewind]

If we're talking about a villain who has done the most damage to the hero's life, it's the Green Goblin. Easily.

Doc Ock is a bit like... Batman's Two-Face in that case. What I mean is, a big villain, important and dangerous, but not quite the number 1, like the Joker (or, in this case, the Goblin).

As for Venom, I do agree that he's far behind Gobby and Ock. Not because I dislike him all that much, but really, apart from his physical superhuman abilities, what's his value as a villain and arch-nemesis? What does he brings as a character to the story and the other characters?
Heck, he's not even a proper villain with all that anti-hero crap over the years...

 

[Chris Wallace]

Inconsistent anti-hero crap. Get it right.

 

[Doc Ock]

Inconsistent anti-hero crap. Get it right.

Ah Venom, I have had such a love/hate relationship with him.

 

[Chris Wallace]

But Rincewind brings up an interesting point; Venom can't be a contender no matter how popular he is. Your archnemesis knows what side of the line he stands on, and it's always against you. Your archnemesis doesn't try to turn hero. Your archnemesis doesn't team up with you on multiple occasions. Your archnemesis doesn't abandon his vendetta and draw up a peace treaty so you can do your thing while he does his. Your archnemesis doesn't let it slide when you break the treaty. Spidey showed up in L.A. & started wailing on Venom, who simply grabbed him and said, quite calmly, "You shouldn't be here. We had an arrangement. We'll discuss your betrayal later." A REAL villain would have torn into him right then & there.
Even when Ock saved Spidey's life, he made it abundantly clear that they were not "cool" because of it. He made it perfectly understood that this was not an attempt to change his ways or redeem himself, but rather to keep Spidey around long enough that he might die at a time of Ock's choosing. When Gobby formed that brief trucce with Spidey, it was a total sham & led to the formation of the Sinister 12. That is villainy.
And again, even without that, you have to have done some truly significant damage or made some real impact on the hero's life to qualify in my book.

 

[OctaviusINC]

^ Bingo.

Venom was/is a typical "cool" character.

He's cool looking. He has one liners. And because he's big and ugly that means he's the most evil, right?

Venom was awesome when your 12 or 13. But when you grow up you really see what a weak inconsistent and one dimensional character he is. But he looks cool, right?

 

[SuperFerret]

It could be worse, Venom could be Boba Fett.

 

[Chris Wallace]

Boba Fett had the good taste to die screaming like a girl.

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

You have to question how good of a bounty hunter Boba is when he's disintegrating the people he's supposed to bring back alive.

 

[3dman27]

You have to question how good of a bounty hunter Boba is when he's disintegrating the people he's supposed to bring back alive.

they mustbe DEAD OR ALIVE bounties

 

[Chris Wallace]

His dad was decapitated in front of him. Cut him some slack!

 

[Kevin Roegele]

In the 80's, SPider-Man's arch-enemy was the Hobgoblin.

 

[Chris Wallace]

In the 80's, SPider-Man's arch-enemy was the Hobgoblin.

I'll agree because Hobby was the bane of SPidey's existence. He didn't know anything about him, couldn't find him, couldn't decisively beat him, and was a nice fresh take on an old enemy's motif. Plus you can't ignore that Spidey was indirectly responsible for Hobby's existence.