Top 10 Villains Turned Superheroes
Being bad is more fun, but sometimes you gotta just gotta do the right thing. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we're counting down our Top 10 Villains Turned Superheroes.
For this list, we're looking at villains and rogues who saw the light and turned good, or at least “mostly” good.
Have an idea you want to see made into a WatchMojo video? Check out our suggest page at http://WatchMojo.comsuggest and submit your idea.
#10: The Silver Surfer
Top 10 Superheroes Turned Villains
The once Herald of Galactus has more than a few deaths on his shiny hands, having led his former master to countless planets that were then drained of all life. Of course, this was due to the fact that the man once named Norrin Radd had his memories erased when he entered his new master’s service, removing his intent to only lead Galactus to uninhabited planets. After leading Galactus to Earth, thanks in large part to Ben Grimm’s blind girlfriend Alicia Masters, the soon-to-be-hero regained his former memories and rebelled against his master, subsequently dedicating his solitary life to wandering the starways in search of both his former home and redemption for the crimes he committed while serving Galactus.
#9: Emma Frost
You don’t get to be one of the leaders of a group called “The Hellfire Club” by being a nice person. This statuesque villain spent years as a recurring X-Men baddie before turning over a new leaf and joining Xavier’s school as a teacher and member of the X-Men. While she spent some time leading a group of young mutants called Generation X, she’s better remembered for her time at Xavier’s following the destruction of Genosha. During this stint, she acquired the ability to turn into living diamonds, hooked up with Cyclops and was even murdered before coming back from the dead. And all while wearing one improbable outfit after another!
#8: The Winter Soldier
Top 10 Times Superheroes Worked with Villains
History has not been kind to James Buchanan Barnes, former teen sidekick to Captain America. After seemingly dying in a plane explosion back in WW2, Cap’s best buddy was found and turned into a brainwashed cyborg assassin and kept in cryosleep when not on missions. It took years for poor Bucky to finally break his programming once and for all, and even then he was plagued with guilt for the lives he took in between cryogenic naps. But redemption is never impossible, and Bucky managed to not only overcome his past but took his friend Steve’s place by serving as Captain America for a spell.
#7: Hawkeye
The Avengers’ resident archer extraordinaire has some shady roots. An orphan raised by carnival performers, including the villain known as The Swordsman, Clint Barton started off as a petty crook before turning over a new leaf after a run-in with the Black Widow. After joining the Avengers alongside a couple of other reformed baddies, Clint became a respected member of the team, even if his rebellious attitude caused him to chafe with his new teammates from time to time.
#6: Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch
Originally members of Magneto’s Brotherhood of Mutants, the pair spent years believing themselves to be Magneto’s children before recent events revealed otherwise. After years of fighting for mutant supremacy, the siblings eventually rebelled against their supposed father, joining the Avengers alongside Hawkeye. As you can imagine, a new Avengers roster made up mostly of reformed villains met with some fan backlash, but the pair have gone on to become valued members of the team...at least when they aren’t dead or insane.
#5: Otto Octavius
When most villains turn good they do it with a name or costume change, but Dock Ock took it one step further. After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, Spider-Man’s old enemy managed to swap his mind into the wall crawlers body, leaving Peter’s mind to die inside the body of his old enemy. When this happened, Pete’s life flashed before Doc Ock’s eyes, making him realize the folly of his life of crime. With a fresh new body, the once-tentacled villain vowed to continue the mission of Spider-Man as a new, superior Spider-Man. For a while, he even followed through on it too, before Pete returned to reclaim his body.
#4: Deadpool
Top 10 Deadpool Villains
The Merc with a Mouth has never been an angel, but despite his continued existence as a hired gun, he can usually be counted on to do what’s right… usually… sometimes… if he feels like it. The character first showed up in a decidedly villainous role as a merc hired to kill his future buddy Cable. But as the years went by and readers learned more about his past, the once villain started to turn to the good side. Of course “good” is a relative term, and the regenerating degenerate is still more than happy to take mercenary jobs to make a quick buck.
#3: Catwoman
Batman’s tumultuous relationship with this feline villain has played a massive role in both their lives, with the pair falling in and out of love more times than we can count. Usually, when the two are on the up-and-up, it means that Selina’s left her life of crime behind, and even when she isn’t tied down to old Bats she’s still an altruist at heart. She’s helped keep the streets of Gotham safe on numerous occasions and has taken a special interest in targeting criminals who abuse animals. But even at her most good-hearted, she still prefers to walk on the wilder side.
#2: Rogue
The tough-talking powerhouse is most-often remembered for her extended membership on the X-Men, but like many of the team’s members, she started out on the other side. The character originally appeared working for her mother, the shape-shifting mutant Mystique. But rather than stay with her mother, she instead joined the X-Men after seeking help in controlling her powers. Given that her ability to absorb the powers of others often leaves her with fragments of other peoples’ thoughts and memories rattling around her skull, we think she made the right call. Despite her villainous beginnings, she spent years as a stalwart member of the team, even serving as leader a few times.
#1: Venom
Top 10 Villains Who Have Worn the Venom Symbiote
Just because you’re a terrifying, symbiotic slime beast from beyond the stars doesn’t mean you can’t believe in justice, right? Spider-Man’s arch-foe originally appeared as a dyed-in-the-wool villain, literally, after Spidey’s black costume was revealed to be an alien symbiote. Spidey cast the suit off, and it was subsequently donned by Eddie Brock. While Brock spent some time out for revenge against Spidey, he later turned to good when he moved to San Francisco and began a career as a crimefighter, protecting the city’s homeless community from an evil land developer and even his fellow symbiotes. Later, the symbiote found a new host in Flash Thompson, furthering its transition from villain to hero.
