The Deadliest Moms in Marvel, Ranked

While almost every major character in the pages of Marvel Comics has had some issues with their parents at one point or another, it is far rarer that they end up having the same problems with their own children. At least, that is the case when it comes to the heroic parents that call the Marvel Universe home.

For many of Marvel’s most infamous villains, however, the chance to torment their own children is just another day at work. Some of the deadliest threats to ever grace the pages of Marvel Comics proved just how bad they could be by taking things out on their kids. Of course, not every dangerous Marvel mom is overtly evil, though the most lethal of them all have played the villain role on more than one occasion.

10 Vanessa Fisk is One of Marvel Comics’ Most Tragic Mothers

Although Vanessa Fisk, formerly Marianna, had already appeared via cameo over a year earlier, it wasn’t until 1970’s Amazing Spider-Man #83 that she was properly introduced. Stolen away from her family as a teen, Vanessa was eventually trafficked before Wilson Fisk, with whom she found solace and comfort. Soon enough, the two were wed and Vanessa gave birth to their son, Richard. Despite her disdain for her husband’s criminal endeavors, Vanessa remained fiercely loyal to the Kingpin.

Vanessa was so dedicated to Wilson that, even after their marriage fell apart, she was willing to cross every line to protect him. Things came to a head for Vanessa in 2002’s Daredevil #31 (by Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev, and Matt Hollingsworth) when she confronted her son about his role in the attempted assassination of his father. For Vanessa, there was never any question as to whose life she valued more, and as such, she made sure to let her son know just how much of a disappointment he was before killing him in cold blood. Since then, Vanessa has lost her life, been briefly resurrected, and passed away again, yet her matriarchal impact on the rest of the Fisk family has never stopped being present in the wider scope of their lives.

9 The Mothers of Marvel Comics’ Pride Were Never Fit to Be Parents

Rather than one person, the Pride comprised six couples, all of whom worshiped the ancient deities known as the Gibborim. Introduced in 2003’s Runaways #1 (by Brian K. Vaughan, Adrian Alphona, David Newbold, and Brian Reber), the Pride provided the Gibborim with an annual sacrifice of one pure and, more importantly, unwilling human soul in exchange for the kind of power they could only have ever dreamed of before.

When it comes to the moms of the Pride, there were certainly varying degrees of horror on offer. While the likes of Alice Hayes, Tina Minoru, and Stacey Yorkes all wielded genuine power before staking their deal with the Gibborim, others were otherwise ordinary regarding their superhuman status. What tied all of them together, apart from the pact they had signed, was their genuine sense of villainy, not to mention the lethal lengths they were willing to go to to protect what little power they had been given.

8 Mystique is Officially Mutantkind’s Most Complicated Mom

Raven Darkholme, better known as the mutant shapeshifter Mystique, has been an iconic villain from the moment she made her first full appearance back in 1978’s Ms. Marvel #18 (by Chris Claremont, Jim Mooney, Ricardo Villamonte, and Phil Rache). Though Mystique is infinitely more synonymous with terrorizing heroes such as the X-Men than she is with any other Marvel superhero at this point, she has managed to leave a lasting impression upon nearly everyone in the Marvel Universe. And, while those impressions tend to range from explosive to lethal, few have had it worse than her children.

Despite having a relatively healthy and loving relationship with her adoptive daughter, Rogue, Mystique’s biological children have either been left in the care of others or been at the center of their own strange tragedies. There is something to be said about the remorse Mystique felt about having to put Graydon Creed up for adoption or abandon Nightcrawler as an infant. Still, the fact that she manipulated and tormented her children in their adulthood is an obvious strike against her parenting skills. This is to say nothing of Raze or Charles Xavier II, the children born to her, and Wolverine and Charles Xavier, respectively; neither has been seen since their debuts.

