Spider-Man cast with most appearances.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

A while back I actually did a list of Spider-Man characters with most appearances. Apparently I counted some reprints (https://community.cbr.com/showthread...upporting-cast) and so on. So that list was flawed. Inspired by this thread at Marvel Comics and based on marvel database (https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Marvel_Database) I now have a new updated list.

Caveat: The database distinguishes between appearances (and minor appearances) and discounts reprints. I have chosen only appearances (in any case the addition of minor appearances hardly makes a dent on these rankings).



UPDATED with tweaked rankings to make way for rogues.

The list (as of September 2019) comes like this.

1 - Mary Jane Watson - 1074 Appearances
2 - Jameson - 1046 Appearances
3 - May Parker - 766 Appearances
4 - Robbie Robertson - 611 Appearances
5 - Norman Osborn - 597 Appearances
6 - Flash Thompson - 574 Appearances
7 - Harry Osborn - 477 Appearances
8 - Otto Octavius - 440 Appearances
9 - Betty Brant - 428 Appearances
10 - Eddie Brock - 377 Appearances
11 - Felicia Hardy - 374 Appearances
12 - Miles Morales - 374 Appearances
13 - Scorpion (Mac Gargan) - 318 Appearances
14 - Sandman - 300 Appearances
15- Liz Allan - 273 Appearances

In general Mary Jane and Jameson are #1 most recurring. Sometimes Jameson is ahead, sometimes it's MJ. But those two are at the top. Aunt May being a distant #3 is the big surprise since so many think she's oh-so essential. And Robertson being at #4 ahead of what we think of Peter's classic Ditko era cast is another one. This is 616 Continuity and not just ASM. Jameson and Mary Jane are the Spider-Man characters with the most appearances outside of Spider-Man, with Jameson appearing in Daredevil and other comics, MJ cameoing in FF, Daredevil (with Peter), and in the first three issues of Ms. Marvel and more recently Iron Man.

We also need to consider that some of these characters were dead for a long time. Norman Osborn was dead for 20 real-time years but even then he still managed to become the #1 most recurring villain. Doctor Octopus at the very fitting number 8 caught up recently. Harry Osborn was also dead for nearly 20 years.

Miles Morales is an odd figure. He debuted in Ultimate Marvel before being imported to 616 so it's a bit hard to decide if one should count only his 616 appearances or his 1610 appearances when for all intents and purposes that's one continuity more or less. Still Miles Ultimate Marvel appearances is 70 so most of his appearances are in 616. But I thought it was fair to rank Felicia ahead of him even if they were tied since she's all 616 and everything. Eventually I expect Miles to surpass her.

Note I haven't included all the rogues. In general Osborn, Otto and Venom are top three. But going for the rest needs more finagling. Then you have Kingpin where you need to discount his Spider-Man appearances from his overall list (largely Daredevil). IF you can help me, I will update this list.

[Hybrid]

Interesting case with May, though that's still a decent number. Some characters cause more of an impact even with a minimal onscreen presence. Plus, I'm pretty sure May is a rare sight outside the Spider-titles? It's hard to imagine her branching out elsewhere considering everything.

It's also crazy that Miles has 374 appearances in less than a decade. Marvel really has been getting their best use of him with the push.

Also, impressive that Osborn is the most recurring antagonist even after being written as dead from 1973 to 1996. That's gotta be the record to beat for A-list villains. I wonder how much of it is purely Spider-titles, though? I remember, he used to be an exclusive villain Spider-Man, never venturing outside his corner (unlike contemporaries such as Electro and Doc Ock). However, that changed in the '00s when they upgraded him into a Lex Luthor-like figure and general MU big bad who went against everyone and was everywhere. I feel like like accounts for a lot of his more recent appearances.

[Scott Taylor]

Norman's return and rise to becoming a bigger villain than just a Spider-Man villain is whats really crazy. Of all the Spider-characters he is probably the one who gained the most notoriety outside of the main titles, other than Spider-Man himself.

