We’re in an evil mood today at the CultureFly office, probably because we’ve spent hours debating who are the strongest Marvel heroes, and have since landed on the strongest villain in Marvel comic books. Before we go nuts and turn the ultimate nullifier on each other, we figured we’d put our shortlist out to you.
What exactly qualifies a villain as “strong”? Is it the amount they can bench-press? The raw gamma radiation coursing through their veins? Their body count? Their capacity for evil? The tragedy of their backstories and how much of them you can see in yourself?
Yes, to all those questions! Mwahaha. Here's our top ten most powerful Marvel villains.
#10. Juggernaut
Before we get into all the strongest Marvel villains with cosmic powers capable of destroying the Earth on a whim, we wanted to give some love to the street-level baddies who aren’t out for world domination. Guys like Rhino, Absorbing Man, and Tombstone who just want to rob banks and look ripped.
Juggernaut is the strongest of these street-level goons. Once he’s on the move, even the Hulk has difficulty stopping this Marvel villain.
#9. Mystique
Mystique isn’t going to stand toe-to-toe and duke it out with any of the other villains on this list. But she doesn’t have to. Sometimes, villainy is all about deception, and that’s where Mystique shines.
Why kill the President when you can kill and become the President? That’s working smarter, not harder.
#8. Carnage
In the case of Venom, Eddie Brock is a troubled guy with major resentment issues. Still, he has a conscience, and when he’s not obsessed with Peter Parker, he at least fights against the voracious inclinations of his alien symbiote.
Cletus Kasady, on the other hand, was a psychopath even before he bonded with the symbiote. A savage serial killer and an extraterrestrial predator working in perfect harmony? That’s bad for everyone but awesome for comic arcs. Thanks, Stan Lee.
#7. Galactus
How are we ranking Galactus, the literal Devourer of Worlds, so low on our list of the strongest Marvel villains? This dude is as old as the universe and keeps his strength by gobbling down entire planets. He’s enormous and rides around space on a giant throne. Of course, he’s powerful!
But he’s a pretty ineffective villain. For example:
- In the 16th Century, Galileo and the medieval version of SHIELD chased Galactus away.
- He doesn’t eat planets for fun or personal gain; he’s just a force of nature.
- According to Franklin Richards, Galactus is lonely and filled with regret.
Ultimately, we kind of feel bad for Galactus. Also, he and Squirrel Girl are buds, and you have to have a soft spot for anyone Squirrel Girl befriends.
#6. Tony Stark’s Drinking Problem
Sometimes, a hero’s most dangerous enemy is themselves. That could probably be the tagline of Tony Stark’s memoir. Even though Iron Man is one of Earth’s mightiest heroes, his long history of benders shows that there’s one foe too strong for him to defeat completely. This weakness in him is what makes him one of the most popular Avengers Marvel characters.
#5. Maker (a.k.a. Evil Reed Richards)
Heroes breaking bad often makes for the strongest villains.
As he calls himself, Maker is an alternate version of Reed Richards from the Ultimate universe who escaped into the main Marvel universe (616) after his home dimension was destroyed. Talk about strength spanding across the Marvel multiverse. He’s essentially what would happen to Reed Richards if his whole life was one tragedy after another.
#4. Magneto
These days, the Master of Magnetism is more hero than villain. Depending on how you feel about mutant liberation, he might have always been a hero to you. But some of his most powerfully villainous actions include:
-
Pulling Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton out of his body (ouch).
Generating a massive electromagnetic blast that knocked out every electronic device on the planet and crashed all of the Earth’s satellites. - Paralyzing Charles Xavier (Professor X).
- Depending on your universe, being a deadbeat dad to Wanda and Pietrov.
#3. Thanos
Avid watchers of the Marvel Cinematic Universe know precisely what the death-obsessed Mad Titan is capable of, especially if he gets his hand into the Infinity Gauntlet.
However, for all his strength, Thanos is amongst the villains who have been killed (and reincarnated) more than any other in the Marvel comics. We guess that proves he’s not just a casual fan of death, and why his appearances landed Avengers: End Game the top spot in our list of top ten Marvel movies to geek out over.
#2. Dark Phoenix
The Phoenix Force is a lot like Galactus in that it’s an entity as old as the universe itself. But, unlike Galactus, the embodiment of fiery destruction and rebirth doesn’t have a conscience. It’s also determined to remake the universe, like Thanos, but it would prefer to dust 100% of the population rather than just half.
Any time the Phoenix Force inhabits Jean Grey, the X-Men will soon be visiting the cemetery, and Cyclops will need to find a new girlfriend.
#1. Doctor Doom
We’re still crossing our fingers that Doctor Doom is the big bad in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Let’s take a look at some of Victor’s credentials that make him one of the most powerful Marvel characters:
- Looks awesome in his metal suit and cape
- Master of magic and science
- Runs a country
- Achieved godhood by stealing powers from the Beyonder and remade the entire multiverse to his liking
Doom is not to be trifled with, like, ever. This is the guy who pulled out Thanos’ spine.
We can’t wait to see what villainous acts he gets up to next.
Put CultureFly’s Collectors Boxes at the Top of Your List
Here at CultureFly, we do more than contemplate the nature of evil in the Marvel universe and apply for citizenship in Latveria. We balance the scales by selecting the sweetest exclusive collectibles and apparel for our Collectors’ Nerd Boxes. Declare your allegiance to the good people of Wakanda with our Black Panther Collectors Box, or show these nasty villains whose side you’re on with our Avengers Collectors Box.
And if you should find a cosmic cube stuffed with all those goodies? Try not to let it corrupt you into too much villainy.
Sources:
- Comic Book Reader. Iron Man: Every Time Tony Stark Fell Off the Wagon.
- https://www.cbr.com/iron-man-tony-stark-alcholism-fall-off-wagon/
- WhatCulture. 10 Comic Book Supervillains Who Have Died the Most. https://whatculture.com/comics/10-comic-book-supervillains-who-have-died-the-most?page=4