Skip to main content
Games Radar
  • Newsarama
  • Total Film
  • Edge
  • Retro Gamer
  • SFX
Total Film The smarter take on movies
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Subscribe
  • Podcast
  • Newsletter
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best Netflix Shows

Recommended reading

Tony Revolori as Flash Thompson in the MCU alongside Agent Venom in comics
Marvel Movies Spider-Man star would be "really f***ing excited" for his character to go down the comic book route and become Agent Venom
Alyssa Sutherland as Ellie in Evil Dead Rise
Horror Movies Director of new Evil Dead movie wants the horror film to be a "a visceral, sensory experience" that leaves people "physically drained"
Venom and Reacher side by side
Marvel Movies Reacher star is being fan-cast as the MCU version of Tom Hardy's fan-favorite Spider-Man character
All-New Venom cover revealing MJ as said all-new Venom with classic reference text
Marvel Comics Spider-Man's ex Mary Jane Watson is officially Venom, but she and the symbiote are "not together by choice"
Amazing Spider-Man #2
Marvel Comics Spider-Man faces down overwhelming odds as he goes up against a nightmare gallery of his fiercest foes in Amazing Spider-Man #2
Nicolas Cage as Spider-Noir
Marvel TV Shows Beat it, buster: Nicolas Cage is a Spidey gumshoe in first look at Spider-Noir – and Amazon is going all out and releasing every episode in black-and-white
Steven Yeun
Marvel Movies After his Thunderbolts role fell through, Marvel fans are hoping Steven Yeun could be cast in Spider-Man 4
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies
  3. Action Movies
  4. Marvel Movies
  5. the amazing spider-man

8 Spider-Man Villains For Bruce Campbell

Features
By James White published 16 September 2009

From Venom to Hammerhead to... Ash?

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Venom

Venom

True, the outer space symbiote wasn't exactly treated well by Raimi in Spider-Man 3, leading to many fans figuring that he shouldn't even try. But there's plenty of life left in the black goo yet.

Let's face it - the idea of an extraterrestrial creature possessing ordinary people and turning them into toothy, slavering, super-powered monster-men - is too cool to give up.

The Bruce Factor: Here's our idea. If some of the symbiote survived the titanic final clash in the third film, it could possibly find its way on to the head of a struggling B-movie thesp who becomes the latest evil incarnation to trouble Spidey.

Hell, we'd be happy if Campbell's Snooty Usher character from the second film got Venom-ised - to watch a battle between the usher's pompous pout and the alien's snarling visage would give him all the OTT time he needs.

Page 1 of 8
Page 1 of 8
Kraven The Hunter

Kraven The Hunter

The nutcase big game hunter who decides that everyone's favourite web-slinger is his ultimate target, Kraven uses a serum to boost his strength and give him super-agility.

He's also known for his wacky leopard print pants and lion-head jacket.

The Bruce Factor:
True, Bruce would need to hit the gym before he takes the role - though he's proved he can still kick some arse on TV's Burn notice, he's not exactly the toned, muscular type Kraven appears as in the comics.

But just look at the man - with the bristling moustache and wild hunter's gleam in his eye… Can't you just see the man who played Ash enjoying the hell out of the role?

Page 2 of 8
Page 2 of 8
Electro

Electro

Electro's got the sort of damaged history that Sam Raimi can't get enough of in his films.

And the character of Maxwell Dillon, who decided to use the powers he gained from a freak lightning accident for criminal purposes, would provide a hefty SFX spectacle to give the new outing some kick.

The Bruce Factor: While we're not quite so sure that the moody, awkward, bitter Dillon is the ideal role for a man of BC's swaggering charisma, we still think he could pull it off.

And once he's fully powered up, the prospect of Campbell slinging electrical bolts at Tobey Maguire just makes us smile.

Page 3 of 8
Page 3 of 8
Mysterio

Mysterio

Mysterio has been one of the more requested and rumoured villains yet to pop up in the franchise.

We bet Raimi would plump for his original incarnation, former movie special effects wizard and stuntman who decides to channel his talents into life as a supervillain. At one point in the comic's run he even convinces Peter Parker that he's six inches tall using hypnosis. Could be a surreal moment…

The Bruce Factor:
Garrulous movie stunt bloke? Surely there's no one better suited to the role. Again, he'd need to get into shape, but Raimi is long on record as loving abusing Campbell on camera, so he'll put him through hell.

For the good of the movie, of course…

Page 4 of 8
Page 4 of 8
Chameleon

Chameleon

Another classic villain to consider. So classic, in fact, that he's listed as the first major villain that Parker battles in the comics.

Russian-born Dmitri Smerdyakov (Stan Lee really reaching for a Ruskie name there) got his start as a servant to Kraven The Hunter, but was fighting with the web-warrior before his old master. With his ability to mimic any human face, he's a great choice for a role that could be played by several actors.

The Bruce Factor:
He might not want to hide his famous chin behind a CG mask, nor share the part with others, but Bruce let loose with makeup and madness? Bring, It. On.

Page 5 of 8
Page 5 of 8
Hammerhead

Hammerhead

One of the nattiest-dressed villains in Spider-Man history, this 1920s gangster throwback sports a suit and a bad attitude.

Rising to the top of his crime organisation (the Maggia), Hammerhead is a solid - in more ways than one, since his skull has been strengthened with an unbreakable metal - bad guy for Raimi to re-imagine, and a stylish one at that.

The Bruce Factor: Campbell has all the flair needed to put on a Public Enemies-level suit and strut it with the best of them.

Plus he wouldn't need much make-up to portray the man - he's got the forehead and the chin in place already.

Page 6 of 8
Page 6 of 8
Rhino

Rhino

There have been few brute-force baddies in Raimi's take on the Marvel legend. Rhino might just be the horn up the arse the franchise needs.

He's not exactly the deepest of villains, but what he lacks in real backstory he makes up for with audience-pleasing mayhem.

The Bruce Factor: If Rhino ever does hit the screen, he may be played by the sort of bruiser more used to grunting evildoers (Vinnie Jones, say).

But Campbell could bring so much more to it - he's got the bulk and he could also make the horned one just a little more fun than a simple engine of destruction.

A little CG help, and it's all good.

Page 7 of 8
Page 7 of 8
Ash

Ash

What's that you say? He's not a Marvel villain? That might be right, but he's certainly been in comics - and Ash even battled un undead Spidey in the Marvel Zombies series.

Wouldn't most Raimi fans kill to see him introduce one of his most beloved characters as a weird cross-over moment? If only Sony would approve the idea…

The Bruce Factor: Bruce IS Ash. Always has been, always will be, no matter what pretenders to the chainsaw throne might wander up in any remake of the original Evil Dead.

Picture it: Ash, sent mad by his travels through time and his many entanglements with Deadites, arrives via a portal in Manhattan. The source for his frustration - super-powered types. His first target? A wall-crawler...

Page 8 of 8
Page 8 of 8
CATEGORIES
Disney Plus Streaming Services
James White
Freelance Journalist

James White is a freelance journalist who has been covering film and TV for over two decades. In that time, James has written for a wide variety of publications including Total Film and SFX. He has also worked for BAFTA and on ODEON's in-cinema magazine. 

See more Movies Features
Read more
Tony Revolori as Flash Thompson in the MCU alongside Agent Venom in comics
Spider-Man star would be "really f***ing excited" for his character to go down the comic book route and become Agent Venom
Alyssa Sutherland as Ellie in Evil Dead Rise
Director of new Evil Dead movie wants the horror film to be a "a visceral, sensory experience" that leaves people "physically drained"
Venom and Reacher side by side
Reacher star is being fan-cast as the MCU version of Tom Hardy's fan-favorite Spider-Man character
All-New Venom cover revealing MJ as said all-new Venom with classic reference text
Spider-Man's ex Mary Jane Watson is officially Venom, but she and the symbiote are "not together by choice"
Amazing Spider-Man #2
Spider-Man faces down overwhelming odds as he goes up against a nightmare gallery of his fiercest foes in Amazing Spider-Man #2
Nicolas Cage as Spider-Noir
Beat it, buster: Nicolas Cage is a Spidey gumshoe in first look at Spider-Noir – and Amazon is going all out and releasing every episode in black-and-white
Latest in Marvel Movies
Dakota Johnson as Cassandra and Sydney Sweeney as Julia in Madame Web
Madame Web star Dakota Johnson says Hollywood is "a bit of a mess" because of constant remakes: "When something does well, studios want to keep that going"
Dakota Johnson as Cassandra and Sydney Sweeney as Julia in Madame Web
Sandra Bullock sent a supportive text message to Dakota Johnson after she won the Razzie Award for Worst Actress Award for Madame Web: "We should have brunch"
Scarlett Johansson in Black Widow
Marvel star Scarlett Johansson "asked to have [her] credit removed" from Thunderbolts because she "wasn't involved"
Chris Pratt and Hemsworth in Thor 4
James Gunn told Marvel he wouldn't put Thor in Guardians of the Galaxy 3: "I don't understand how to write that character"
Scarlett Johansson in Black Widow
MCU star Scarlett Johansson gets candid about her time as Black Widow, saying some movies had "so much plot" that "you start to feel like you’re a device to move it along"
Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm in Fantastic Four: The First Steps
Fantastic Four co-writer tried to have "a classic Galactus" as the "big bad" in the 2015 Marvel movie, but "internal push back" stopped it
Latest in Features
The Outer Worlds 2 screenshot showing a character leaping over cover
With The Outer Worlds 2, Obsidian is dedicated to making sneaky playstyles truly viable: "We have a strike team going room-by-room to see if we can stealth properly through each location"
The Outer Worlds 2 screenshot showing a handgun being reloaded in the middle of combat
After playing The Outer Worlds 2, I'm convinced that it has the potential to be Obsidian's greatest game – and the best FPS of 2025
Grounded 2 screenshot showing the entrance to the Ice Cream Truck chill area, with Summer Preview 2025 branding
Everything is bigger in Grounded 2, but Obsidian never considered stretching beyond four-player co-op: "It would have undermined what Grounded was really about"
Grounded 2 screenshot showing players exploring an ice cream truck, with Summer Preview 2025 branding
Obsidian won't rule out bringing Grounded 2 to PS5 in the future, but says that its initial release is "all about being in Game Preview and Early Access"
Grounded 2 screenshot with Summer Preview logo
After playing Grounded 2 for 30 minutes, it's clear that my favorite survival game is getting a massive glow-up
Marco Ng as Alan in The Way We Talk
A new Hong Kong drama about three d/Deaf friends brings sign language to the big screen in a different way
  1. Nintendo Switch 2: Welcome Tour screenshot
    1
    Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour review: "Mostly a fancy toy and not much more"
  2. 2
    MindsEye review: "An uninspired and forgettable sci-fi action adventure that feels like a Netflix movie you watch while on your phone"
  3. 3
    The Alters review: "More tactile and story-heavy than the Frostpunk dev's earlier games, but the fight for survival is just as fierce"
  4. 4
    Splitgate 2 review: "A slick and enjoyable free-to-play FPS, but a disappointing sequel"
  5. 5
    Date Everything review: "A masterclass in character design full of wonderful faces I love meeting, but juggling so many means sacrificing depth"
  1. The Yautja in Dan Trachtenberg's animated movie Predator: Killer of Killers
    1
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  2. 2
    From the World of John Wick: Ballerina review: "Brilliant action, even if the plot gives you a sense of déjà vu"
  3. 3
    Karate Kid: Legends review: "Better than Karate Kid (2010), nothing on Karate Kid (1984)"
  4. 4
    Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning review: "Wraps up this spy franchise in spectacular style with Tom Cruise in peak condition, even if its villain lacks terror"
  5. 5
    Final Destination Bloodlines Review: "Meticulous murderous mayhem"
  1. Rebecca Romijn as Una Chin-Riley / Number One and Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
    1
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  2. 2
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  3. 3
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision
  4. 4
    Rick and Morty season 8 review: "Largely plays it too safe after years of crossing boundaries"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 6 spoiler review: 'The Interstellar Song Contest' is "a blast and sets the stage for a thrilling season finale"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...