The Spot And 9 Other Marvel Villains Created By Scientific Accidents

A science accident created The Spot in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, though he isn't the only Marvel victim of the science gone wrong trope.

Miles Morales encountered the unique villain and soon-to-be-nemesis known as The Spot in 2023's Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The young Spider-Man eventually learned that Dr. Johnathan Ohnn gained his incredible portal ability in a scientific accident that led to his debut as The Spot. Of course, he isn't the only Marvel villain who gained their powers the same way.

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A number of Spider-Man's villains like Doctor Octopus and Sandman gained their powers through scientific accidents. Even brilliant Marvel villains like Doctor Doom and The Leader owe their villainous careers to the classic science gone wrong comic trope. The Spot is merely the latest big-screen villain to explore the trope in a fun new way in Across the Spider-Verse.

Dr. Jonathan Ohnn was a criminal scientist working for Wilson Fisk/Kingpin in both the comics and the Spider-Verse movies. In the comics, Kingpin tasked Dr. Ohnn with replicating the superhero Cloak's ability to teleport through the Darkforce Dimension.

Dr. Ohnn was actually successful and created a stable wormhole of Darkforce energy. Unfortunately, the experiment caused a power drain and blackout in New York City, which destabilized the portal and led to his transformation into the Spot. Across the Spider-Verse reimagined his origin and worked it into the destruction of Kingpin's collider from the first Into the Spider-Verse film.

Dr. Otto Octavius was a brilliant and well-respected nuclear scientist before he became one of Spider-Man's most iconic villains. He first earned the mocking title of Doctor Octopus from his peers, due to the four metal arms he used in his dangerous research.

Octavius worked at the U.S. Atomic Research Center, though he caused an accident during an experiment that led to an explosion. His metal harness and four metallic arms fused to his body, and he gained the ability to control them with his mind. However, the accident also caused brain damage, which led to his increasingly volatile supervillain persona.

William Baker's first alter ego was his criminal identity of Flint Marko, which led to his eventual incarceration. He escaped from prison, leading to a manhunt that sent Marko on the run. He tried to hide from his pursuers near a nuclear reactor.

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Unfortunately, the nuclear reactor detonated and exposed Marko to high levels of radiation. His body reacted with the sand around him, and he became the villainous Sandman. He could manipulate every grain of sand in his body and was one of the first villains to defeat Spider-Man. However, he's fought alongside Spider-Man as often as he's fought against him over the years.

The Hulk isn't exactly known for his high intelligence, which made the brilliant villain known as the Leader the perfect foil for one of Marvel's strongest heroes. However, Sam Sterns wasn't much of a genius either before a deadly chemical spill changed his life forever.

Sterns worked the night shift at a chemical plant when one of the canisters he was moving cracked open. Exposure to the gamma radiation contained within mutated his body and expanded his brain, exponentially increasing his intelligence. He became the Leader and used his intellect to transform other beings and wage an ongoing war against the Hulk.

There have been a few different characters who used the Green Goblin's costumed identity over the years. Norman Osborn was the first, though his true identity remained a secret to both Spider-Man and fans for months after his initial appearance.

As the head of Oscorp, Norman Osborn used his inventions to fuel his company. He stole a strength-enhancing formula from his scientific partner who he had recently framed and sent to prison. However, Harry Osborn switched the chemicals in the serum, which caused an explosion that empowered Norman Osborn. However, it also began his descent into madness as the Green Goblin.

Most villains caught in scientific accidents were scientists themselves. However, some just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Emil Blonsky was a Communist spy sent to America to sabotage their nuclear weapons programs.

Blonsky infiltrated the U.S. Air Force base where Bruce Banner conducted his experiments. He broke into the lab to take pictures of Banner's advanced technology. Unfortunately, Banner also arrived and activated the machinery to dose himself with gamma radiation. Blonsky activated the machine after Banner left, accidentally exposing himself and transforming into the Abomination.

Morris "Morrie" Bench was a ship crewman working aboard a research vessel. It was testing an experimental new generator that converted energy. As the crew lowered the generator into the ocean, a power line snapped and caused chaos on deck.

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Spider-Man swung into action to contain the dangerous power line. Unfortunately, he inadvertently knocked over a stack of crates, which pushed Bench into the water. The generator's energy combined with volcanic gases leaking into the ocean to cause a transformation. Bench's body became a water-like substance that he could control, which led to his debut as Hydro-Man.

Conner Sims fought in the Korean War as a Marine alongside Adam Brashear. Both men would later work together on an experimental government project to harness clean energy by generating a black hole between Earth and the Negative Zone.

Unfortunately, the experimental "negative reactor" exploded and transformed both Sims and Brashear. While Brashear became the living anti-matter reactor known as Blue Marvel, Sims became the villainous Anti-Man. His body became negative anti-matter energy so he could only remain in the positive world for short periods of time, which he used to battle Blue Marvel.

One of Spider-Man's closest allies is Dr. Curt Connors, though he also became one of his deadliest foes as the Lizard. After Connors lost his arm during his military service, he dedicated his scientific research to exploring a lizard's ability to regrow lost limbs and tails. Connors created a special serum designed to mix a lizard's and a human's genetics.

He tested the serum on himself and watched in amazement as his arm grew back. Unfortunately, he soon transformed into the reptilian monster known as The Lizard. While it was more of an experiment gone wrong than a scientific accident, Connor's transformation became a cautionary tale to other scientists.

Doctor Doom is one of the Marvel universe's most important villains, due to his incredible intelligence and unrelenting will. However, he might have developed into one of the world's greatest heroes if not for a tragic accident during college.

After Victor Von Doom lost his mother's soul to Hell, he dedicated his life to freeing her from her dark afterlife. He created an experimental device that would allow him to communicate with the afterlife. However, it was secretly sabotaged by Ben Grimm. The device exploded, scarring Von Doom and starting his transformation into the armor-clad despot known as Doctor Doom.

NEXT: 10 Pairs Of Marvel Villains Who Are Basically The Same Character

Entertainment reporter, writer, and all-around geek, Scoot Allan has written for print and online media sources like Geek Magazine, GeekExchange, GrizzlyBomb, WhatCulture, RoguePlanet.tv and the Urban 30 before joining CBR as a senior writer. He enjoys salad but prefers french fries.