Marvel's Greatest Villains, Then and Now

Have you ever wondered what your favorite Marvel villains looked like before they became huge? Way before Tom Hiddleston or Sir Ian McKellen stepped into their roles, the supervillains of Marvel got their humble beginnings in comic books, where they've evolved through the years and eventually inspired the big screen adaptations we know of today!

Check out what Marvel's popular villains looked like from their first appearances and beginnings, and see how far they've come in the present!

LOKI
Loki was introduced in Journey into Mystery #85 (1962) as a sly and cunning sonovagun who used his God of Mischief status to make his brother Thor's life hell on Earth.  Loki has been a lot of things through the years (even turning into a raven-haired woman at one point!), but these days he's been reincarnated as Kid Loki and is hanging out with the Young Avengers, probably learning what it takes to be a real hero. Let's hope it sticks, no?


MAGNETO
X-Men #1 gave us the foremost X-Men foe Magneto in the red and purple costume he would wear for most of his villainous (and oftentimes heroic!) life. After the huge Avengers vs. X-Men event, though, he's riding with Cyclops' Uncanny X-Men and sporting a white, arm-baring ensemble that makes you think "Damn, he looks fit for an 80-year-old."


THE MANDARIN
Forget Trevor Slattery. OG Mandarin was a straight up karate-chopping, ten-ring wielding evil dude who made Tony Stark's life hell. Nowadays he's less "Chinese warlord" and more "evil CEO",  but now he's armed with cutting-edge technology to go toe-to-toe with the Armored Avenger...and still look stylish doing it!


RED SKULL
Either it's the art style of the day, or Red Skull was absolutely horrifying in his first appearance (Captain America Comics #4, 1946). Not much has changed for the crimson-domed Nazi, except perhaps for his fashion sense. These days he's got telepathic powers (don't ask me how if you value your lunch) and have battled the Uncanny Avengers.

THANOS
The Mad Titan Thanos has cleaned up quite nicely since his first appearance in Iron Man #55 (1973). He's courted Death, killed half the galaxy, and got killed himself so many times I've lost track. Right now he's back and better than ever, crushing heroes under the heel of his titanic boot in Marvel's Infinity event.

ULTRON
For a villain as badass as Ultron, it's amazing to know that he started out as a face on wheels with the mind of a newborn baby (and invented by Dr. Henry Pym, in case anyone forgets). But make no mistake, Ultron has evolved into a villain no one wants to mess with. He's already headlined a couple of major crossover comic book events  like Annihilation: Conquest in 2008 and the recent Age of Ultron this 2013, having kicked so much superhero ass that when the name Ultron comes up, it's a 100% certainty that things are going to get really bad.


Wow! Marvel's villains have sure come a long way! So who are your favorite Marvel villains, and what do they do or look like now? Leave a comment below and let's talk about it! Thanks for reading!


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5 Comments

  1. Replies
    1. Welcome to the blog, Carl!

      Unfortunately, Brainiac is a DC villain, and since we're talking about Marvel villains for now, maybe we can do the same for DC next time? :)

      Delete
  2. Hahaha.. My Bad. I really confuse sometimes(Palusot Hahaha). Magneto has a bad ass new costume.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's okay, it happens to the best of us! :D And yeah, Mags sure has some sweet threads. But the red suits him more, I would think.

      Delete
  3. Except, Mandarin has been a CEO type of villain not long after he first appeared. In 1973, he was presented as a foreign businessman Gene Khan who was trying to sabotage Tony Stark's public image and his company.

    ReplyDelete
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