There are plenty of heroes in theMarveluniverse. Most heroes are good from the start and earn a great reputation. However, not all have such noble beginnings. A few have had rough starts and were first introduced to audiences as villains.
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A villain turning into a hero isa tough transition for some, but some of these former antagonists can prove they were good people, to begin with — just misguided. The road to redemption is a bumpy one, but these characters prove there can be a light at the end of the tunnel for anyone willing to try.
Update on June 02, 2025, by Sarah Prado:There are plenty of characters in the Marvel world that are switching sides either constantly or once in a while. Most of these characters have been around for a long time and started off as villainous characters. Some of them still have selfish reasons for doing things that they do, but they aren’t the worst characters out there. However, most of them have found redemption and use their powers for the general good or at least try their best to stay on a good path.
14Warpath
Though he has been a hero for a long time now, Warpath started off as a villain after the death of his brother, John Proudstar, AKA Thunderbird. Believing that the X-Men were responsible for his death, Warpath sought to get revenge on them.
Warpath was part of the Hellions and fought against the New Mutants. He had the chance to kill Professor X but decided against it — the first step towards redeeming himself. After leaving the Hellions, Warpath’s tribe was slaughtered, and he joined the New Mutants in the fight for good.
13Songbird
Songbird had quite a rough home life which eventually led her to become known as Screaming Mimi and join the Grapplers, a female organization that worked with the Roxxon Energy Corporation which did illegal activities. The Grapplers would break and Songbird would later join the Masters of Evil, a villainous group created by Baron Helmut Zemo. After getting arrested and escaping prison, she was contacted by Zemo again and would join the Thunderbolts, another villain group posing as heroes.
The group would actually love doing heroic deeds and becoming full-fledged heroes. Songbird has consistently remained a hero since then and has moved on from her Screaming Mimi identity and days as a villain.
12Emma Frost
Emma Frost has a long and notorious history of being a villain. She is one of the founders of Hellfire Club and was a mentor to the Hellions. She’s fought against the X-Men quite a bit and eventually joined them. However, Emma is also notorious for always looking out for herself and her own goals. Even when she’s heroic, Emma is still an ice queen while doing so.
She’s definitely one of those characters that skate the fine line between good and evil. However, if there’s anything that should be known about her, she’ll always look out for herself first.
11Venom
Venom might serve as an antagonist for Spider-Man, but he has come a long way since his debut. The symbiote and his host Eddie Brock seem to have a solid partnership at this point. They have been shown to protect people and team up with Spider-Man on occasion to do so.
Hemight be an anti-hero, but Venom/Eddie has shown he cares about the world around him. He’s teamed up with Spider-Man and other heroes a few times, slowly but surely growing more heroic on every adventure.
10Morbius
Morbius did start off as an adversary for Spider-Man and Blade, and the one responsible for turning Blade into a dhampir. He does tend to be more of an anti-hero but is really a tragic figure that fans can’t help but feel a little sorry for. Thanks to an experiment gone awry, Morbius is stuck with his pseudo-vampire state and abilities. Because of this, Morbius constantly struggles with his need for human blood and tries his best to find a cure.
He’s an anti-hero and a vigilante, using his dark powers for mostly good. However, there are times when he slips back into being a villain.
9The Punisher
While the Punisher has been considered an anti-hero for a long time, some fans might’ve forgotten that this vigilante started off as a villain in the Spider-Man comics. The Punisher sought revenge on Spider-Man, believing that he murdered Norman Osbourne. After this appearance, the Punisher began to show up more and more as a vigilante campaigning against all crime.
ThePunisher is not afraid to kill, kidnap, extort, or tortureanyone bad, something even most heroes don’t have the stomach to do. And if anyone is wondering if he feels bad about what he’s done: he doesn’t. Ghost Rider’s Penance Stare had no effect on him, showing he regrets nothing.
8Black Widow
Black Widow is usually on the side of good, but she tends to walk on a thin line between that and evil. As a villain, she sought Iron Man and almost destroyed him with the help of Hawkeye. However, she was injured, and when Hawkeye took her away to recover, she began to fall in love with him. When the Red Room captured and brainwashed her, Hawkeye — who had since joined the Avengers — helped her break free.
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She joined the Avengers shortly after and became an espionage agent for S.H.I.E.L.D. Still, Black Widow isnot afraid to get her hands dirtyand isn’t above manipulating and using others. She’ll do whatever it takes to complete her mission.
7Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch started off as a reluctant villain who was one of the first recruits in Magneto’s Brotherhood of Mutants along with her twin brother, Quicksilver. The two didn’t believe in Magneto’s cause and only joined him to repay him after he saved their lives. After Magneto is abducted by Stranger, the twins leave the Brotherhood and join the Avengers.
Since then, Scarlet Witch has mostly been on the side of good, but she’s been an enemy to both heroes and villains. At times, hermental instability has been her undoingand the world suffers with her. Because of this, her allies and brother usually stick close to her to verify she doesn’t use her powers in anger.
6Quicksilver
Like his sister, Quicksilver was one of the first recruits for the Brotherhood of Mutants and was an enemy to heroes. After joining the Avengers, though, Quicksilver has consistently remained on the side of good.
Unlike his sister, he is the least likely to cause any horrible world-altering events. He will team up with others to stop her if she becomes a threat. Many villains-turned-heroes still display some moral ambiguity, but this is definitely less the case with Quicksilver.
5Deadpool
The Merc with a Mouth wasn’t alwaysthe witty, funny anti-herothat fans know and love today. Deadpool initially appeared as a villain against Cable and the New Mutants and continued to appear as an antagonist against the X-Force for a short time. While he was always a smart-aleck, he was more reserved and serious than he is now.
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Thankfully, he changed for the better and has become one of the most popular anti-heroes of Marvel. While he has no problems getting his hands dirty, Deadpool now fights to protect innocents in a violent and fabulous fashion.