7 Marvel Comics’ Harness Raised, or Lowered, the Bar for Terrible Moms Everywhere

Erika Benson’s career in the pages of Marvel Comics may not have lasted long, but she more than proved that she was among the deadliest mothers mutantkind has ever known in that short time. Making her debut as Harness in 1991’s “Pawns of Senescence (Kings of Pain, Pt. 1)” (by Fabian Nicieza, Guang Yap, Dan Panosian, and Brad Vancata, from the pages of New Mutants Annual #7), Erika was a mutant with the power to create and energy tether that she could wield as a potent weapon. This was augmented by her menacing armor, which also housed a variety of weapons designed and crafted by the scientists at A.I.M.

As useful as her own abilities were, they weren’t what Harness relied on throughout her time working for A.I.M. Instead, she forced her young son Gilbert to do her work for her. Gilbert, capable of absorbing, storing, and seeking out various energies, was violently coerced into traveling the globe at Erika’s behest, tracing and compiling the scattered, ethereal remains of the then-deceased mutant hero Proteus. These efforts culminated in the gruesome, untimely demise of Gilbert, and his mother hasn’t been seen since. Being consigned to both prison and the realm of obscurity is the only real justice she faced for her crimes.

6 Octavia Vermis Destroyed More Than One Family in Her War Against Spider-Woman

2020’s Spider-Woman #2 (by Karla Pacheco, Pere Pérez, and Frank D’Armata) introduced Octavia Vermis, daughter of the infamous Hydra leader Otto Vermis and a genuine horror in her own right. Despite being subjected to cruel experiments in her youth, Octavia grew to carry on that devastating legacy in an even worse fashion. With the help of the High Evolutionary, Octavia created a clone of herself named Ophelia, whom she hoped she could raise to be perfect. When that proved impossible, Octavia murdered her “child” and tried again and again and again.

Soon enough, Octavia’s experiments became too much for even the High Evolutionary, forcing her to continue her work in solitude. Seeking out resources for her experiments would bring Octavia into the orbit of Jessica Drew, whom she preyed upon emotionally and psychologically through an army of clones of the latter’s deceased mother. This entire saga brought the two back into the arms of the High Evolutionary, which, while a part of Octavia’s plot, didn’t go as she expected. Instead of being able to ensure the succession of her legacy, Octavia was transformed into the latest of the High Evolutionary’s hulking reptilian henchmen after taking the life of yet another of her handcrafted “daughters.”

5 Amanda Müeller Was a Wicked Marvel Mom from the Very Beginning

Amanda Müeller doesn’t have the same reputation as some of her contemporaries. Still, she makes up for that lack of general infamy by being one of the coldest maternal figures ever. As the great-great-grandmother of Scott, Alex, and Gabriel Summers, Amanda has direct ties to a plethora of Marvel superheroes. As the mother of numerous children who were born only to suffer, she is directly responsible for some of the most harrowing stories imaginable.

Born in the 1800s, Amanda was one of the earliest mutants to appear on the radar of Nathaniel Essex, better known as Mister Sinister. Under the guise of Milbury, Essex convinced Amanda to father numerous children to different men before feigning miscarriages and leaving the infants in his care to be experimented on and studied. This provided much of the basis for Sinister’s later efforts, which Amanda continued to be a part of over the years thanks to her penchant for cruelty and mutant-born immortality. The most infamous of these was the Black Womb Project, through which Amanda oversaw the further torture of thousands of mutant babies.

4 Madame Monstrosity has Played Mother to Multiple Supervillains – And Monsters

Although Madame Monstrosity only joined the Marvel Universe in 2023’s “The Mother of Invention” (by Dan Slott, Paco Medina, and Erick Arciniega, from the pages of Amazing Spider-Man #31), her villainous legacy has been around for nearly sixty years. Farley Stillwell, Madame Monstrosity’s oldest child, was responsible for turning Mac Gargan into the Scorpion, while her younger son Harlan was the man behind the creation of the Human Fly. Her daughter and last surviving child, Shannon, was deeply involved in the machinations of Regent’s Empire Unlimited. Yet, only Madame Monstrosity seems to have truly succeeded in any villainous endeavors, albeit vicariously through others who have expanded on her work.

