5 Marvel Villains That Need Their Own Series

Villain and ex-villain protagonist seem to be a trend at Marvel Comics these days. Doctor Doom is Iron Man. Thanos has his own series and a new Kingpin series, Elektra series, and Bullseye series just announced.

For Marvel, it’s easy to justify. They’ve got a large roster of great villains, many of whom are as relatable and as vulnerable as the Marvel heroes.

So why not take a walk on the dark side? Even with this new lineup of strong villain-led books, there are plenty more villains deserving of Marvel’s spotlight.

ComicBook.com says bring on the bad guys. Here are five more Marvel villains who deserve solo series of their own.

Mystique

Mystique had a solo series in the past and now seems like the time for another one. The shapeshifting mutant has been adrift in recent years. She went from running an MGH ring on Madripoor to nearly destroying the world in order to resurrect her dead partner, Destiny.

In a recent issue of Uncanny X-Men, Psylocke used her psychic dagger to “fix” Mystique’s brain, which changed form with Mystique’s body causing her personality and motivations to be in a constant state of flux.

With this new development, now seems like the perfect time for Mystique to get her own solo series in which she sets about redefining who she really is. Marvel adding another book featuring an LGBTQ character in the lead role would be a bonus as well.

Mystique

Taskmaster

Taskmaster is another character whose had the spotlight before, but now seems like the right time to give it to him again.

Taskmaster is arguably the most underrated and underappreciated villain in the Marvel Universe. His “photographic reflexes,” which allow him to instantly master any fighting technique or maneuver just by watching it used once, makes him as potentially deadly as any villain the Avengers, Fantastic Four, or X-Men have ever come up against.

And yet he is mostly relegated to one-off appearances where he’s on a simple merc job, out for revenge, or training other villains. He’s capable of much more than that. A series where Taskmaster himself realizes this and decides to fulfill his own potential could be exciting.

Ronan

Ronan the Accuser isn’t a straightforward villain. He’s what Dungeons and Dragons players would call “lawful neutral.” He seeks by the book justice no matter what the context.

Ronan was a duly deputized member of the Kree’s law enforcement corps, but Hala, the Kree homeworld, was recently destroyed with Ronan on it.

Assuming Marvel finds a way to bring Ronan back from the dead, it would be interesting to watch him forced to redefine justice without the context of the Kree society and the guidance of the Kree Supreme Intelligence. It would be a moment that could potentially redefine Ronan as a character.

Black Cat

Spider-Man foe Black Cat has gotten a serious upgarde stature recently. Once a simple burglar, now Black Cat is running much of organized crime in New York City.

A Catwoman series with a similar premise ran for a while at DC Comics, and a similar idea could work for Black Cat at Marvel. Now, with Kingpin comign back on the crime scene in his own solo series, there’s a lot of potential for Marvel covering the organized crime angle and perhaps setting up a crossover showdown between the Kingpin and Black Cat. Felicia Hardy vs. Wilson fisk is a matchup worth watching.

Sabretooth

Sabretooth has gone through a huge transformation recently, one not of his own design.

Once happy to be the murderous archnemesis of Wolverine, Sabretooth had his personality inverted during the events of Avengers vs. X-Men: AXIS.

When Wolverine died, Sabretooth’s new sense of duty and honor motivated him to make up for his past sins by taking Wolverine place on the new Uncanny Avengers Unity Squad roster.

With the Terrigen Mists now threatening mutants everywhere, Sabretooth has been running with Magneto as a member of his X-Men team, fighting hard to keep mutants alive.

Once the Terrigen problem is done, it seems like a good time for Sabretooth to strike out on his own and further attempt to make good for his past deeds. He has several lifetimes worth to work on.