I mean, Captain America probably doesn't even know who Venom is!

[Dark Soul # 7]

I do remember May being considered dead for a few years which obviously cut down her numbers noticeably.

But still, well done to the top three.

[Frontier]

Should Miles count as "Spider-Man Cast?" I mean, he's part of that world/universe but he's not someone I think of in Peter's cast of characters like I would his supporting cast and villains.

Good on Robbie for being up so high. Now if only he could get more love in general .

A part of me enjoys the fact that MJ and Jameson are ahead of Aunt May, not gonna lie .

I guess if we're counting Gwen, I wonder how she might rank in the next few years. Assuming you count the old and new versions together.

[Hybrid]

Not sure Gwen could count, due to Earth-65 being an AU version of her, but not exactly her.

[Jman27]

Norman's return and rise to becoming a bigger villain than just a Spider-Man villain is whats really crazy. Of all the Spider-characters he is probably the one who gained the most notoriety outside of the main titles, other than Spider-Man himself.

I mean, Captain America probably doesn't even know who Venom is!

he just met eddie in absolute carnage and he does know of Flash Thompson as Venom too

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Here's the Rogues ranking in separate. I am wondering if I should include Black Cat and Venom here (but then again Ock is here...so). After a certain point I am also including prominent rogues (i.e cult characters, new villains used by a writer and so on).

1. Green Goblin (597 Appearances)
2. Doctor Octopus (440 Appearances)
3. Venom (377 Appearances)
4. Black Cat (374 Appearances)
5. Scorpion (318 Appearances)
6. The Sandman (300 Appearances)
7. Rhino (246 Appearances)
8. The Lizard (213 Appearances)
9. Vulture (202 Appearances)
10. Electro (197 Appearances)
11. Boomerang (194 Appearances)
12. The Shocker (171 Appearances)
13. Carnage (163 Appearances)
14. Mysterio (160 Appearances)
15. Kraven (158 Appearances)
16. Chameleon 154 Appearances)
17. Tombstone (152 Appearances)
18. Hammerhead (149 Appearances)
19. Jackal Miles Warren (100 Appearances)
20. Kingsley Hobgoblin (88 Appearances)
21. Mr. Negative (73 Appearaces),
22. Morlun (63 Appearances.
23. Janice Beetle (53 Appearances).

The big surprise is Scorpion being so much higher than many would think. I think him piggybacking on Osborn during Dark Reign gave him an edge but I didn't think it was this much. Sandman spent a long time as a member of the Frightful Four and also a stint in the Avengers so he had the advantage of extra-Spidey exposure. Characters like Rhino and Boomerang menaced other characters across the Marvel Universe like Hulk, Captain America, and so on. Tombstone being so high is a huge surprise considering that he's a new character who appeared in the late 80s.

For those who are interested. Here's how non-Spidey Marvel Rogues rank:
1) Doctor Doom - 835 Appearances
2) Magneto - 816 Appearances.
3) Kingpin - 533 Appearances
4) Loki - 493 Appearances
5) Thanos - 411 Appearances
6) Red Skull - 358 Appearances
7) Ultron - 203 Appearances
8) Apocalypse - 193 Appearances

So essentially Goblin is Marvel's third biggest villain, while Octopus is between Loki and Thanos. Venom and Felicia have made more appearances than Red Skull (Marvel's first real super-villain).

And for those who want to know, of Kingpin's 533 Appearances, 118 are in Spider-Man.

Not sure Gwen could count, due to Earth-65 being an AU version of her, but not exactly her.

I guess if we're counting Gwen, I wonder how she might rank in the next few years. Assuming you count the old and new versions together.

Well to those who want to know.
-- 616 Gwen made 200 Appearances including posthumous ones. When she was alive she made 81 Appearances.
-- Ghost Spider has made 116 Appearances. So she has exceeded Gwen's number when she was alive.

I think they should be counted as separate characters.

Should Miles count as "Spider-Man Cast?" I mean, he's part of that world/universe but he's not someone I think of in Peter's cast of characters like I would his supporting cast and villains.

