5 One-Time Spider-Man Villains We Need to See Again

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Spider-Man is known for having some of the greatest villains in comic book history. Unlike most heroes who have one main enemy, Spider-Man has three: Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, and Venom. Beyond these popular foes, he’s battled a huge roster of other incredible villains like Sandman, the Rhino, Kraven the Hunter, Electro, and Vulture. Interestingly, even these famous villains weren’t always instant hits. They all started as new concepts, and while some caught on, many other potentially great villain ideas didn’t quite work out.

As a huge Spider-Man fan, I’ve always wondered what happened to some of those villains who only got one shot at causing trouble. Today, I want to highlight five of them – characters who faced Spidey in a single story and then just… disappeared. What’s cool is that each one brought something different and interesting to the table, and honestly, I think any of them could be developed into a really compelling, major threat for Spider-Man down the line. Could one of them even become the next Doctor Octopus level of villain? It’s a long shot, I admit, but it’s fun to imagine and explore the possibilities!

5) Tendril

Appeared in Spider-Man: The Final Adventure #1—4.

River Verys faced a difficult life, which became even harder when he developed a severe, flesh-eating infection called necrotizing fasciitis. Despite extensive medical treatment and skin graft surgery, his situation worsened when an accident exposed him to a combination of a genetic accelerator and Spider-Man’s DNA. This caused a dramatic mutation, transforming his entire body into living, organic webbing. Now known as Tendril, he can reshape his body into virtually anything, possesses incredible strength and agility, and exhibits all the characteristics of Spider-Man’s webs.

What’s fascinating about Tendril is that he uses Spider-Man’s own web-slinging abilities against him. Tendril isn’t affected by Spider-Man’s webs and is much more flexible with his own body, forcing Spider-Man to come up with new strategies to win. Tendril is even as agile as Spider-Man, making for a really engaging and enjoyable opponent.

4) Street 

Appeared in Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #4.

The villain known as Street started as Henry Kramer, an ordinary employee at Industrico. During the development of a special weather-resistant asphalt, he accidentally fell into the mixing machine, transforming him into the tar-like creature he is now. Street is a surprisingly comical villain; his initial reaction to the transformation was to rampage through the city, loudly proclaiming how it happened. However, he has the potential to be a truly compelling adversary. He could become similar to Sandman, utilizing his connection to the city streets for both stealth and incredible power. After all, how could anyone hope to defeat a living piece of New York City itself?

3) The Thousand

Appeared in Tangled Web: The Thousand / Spider-Man’s Tangled Web #1—3

Carl King was a high school bully who especially enjoyed tormenting Peter Parker. He witnessed Peter being bitten by a radioactive spider and then saw him disappear as Spider-Man. Driven by a desire for the same abilities, Carl broke into the lab, but the spider was already dead. Desperate, he ate it. Instead of superpowers, Carl was horrifically consumed from within by countless spiders while remaining conscious. As a cruel person, he spent years devouring people and wearing their skins to gain strength, all fueled by his intense jealousy of Spider-Man, hoping to finally defeat him.

The Thousand is a truly unsettling and compelling villain. He’s a complete psychopath, and his many spider bodies let him appear everywhere, making him incredibly difficult to escape. Add to that his terrifying ability to instantly liquefy someone’s brain, and you have a uniquely dangerous enemy who really challenges Spider-Man. It would be great to see him return in future stories.

2) Carlyle

Appeared in Amazing Spider-Man (1999) #43—45.

I previously suggested that one of our characters might become the next Doc Ock, and Luke Carlyle definitely fit the bill. He was a manipulative con artist who climbed the ranks of a tech company by deceiving and even killing people. Realizing the police were closing in, Carlyle lured Doctor Octopus to his company under the pretense of a business deal. Once Otto arrived, Carlyle subdued him and had his team quickly copy and recreate Doc Ock’s iconic tentacles.

Carlyle escaped after being kidnapped, gaining six new, high-tech tentacles which he quickly used for crime. However, Doc Ock and Spider-Man teamed up and stopped him. It was fun to see this fresh take on a familiar villain, especially how much Carlyle irritated Doc Ock. Hopefully, he’ll return, and maybe even try to copy the abilities of other heroes next time.

1) Big Wheel

Appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #182—183.

Marvel, please bring back the Big Wheel! He’s a hilarious villain who only appeared once, which is a shame. Jackson Weele was a dishonest businessman who paid the Rocket Racer to steal proof of his illegal activities. But the Racer tried to blackmail Weele for more money, inspiring Weele to become a villain himself. He commissioned the Tinkerer to build him a massive wheel, and he almost destroyed Rocket Racer, Spider-Man, and the entire city with it!

Big Wheel isn’t a particularly good villain, but he’s a wonderfully silly one, and comic books need more characters like that. It’s surprisingly fun to watch him clumsily rolling around in his oversized, toy-like vehicle. Spider-Man already has plenty of serious threats, so a more lighthearted, ridiculous villain like Big Wheel is a perfect addition to his rogues’ gallery.

Who’s your favorite Spider-Man villain who only appeared once? And which one would you love to see return in a future story? Share your thoughts and join the discussion in the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-01-20 21:18