When we say that the Lizard hates Spider-Man, we're strictly speaking of Curt Connors' uncontrollable alter ego, who might as well be a different person or, more accurately, a different animal.
Connors and Peter Parker are often portrayed as close associates, even friends, but the Lizard is frequently reduced to a mad scientist driven to concoct plans for global lizardification, a thirst for world domination through an army of lizards, or, more often than not, rampage as a savage animal running on pure instinct.
Since his debut in the early '60s, the Lizard has appeared in cartoons, video games, and films. His motives vary (slightly) from adaptation to adaptation, but no matter which, Spider-Man is always there to stop (and help) him.
Marvel Comics
Prime Marvel Universe
Debuting in The Amazing Spider-Man #6 in 1963, Dr. Curtis "Curt" Connors was a scientist who created and tested a serum on himself that would help regenerate lost limbs, which included his own.
It worked, but since reptile DNA was in the mix, it caused the doctor to mutate into the Lizard.
Despite Spider-Man's many attempts to cure him, Connors routinely turned back into the monster. Over the years, Connors would eventually lose both his wife, Martha, to cancer and then his son, Billy, who he ate. But they're both fine now; Connors turned clones of them into lizard hybrids—long story.
Today, Curt Connors has once again (again) been cured of the Lizard, having that part of him literally torn from him, creating a Lizard duplicate (even longer story). While mostly reduced to a mindless animal, he's become quite docile, last seen hanging around Morbius.
Ultimate Universe
Unlike in the mainline universe, where the two became close friends and allies, Peter Parker eventually came to hate Connors for his irresponsible dabbling in science, which caused the death of one of his closest friends and sudo-siblings.
After a brief stint as the Lizard under similar circumstances to his original counterpart, Connors retreated back into the world of science to help mankind and make up for his mistakes. After he procured a sample of Spider-Man's blood, he accidentally created Carnage, who went on a killing spree with Gwen Stacy as its last victim.
After Peter yelled at Connors and nearly punched a fist through his head, blaming him for Stacy's death, he became overwhelmed with guilt and turned himself in to the police for what he had done.
Spider-Gwen
In another universe, Curt Connors failed to create a "successful" form of the Lizard serum at Oscorp and was fired for his failure. When Connors became a teacher at Midtown High School, one of his students, Peter Parker, completed his work as a science fair project.
After relentless bullying, Peter decided to use the serum on himself to get back at his tormentors and become more like his hero, Spider-Woman, who was secretly Gwen Stacy, his best friend. Unfortunately, the two fought, leading to Peter falling to his death and Gwen blaming herself.
She wasn't the only one, as Harry Osborn, friends with Peter and Gwen, would later hunt Spider-Woman down to avenge him. Harry even went as far as to take a modified version of Peter's formula as a twisted form of tribute, briefly becoming the new Lizard.
Films
Sam Raimi's Spider-Man
Mentioned only in passing by Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, Curt Connor made his live-action debut in the sequel played by Dylan Baker. Initially, the Lizard would have been the villain before being replaced by Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus.
Instead, the character remained on good, if sometimes disappointed, terms with Parker as his college professor. Connors even helped Peter examine the Symbiote in Spider-Man 3 and warned him about the dangers the alien goo posed.
The Amazing Spider-Man
Rhys Ifans portrayed Connors' worst half, the Lizard, who finally had his time to shine as the villain in The Amazing Spider-Man. (Read more about why the Lizard returned in Spider-Man: No Way Home).
However, Connors had far nobler goals when taking his serum, as it was about to be preemptively tested on wounded veterans.
Unfortunately, the serum caused him to go insane and made him believe that the world would be a better place if everyone were like him. So, it's not so much that the Lizard hated Spider-Man himself but hated that he was getting in the way of, in the Lizard's mind, saving the world.
Curt Connors' concept art from Spider-Man: No Way Home suggested that there were plans to show that the Lizard's condition had worsened, which was inevitably scrapped with Ifans returning as he was in The Amazing Spider-Man.
He does sport a rather cynical attitude toward Tom Holland's plan to cure them and how "when you try to fix people, there are always consequences."
Spider-Verse
The death of Gwen Stacy's Peter Parker, briefly portrayed in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, was expanded upon in the sequel, Across the Spider-Verse. Like the comics, Peter took his serum during high school prom and attempted to attack his bully, Ned Leeds.
When Gwen tried to stop this monster from taking a bite out of Leeds, he attacked Gwen instead. She fought back and accidentally caused half the gym to fall on him, with Gwen only then realizing she had caused the death of her best friend.
Television
Spider-Man: The Animated Series
The Lizard was the first villain that Spider-Man fought in the iconic 90s animated show and would become a mainstay supporting character afterward. Even taking the Hulk's place in its adaptation of Secret Wars. No, not Marvel Studios' Secret Wars, the glorified toy advert from 1984.
Connors would wildly shift back and forth from being lucid as the Lizard to quickly becoming a snarling beast, who at one point tried the same plan that Ifans' Lizard would later attempt in The Amazing Spider-Man.
The Spectacular Spider-Man
Curt Connors, a minor supporting character in fan-favorite The Spectacular Spider-Man, would only turn into the Lizard in one episode, "Natural Selection." While his time on the show may have been brief, the Lizard still left its mark on Peter's life.
When Peter ran off to fight the Lizard as Spider-Man, it appeared to his friends and colleagues that he abandoned them and their efforts to make a cure. Even worse, Peter saw an opportunity and took photos of himself fighting the Lizard for the Daily Bugle.
Curt was left disappointed in him, while Gwen Stacy, Eddie Brock, and Martha Connors were furious with Peter for betraying their trust. The episode ended with him being fired from Connors' laboratory and his friends turning their backs on him.
Video Games
Spider-Man 3
Sam Raimi's Lizard would finally get its chance to shine in the video game adaptation of Spider-Man 3, in which Connors finally injects himself with his regeneration serum.
Maguire's Parker investigated, only to find that the mutation had spread, and Connors turned into an even more monstrous reptile.
Not to mention Kraven the Hunter's abrupt appearance tracking down Connor's worse half for sport. Thankfully, like always, Peter was able to subdue him and cure the doctor of his affliction.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
While Spider-Man and Curt Connors had presumably met at least once when the doctor had been the Lizard, Insomiac's Peter Parker never formally met the doctor until Marvel's Spider-Man 2.
Unfortunately, Kraven saw the Lizard, alongside an assortment of other supervillains in Spider-Man 2, as worthy enough prey and gave Connors another dose of his serum.
Connors attempted to create a cure until his mind quickly degraded and he became a ravenous beast hunting fish in the Hudson River and attempting to eat Peter and Miles. Parker was finally able to administer a cure to Connors, but not before he gave him a brutal verbal and literal beatdown.
Spider-Man 4 is expected to release in July 2026, but no release date has been officially announced.
