Marvel villains are some of the coolest villains in comics. From the Red Skull way back in the Golden Age to Doctor Doom and Magneto in the Silver Age to Thanos in the Bronze Age and beyond, the publisher’s villains have become the favorites of generations of fans. They grew and changed, becoming more well-rounded characters, and some of the best of them became so popular that they would become heroes themselves, or at the very least allied with their old enemies. Villains have joined superhero teams, with the Avengers redeeming numerous villains over the years. Earth’s Mightiest Heroes has proven to be the perfect place for villains to become heroes, paradoxically enough.
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The Avengers have faced off against the greatest villains, and sometimes these villains have found their way on to the team. Some of these former villains have even became big name heroes like Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, the Vision, Wonder Man, and Hawkeye, while others, like the members of the Dark Avengers, stayed evil. It’s been a while since a villain has joined the team, but these four Marvel villains would be awesome on the Avengers.
4) Solem
Wolverine has faced some deadly villains, but one of the most underrated was Solem. The mutant was born with adamantium skin on the mutant island of Arakko, and joined Sevyr Blackmore’s pirates, eventually being imprisoned for his crimes. He was recruited to fight in the contest between Arakko and Krakoa, and he and Wolverine became frequent foes. The Arakkii is a charming villain, a roguish warrior who was just as crafty as he was skilled in battle. The mutant has all of the tools he needs to be popular and the Avengers would be perfect for him. He’d get to show just how skilled he was and his personality would play well off numerous members of the team.
3) Thanos
Thanos is commonly thought of as the universe’s greatest villain, but he hasn’t always been a genocidal monster. After being defeated in Infinity Gauntlet, the Mad Titan found some peace within himself and would move to a farm. When the Magus started his bid for godhood in Infinity War, the former god teamed up with the heroes, trying to save the universe he been working to destroy for so long. The Eternal stayed a hero for a good portion of the ’90s, even helping battle Thor when he was possessed by the Warrior Madness. Thanos as a member of the Avengers is tantalizing. He doesn’t want to completely destroy creation and would team with the group against a greater threat. No one would ever expect him to stay with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, which is exactly why he should. Good guy Thanos is actually pretty cool, and it would be a lot of fun to see how he deals with being a member of the team and working with heroes who always battled him.
2) Helmut Zemo
Helmut Zemo is the second Baron Zemo and has battled the Avengers numerous times over the years, leading the Masters of Evil. He posed as a hero in Thunderbolts (Vol. 1), taking on the mantle of Citizen V. He’d later rejoin the team before going back to villainy. Zemo is honestly perfect for the Avengers. His relationship with the team is pretty bad, which would bring a lot of drama to the book. A lot of people will say that his Nazi/Hydra past would disqualify him, but unlike his father, he’s not actually a Nazi (Hydra only became a stand in for the Nazis because of the MCU, so this is easy to fix). It’s impossible that he would end up becoming hero full-time, but it would be so wild if Helmut Zemo joined the Avengers.
1) Whirlwind
The Avengers have many underrated villains, and one of the coolest is Whirlwind. He’s a mutant who can spin at great speeds, allowing him to fly and create tornadoes. For as long as he’s existed, he’s basically just been a background villain, and was never powerful enough to actually fight the Avengers on his own. He’s an old school villain, meaning that he’s more interested in robbing and making money than killing, which would make it easier for him to convince the team that he was on the level. Whirlwind could easily become the next Hawkeye, starting out as a villain before a stint with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes gave him a new role in life. Of all the villains on this list, he has the most potential as an Avenger. No one is screaming for Whirlwind in general, which gives him a greater chance of actually staying a hero.
What Marvel villain do you think should join the Avengers? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
