8 Great Comic Book Supervillains Who Ended Up Becoming Superheroes

With decades worth of history behind them, changes for comic book characters are inevitable, hence why they often shift loyalties. These bad guys becoming heroes was still massively shocking though.

By JoshWilding - Jul 18, 2016 10:07 AM EST

Filed Under: Marvel Comics

Bad guys are arguably always more fun to read the the good ones, but some supervillains can't help but want to be loved...even if it's for all the wrong reasons! The motivations for why an evildoer might decide to renounce their villainous ways to be embraced as a superhero vary, but more often than not, these guys don't care how they're perceived by the public or their fellow "heroes." They just want to do the right thing in the way they consider to be best, and that's what makes them so damn cool.

Are they anti-heroes? Are they villains who just so happen to be doing good? Or are they truly reformed? We'll leave that up to you to decide, but each of the characters listed here have turned their back on being bad to embrace the path of superhero. Sometimes that's down to sales and others for storytelling decisions which just make sense when a villain has clearly done all they can in that role, but many of the names listed here might just surprise you, especially as some weren't bad for very long...

8. Black Widow

Introduced in 1964, Black Widow was pretty much the worst kind of villain possible at the time because she was a Russian spy (especially as the Cold War was in full swing around this period). During her earliest appearances, Natasha Romanova stole state secrets and even came to blows with Iron Man, but after learning that the KGB had betrayed her, she quickly began to realise that she would be better off fighting alongside The Avengers.

Stan Lee probably also realised what a great addition she'd make to the team given her popularity as a villain, and while her history has since been fleshed out to include everything from brainwashing to secret government programmes tied to The Winter Soldier, Black Widow is a character who could have easily ended up a C-List baddie like Viper had things panned out slightly differently for her.

The problem with Deathstroke is that he was always too popular. That's obviously a credit to what a great character he is, but during his New Teen Titans days back in the 90s, The Terminator was a full on bad guy who tormented that team in some really brutal and surprising ways.

However, as his backstory was fleshed out and fans started to embrace the villain who was arguably cooler than the heroes he was facing, DC Comics quickly realised that they had a character on their hands who could shift a lot of comic books by himself. As a result, he ended up on the side of the angels for a while, and while he's slipped back into bad guy territory on more than one occasion, he very much an anti-hero these days, something which looks set to follow him into DC Rebirth early next month as Slade Wilson cuts a bloody trail on the path to redemption.

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6. Magneto

No doubt one of the greatest X-Men villains ever created, Magneto started to grow stale as we entered the 2000s. That was evident from the convoluted tale Grant Morrison put together involving Xorn, and after being beaten by the team so many times, something had to give. Enter Matt Fraction and Kieron Gillen. They brought Magneto into the fold as a member of the X-Men, and while fans waited for the inevitable double cross, that simply never came.

Instead, Magneto became one of Cyclops' most trusted advisers and a key member of the X-Men as he finally realised that the mutant population had to work together if they hoped to survive. Yes, his methods were still a little brutal, but Magneto has remained mostly reformed, now serving as a member of X-Force (a good place to let his darker nature occasionally creep out).

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5. Clayface

Clayface has never been a top tier villain, and is more often than not one of those characters who is used as a pawn by someone else or just there to give Batman someone to beat up. However, his backstory as a successful actor who was transformed into a monster unable to return to his old life has always made him at least a little sympathetic, and that's something DC Rebirth has embraced in a big way.

In the first issue of the relaunched Detective Comics, the Dark Knight approached the escaped Clayface - who had broken out of Arkham Asylum to watch an old movie of his - and offered him the chance to redeem himself by becoming part of a team made up of heroes like Batwoman, Red Robin, and Spoiler. So far, he's doing pretty well, and it will be fun to see how long this new status quo ends up lasting for him moving forward.

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4. Hawkeye

Introduced as a villainous circus performer who was easily swayed by Black Widow into pulling off a heist which saw him attempt to steal from Iron Man alongside the Russian spy, it didn't take Clint Barton long to realise that he needed to make some changes in his life. He was always something of a reluctant bad guy, but it was being betrayed by Black Widow after he'd saved her life that seemed to clear things up for him.

After also saving the life of Edwin Jarvis, Hawkeye was given a chance to join The Avengers by Captain America when he assembled his kooky quartet, and Clint would go on to lead his own team on the West Coast for a while. One death and resurrection later and Hawkeye remained a true hero, though his recent decision to murder Bruce Banner may very well have muddied his path moving forward in the Marvel Universe.

