Back in the old days, like the Stan Lee days all through the Silver Age, Spider-Man's arch enemy and most formidable foe was generally considered to be Doctor Octopus. He humiliated Spider-Man in their first encounter and remained a challenging threat, and has had strong impacts on Peter's personal life, being responsible for the murders of Betty Brant's brother, and Gwen Stacy's father, likely among many others, not to mention his whole thing with nearly marrying Aunt May.
...And then Green Goblin came along and killed Gwen Stacy. Instantly, he was bolstered up the enemy numero uno, and since his revival he has remained a prominent thorn in Peter Parker's side, ranging from masterminding the Clone Saga, to kidnapping Aunt May and burying her alive. I also believe there was some bit where he bought the Daily Bugle and tried to destroy it. Norman was boosted even further on the villains food chain during all the Dark Reign junk, although that arguably separated him from Peter Parker somewhat and made him a villain to the larger Marvel Universe.
But what with Doc Ock recently stealing Peter's body, I got to thinking, has he reclaimed his position as Spider-Man's arch nemesis? Given all their history, all their abilities and the way they challenge Spider-Man, and the effects they've had on Peter Parker's life, who do you think is currently the arch nemesis of Spider-Man?
And this isn't just exclusive to the 616 mainstream continuity, this is discussing Spider-Man in general. No matter who you ask or when you ask, Lex Luther is always Superman's arch nemesis. Same with Batman and Joker. These rivalries carry over from continuity to continuity, and interpretation to interoperation. For example, it is Lex Luther's status in the classic Superman films that solidifies him as the arch foe in the mind of the general populace. So how do the Spider-Man games, films, and animated material effect this question?
And of course we can't have this conversation without mentioning Venom, or more specifically Eddie Brock, although I feel like he is doomed to never surpassing third place, on account of the fact that he hasn't been a villain in awhile. As for Gargan Venom... he was so incompetent, he only brought Venom down a few pegs if you ask me. Still, nobody can deny how insanely insane super mega awesome Venom was back during his conception and early stories, so he deserves some discussion. He's also been treated relatively well in the material outside the comics; many would argue Venom was the best part of both the 90s Spider-Man TAS, as well as the Spectacular Spider-Man. He was awesome in the old PS1 game, and has been treated with much respect in other games like Web of Shadows where he was the main antagonist. "The black Spider-Man" as the mainstream population refers to him is often the first Spider-Man villain that people think of, so perhaps, due to his prominence in material outside the comics, Venom actually IS still considered his arch enemy?
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