DC created the superhero, but the argument can be made that Marvel perfected it. Marvel’s approach to superheroes concentrated on making them more human, allowing readers to empathize with them. The publisher’s creators did something similar with the villains as well. A Marvel villain isn’t just a criminal in a flashy costume with a gimmick; the best of them are fully-fleshed out characters, and rival even the greatest heroes on that score. Many of these villains started out as lumps of clay and creators have gotten to mold them into something very special. They were good when they started out, but become more and more entertaining as the years have gone on. Fans have fallen in love with them, and Marvel took notice, heaping more change onto them, and making them ever more popular.
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Marvel’s villains are in a class all by themselves. They have to challenge the greatest heroes ever, heroes that people love because of how multi-faceted they are. In order to stand their own against these heroes, they’ve had to evolve and some have become characters that everyone can find something to love in. These seven Marvel villains have gotten better and better as the years gone on, becoming villainous icons on levels that no one really thought possible.
7) Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister first appeared as a shadowy manipulator obsessed with genetics. He was amoral and cryptic, playing his cards close to the vest, and stacking the deck against the X- Men. Mister Sinister’s role in stories like “Mutant Massacre” and “Inferno” made him the big X-Men villain of the ’80s, but that sort of faded rather quickly, honestly. It felt like once writer Chris Claremont left Uncanny X-Men, no one really knew what to do with Mister Sinister other than have him hang around Gambit and make vague threats to reveal the secrets of his past. Mister Sinister fell quickly from his space as top villain, but all of that would change. Eventually, the character was given something of a campy, more comedic personality, and this allowed him to become a very entertaining villain. Books like Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 2), Hellions, and Immortal X-Men showed off this new Sinister in all of his glory and fans loved it. Mister Sinister was able to ride this change back to the top of the villain charts. He’s been a little overexposed in recent years because of the Krakoa Era, but that doesn’t change how great a villain he’s become.
6) Mystique
Mystique is a perfect example of a villain that kept getting better. Writer Chris Claremont changed the X-Men forever, and his villains are some of the best in the history of comics. Mystique is a perfect example of the genius of Claremont, a character that started out simple and kept getting more and more complex. She rose through the ranks of villainy, using the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants to become one of the busiest X-Men villains of the ’80s. Fans loved Mystique and her web of relationships within the X-Men have made her one of the most important X-Men villains of them all. Her many sides fit her shape-changing powers, allowing her to be anything whenever she needs to be. Mystique works as well as a hero as she does a villain, which shows just how well she’s grown over the years. That’s before you even take into account her long history, stretching back to the late 19th century, and her relationship with her wife Destiny. Mystique isn’t just one of the greatest X-Men villains, she’s become one of Marvel’s best villains.
5) Norman Osborn/Green Goblin
Spider-Man has the best villains in the Marvel Universe (for a solo hero at least; the X-Men’s villains take the cake), with all of them getting a very good start. The Green Goblin first appeared as a pretty standard evil mastermind villain in the Joker mold, but kept growing as time went on. Norman Osborn is a compelling villain, and there’s really no two ways about it. His madness, spurred on by his use of the Goblin formula in order to gain superpowers, broke his life completely, as he turned all of his resources to killing Spider-Man. Osborn’s initial character arc — becoming Spider-Man’s greatest enemy and killing Gwen Stacy — was excellent, but things would get better after his return to life. Norman Osborn become a much better character, and soon grew into his ultimate form during the Civil War years. Osborn would get the nod as the head of the Thunderbolts, and he would parlay that into becoming the head of the entire Superhero Initiative — the political arm of the superhero community that contained S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers, and the Fifty States Initiative. He transformed the Marvel Universe in his own image, becoming the Iron Patriot, and battling against heroes and villain alike. Pre-death Norman never could have pulled off a story like this, proving that he’s grown immensely. Since then, there have been more excellent Green Goblin stories, cementing his place as Spider-Man’s greatest villain.
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4) Loki
Loki is one of the OG Marvel villains, and has become something far beyond that as the years have gone one. At first, Loki was just the God of Mischief, serving as the villainous opposite of Thor. Where Thor was strong, Loki was smart. Where Thor was loyal, Loki was treacherous. Loki would sometimes work with their brother, but most of the time they were trying to kill him and any heroes they could enmesh in their web. However, the true turning point for Loki was when creators decided to make them something of an anti-hero, working with their brother and others to save Asgard. This conception of Loki became the one that fans of the MCU would get as well, and made Loki more popular than ever. Loki has the total package — they’re powerful, they’re interesting, and they can star in any kind of story. Their role in Immortal Thor is amazing, as they’re played as both a friend of Thor and as a hidden threat. Loki has graduated from the God of Mischief to the God of Stories, a role that they play with perfect aplomb. Loki has always been a great character, but without the build they’ve gotten in recent years, they wouldn’t be nearly as popular or interesting.
3) Sabretooth
Sabretooth started out as a mercenary who fought Iron Fist in the snow, and disappeared for a time. He showed up again in Uncanny X-Men and a relationship was established between him and Wolverine, the most popular member of the team. Linking Sabretooth with Wolverine was perfect, and led to the growth that has made Sabretooth such a perfect villain. Sabretooth was first presented as a bloodthirsty mercenary fighting alongside the Marauders to destroy the Morlocks and the X-Men. The first Wolverine/Sabretooth one on one was one of the coolest fights ever, and Sabretooth became a star. Sabretooth could have just been kept as Wolverine’s homicidal evil opposite, and he’d still be beloved. However, creators were able to take the clay of Sabretooth and make him into something better. They added complexity to the character, showing how similar he was to Wolverine as a person and yet how different he’s become. Sabretooth has become ridiculously compelling, each change making him a better and better character. Sabretooth is an A-list villain, which isn’t too shabby for a character who first appeared in Iron Fist.
2) Magneto
Once upon a time, Magneto was created to be the evil opposite of Xavier. He had his own team of young X-Men-like protegees and instead of wanting to protect humanity, he wanted to destroy it. He was a stereotypical supervillain at the beginning, more like Doctor Doom than what he would become. Magneto was a powerful villain back then, but he wasn’t an interesting villain. All of that changed thanks to writer Chris Claremont. Claremont was all about making the X-Men better and he did the same thing to the villains. That’s what happened to Magneto. Claremont heaped complexity onto Magneto, giving him the Jewish background that changed the way everyone looked at him as a character. Magneto transcended the label of villain, becoming something else. Some people don’t consider Magneto a villain anymore, and he’s been a member of the X-Men for years. However, his greatest growth as a character came as a villain, and he’s more well-known as an antagonist. Magneto is one of the greatest villains in all of superhero comics, becoming a complex, flawed, sympathetic monster that fans always want to see.
1) Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom is Marvel’s greatest monster. There’s definitely a nobility to the King of Latveria, and his people love him. However, that doesn’t change what he truly is. Victor Von Doom’s arrogance has taken a man who could save the world with ease and transformed him into something else, a void trying to suck in all of the love and esteem in the world, trying to prove to everyone that they should worship him. Doctor Doom was an amazing villain right from the start, but got even better as time went on. He gained more layers, and more of his history was revealed, showing readers the tragedy and torment of Doom. These layers made readers love him even more, and we got to see him in victory and defeat. The majesty of Doom has made him basically everyone’s favorite Marvel villain, and we only have that majesty because of the additions to Doom as a character. None rival Doom.
What Marvel villains do you think got better as the years have gone on. Sound off in the comments below.