The same can be said of Superior Spider-Man at this point and for that matter Venom. I included Miles anyway. Just to round this up, Ben Reilly made 263 Appearances while Kaine has made 172 Appearances.

I do remember May being considered dead for a few years which obviously cut down her numbers noticeably.

Mary Jane was also "dead" for a while in that plane crash thing. So that evens out.

[AlexCampy89]

On the contrary, this list(s) don't surprise me a bit.


Scorpion is the top popular, most loved b-list Spider-Man villain. The number of cartoons and video games he appears in is incredibly high. I wonder how in hell he never had a live-action appearance (as Scorpion, not Mac Gargan, although mcu Spider-Man 3 might change that).


Kingpin became, with time, mostly a Daredevil villain, but started as a Spider-Man villain and he, still to this day doesn't stop naming both Spidey and DD as his worst nemesis. Even above Punisher.



Another interesting list would be the number of "non-Spidey" characters that debuted/got redesigned in Spider-Man's titles.
The Punisher and Black Widow are prime example of this.

[ngroove]

Here's the Rogues ranking in separate. I am wondering if I should include Black Cat and Venom here (but then again Ock is here...so). After a certain point I am also including prominent rogues (i.e cult characters, new villains used by a writer and so on).

1. Green Goblin (597 Appearances)
2. Doctor Octopus (440 Appearances)
3. Venom (377 Appearances)
4. Black Cat (374 Appearances)
5. Scorpion (318 Appearances)
6. The Sandman (300 Appearances)
7. Rhino (246 Appearances)
8. The Lizard (213 Appearances)
9. Vulture (202 Appearances)
10. Electro (197 Appearances)
11. Boomerang (194 Appearances)
12. The Shocker (171 Appearances)
13. Carnage (163 Appearances)
14. Mysterio (160 Appearances)
15. Kraven (158 Appearances)
16. Chameleon 154 Appearances)
17. Tombstone (152 Appearances)
18. Hammerhead (149 Appearances)
19. Jackal Miles Warren (100 Appearances)
20. Kingsley Hobgoblin (88 Appearances)
21. Mr. Negative (73 Appearaces),
22. Morlun (63 Appearances.
23. Janice Beetle (53 Appearances).
.

Is the choices of villains really objective, or subjective?

How many times, would you say, Jason Macendale Hobgoblin, reared his fright-masked-then-faced head, as he was a regular menace against Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, even a bout or two against Doctor Strange, a LOT between 1987 to 1993, then several more times 1994 - 1996.

Or, Puma. He was once a regular Spider / Marvel Character, 1984 - 1991, with him being virtually a Spider-Supporting character in the pages of Gerry Conway's Spectacular / Web Of Spider-Man late 1989 to January 1991. From there, he still shows up as a recurring Spider-Man / Marvel (Wolverine's "Bloodsport", MODOK's 11) villain. His profile 1992 + may not be as constant as he did during Spider-Man's black costume saga, Secret Wars II, Gerry Conway's run, but I would assume he should be at least on position 21.

How about the Tinkerer? Not as a hand-to-hand-against Spidey threat, but as a costumer of Marvel's villainy, including the Beetle and the Scorpion.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Another interesting list would be the number of "non-Spidey" characters that debuted/got redesigned in Spider-Man's titles. The Punisher and Black Widow are prime example of this.

Black Widow - 1, 172 Appearances
Frank Castle/The Punisher - 992 Appearances
Monica Rambeau/Captain Marvel - 455 Appearances
Cloak - 249 Appearances
Dagger - 245 Appearances

Is the choices of villains really objective, or subjective?

Bit of both. I assumed that the Ditko and Romita era villains would be the biggest and most frequent appearing based on empirical reasoning (knowledge of Spider-Man's publication history and so on). That's generally the case. Villains associated with a prominent era or writer and don't feature outside it aren't likely to clock in that much footprint so I knew Kingsley Hobgoblin wouldn't be high on that list or Morlun. Even then there were surprises in that Romita's three villains (Rhino, Kingpin, Shocker) exceed some big Ditko villains. Although in the case of Kingpin you have to discount his Spider-Man stuff overall from his Daredevil stuff (in which case he would be below the Ditko gang). Scorpion, who's my least favorite of the Ditko group ranks way higher than I expected.

