Comics

The 10 Best Second Generation Marvel Heroes & Villains

When kids match up to their Marvel parents.

Image Courtesy ofย Marvel Comics

With Marvel Comics having been around for over six decades, there has been plenty of time for heroes and villains to have watched their children grow up. This has led to several second-generation heroes and villains in Marvel Comics, some who matched up to their parents and others who fell very short of what might have been expected from them. A Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ series just introduced a second-generation villain from the comics who was the son of the very first-ever MCU villain. Obadiah Stane was the villain in Iron Man, the first MCU movie, and his son Zeke appeared in Ironheart, also becoming a villain himself.

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Ezekiel Stane was also a villain in Marvel Comics, although he was in no way as sympathetic as the Ironheart version of the character. He is also, in no way, one of the best second-generation stars, although he did make his mark in Iron Man comics, getting revenge for his father’s fate.

10) Ezekiel Stane

Ezekiel Stane
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Ezekiel Stane is the son of Obadiah Stane, who was Iron Monger in the MCU and was also a thorn in Tony Stark’s side in Marvel Comics as well. Obadiah Stane first appeared in 1982 and died in 1985, only giving him three years to live as an Iron Man villain. While Obadiah was a friend of Howard Stark, it was Zeke and Tony who were second-generation here, and Zeke blamed Tony for his dad’s downfall. Zeke first showed up in The Order Vol. 2 #8 and became a major Iron Man villain, trying to one-up Tony the entire time. His dad died when he was a child, and he had been planning revenge since he was nine, making numerous enhancements to his body to make him a threat. As the CEO of Stane International, he poses various threats to Iron Man, both as a supervillain and a rival competitor.

9) Red Goblin (Normie Osborn)

Red Goblin (Normie Osborn)
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Normie Osborn is a relatively new antihero in Marvel Comics. He is the son of Harry Osborn and the grandson of Norman Osborn. Additionally, he is the host of the symbiote Rascal. While Normie has been in comics for many years, his entry as a symbiote host is relatively new, and his title as the Red Goblin is somewhat controversial, given that his grandfather previously held this role as a villain. Normie has joined the Avengers Academy and is trying hard to be a hero and get his grandfather’s legacy behind him. Normie also hosted the Carnage symbiote once, but the latest symbiote is much better for him, and he is on his way to becoming a legitimate hero.

8) Skaar

Skaar
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Skaar showed up on Earth as a major villain, but it wasn’t his fault. Skaaar is the son of Hulk and his bride on Sakaar, Caiera. When Caiera died in a terrorist bombing, she was pregnant with Hulk’s child, and that sent World Breaker Hulk to Earth to seek revenge. However, the baby survived and rapidly aged to become Skaar. He believed his father purposefully abandoned him and sought vengeance. When he learned the truth, he eventually became an antihero, although he has also worked as a villain, such as with Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers (albeit as a double agent). Skaar has since become a genuine hero, helping save the world on more than one occasion as the son of the Hulk.

7) Cable

Cable
Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics

Cable is an interesting second-generation Marvel Comics antihero. This is because he was born to Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor, the latter of whom was a clone of Jean Grey. When Scott left his wife and son after Jean Grey was found still alive, Mister Sinister had the baby abducted and experimented on. Nathan ended up infected with the Techno-Organic Virus, and Scott had him sent to the future, where they could save his life. Cable eventually returned as an adult from an Earth ruled by Apocalypse and swore to protect the timeline at any cost. Cable eventually developed a relationship with his father, Cyclops. However, it was never a father-son relationship. He also worked with and led the New Mutants and X-Force teams since returning to the 616 timeline.

6) Hulkling

Hulkling
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When Hulkling first appeared in Young Avengers #1, it seemed he was a teen variant of the Hulk. However, he was much more than that. He was, in fact, a Skrull and Kree hybrid. Not only that, but his father was none other than Captain Mar-Vell, while his mother was a Skrull princess. His powers include shape-shifting, and he can transform into extremely powerful forms to aid in battle. However, his power levels are more than his superhuman abilities. He is also the emperor of the Kree-Skrull Alliance, and he has the full power of both of these races’ armies behind him. Hulkling is also extremely important in Marvel Comics, thanks to his depth and personal life, as he is married to another powerful second-generation star, Wiccan.

5) Daken

Daken as Hellverine
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Daken is Wolverine’s son. Akihiro’s origin was very similar to that of Skaar, as Wolverine had no idea of his son’s existence until the man showed up to kill him. In this case, Akihiro was Itsu’s son, born after World War II, who developed his mutant powers thanks to his father, including a healing factor, longevity, and retractable claws. He was cut from his dead mother’s womb and given to a wealthy Japanese family. He murdered them and was raised to be a ruthless killer by Wolverine’s hated enemy, Romulus. He finally made amends with his dad while living in the mutant nation of Krakoa and became part of X-Factor for a time. He is now in a new phase of his life. After Sabretooth murdered him, he was resurrected by the demon Bagra-ghul and is now bonded with a Spirit of Vengeance, known as Hellverine.

4) Rachel Summers

Rachel Summers
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Rachel Summers is another second-generation hero from the Summers’ family lineage. However, unlike Cable, who was born on Earth-616, Rachel Summers was born in the Days of Future Past timeline. Her father is Cyclops, and her mother is Jean Grey, which gives her the powers of the Phoenix, as well as her mother’s telepathic and telekinetic abilities. Rachel Summers ended up being transportedย to the past, placing her on Earth-616, where she joined the X-Men and became a hero with a very different Scott and Jean. She has also become one of the X-Men’s most powerful members, and in one timeline, she became the leader of a rebellion, seeking to end the rule of the mutant messiah. Her telepathy might be even more powerful than that of Jean Grey.

3) Legion

Legion
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Legion is easily one of the most powerful second-generation Marvel Comics characters. He is also one of the most dangerous, thanks to his multiple personalities, each one with different powers. David Haller is Professor Charles Xavier’s son, but his powers are very different from his dad’s. Thanks to his multiple personalities, he can spontaneously manifest mutations and create a new power for each alter that appears from his mind. He has said at one time that he has 200 Omega-level split personalities. He has also been very disruptive. He went back in time to assassinate Magneto, aiming to prevent his future threat, but accidentally caused the death of his father, which ultimately led to the end of his existence and the introduction of the Age of Apocalypse timeline.

2) Wiccan

Wiccan
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Wiccan is one of the most powerful second-generation heroes in Marvel Comics. That is because he is one of the twin sons of the Scarlet Witch, or at least the essence was sent into the body of William Kaplan. His brother became Speed, but Wiccan gained a form of Wanda’s chaos magic. However, for Wiccan it is reality manipulation magic. It has been suggested that Wiccan could one day become a being known as the Demiurge, and he could end up warping and changing all of reality at his whim. That makes him one of the most powerful magic users in Marvel Comics, although at his young age, he still has a lot to learn before he ever reaches that level.

1) Franklin Richards

Franklin Richards
Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics

The most powerful second-generation character in the Marvel Comics world is easily Franklin Richards. The son of Reed Richards and the Invisible Woman, he has powers thanks to the cosmic energy that flowed through their bodies, and his powers dwarf anything they ever dreamed of. As a child, Franklin created pocket universes, including entire races that never existed until he imagined them into existence. When Onslaught destroyed the Marvel Universe, Franklin created a new pocket universe that saved everyone, and then reinvented the 616 universe once he knew Onslaught was gone. After Secret Wars, Franklin was one of the people who helped fix the Marvel Universe. There might not be anyone in Marvel Comics who is more powerful than Franklin Richards.