Marvel Comics loves to torture heroes, and there isn’t a better way to put them through hell than to turn them into a literal monster. There are some Marvel Comics heroes who are automatically considered monsters thanks to their powers, such as Bruce Banner becoming the Hulk, Ben Grimm becoming the Thing, and Jack Russell turning into the Werewolf by Night. However, there are other cases where heroes who are normally humanoid-looking end up transformed into something terrifying by some means, and they have to revert to their more human forms before it is too late.
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This has even happened to some of Marvel’s most iconic heroes over time, and here is a look at seven Marvel Comics heroes who were turned into actual monsters.
7) Man-Spider
There are rumors that Spider-Man might turn into Man-Spider in the upcoming movie, Spider-Man: Brand New Day. If that is true, it comes directly from a Marvel Comics storyline. This happened twice in the comics. The first time, Plant-Man mutated him into the beast in Amazing Spider-Man #437.
This was likely the issue that influenced the Man-Spider storyline from the 1994 cartoon series. It happened again in Spectacular Spider-Man #15-20, where the Queen mutated Spider-Man into a monster, which eventually turned him into a giant, literal spider.
6) Beast Turned Himself Blue
Sometimes, it is the hero who turns himself into a monster. Beast was one of the original X-Men members when Marvel first introduced the mutants into comics. This wasn’t the Beast most Marvel fans are used to, as he was a normal-looking human, but with larger feet and hands. He was even a star football player for a time in high school. However, after he graduated from the Xavier Institute, he worked as a scientist.
Beast came up with a formula that could induce temporary mutations, and he took it when he realized someone was going to steal it for nefarious purposes. This turned him into a body covered in fur, sharp canine teeth, and increased strength. However, he ended up in a fight and couldn’t take the cure in time to reverse the mutation. From this point on, Beast had a monstrous appearance.
5) Wasp in the 90s
Wasp was always a human-looking character, and she used Pym Particles to shrink. She also had wings she used to fly when she was tiny. However, in the 90s, Wasp actually transformed into something less than human. This was during the infamous Crossing event, where Iron Man turned evil and betrayed his teammates. Irpon Man had already killed a few people, and when he shot his repulsor rays at Hercules, he accidentally hit Wasp, and she seemingly died.
Hank Pym tried to use the Pym Particles to revive her, but she ended up in a cocoon and when she came out, she had an alien-looking appearance with real wings. Hank cured the Wasp, but he turned her into something much less than human in appearance. It also made her incredibly powerful, but it only lasted a few months before the Onslaught incident retconned the changes.
4) CapWolf
Captain America once became a werewolf. This happened in Captain America #402-408 in 1992. This story sees Captain America and Doctor Druid investigating the disappearance of John Jameson. They find a small town overrun by werewolves, and when Captain America is captured by Nightshade, he transforms Cap into a werewolf himself.
This remains the most enjoyable, yet bizarre hero-to-monster story in Marvel Comics, as CapWolf ends up teaming with Jameson’s Man-Wolf, the New Mutant hero Wolfsbane, and Jack Russell’s Werewolf by Night to fight and defeat Nightshade. CapWolf is so popular that he has appeared in everything from video games like Marvel Rivals to a miniseries called CapWolf and the Howling Commandos.
3) Frankencastle
During the Dark Reign Marvel series, Norman Osborn sent Daken, who was portraying Wolverine for the Dark Avengers, to deal with the Punisher. Under Osborn’s instructions, Daken attacked Punisher and not only killed Frank Castle, but he chopped him into pieces, ensuring he would never return. Things didn’t work out that way because Punisher came back.
The Motoids find the pieces and take them underground, and Morbius reconstructs him as Frankencastle. Frank then teams up with Morbius, Man-Thing, Werewolf-By-Night, the Living Mummy, and Manphibian as the League of Monsters. This lasted for 21 issues, and all ended with a rematch against Daken and Wolverine. It was one of the Punisher’s most bizarre storylines and one of his most controversial variants in comics.
2) Feral Wolverine
Wolverine has always been on the verge of losing control, and it finally happened following the X-Men storyline Fatal Attractions. This was the story where Magneto lived on Asteroid M, but since the United States kept poking and taunting him, he finally attacked Earth again and brought the X-Men to his doorstep. This is when Magneto did the unthinkable and used his powers to rip out Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton.
The lack of adamantium meant that Wolverine’s actual mutation (turning into a feral creature) was unobstructed. As a result, Logan turned into a feral creature, and he even lost his nose and turned into a savage-looking beast. What makes this run so weird is that it only lasted for about a year, and then between two issues (Wolverine #110 and #111), it ended, and he was back to normal with no explanation.
1) Devil Hulk
The Hulk is technically a monster created after a gamma-radiation explosion. He turns into the Hulk when he is angry, and the Hulk has a mind of his own, which causes problems when the monster rampages. However, while Hulk is a monster on his own, he is a hero at heart. This said, even Hulk changed into an even deadlier monster when he became Devil Hulk.
Devil Hulk debuted in The Incredible Hulk Vol. 2 #13, and this was the dominant personality of the Immortal Hulk. This creature personifies all the resentment Bruce Banner has toward the world because of how people treated him, as well as his feelings of self-hatred. He has glowing red eyes and reptilian traits, and he appears to be stronger than almost all the other Hulk variants. It took Savage and Grey Hulk in Bruce’s mind finally to overcome this Marvel monster.
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images courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