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3. Doctor Octopus

Doctor Octopus managing to switch minds with Peter Parker (effectively murdering him as he was left to die in Otto's ravaged body) was an extremely controversial comic book moment, and while Dan Slott's Superior Spider-Man run had its fans, the desire to see the Amazing Spider-Man return never really went away. However, as brutal as Otto's methods were - don't forget that he shot one villain in the head at point blank range - he did seem to embrace being a superhero as time went by.

Much of that was down to his ego of course, but as his tenure neared an end, he willingly sacrificed himself and the life he'd created as Dr. Peter Parker to allow the real deal to return and save New York City. What's next for him is unclear, but chances are that he could be resurrected as a full on good guy rather than the leader of the Sinister Six.

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2. Deadpool

It's hard to believe, but when Deadpool was introduced, he was a full on bad guy out to take down Cable and his team of New Mutants. Despite essentially being a ripoff of Deathstroke during his first few appearance (they even share the same surname), the Merc with the Mouth quickly became massively popular, and took on more of an anti-hero persona as a result as he delivered quips aplenty while slashing and shooting his way through bad guys even worse than him.

It was Joe Kelly who really embraced this status quo for Deadpool though, fleshing out his history and motivations and including the sort of humour and pop culture references which would become a staple of the character as he continued down a heroic path. While he probably still wouldn't call himself a superhero, Wade Wilson is without a doubt a good guy at heart.

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1. Lex Luthor

Like Magneto, Lex Luthor spent years being one of Superman's greatest rivals. However, after he became President, it was hard to know where to take him next, and while the villain was still given the chance to shine in a few big event stories, it was clear by the time The New 52 rolled around that some changes needed to be made (especially as his portrayal in Action Comics was so similar to what we'd seen before).

Thank goodness for Geoff Johns then as he made the unique decision to have Lex step up and save the world during Forever Evil, earning - well, blackmailing - his way into the Justice League as a result. Now, Lex is serving as Metropolis' new Superman, giving up the chance to rule over Apokolips in the hope that he can finally be redeemed in the eyes of his sister. Will it last? You never know, but it's going to be a fun journey to follow.

Which of these villains turned heroes is your favourite? Have we missed any others? Share your thoughts on that below, and check out the best heroes turned villains by clicking right here!

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79 Comments

1 2

SuperCat - 7/18/2016, 10:04 AM

Yes! The Next Button!

kong - 7/18/2016, 10:06 AM

Cue the tired jokes that aren't funny anymore.

MrAisA - 7/18/2016, 10:07 AM

LordHarryLatts - 7/18/2016, 10:08 AM

I'm not clicking next...as payback for yesterdays Ghostbusters clickbait.

Quicker - 7/18/2016, 10:11 AM

Hawkeye was a bad guy? Ya learn something new every day.

RebelCommander - 7/18/2016, 10:12 AM

Ok, the "Next" button comments are getting a little old everybody. I think it's time to move past them and find something new to complain about...

MrPositive - 7/18/2016, 10:13 AM

Funny thing, he actually fits too

Skwad - 7/18/2016, 10:27 AM

I loved Forever Evil's progression of Lex from evil, to someone trying to save himself, to someone trying to save everyone. It was nice to see why someone like Lex would want to turn good.

BTW, I just found out that Lex's Armour was given to him by Darkseid...I see something good in DCEU's future if done right. Jesse could be a great Lex Luthor if they stick the landing with the set up

blackandyellow - 7/18/2016, 10:31 AM

@Skwad - Not Darkseid, the people of Apokolips because they thought he was Superman.

Skwad - 7/18/2016, 10:33 AM

@blackandyellow - Okay, well either way, Steppenwolf is coming from Apokolips, and as he made first contact with Lex, I see it potentially happening

SuperCat - 7/18/2016, 10:32 AM

TheBeard - 7/18/2016, 10:41 AM

@SuperCat - LMAO!!

FishyZombie - 7/18/2016, 10:35 AM

Luthor is awesome, whether he's a mad scientist, businessman, superhero, leader of the legion of doom or president of the united states. Great character. Too bad the movies never quite get him right. He's kind of like Dc's Doctor Doom in that way.

1 2

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8 Great Comic Book Supervillains Who Ended Up Becoming Superheroes

With decades worth of history behind them, changes for comic book characters are inevitable, hence why they often shift loyalties. These bad guys becoming heroes was still massively shocking though.

8. Black Widow

7. Deathstroke

6. Magneto

5. Clayface

4. Hawkeye

3. Doctor Octopus

2. Deadpool

1. Lex Luthor

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