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The achievement of Marvel comics is not only their superheroes but also their Marvel villains. While the heroes are relatable and human, the villains have a psyche that seems logical. Many of these characters work both as anti-heroes and on the good side, depending on the storyline.
Although extremely powerful, most villains expose and exploit the protagonist’s flaws. The larger-than-life negative personalities have origin stories that reach out to readers emotionally, and fans do not blame them for their twisted psyche. While some of these villains, like Thanos, are born out of childhood trauma, others fight for what they think is important, like Helmut Zemo.
While most comic book characters fight to win, many Marvel anti-heroes have a well-formed justification for battling the hero. Although most Marvel villains have some backstories, here is a compilation of some of the more interesting origins.
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Disclaimer: The selection of characters is the author’s choice and is ranked in no particular order.
Thanos, Green Goblin, and 8 other Marvel villains with fascinating origin histories
1) Thanos
The MCU has given “The Mad Titan” an impressive stature. However, the backstory of this mega-Marvel villain is quite heartbreaking. Born with purple skin due to a deviant gene, this child of an Eternal survived his mother’s attempt to kill him. Growing up to be a bright teenager, an unsocial Thanos became kill-happy. After killing his mother, his singular goal was to gain love from Death.
2) Green Goblin
Norman Osborne was brought up under an abusive father, and his chief concern was the family name. His priorities made him a single-tracked workaholic and a negligent father to Harry. His greed for fame and his selfishness for personal benefits made him a dreaded Spider-Man villain, the Green Goblin. In trying to be better than his father, Norman ended up being worse.
3) Magneto
Max Eisenhardt, who escaped from Auschwitz, adopted the name Erik Lehnsherr. Capable of manipulating magnetic fields, this mutant Marvel villain was isolated by society. With his family killed by Nazis during World War II, Magneto fights to keep the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants together against his former friend Charles Xavier’s X-Men.
4) Loki
The MCU has portrayed Loki as a charming trickster. However, the Marvel villain’s history is one of the most tragic, and his turning evil is understandable. Born to the Frost Giants, baby Loki Laufeyson was adopted by Odin. Always feeling like an outsider and jealous of his brother Thor’s accomplishments, the spiteful troublemaker is looking for love and acceptance in Asgard.
5) Killmonger
MCU’s Black Panther has portrayed Erik Killmonger as a charismatic villain who is intelligent, brave, a great strategist, and sympathetic to the cause. After seeing his father die abandoned by his own people, Erik was taken in and trained by Ulysses Klaw. While the emotional manipulation that he went through turned him into a revenge-hungry character, he aims to end the oppression of black people.
6) Helmut Zemo
With no superpower, Helmut Zemo is an example of the power of a vengeful mind. Born in Sokovia, he and his family suffered due to the Avengers’ fight with Ultron. His expectation of promised help from the Avengers was shattered, and he turned vengeful. However, this Marvel villain depicts a common man whose life is affected by the Avengers’ fights.
7) Sandman
After his initial fight in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, Sandman returned to fight the three webbing superheroes in Spider-Man: No Way Home. He is not a big, menacing Marvel villain but is a victim of circumstances. Ben Parker's death was an accident, as was his falling into a supercollider, making him a Sandman. Unfortunately, he is unable to visit his daughter.
8) Juggernaut
Going by the name Juggernaut, Cain Marko is the stepbrother of Charles Xavier. Being treated violently by his biological father, who loved Charles more, Cain was a tortured soul filled with anger and jealousy. He was influenced by negative characters like Black Tom Cassidy and Crimson Gem of Cytorrak, who built him as a villain.
9) Red Skull
When Johann Schmidt was born, his mother died, and his father blamed him for that. Father’s abuse ruined his psyche, which manifested in violent reactions to future rejections. His ambitious experiment went wrong, making him the Red Skull. His trust in Nazism further served as grounds for his cruel expressions of anger and hatred and transformed him into a complicated Marvel villain.
10) Galactus
Born as a humanoid Galan, his rebirth as Galactus was due to the destruction of his planet. One of the most powerful Marvel villains in comics, Galactus is not a vile character. The main action of this friendless, empty soul is to maintain his life force, and for that, he feeds on planets. His existence makes him destructive, and his actions must be fought by heroes.
Marvel Comics is not short of heroes and villains. There are many more rogues and outlaws, such as the Kingpin, Doctor Doom, and Namor. Some Marvel villains, such as Nebula and Winter Soldier, have changed sides from bad to good and vice versa. Having complex grey characters makes the stories more interesting.
