After suffering three defeats at the hands of Spider-Man, Doctor Octopus realized that he needed help against the web-slinger. He got in touch with every super-powered villain who had battled the wall-crawler. In the end, five other super-criminals heeded Ock’s call—the Vulture, Electro, Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio, and the Sandman. However, Doctor Octopus recognized that he would never be able to control these super-villains. They were incapable of working together or functioning as a well-oiled machine. Instead of trying to change this unruly bunch, Doctor Octopus conceived a battle plan that exploited their individual appetites for personal glory. Each member of the Sinister Six would stage a separate battle with Spider-Man at a carefully chosen location. One by one the criminals would fight him until the wall-crawler was finally destroyed.
