Marvel superheroes and supervillains have always had something to special to them, and that’s helped the House of Ideas stand out. Over the decades, their characters have been taken in all kinds of amazing directions. One of the best parts about the Marvel Universe is the way it’s changed over the years. Their heroes and villains often debuted one way and have become something entirely different from what they were, especially the villains. Many of these antagonists have gotten more and more popular, which has led to them getting more attention, and this has been the catalyst for them to change.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Change can be the best thing for a villain. Everything gets old eventually, and change can keep them vital. In fact, some of them have changed so much, they aren’t even villains anymore. These seven Marvel villains are completely different from who they were, having become very different from their first appearance.
7) Absorbing Man
Absorbing Man first appeared as a Thor villain. Crusher Creel was given absorbing powers, super strength, and invulnerability, along with his magic ball and chain, from Loki. Creel was always a big dumb criminal, someone who just wanted to rob banks, fight people, and make the biggest scores. However, his relationship with Titania began changing him and he’s since become a much better person. He’s still kind of dumb, but he’s no longer that much of a criminal and he seems way smarter than he used to be. He’s even joined Gamma Flight, one of the main space forces on Earth.
6) Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister is an X-Men legend, and was once positioned as the next big villain for the team. He was the man in the shadows, obsessed with genetic experimentation. He was a dark, secretive, evil presence, but all of that changed in Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 2), when he went after the Sleeping Celestial. He suddenly became a way funnier, way campier villain than he had once been. He no longer sat in the shadows, but was out there being as extra as possible. He described his own sense of humor as coming from the “choice seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race.”. That’s something he never would have said before (he said this particular line in 2022’s Immortal X-Men #1). He is completely different from who he used to be, and it’s a huge improvement.
5) Omega Red
Wolverine has some dangerous villains, and one of the most interesting is Omega Red. He was basically Soviet Wolverine: he was a mutant who was recruited by the government and made into a weapon. He was defeated by Logan and Team X, and then revived in the modern day, where he was played as a wild, revenge obsessed villain. So, a basic Wolverine villain. However, in recent years, he’s become more than just a bad guy who likes to kill. Creators have given him more dimensions, making him something of a tragic character. This is completely different from what he was before, allowing him to go in new story directions.
4) Loki
Loki was once a patented Stan Lee villain. They came up with grandiose plans, were known for their histrionic-inflected speeches and ideas, and hated everyone but themselves basically. Since then, the character has changed completely. There have been numerous versions of Loki over the years, and they’ve led the character to something new. They’re less of a villain than they used to be, have went from the God of Mischief to God of Stories, and has fought alongside their brother Thor, as well as leading the Defenders. Loki is still villainous at times, but there’s more to them than ever. They’re way more interesting to read about, because it’s actually hard to figure out what they’re going to do next.
3) Nimrod
Nimrod is the ultimate Sentinel. The first time we met a Nimrod unit it was from the future, and was able to trounce the X-Men rather easily thanks to its weapon systems. It was a pretty standard robotic bad guy — kind of emotionless and obsessed with its mission. However, it would change as the years went on, becoming more human before it went through the Siege Perilous with a Master Mold and became Bastion. The next Nimrod we saw wasn’t like the first; it was more human from the beginning, much less of a machine, and even was pretty quippy for a robot. The programming must have been changed, leading the ultimate Sentinel in new directions.
2) Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom is a monster, but he’s a monster that has changed a lot. Like Loki, he was another Stan Lee special, all histrionics and third person rants about the accursed Richards. He hated the Fantastic Four and Iron Man, and held pretty much everyone else in the world in disdain, except for adopted son Kristoff, his old girlfriend Valeria (who he would later kill), and Storm (which makes completely sense because Storm is perfect; just ask Chris Claremont). That has changed. He’s become less overtly villainous over the decades, and has become a de facto member of the Richards’ family. He’s a much more complex character than he ever was before, and it’s made him way cooler than he once was.
1) Ultron
Ultron is one of the most dangerous villains in the Marvel Universe. That’s one thing that hasn’t changed about him, but the mad android’s personality has become much different. One of the most interesting things about the villain is that if you go back and read his old stories, you’ll see that he’s much more like the classic Marvel villains of the Silver and Bronze Age than the monstrous robot he is today. Ultron was actually kind of humorous back in the day, and now he’s a cold, uncaring digital consciousness that wants to destroy all organic life. He’s more evil than ever, and way scarier to read about nowadays.
What do you think? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Netflix -
Image courtesy of Iron Gate and Coffee Stain -
Image Courtesy of Apple -
Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics
