Will the true antagonist please stand up.

[Norrin_Radd]

Usagi Yojimbo - Jei

[comix4fun]

Fingh - Dumbassery

Fingh - Douchebaggery

Fingh - Socks

[mndb369]

And some less prominent:

 

Merlyn - Green Arrow

Cheetah - Wonder Woman

Black Manta - Aquaman

Dormammu - Dr. Strange

Deathstroke - The Teen Titans

 

Watson - Conciliation

[DrWatson]

CGC - Raw

No.

 

The CGC - Turn around Times

[dgarthwaite-migration]

CGC - Raw

No.

 

The CGC - Turn around Times

 

Are you sure?

They seem to attack every raw book that comes their way and encase it.

 

DG

 

 

[DrWatson]

I'm always sure.

[mysterio]

The obvious:

 

Spider-man - Green Goblin

 

It's interesting that, what is obvious now, wasn't as obvious in the first ten years (or more) of the title's run. You could make the argument that Dr. Octopus was intended as the character's primary adversary for the initial years of ASM -- he appeared 3 times in the first 12 issues, had a hand in the death of Betty Brant's brother, and was featured in two of Spidey's most famous early storylines (The Master Planner saga and as the leader of the Sinister Six). After the classic Spidey-Goblin clash in ASM's 39-40, the Goblin was brought out of mothballs only twice in seven years, once of which wasn't even in the main title (the short-lived Spectacular Spider-Man magazine). Meanwhile, Doc Ock had another lengthy storyline in ASM's 53-56 (even becoming Aunt May's border!), killed a main supporting character in Captain Stacy (ASM #90), and has another huge storyline, a gang war involving Hammerhead (ASM's 112-115). While the drug storyline for the Goblin (ASM's 96-98) was historic, it's evident that Doc Ock was the go-to main baddie over that time period.

 

It took killing Gwen Stacy, IMO, to cement the Goblin's status as the "true antagonist" to Spider-Man. IIRC, Gerry Conway killed off Gwen partly because there just wasn't much he felt he could do with the character, and he may have used the Goblin to do the deed for a similar reason -- there was only so many times you could do the "Norman Osborn goes nuts but gets amnesia again at the end of the story" routine. But it wasn't until that moment (Gwen's death), nearly a decade after the character's creation, that the Goblin really surpassed everyone else as Spidey's Joker or Lex Luthor -- the years when he was "dead" and writers really touched upon the huge impact he and his legacy had on Spidey (something really done well, for example, in Roger Stern's Hobgoblin saga) were a huge factor in that as well.

 

I was going to raise the same argument for Doc Ock, but you made a much more eloquent case than I would have. Having recently reread eight volumes of Essential ASM it is pretty clear who the main nemesis of Spidey really is, even if Gobby gets the limelight.

[letsgrumble]

Daredevil - Kingpin

Hulk - The Leader

 

 

 

I would have gone Thunderbolt Ross for Hulk and Bullseye for DD.

 

Kingpin was borrowed from ASM anyway.

 

I agree. Bullseye is considered Daredevil's archenemy, even though he's not introduced until 12 years after the title begins. Before that, there's reams of wishy-washy DD villains like Stilt-Man and Leap-Frog. But... the pre-Bullseye archenemy of DD would have to be the Gladiator, IMHO.