As it turns out, Madame Monstrosity’s research and experiments are largely to thank for the rise of nearly every animal-themed supervillain to terrorize Spider-Man. Beyond that, she is also the one behind the transformation of Bailey Briggs into Spider-Boy and the creation of members of the younger hero’s rogues gallery, such as Hellifino. Even if Madame Monstrosity hasn’t claimed all that many lives herself, there is no doubt that her work has been the source of more harm than most other sadistic scientists have managed, at least when it comes to the kind dished out by New York City’s animalistic antagonists.

3 Madelyne Pryor’s Experiences with Motherhood are Utterly Tragic in Every Possible Way

From the moment Madelyne Pryor stepped on the scene back in 1983’s Uncanny X-Men #168, it was painfully obvious that things would never go well for her. Soon enough, Madelyne’s origin as a clone of Jean Grey was revealed, though not before Madelyne could fall in love, have a son, and watch her entire family either be ripped away or abandon her. These traumas pushed Madelyne to make a home for herself in Limbo and take on the mantle of the Goblin Queen, whereas the sinister and demonic forces around her pushed her to lash out at the entire world.

Madelyne invaded New York City with the forces of Limbo during the events of Marvel’s 1998 Inferno event and again with the help of Ben Reilly, aka Chasm, during the more recent Dark Web. Thankfully, Madelyne has come around to playing the role of an unlikely hero in the wake of her second assault on NYC. She hasn’t made much headway in reconciling with any version of her son Nathan Summers, better known as Cable, but she has offered the world’s mutants a haven after Orchis’ attack on the Hellfire Gala. Still, Madelyne is undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with, not to mention one with hundreds if not thousands of casualties.

2 The Scarlet Witch Might Be the Marvel Universe’s Most Destructive Mother

Wanda Maximoff has long been one of the most capable figures in the Marvel Universe, even before the full scope of her reality-altering powers came into focus. Once they did, however, the Scarlet Witch went from being a formidable foe for any hero or villain to one of the most dangerous characters ever. Events such as M-Day and the Decimation or Avengers Disassembled may be what most fans think of when the Scarlet Witch’s scariest moments come up in conversation. Still, the earliest example of the sheer weight of her powers came from her very own children.

1986’s Vision and the Scarlet Witch #12 (by Steve Englehart, Richard Howell, Frank Springer, and Petra Scotese) saw the birth of the eponymous couple’s twin boys, Billy and Tommy. The children were Wanda and Vision’s entire world for over three years. Then came the threat of Master Pandemonium, an occult supervillain with ties to Mephisto who knew the truth about the children’s supernatural origin. As Master Pandemonium revealed, the boys were never anything more than fragments of Mephisto’s essence imbued with Wanda’s magic and given life by her subconscious desires. Thankfully, Wanda’s children, or versions of them, have returned to be a part of the Marvel Universe once more, and so far, they have escaped falling prey to their powers as their mother has time and time again.

1 Moira MacTaggert is Easily the Deadliest Mom in the Marvel Universe

Whereas the Scarlet Witch’s grief and rage have seen her remake reality on more than one occasion, Moira MacTaggert’s have seen her do the same for the last time ever. Introduced in 1975’s X-Men #96 (by Chris Claremont, Bill Mantlo, Dave Cockrum, Sam Grainger, and Phil Rachelson), Moira lived a simple life the first time around, only to be reborn with every memory of her past self and a burning desire to know why. As she would discover, Moira was a mutant able to reset the entire universe upon her death. Over multiple lifetimes, Moira met and joined forces with Charles Xavier to ensure a prosperous future for both humans and mutantkind.

By the time Moira’s tenth life rolled around, she was disillusioned in her past endeavors and believed that the only way to succeed was to unite all mutantkind under one cause. When this didn’t pan out, something within Moira broke, and she joined forces with the villains of Orchis to annihilate mutantkind and usher in the age of the Dominion known as Enigma. Moira hasn’t had any qualms about wreaking death and destruction along the way, nor has she hesitated to use her mutant son Proteus as a pawn in her schemes. Worst of all, Moira is the last hope that Marvel’s surviving mutants have of saving the day, meaning that if they fail in cutting her down in her very first life, she will be responsible for the death of the entire Marvel Universe as it stands today.