Who was the first supervillain Spider-Man fought in the comics?

The first supervillain Spider-Man fought in the comics was the Chameleon. Dmitri Smerdyakov made his debut in The Amazing Spider-Man #1, published by Marvel in March 1963, making him Spider-Man’s first super-criminal opponent.

The Chameleon is a master of disguise who uses altered appearances, acting skill, and impersonation to deceive both heroes and ordinary people. His ability made him a natural early opponent for Spider-Man, whose first stories often mixed superhero action with mystery and mistaken identity.

Readers sometimes choose Doctor Octopus, Sandman, or Vulture because those villains became more strongly associated with Spider-Man’s classic rogues’ gallery. They all appeared early in the character’s history, but none was the first villain Spider-Man faced in the original comic series. The Chameleon also has a family connection to Kraven the Hunter, adding another link to Spider-Man’s wider villain mythology.