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Max Dillon became one of Spider-Man’s greatest villains after he was caught in an electrical accident and transformed into the costumed criminal known as Electro. The two encountered each other quite a few times over the years, creating a bitter rivalry between Spider-Man and Electro that was eventually adapted to the big screen in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Electro is once again given the spotlight on the big screen in Spider-Man: No Way Home with some of the wall-crawler’s other most powerful villains. As such, fans are returning to the comics to re-explore some of his best moments that help determine why Electro can be considered one of Spider-Man’s best villains.
10 Electro Was One Of The First Villains To Overpower Spider-Man
When Spider-Man first put on the webs and started fighting crime, he went undefeated for a short time as he dealt with ordinary criminals or less powerful supervillains. However, that all changed when he first encountered Electro in 1964’s The Amazing Spider-Man #9, written by Stan Lee with art by Steve Ditko.
After Electro launched his first crime spree, Spider-Man attempted to top the powerful criminal by grabbing him. Unfortunately, he was shocked by Electro’s energy field, which nearly killed him. Luckily, it only knocked him out and taught him to protect himself from direct contact with the criminal.
9 He Was One Of The Founding Members Of The Original Sinister Six
Doctor Octopus is another of Spider-Man’s villains who could be classified as one of his best rogues, though he was also the first to realize that he might need some help to deal with the wall-crawler. This led him to gather together five of Spider-Man’s other villains to form the first roster of the Sinister Six, which included Max Dillon.
Electro was the first of the Sinister Six to take on Spider-Man and the first to be defeated, though his lasting presence on the team over the years has cemented his status as one of Spider-Man’s best and oldest villains.
8 Electro’s Powers Can Specifically Neutralize Spider-Man’s Abilities
After a few fights between the two enemies, Electro began to grow angry towards the wall-crawler and dedicated himself to overcoming his adversary by reimaging how he could use his powerful abilities against Spider-Man.
This led him to the discovery that he could use his control over electricity to interfere with the electrostatic charge that allowed Spider-Man to climb on walls. Electro was able to use his powers to specifically neutralize Spider-Man’s own abilities, which is something his other enemies have never been able to do in their battles.
7 He Dramatically Increased His Abilities To Become An Even More Dangerous Threat
While Max Dillon showcased his incredible power early in the ongoing rivalry between Electro and Spider-Man, he sought to prove himself as Spider-Man’s better and finally defeat the wall-crawler by upgrading his abilities.
He teamed up with a villain known as The Rose, who restored and boosted Max Dillon’s powers, making Electro more powerful than ever before. He became even more of a threat and gained a number of new abilities that definitely increased his standing as one of Spider-Man’s most powerful villains.
6 Electro Was Also Responsible For The Destruction Of The Daily Bugle
Given the frequency of the event, it’s almost become a given for Spider-Man’s greatest enemies to have destroyed the Daily Bugle building in some way at some point in their villainous careers, and Electro is no different.
Electro dramatically increased his abilities and set his sights on the offices of Dexter Bennett, who had purchased the Daily Bugle and relaunched it as The DB!. Electro destroyed most of The DB! building and severely injured Bennett, elevating his villainy to match some of Spider-Man’s other greatest villains like Green Goblin and Carnage.
5 Spider-Man Created An Electro-Proof Costume To Deal With The Villain
Another strong indicator that Electro is one of Spider-Man’s greatest villains is the fact that Spider-Man was forced to create a new costume just to deal with his frequently returning enemy.
While Spider-Man learned early on that he could web up his fists to help block some of the electrical energy, Electro’s increased abilities forced him to design a rubberized Electro-Proof spider-suit to protect himself when he faced off with the villain alongside his new friend Nate Grey, aka X-Man.
4 He Joined The Exterminators And Threatened Spider-Man’s Loved Ones
After Spider-Man revealed his secret identity to the world in the Civil War event, his enemies used the information to paint a target on the backs of his loved ones. The Chameleon, in particular, gathered together a group of villains who targeted Spider-Man’s friends and families.
The group was known as the Exterminators and included Electro, who was eager to get back at Spider-Man for every defeat he suffered at the wall-crawler’s hands. While the group featured some of Spider-Man’s less popular villains, Electro stood out on the roster and potentially would have defeated the wall-crawler if not for his advanced Iron Spider armor.
3 Electro Caused The Prison Breakout That Formed The New Avengers
Marvel’s supervillains tend to cause more problems for themselves by inadvertently bringing together groups of heroes, dating back to Loki’s ill-conceived formation of the Avengers. Electro accidentally helped officially bring his most hated enemy to the New Avengers when he caused a massive breakout at the superhuman prison known as the Raft.
Electro caused a blackout when he was hired to free Sauron from incarceration. Electro even willingly surrendered to the New Avengers when he was tracked down by the team and threatened with a webbed-up beating from Luke Cage, but his role in the team’s formation still puts him in elite villain territory.
2 Spider-Man Used Parker Industries To Develop A Cure To Stop Electro
Any questions about the threat level provided by Electro were answered during Spider-Man’s Big Time era, as Peter Parker used the resources of his new tech company, Parker Industries, to develop a cure and remove the powers of his dangerous enemy.
Electro’s powers had only continued to grow over the years, and Spider-Man decided that there might be a better way to deal with Electro instead of just beating each other up all the time. Parker Industries managed to both create a cure and implement it, removing Max Dillon’s powers before he lost control of them and seemingly ending the threat of Electro for good.
1 Electro Has Become A Legacy Villain With Francine Frye’s Takeover
Of course, no good villains ever disappear for too long, and the identity of Electro was carried on by a new villain when Francine Frye gained powers and took over for Max Dillon. Frye was a supervillain groupie who had been accidentally killed by Electro, though she was brought back to life by Ben Reilly/The Jackal, who also hoped to give Dillon’s powers back.
He was partially successful, though Dillon’s powers were absorbed by Frye instead, who killed Dillon by draining the rest of the abilities before she debuted as the new Electro. Only a few of Spider-Man’s villains had earned the legacy status, which proved that Electro is one of Spider-Man’s best. Dillon eventually returned to life and resumed his old role, though Frye is also still active.
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