Marvel’s rogues’ gallery is vast, but not every villain can be a Doctor Doom or a Magneto. The problem with many of these weaker Avengers villains isn’t just their lack of power — it’s their inability to recognize how futile their schemes are. And yet, in their own way, these villains serve a purpose. They’re still part of the larger ecosystem of heroism and villainy. After all, not every battle needs to be for the fate of the universe.
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So, let’s give them some credit. These villains want to challenge the status quo, to push against the mightiest heroes. They may not be remembered as legendary foes, but their failures make the victories of heroes that much sweeter.
10) Whirlwind
First introduced in Tales to Astonish #50 (1963), Whirlwind started off as a recurring headache for Ant-Man and the Wasp. Whirlwind is technically a mutant with the ability to spin to generate tornado-like winds. His schemes often revolve around petty crimes or his obsessive fixation on Janet van Dyne, which consistently leads to his downfall. In Captain America #130 (1970), he attempted to take out Captain America using his spinning attacks and blades, only to have Cap deflect the attacks with his shield and easily trip him up. Whirlwind’s biggest weakness is that he’s predictable.
9) Leap-Frog
Leap-Frog is weak even by Marvel’s “goofy gadget villain” standards. The Leap-Frog wears a frog-themed suit with spring-loaded boots that let him leap great distances. That’s basically it. Leap-Frog has occasionally crossed paths with members of the Avengers, but he’s always been a background player at best. In Iron Man #127 (1979), he was part of a gathering of second-string villains, where he was quickly overshadowed by more competent foes. Leap-Frog also had a few run-ins with Spider-Man, most notably in Spectacular Spider-Man #185 (1992). Things didn’t go any better for him there.
8) The Melter
The Melter, aka Bruno Horgan, is what happens when a bitter industrialist swaps accountability for vengeance. A former rival to Tony Stark, Horgan fell apart after losing his business to Stark’s superior tech and safety standards. He reinvented himself as the Melter after stumbling across a device that could “melt” metal.
His only real “power” is said ray, which Iron Man routinely outsmarts with upgrades, tactics, or, honestly, common sense. He’s clashed with the Avengers as part of teams like the Masters of Evil, but even there, he rarely contributes meaningfully to their plans and usually ends up defeated by the team’s combined might.
7) The Porcupine
A former weapons designer for the U.S. government, Gentry created a porcupine-themed battle suit, believing it would be the ultimate weapon. His suit was equipped with quills that could shoot gas, explosives, or other weapons, but despite the arsenal, he never managed to be a credible threat to any hero. Over the years, he tangled with other heroes like Captain America, Iron Man, and Hawkeye, but he was never more than a minor nuisance. He even joined the Masters of Evil, but like other second-stringers in the group, he was overshadowed by more competent villains.
6) Plantman
The Plantman is another entry in the long list of Marvel’s underwhelming villains. He’s a former gardener-turned-supervillain whose gimmick is, unsurprisingly, plants. First appearing in Strange Tales #113 (1963), he developed a special device called the “vegatron” that allowed him to control plants.
While this sounds mildly threatening on paper, in execution, Plantman’s powers have consistently fallen flat, and he’s earned a reputation as one of the weakest Avengers villains. Plantman is only threatening in environments with abundant plant life, and even then, his creations are fragile. Against heroes with fire, tech, or sheer strength, his powers are laughably ineffective.
5) The Ringer
The Ringer’s gimmick, as you might guess, revolves around using rings as weapons. Two different people have taken up the mantle of the Ringer over the years. The first was Anthony Davis, a NASA lab technician and AIM agent. The second, and perhaps more well-known Ringer, is Keith Kraft, who donned the costume after Davis’s supposed death.
In Spectacular Spider-Man (1976) #58, Anthony Davis was beaten by Abner Jenkins (Beetle) with a single punch. Meanwhile, Keith Kraft’s first big outing didn’t go much better — he accidentally ensnared his own teammate, Killer Shrike, with his rings. She-Hulk once quipped that the Ringer and Boomerang were essentially the same character because they both just throw things. It’s safe to say that neither version of the Ringer struck fear into the hearts of Marvel’s heroes.
4) Stilt-Man
Stilt-Man has clashed with Daredevil, Spider-Man, and the Punisher, with frequent run-ins involving Black Widow and Luke Cage. His claim to fame is a ridiculous suit of armor equipped with extendable, telescopic legs that allow him to tower over his enemies. To be fair, Stilt-Man occasionally weaponizes verticality in clever ways — sniping from above line-of-sight, using street canyons to limit angles of attack, or escaping by stepping over cordons.
He’s also persistent, constantly improving his gear. But persistence isn’t the same as escalation. The stilts remain a single-point failure system. Topple him, jam hydraulics, or sever power conduits and the fight’s over. Even when he surprises a hero, any flyer, telekinetic, web-slinger, or energy projector hard-counters him immediately.
3) The Human Fly
The Human Fly has remained a C-list villain at best, and even that might be generous. The original Human Fly, Richard Deacon, was a small-time thug who met his untimely demise during a botched robbery. Desperate to survive, he struck a deal with a rogue scientist who injected him with a serum made from fly DNA. Deacon debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #10 and has repeatedly clashed with Spider-Man, often losing because Spidey out-thinks him, outmaneuvers him in the air, or webs his wings.
2) Batroc the Leaper
Batroc is a French mercenary and master of savate (a French form of kickboxing) who relies on his combat skills to take on superheroes. While he’s undeniably skilled, his powers leave him hopelessly outmatched against most Avengers-level threats. Batroc’s most frequent opponent is Captain America, with their first encounter coming in Tales of Suspense #75. Of course, Cap’s super-soldier strength and strategic mind have always given him the upper hand. To his credit, Batroc is not a joke. Writers frequently frame him as a pro: disciplined, honorable (by mercenary standards), and technically superb.
1) The Beetle
Abner Jenkins (the original Beetle) is a talented mechanic who built a beetle-themed battlesuit. Like many tech-based villains, the Beetle is entirely reliant on his armor. While the suit gives him enhanced strength, flight, and some weaponry, it’s far from powerful enough to compete with most superheroes. Against Iron Man in particular, Beetle’s suit is consistently outclassed. Repulsors overwhelm his plating, and targeting software exploits his beetle-wing flight profile. The Beetle has also had many encounters with Spider-Man. Unfortunately for Jenkins, Spider-Man’s agility and webbing consistently render the Beetle’s attacks useless.
What do you think about these Avengers villains? Let us know in the comments!
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