There are a number of bosses in Marvel’s Spider-Man that are both familiar faces and some interesting lesser-known villains. Each has a unique set of powers and skills that can make them either a challenging test of the player's skills or an annoying dance of combat. Each of the bosses poses varying levels of difficulty based on their battle and the threat they pose to the player indirectly. Players can certainly require a few tips to help players bring down the bad guys once and for all to return a little peace to the streets and rooftops of New York.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 has certainly upped the ante and perfected the formula Insomniac Games developed for the first Spider-Man game, but that shouldn't take away from the brilliance of the game in the slightest. The first title has many magical moments and lets players enjoy a masterful Spider-Man game that is chock-full of unique boss encounters and mind-blowing set-pieces that still feel awe-inspiring.

Updated on November 17, 2023, by Ritwik Mitra: Marvel's Spider-Man is one of the greatest video games ever made, with fans finally elated to see a good Spider-Man that does justice to the legacy of the webhead. Controlling Peter as he embarks on his own original adventures and fights against numerous villains in the process makes for a great time indeed. There are many mind-blowing boss fights in Marvel's Spider-Man that can be pretty challenging, and players need to be on top of their game to attain victory against these imposing foes.

13 Screwball

A Social-Media Savvy Criminal

• Major Appearance: Screwball Challenges

Screwball lives up to the name with her obsession with clicks and social media likes as she tries to generate a following by pitting Spider-Man against her traps. Players will feel like an exploited circus performer as they navigate her challenges and come to the end only to discover that they're not saving some helpless victim, but Screwball herself.

Her Random Viewers may pose a little bit of a threat but honestly, she barely qualifies as a boss in this story. It doesn't help that her presence becomes really annoying after a point, causing many people to ignore her challenges altogether.

12 Silver Sable

An Authoritarian Figure Who Stands In Spider-Man's Way

• Major Appearance: During the main story when Norman Osborn hires her crew

Silver Sable is similar to Screwball in the sense that they never fight her directly but will go up against her minions. Unlike Screwball, Silver Sable’s minions can be challenging thanks to their jetpacks and rocket launchers.

Ultimately, as players progress, Silver Sable will be convinced to join their side of things and they'll have a helpful ally. Not that Spider-Man won't have to deal with jetpacks and rocket launchers, they just won’t be doing Silver Sable’s bidding.

11 Kingpin

A Crime Overlord Who's Imprisonment Causes More Problems

• Major Appearance: At the start of the tale when Spider-Man helps the cops capture him

Kingpin is one of the few villains on the list who doesn’t have powers or futuristic tech which also makes him one of the easier bosses to fight. In fact, his boss fight is meant to act as a tutorial for boss fights going forward.

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To defeat him, use Spider-Man's web abilities to take down his turrets, hurl them back at the mob boss, and get some hits in while he’s vulnerable.

10 Electro

A Classic Villain Who Uses The Power Of Electricity

• Major Appearance: Makes numerous appearances after breaking out of Ryker's

Electro teams up with Vulture to bring Spider-Man down and is the easier of the two to fight. His electrical attacks aren’t too hard to dodge and he broadcasts his vulnerability by hovering over a generator. When he does web him down and pummel him.

In fact, the best strategy in this duo boss fight is to take him down first to make fighting Vulture easier.

9 Vulture

An Airborne Villain Who Can Be Tricky To Deal With

• Major Appearance: Makes numerous appearances after breaking out of Ryker's

Honestly, Vulture isn’t all that much more difficult to take down once Spider-Man knows his attack patterns.

From mid-air, he’ll initiate a combo of attacks that can do some damage if they strike the player, but shouldn’t be too hard to dodge. Once players get a feel for his pattern then they can rush in and get some hits before he has time to recover.

8 Scorpion

A Villain Stuck In A Scorpion Suit Who's Out For Vengeance

• Major Appearance: Makes numerous appearances after breaking out of Ryker's

Scorpion is an interesting boss because the first time players face him, he manages to poison Spider-Man, which throws them into a hallucination that turns the ground into lethal acid. He also spawns a few massive scorpion tails around the city that try to sting players as they try to find a cure.