How many times, would you say,

It's Marvel Database Wikia saying it, not me.

Jason Macendale Hobgoblin, reared his fright-masked-then-faced head, as he was a regular menace against Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, even a bout or two against Doctor Strange, a LOT between 1987 to 1993, then several more times 1994 - 1996.

93 Appearances until he died in Stern's Hobgoblin Lives. He still exceeds Kingsley's appearances by a hair's breadth even though Kingsley's been around for decades since.

Or, Puma. He was once a regular Spider / Marvel Character, 1984 - 1991, with him being virtually a Spider-Supporting character in the pages of Gerry Conway's Spectacular / Web Of Spider-Man late 1989 to January 1991. From there, he still shows up as a recurring Spider-Man / Marvel (Wolverine's "Bloodsport", MODOK's 11) villain. His profile 1992 + may not be as constant as he did during Spider-Man's black costume saga, Secret Wars II, Gerry Conway's run, but I would assume he should be at least on position 21.

79 Appearances.

How about the Tinkerer?

75 Appearances.

[Scott Taylor]

Now I'm wondering how Spider-Man villains stack up against Marvel heroes

Betcha that top ten have more appearances than the Guardians of the Galaxy, for instance. And Captain Marvel.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Now I'm wondering how Spider-Man villains stack up against Marvel heroes

Here's the thread that started it all

That discusses the Marvel heroes with most appearances. The issue of appearances is that different metrics are used all over the place as many posters such as Digifiend and others discuss there. So comicvine uses all versions all appearances i.e. 616-AU-Reprints, from a brutal publication perspective. If you do a 616 perspective using the same database as above, then the top 10 heroes are:
1) Spider-Man: 4229
2) Captain America: 3498
3) Iron Man: 3236
4) Wolverine: 3116
5) Thor: 2331
6) Thing: 2261
7) Hulk: 2122
8) Cyclops: 1959
9) Beast: 1967
10) Storm: 1756

Storm is actually Marvel's biggest female character. Which is a huge welcome surprise only female character in the top 10. And in general the heroes are more published than supporting characters and rogues.

Mary Jane is likely Marvel's biggest supporting character though. She's the only civilian supporting character to feature in the top ten Marvel ladies list, being just a little ahead of Kitty Pryde.

1) Storm - 1756
2) Invisible Woman - 1663
3) Carol Danvers - 1273
4) Scarlet Witch - 1273
5) Black Widow - 1173
6) Wasp - 1140
7) She-Hulk - 1118
8) Jean Grey - 1102
9) Mary Jane - 1072
10) Kitty Pryde - 1063

Betcha that top ten have more appearances than the Guardians of the Galaxy, for instance. And Captain Marvel.

Carol Danvers at 1273 is double the number of Norman Osborn (597) the top Spider-Man villain, so the answer to that is no. Carol is ahead of Doctor Doom and Magneto even. But that's how it should be, heroes appear more than villains. Supporting characters more than villains too.

As for the Guardians.
1) Drax the Destroyer - 437 Appearances
2) Gamora - 391 Appearances
3) Rocket Raccoon - 362 Appearances
4) Peter Quill - 302 Apperances
5) Groot - 284 Apperances

So Norman and Otto > Drax and Gamora > Venom and Black Cat > Rocket > Scorpion > Peter Quill > Sandman > Groot.

[Scott Taylor]

Thanks, thats pretty interesting! Would never have guessed Carol Danvers had so many appearances.

[Lukmendes]

Thanks, thats pretty interesting! Would never have guessed Carol Danvers had so many appearances.

Same, I wonder if she got so many appearances only because of the push Marvel gave her, or if she had a decent ammount (Like say, 500 appearances at least) before it.