Who are the villains of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse?

If you are a fan of the 2018 feature-length animated movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse then you will know that it is loaded with Spider-Man in-jokes and references, from nods to past movies to nudges to the wider Spidey mythology. For fans of Marvel’s iconic wall-crawler, Into the Spider-Verse is a love-letter to the character, while also a fantastic movie in its own right.

In addition to incorporating so much Spidey goodness – including multiple heroes – Into the Spider-Verse is also jam-packed with super villains. But who are they? Who are the villains of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse?

In this post I will take a look at all of the Spider-Man villains that appear in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

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Wilson Fisk/Kingpin

Let’s begin with the biggest villain of the movie – the Kingpin!

In Into the Spider-Verse, Wilson Fisk is both an intrapreneur and an underworld crime boss known as the Kingpin. And as the Kingpin, Fisk is a threat to the multiverse. He is also the man responsible for the death of Spider-Man.

Following a battle with the Green Goblin, Peter Parker/Spider-Man is injured. With Spider-Man incapacitated, the Kingpin seizes the opportunity to kill his most hated foe.

But killing Spider-Man is just one of the Kingpin’s goals – the other is to operate a particle generator known as the Super Collider. Using the Collider, the Kingpin wants to search the multiverse for an alternate universe version of his wife and son, as they have both passed away in his universe.

With the Collider in his possession, the Kingpin threatens all of reality. He seeks self-fulfilment and he wants to achieve his goal no matter the cost.

• Kingpin is voiced by Liev Schreiber

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Olivia Octavius/Doctor Octopus

Olivia Octavius is an employee of Wilson Fisk and the CEO of Alchemax – a corporation responsible for developing the Super Collider. Octavius is a scientist and while she has her own scientific interests, she understands who pays the bills at Alchemax and that means helping the Kingpin to achieve his objectives.

But Olivia ‘Liv’ Octavius is not just a CEO and scientist, she is also a super villain called Doctor Octopus. Armed with four mechanical appendages, Doctor Octopus is a deadly threat to Spider-Man.

• Doctor Octopus is voiced by Kathryn Hahn

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Aaron Davis/Prowler

Aaron Davis is the uncle of Miles Morales aka Spider-Man. Davis is an important figure in Miles’ life and someone he can turn to when he needs advice.

When Davis is first seen on screen it is clear that Miles looks up to his uncle and sees him as a father figure – more so than he sees his own father. It is also clear that Davis thinks the world of Miles. But what Miles does not know is that Davis spends his nights as the Prowler – a super villain that works for the Kingpin.

As the Prowler, Davis is a powerful adversary with one key mission: Eliminate Spider-Man. But when he discovers that Miles is secretly Spider-Man, he is unsure what to do and in a moment of contemplation he is gunned down by the Kingpin for stalling at the task in hand.

• The Prowler is voiced by Mahershala Ali

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Norman Osborn/Green Goblin

You may be familiar with the Green Goblin, but you might not be familiar with this version of the character.

The Green Goblin that appears in Into the Spider-Verse is different to the Goblin that has previously appeared on film. This Goblin is more monster than man and is frightening in appearance.

There is no explanation as to why Norman Osborn is more demonic looking, but it is clear he is a fearsome foe.

• Green Goblin is voiced by Jorma Taccone

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Tombstone

As with all of the villains featured in Into the Spider-Verse, Tombstone is in the employment of the Kingpin. He is a thug for hire and a deadly one at that.

Very little is explained about Tombstone, but from his tough exterior and no-nonsense attitude, he is someone not to be messed with.

• Tombstone is voiced by Marvin Krondon Jones III

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Scorpion

The final villain of Into the Spider-Verse is the Scorpion. This version of the Scorpion is Spanish and is arachnid in appearance, with four elongated legs and a set of pincers.

The Scorpion is one of the Kingpin’s hired goons, with no backstory – just a vicious approach to villainy.

• Scorpion is voiced by Joaquin Cosio

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Additional villains

In addition to these villains, classic foes such as the Lizard, Hammerhead, The Rose, The Enforcers and a male version of Doctor Octopus are also briefly referenced in the movie.

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Recap

The villains who appear in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse are as follows:

• Wilson Fisk/Kingpin
• Olivia Octavius/Doctor Octopus
• Aaron Davis/Prowler
• Green Goblin
• Tombstone
• Scorpion

As highlighted above, not all of the villains are given a backstory in Into the Spider-Verse, some are simply included in the film as hired goons for the Kingpin. Fisk, Octavius and Davis are the characters who are given the most character development.

Should you want to know about more villains from the Spider-Man movies, then I recommend you take a look at my posts: ‘Who are the villains of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy?’ and ‘Who are the villains of The Amazing Spider-Man movies?’. Both of these posts highlight the key adversaries of each film series, while noting the background players too.

For further information about the Spider-Man movies, check out one of the recommended reads below.

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