Marvel Comics has created some of the most memorable villains in pop culture history, from megalomaniacal masterminds like Doctor Doom to cosmic threats like Galactus. However, amid their expansive rogues’ gallery spanning over 80 years of publishing, certain antagonists stand out not just for their dastardly deeds within the narrative, but for the real-world controversy they’ve generated. While Marvel has generally been praised for its progressive storytelling compared to other publishers, the company’s long history includes several missteps that demonstrate how comic books, like any medium, reflect the biases and blind spots of their creators and the times in which they were published. As such, some villains are remembered less for their literary journey and more for how they sparked heated debates among readers, critics, and creators alike.
The characters on this list aren’t necessarily the most powerful or prominent in Marvel’s universe, but they’ve all generated controversy that extends beyond the comic page and into real-world discussions about representation, storytelling ethics, and the responsibilities of creators. Here’s our pick for the five most controversial Marvel villains:
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Perhaps no Marvel villain has generated as much long-lasting outrage as Marcus Immortus, son of the time-traveling Immortus, who appeared in the infamous Avengers #200. Marcus is featured in a disturbing storyline in which he kidnaps Carol Danvers (then Ms. Marvel), uses mind control technology to make her fall in love with him, impregnates her with his own essence, and then manipulates her into returning with him to Limbo. The most shocking aspect was how the other Avengers responded to this clear case of abduction and assault: they congratulated Carol and happily waved goodbye as she left with her abuser. This storyline is widely regarded as one of the most tone-deaf in Marvel’s history, essentially portraying rape and mind control as a romantic subplot and having Earth’s Mightiest Heroes endorse it. Writer Chris Claremont later addressed this injustice in Avengers Annual #10, having Carol return and call out the team for their betrayal. Still, the original story remains a dark stain on Marvel’s treatment of female characters.
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Created in the 1970s, Jerome Beechman, better known as Mandrill, embodies multiple layers of problematic storytelling that seem almost deliberately offensive by today’s standards. Born to white parents but with black fur and ape-like features due to radiation exposure, Beechman was immediately rejected by his parents because of his appearance — a narrative that uncomfortably parallels racist attitudes about Black children. As if this origin wasn’t troubling enough, Mandrill’s superpower involves emitting pheromones that allow him to control women (but not men), which he uses to create his own cult of sex-driven female followers called “Femizons.” As a result, the character represents an unfortunate intersection of racist imagery and misogynistic fantasy about sexual control over women. Despite several opportunities to reimagine or retire the character over the decades, Marvel has occasionally brought Mandrill back, though usually with limited appearances that downplay his more problematic aspects.
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Few Marvel storylines have generated as much immediate and intense backlash as 2016’s “Secret Empire,” which revealed that Steve Rogers – Captain America himself – had been a Hydra sleeper agent his entire career. The controversy began with Captain America: Steve Rogers #1, when the hero uttered the shocking words “Hail Hydra,” and intensified as the narrative explained that Cosmic Cube manipulation had altered reality so that Cap had always been loyal to the Nazi-affiliated organization. Though writer Nick Spencer intended this as a complex story about fascism’s insidious rise, the execution struck many readers as deeply disrespectful to a character (developed by Jewish artists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby) who once punched Hitler. The timing amplified the controversy, as the story unfolded during a period of rising real-world authoritarianism and nationalism. Despite Marvel’s insistence that readers should “wait for the story to play out” (which eventually restored the real Steve Rogers), the damage was done. The storyline remains divisive, with defenders praising its political relevance and detractors arguing it fundamentally misunderstood Captain America’s symbolic importance as a beacon of democratic ideals created specifically as anti-fascist propaganda.
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Shang-Chi’s father has undergone multiple name changes and retcons over the years, but his original incarnation as Fu Manchu represents one of Marvel’s most problematic adoptions of an existing racist stereotype. When Marvel acquired the rights to Sax Rohmer’s pulp villain in the 1970s, they incorporated the character as the father of their new martial arts hero, despite Fu Manchu already being widely recognized as a harmful caricature embodying Western fears of the “Yellow Peril.” The character featured exaggerated physical attributes like long fingernails, a thin mustache, and stereotypical speech patterns that perpetuated dehumanizing portrayals of Asian people.
As cultural awareness evolved and Marvel lost the rights to the Fu Manchu name, the publisher attempted to distance Shang-Chi’s father from these origins, first by referring to him only as “Shang-Chi’s father,” then renaming him Zheng Zu, and most recently reimagining him as Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung) for the MCU. These changes acknowledge the problematic nature of the original character while trying to preserve Shang-Chi’s narrative importance, but the character’s origins remain a notable example of how Marvel absorbed racist literary tropes from earlier eras.
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The Ultimate Marvel universe was created to reimagine classic characters without decades of continuity, often taking darker, more “realistic” approaches to superheroes. However, Ultimate X-Men #85 crossed a line that many readers found inexcusable when the Ultimate version of the Blob was depicted killing and cannibalizing Janet Van Dyne, the Wasp. This shocking scene featured the villain patting his stomach and making the flippant remark, “Tastes like chicken,” after consuming parts of her body.
The gratuitous nature of Wasp’s death sparked immediate criticism from fans and critics alike, who saw it as part of a troubling pattern of female characters being subjected to extreme violence for shock value – i.e., the “women in refrigerators” or “fridging” trope, where female characters suffer gruesome fates primarily to motivate male characters. In this case, prompting Wasp’s death prompts her husband, Hank Pym, to retaliate by biting the Blob’s head off as Giant-Man. This sequence remains one of the most controversial moments in Ultimate Marvel’s history, demonstrating how attempts to make comics “edgier” can result in tasteless storytelling that uses female characters as fodder.
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Though technically an anti-hero rather than a villain, Frank Castle stands as one of Marvel’s most controversial characters due to his violent vigilante methods and the real-world appropriation of his skull logo. Created in the 1970s, when public trust in institutions was low, the Punisher’s brand of lethal justice outside the law has always been morally questionable within the Marvel Universe, with characters like Spider-Man and Daredevil frequently opposing his approach. However, the Punisher entered a new realm of controversy when his skull emblem began appearing on police cars, military equipment, and among various right-wing groups – most notably during the January 6th Capitol riot. The symbol’s adoption by law enforcement has been particularly troubling given the Punisher’s explicit rejection of legal authority and due process.
Marvel has attempted to address this misappropriation within the comics themselves, having Frank tell police officers who idolize him that they should look up to Captain America instead. Despite these efforts, the character remains divisive, with ongoing debates about whether stories glorifying extrajudicial killing can be responsibly told in the current political climate.
What other controversial Marvel villain would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments!
Some Marvel villains made their way out of comic book pages to stoke real-life controversy due to unfortunate storylines. Read More