Marvel Comics has given readers some of the best superheroes ever, but that’s only possible because of how great the villains are. These bad guys hold up a dark mirror to the ideals of the hero, showing them the ugly realities of the world they’re trying to save. Making a great villain is a delicate balancing act. They have to look cool and have powers that allow them to be a danger in some way or another. They have to a cool back story, one that shows them for more than just evil people who want to destroy everything (although you do need some villains like that). This leads us to the most important part of a villain, one that takes everything else and rolls into one – the villain’s philosophy.
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The codes by which some villains live their lives are fascinating and help make them into something special. Some of their motives, despite being horrific, can often make sense and allow them to become something more than just the bad guy of the story. These seven Marvel villain philosophies are the best, ones that have allowed these antagonists to become special.
7) The Celestials
The Celestials are one of the most powerful forces in the universe, inscrutable cosmic giants with power that even gods fear. Their entire existence is based around their philosophy – the proliferation of life. They have traveled the cosmos for eons, seeding life on empty worlds and shepherding them to their destiny. If they fail, the Celestials destroy them and move on to the next world. The Celestials, in their own way, believe completely in the power of life. Sure, they’ll destroy anything that doesn’t meet their high standards, but their whole existence is about creating beings powerful enough to survive a cruel universe.
6) Sabretooth
Sabretooth is Wolverine’s greatest foe, their rivalry defined by Victor Creed’s philosophy on the world. Victor was chained up in the basement by his parents when his powers manifested, something that showed him the cruelty of life. Victor believes that the world is a jungle and that those with powers are able to do whatever they want. He’s a hedonist, driven by his own desires, and will do whatever he wants until someone stops him. To Sabretooth, it’s quite literally a dog eat dog world and he’s going to eat every well. He’s a mirror for the brutality of the world, showing that underneath all the nicety, there’s a beast willing to do anything it wants.
5) Ultron
Ultron is one of the Avengers’ most brutal villains, an inhuman monster that wants the death of all biological beings. Now, obviously, this is a horrific philosophy, but it’s helped make the mad android so very interesting. To him, humanity and other biological beings are inefficient forms of life; they devour everything and leave nothing but wreckage in their wake. He believes that the cold logic of machines make them the superior life form, and there’s honestly something to that; humans are kind of monstrous to the world and those living beings around them. Ultron’s hatred of humanity sometimes makes a lot of sense and that’s what has made him more than just a generic robot who wants to destroy all living things.
4) Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom is Marvel’s greatest monster, a man whose tragic life has molded him into something terrible. What makes him so interesting is that Doom is actually a pretty honorable man who wants the best for the world. He wants to use his mind to create a world where everyone has a better life… as long as they follow him. He believes in monarchy with his whole heart; to him, a king is supposed to do everything in their power to help his people, while the people’s job is to listen to and love their king. However, one of the problems is that he also believes that a monarch has complete control over the lives of everyone under him, which is what has led to his tyranny; he’ll sacrifice people to make sure the majority has a great life. He could be the greatest leader the world has ever seen but his desire for control and the love of those around him has twisted him into a cruel dictator.
3) Thanos
Thanos is considered Marvel’s greatest villain by many and his nihilistic outlook on the universe is one of the interesting in the Marvel Universe. The Mad Titan was born looking different from the other Eternals of Titan and was treated like a monster. He started to believe that there was no point to anything at all, and fell in love with the concept of nothingness and death. Thanos’s love of Mistress Death is part and parcel of his nihilism; she’s the concept of oblivion personified. The saddest thing about Thanos is that he could have been a completely different person if his people had treated him better. Instead, he’s become one of the greatest monsters the universe has ever seen.
2) Destiny
Destiny is one of the most interesting X-Men villains of them all, mainly because of how she looks at the world. The blind seer has been predicting the future since her powers manifested; she’s seen the worst things that can happen and has decided to use this power to help both herself, those she loves, and the mutant race. She’s willing to do anything to make sure the future is better for mutants, even allowing herself to die in order to bring about the Krakoa Era. Her entire life is defined by molding the future, and she’ll allow nothing, not even her own life, to stand in the way of a better world.
1) Apocalypse
Apocalypse has become one of the X-Men’s most popular villains and his philosophy on the world is a huge part of that. En Sabah Nur learned only the strong survive when his village was destroyed by the forces of Rama-Tut in Ancient Egypt, and has spent millennia refining this idea. Apocalypse is the ultimate Darwinist and he’s all about allowing beings to unlock their inner strength, to prove their worth. Apocalypse has often chosen those who seemed weak and made them strong, giving them the power to prove that they had what it took to survive. In Apocalypse’s world, the only thing that matters is strength.
What’s you favorite Marvel villain philosophy? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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