5 Marvel Villains Who Sacrificed Themselves For Good

There’s nothing that anyone can give that’s larger than their own life. It means willingly giving up everything for the sake of someone else, and it really is the ultimate expression of dedication and selflessness. With that in mind, it’s no wonder that so many superheroes are willing to throw themselves on grenades to save the day. However, the same things that make it so obvious that heroes would sacrifice themselves make it so surprising when villains do the same thing. It’s definitely much rarer for a villain to give up their life for the greater good, but it’s happened a few times in Marvel, at the very least.

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Today, we’re going to be looking at five of those sacrifices where villains gave up everything to save the day, even if they helped things get to this level in the first place. While there are plenty of villains who are willing to die for their ideals, it’s far rarer for them to die for anyone else’s, but these villains have all sacrificed their lives with no thought of revival, all because it was necessary to save the day. Without further ado, let’s get into these villains.

5) Skurge

Skure is a special case in this list because he gave up his life for the same great reason twice. For decades following his introduction, Skurge the Executioner was the Enchantress’s loyal lackey, doing whatever the villainess wanted. In Thor #362, when the God of Thunder and his allies were fleeing from Hel, Skurge stayed behind to guard the bridge Gjallerbru to ensure none of Hela’s forces would harm the rest of the realms. He heroically held the bridge, giving his life.

Far later, Skurge would be revived, and he would become obsessed with shouldering Thor’s death once again. He got his wish in Immortal Thor #25, where Skurge shattered the Black Bridge to keep the forces of Utgard from ravaging the realms, tumbling into the endless abyss beneath. Skurge twice gave his life in the same way and proved himself a hero twice over. He’s the greatest bridge-holder there shall ever be.

4) Doctor Octopus

The now legendary Superior Spider-Man comic saw longtime Spidey villain Doctor Otto Octavius switch bodies with Spider-Man and usurp his life. Instead of going on a villainous rampage, Otto tried to prove that he was an even better Spider-Man than Peter ever could be. However, his arrogance and pride constantly held him back, and in the end, he couldn’t stop the Green King from taking over New York. When Otto was faced with a choice of risking his life or letting a child die, he hesitated, and the remnants of Peter still inside his mind exposed himself and risked final death to inspire Otto to save the girl.

Finally accepting his own inadequacies, Otto realized that he didn’t have what it took to be the hero that New York needed. He admitted that, once and for all, Peter really was the superior Spider-Man, but for Peter to save the day, he couldn’t have anyone slowing him down. Otto wiped himself from Peter’s mind entirely, giving up his life so that Peter could become Spider-Man once again and save the day. It was a heartwrenching moment and the perfect finale to Otto’s character arc. Personally, this should have been his final appearance and true death.

3) Harry Leland

Leland is definitely the least known villain on this list. He predominantly served as a minor X-Men villain as the Black Bishop of the Hellfire Club. He would occasionally get into fights with the heroic team of mutants, using his own mutant power to increase the gravity of people and things around him. However, he made a final jump to the heroic side when the X-Men and Hellfire Club were dragged into battle against Nimrod. Harry was a very out-of-shape man, and the stress of the fight caused him to have a heart attack.

In his final moments, Storm approached Leland and asked him to help them save the day for the first and last time. Leland used the last of his strength to exponentially increase the gravity around Sebastian Shaw, letting him crash into Nimrod like a meteor and take the future-Sentinel down. The light faded from his eyes before he even knew they won, but this final selfless act saved the lives of the X-Men and countless others. It was an incredibly epic moment for a generally uninteresting character.

2) Doctor Doom

The newest sacrifice on our list came from Doctor Doom, the former emperor of the world. After conning the title of Sorcerer Supreme from Steven Strange, Doom declared himself ruler of the entire Earth in One World Under Doom. The world’s heroes united to bring down the despotic tyrant, but even all their forces combined weren’t enough to depose Doom. In a climactic final battle, Doom alone stood as the victor and immediately used time magic to cement this fact as unchangeable. Unfortunately, he was so focused on the fight that he didn’t notice his beloved goddaughter, Valeria, get caught in the crossfire of his spell.

Doom threatened, pleaded, and begged all the gods he knew to restore Valeria to life, but none listened. In the end, Doom went to the Living Tribunal and made a deal. Valeria was restored to life, and in exchange, Doom relinquished his control of the world and his own life. Doctor Doom is undoubtedly one of the most selfish and despicable people in Marvel, always pretending to be noble for his own ego. However, for the first time, Doom truly did this in the selfless service of another, and that’s something to be commended.

1) Harry Osborn

Harry Osborn’s friendship with Peter Parker has always been a mixture of camaraderie and tragedy. They were best friends who supported each other through some of the worst times in their lives, but also hurt each other so deeply. The fact that Norman being one of Spider-Man’s archenemies led to his death drove a wedge between the two, and even drove Harry insane enough to become the next Green Goblin. He was possessed with a hatred like nothing else, and wanted to ruin Peter’s life no matter the cost.

In their final battle in The Spectacular Spider-Man #200, however, Harry finally had a change of heart. After leaving Peter and MJ for dead in a building rigged to explode, Harry realized how much his friends meant to him and flew back in to save them, just in time. Unfortunately, the explosion caused the experimental Goblin Formula in his veins to poison his blood, and he soon passed away holding Peter’s hand. This is one of the most sobering and painful moments in Spider-Man’s long career, and one that reminds us all that it’s never too late to do the right thing.

So there we have five Marvel villains who gave up their lives for the greater good. Which of these heroic villain sacrifices was your favorite, and what other examples would you have up on this list?

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