The real fight comes when he teams up with Rhino which can be tricky. Players must stay on their toes to avoid his poison attacks, swing around to recover some health, and then use Impact Webbing to bring their health down.

7 Rhino

An Angry Brute In A Powerful Suit

• Major Appearance: Makes numerous appearances after breaking out of Ryker's

Rhino is one tough customer with his metallic armor and will be invulnerable to damage until players can stun him. Players will want to throw things at him or get him to charge into an object to stun him. After they’ve offed Scorpion, they can focus their attention on hitting Rhino while he’s down.

The key is to avoid his projectiles and stay out of melee until he’s stunned, otherwise, Spider-Man won’t crack his armor and he’ll pummel the webhead into the ground.

6 Hammerhead

An Ambitious Crime Boss Who Uses Sable Tech To Even The Odds

• Major Appearance: The City That Never Sleeps DLC

Introduced with the DLC The City That Never Sleeps, Hammerhead is a complicated foe. After Spider-Man takes down Kingpin and Mister Negative, Hammerhead fills the power vacuum with his crew wielding Sable International tech.

After a game of cat and mouse with Hammerhead players will face the fierce mob boss. He’s essentially a tougher version of Kingpin but with better weapons. Getting to the fight alone is a tedious affair and facing him involves flinging barrels and debris while dodging bullets. He isn’t the toughest fight in the game but he’s certainly no pushover.

5 Shocker

One Of The Tougher Early-Game Boss Fights

• Major Appearance: Appears during a bank heist

Shocker is an easy fight the first time around as it’s mostly chasing with basic dodging and striking.

The final phase is a little tougher as players won’t be able to defeat him until they use the environment to their advantage. Spider-Man needs to avoid his AOE attacks and beams of air, then use his web powers to whittle him down before dropping the ceiling on him.

4 Tombstone

An Invulnerable Enemy Who Relishes Conflict

• Major Appearance: A bunch of side-quests centered around his endeavors

Tombstone is a little different as a boss in that he’s very resistant to damage until players hit him with a cure for his powers. The minions they fight in the first phase give players a taste of their abilities, so they should pay attention and use that knowledge to their advantage.

What players want to do is Web Bomb him until he’s stunned then rush in and deliver the antidote. With his powers stunted, Spider-Man will get more chances to go toe to toe, as long as he watches out for his fire chain attacks.

3 Taskmaster

A Villain Who Challenges Spider-Man And Copies His Moveset Too

• Major Appearance: Taskmaster Challenges

Taskmaster is an annoying side boss. His first phase isn’t a big deal, but it, unfortunately, makes him tougher later on.

After completing all his tedious challenges, players engage him in a straightforward brawl that requires them to get perfect dodges before he becomes vulnerable to attacks. If players have been practicing dodges then they're golden. However, this can be Spider-Man's toughest boss fight if their skills aren't up to the mark.

2 Mr. Negative

The Central Villain In The Main Narrative

• Major Appearance: Throughout the main story

Surprisingly, this early boss has proven challenging for many fans. His first form is a cakewalk, but the final form is why he ranks so high. With his demon henchmen who are somewhat competent and his demonic super form, he can be a problem.

The idea is crowd control with his henchmen to avoid getting swarmed or distracted and then hurling objects at Mr. Negative until he reverts to his normal form. Once this happens rush in and do as much damage as players can before backing off again.

1 Doctor Octopus

Loses His Mind After Being Shelved By Norman

• Major Appearance: Doctor Octavius for most of the story before transforming into Doc Ock

It’s only fitting that the mastermind behind it all and Peter’s good friend is the hardest boss to fight in the game. Corrupted by his mechanical prosthetics Doctor Octopus is the one who formed the Sinister Six and caused the chaos sweeping New York City.

The battle is simple in concept but requires a combination of skills to survive. In the first phase, it’s a dance of dodging attacks and keeping a distance until there’s an opening to rush in and get some hits. In the last phase, the floor becomes electrified, forcing Spider-Man to use his webs to avoid the floor and pull off the same tactics. Reflecting objects back to stun him also helps.