Sinister Six

Six deadly foes unite to bring down one friendly neighborhood hero.

The Sinister Six is a group of six super-villains who band together to oppose Spider-Man. In the 2001 Game Boy Color game Spider-Man 2: The Sinister Six, the team consists of Mysterio, Sandman, Vulture, Scorpion, Kraven the Hunter, and their mastermind, Doctor Octopus. Their plot in this game revolves around the kidnapping of Aunt May to lure Spider-Man into a series of deadly challenges across New York City. Each member guards a stage of the plan, forcing Spider-Man to fight through sewers, amusement parks, skyscrapers, and arenas before confronting Doctor Octopus at Empire State University.

Quick Facts

Founder: Doctor Octopus
Primary target: Spider-Man
Original members: Doctor Octopus, Mysterio, Sandman, Vulture, Scorpion, Kraven the Hunter

Lore & Background

The Sinister Six in this game is led by Doctor Octopus, who holds a meeting of the group during the opening credits. He instructs the Six to hunt down Peter Parker, Spider-Man's photographer, to send a message to their shared enemy. When Sandman and Scorpion find Peter is not home, they kidnap his aunt, May Parker, and leave a message telling Peter to 'tell Spidey to go to the Coney Island Pier.' This sets off a chain of encounters: Spider-Man fights Mysterio and his hologram duplicates at the pier's carnival, then battles Sandman, who mumbles about the Vulture being at the World Trade Center before passing out.

At the World Trade Center, Spider-Man unlocks doors to reach the Twin Towers' roofs, where Vulture attacks and drops a clue leading to Madison Square Garden. There, Spider-Man fights Scorpion, who directs him to Central Park. Under a thunderstorm, Spider-Man pushes through zoo exhibits to face Kraven the Hunter, who recognizes Spider-Man's prowess and directs him to Empire State University for the final challenge. In the penultimate stage, Spider-Man sneaks through lecture halls and classrooms to reach Doctor Octopus amidst bubbling vats of green liquid and machinery.

After defeating him, the complex shakes, and Octavius falls, swearing he will one day be victorious. In the epilogue, Peter thinks about getting May an unlisted address after escorting her home safely.

Reader's Guide

Doctor Octopus founded the Sinister Six with a singular purpose: to systematically dismantle Spider-Man by combining their unique abilities into an unstoppable force. The original lineup was carefully curated to counter Spidey's speed, strength, senses, and agility, ensuring that no matter how he reacted, a member of the team was ready to exploit his next move. Throughout history, the roster has seen significant turnover. When members died, retired, or were imprisoned, new villains like the Shocker, Rhino, or even the Lizard have stepped in to fill the void.

Their dynamic with Spider-Man is strictly adversarial. They are his arch-nemesis collective, representing the ultimate challenge that requires him to think strategically rather than just reactively. Their most significant actions include numerous city-wide attacks, attempts to steal advanced technology, and several near-fatal encounters where Spider-Man nearly met his end due to their coordinated assault.

Did You Know?

The game was released on May 18, 2001, and is a sequel to Spider-Man (2000).
In Europe, the game is titled Spider-Man 2: The Sinister Six.
The game was developed by Torus Games and published by Activision for the Game Boy Color.
A separate game, Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro, was released on October 19, 2001 as a PlayStation exclusive; it is not a direct canonical sequel to the Game Boy Color game Spider-Man 2: The Sinister Six.
Another standalone sequel, Spider-Man: Mysterio's Menace, was released on September 19, 2001 for the Game Boy Advance.