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As one of the most popular superheroes of all time, Spider-Man has had his fair share of villains. Some appeared only a few times before disappearing for good but others have been around for a long time. Spider-Man's most famous group of villains is the team Sinister Six, but not all of them are as evil as the fans might think.
Multiple Spider-Man villains might initially look like usual bad guys but there's more to them than meets the eye and they ultimately come across as sympathetic. Either because of their tragic past, the reason for their actions, or simply because they walk the thin line between being good and being bad.
8 Harry Osborn
Norman Osborn might have been the first Green Goblin but his son Harry took the mantle later on, and it led to his death. Even before that, Harry's life wasn't easy. He came from a rich family, yes, but he didn't always get along with his dad and struggled with drug addiction.
Despite his later path as a villain, Harry used to be a good friend to Peter even when Peter barely had anyone else. He supported his friend even though they both had a soft spot for Mary Jane and dated her, which is something not every person would be able to do.
7 J. Jonah Jameson
Technically, Peter's boss and Spider-Man's sworn enemy, J. Jonah Jameson isn't a typical villain. But in Spider-Man's eyes, he sometimes acts that way. Jameson criticizes Spider-Man vehemently and blames him for things that aren't his fault. He also presents Spider-Man as a villain and sometimes makes people believe it.
On the other hand, Jameson is presented as a very human person who cares about his son. He also protected Peter when the Green Goblin interrogated Jameson about who was taking Spider-Man's photos.
6 Black Cat
Felicia Hardy, aka Black Cat, is a thief who dumps Peter Parker because she likes Spider-Man more. Except there's more to her character than just that. Felicia and Peter teamed up multiple times to fight together when they faced a bigger threat.
Black Cat also has an uneasy past since she lost her father and she was also subjected to an assault in the storyline Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do. She has yet to appear on the big screen in a prominent role but including her would mean creating another sympathetic villain in the Spider-Man movies.
5 Silver Sable
Just like Black Cat, Silver Sable isn't a typical villain. She's a Spider-Man antagonist from time to time, usually when they have a different goal. For example, at one point Silver Sable wanted to capture the criminal Black Fox while Spider-Man wanted to let him go.
In the end, Silver Sable often comes across as the good guy despite her methods. After the tragic loss of her mother when she was much younger, she dedicated her life to catching international criminals so that they wouldn't do any more damage.
4 The Lizard
Doctor Curt Connors, aka the Lizard, fits the definition of a tragic villain. Originally a kind, mild, and highly intelligent man, Connors transformed into the Lizard when he was attempting to regrow his lost hand. The experiment failed and the villainous Lizard was born.
Unlike other Spider-Man's iconic enemies, Connors takes no pleasure in the actions of his alter-ego, though, and he tried to cure himself multiple times, sometimes even with Spider-Man's assistance. He still remains a good man, one that loves his family, but he's haunted by the mistake that changed him into the Lizard.
3 Doctor Octopus
The second Spider-Man movie by Sam Raimi is universally applauded as one of the best Spider-Man movies, if not the best. And that's also thanks to the sympathetic villain Doctor Octopus played by Alfred Molina. What makes Octopus a relatable character is his gradual transformation. He starts as a kind man and Peter's mentor but the loss of his wife drives him to do things he never would have done before.
Still, in the end, Doctor Octopus does the right thing and chooses to help Spider-Man instead of going against him. In the comics, Doctor Octopus mostly fights Spider-Man but he also had his more sympathetic moments, such as when he let Peter take back his own body in order to defeat Green Goblin.
2 Vulture
Michael Keaton stars as Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and thanks to Keaton's charisma, Adrian Toomes doesn't come across as villainous despite the fact he almost kills Spider-Man. Toomes only turns to a life of crime when he loses his job and has to take care of his family.
He's willing to let Spider-Man be when he realizes who the masked hero is and sees that his daughter Liz likes Peter. Overall, Vulture's actions are mostly motivated by love, unlike with some other villains who are just plain evil.
1 Sandman
Spider-Man 3 (2007) wasn't the greatest Spider-Man movie because of the abundance of villains and the questionable portrayal of Venom. However, Flint Marko, aka Sandman, still managed to come out as a sympathetic person from the movie.
Just like the Vulture, Sandman was motivated primarily by the love for his family, specifically his child. Unfortunately for him, he failed to accomplish what he set out to do but at least he helped Spider-Man in the end, proving he wasn't such a bad person.