The trope of “villain to hero” is something that almost all fans of comics can get behind and understand. It offers the audience a way to see deeper into the character’s way of thinking, and maybe why said character was evil in the first place. But sometimes the transition from villain to hero does not always stick.
It’s always interesting to see a hero go to the dark side, but when a once evil character goes back, it causes a lot of emotions for readers. There are many iconic examples of this in the Marvel world of comics, where redeemed villains once again go back to their old ways.
10 Scarlet Witch – The Hero Who Became The Villain For Her Family And Kids
Ever since WandaVision came out, people have been wanting more and more of Wanda Maximoff and her husband, Vision. Now, Wanda isn’t necessarily the first person to come to mind when talking about villains, but in the comics, Wanda frequently went back and forth from being the protagonist to the antagonist.
The first time she turned to the “dark side” was when she created her own reality as viewers can see in WandaVision. She accidentally became a villain in this instance. But after her reality was destroyed, at least in the comics, she thought her kids were still alive. So she went back to the dark side, doing whatever she could to find them. Of course, she had a fairly valid reason for becoming the villain (twice) but that doesn’t excuse all of her actions.
9 Hawkeye; Getting Added To The Avengers For Criminal Behavior
It is interesting to hear how Hawkeye became a hero in the first place. In the comics, Hawkeye, also known as Clint Barton was a common thief. The reason the Avengers discovered him in the first place was that Clint was stealing something and the Avengers caught him.
Now, being a common criminal is hardly a villain move, but it is still something that law-abiding citizens don’t do. After that, he became a very loyal member of the team. In terms of the MCU, he later became a villain after teaming up with Captain America and Bucky during Captain America: Civil War, where he was later put under house arrest.
8 Gamora; Thanos’s Adopted Daughter With a Tragic past
It is obvious from both the comics and films that Thanos was never a great parent. This can be seen from the MCU’s Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 1. Thanos is just starting to collect the infinity stones and sends Gamora to go get one. She is fairly loyal to her father but throughout the film, her loyalty falters and she ends up becoming a hero. But then she is sacrificed for an Infinity Stone in Avengers: Infinity War, and then comes back in Avengers: Endgame, she is the villain once more. She has no clue whose side she is fighting for and where her loyalties lie. But it is not with her once found family.
7 Iron Lad – The Future Of The Avengers Gone Astray
The comics of the Young Avengers do not have film or TV adaptations (yet) but this team offers a very fun cast of charters in the comics, including Iron Lad. Also known as Nate Richards, he has a strong metal suit, similar to his predecessor, Iron Man. But unlike Iron Man, Nate is from another world and has time travel abilities. He saw himself as a bad guy known as Kang the Conqueror. So after seeing himself as a villain, he went to Earth to get a new start and joined the Young Avengers. But the more he stayed with his team, the more he realized his fate to becoming what he was going to become was getting closer. So he left to become a villain permanently.
6 Zemo Barron – A Morally Grey Protagonist (Of Sorts)
With The Falcon And The Winter Soldier being an incredibly popular show, viewers have gotten to know a bit more about Zemo, who made a reappearance in the third episode. He originally started as a regular citizen, then got involved in Hydra. He killed King T’Chaka, blaming Bucky for it. When he was finally brought to justice he softened out a bit, as viewers can tell from his introduction in The Falcon And The Winter Soldier. Then when he escaped prison, his bad side came out once again. He was making plans and scheming about how to get away with things, but nothing too bad, seeing as he was still under the watchful eye of Sam and Bucky.
5 Nebula – The Forgotten Sister
As the other adopted daughter of Thanos, she too has had a very rough journey. Nonetheless, at the beginning of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 1, Nebula has a strong desire to prove herself to her father, turning herself into a villain. But when the second film comes out she turns around a little bit for the sake of her sister, and she is no longer “evil”. But come Avengers: Endgame where there is another version of Nebula out and about, who is once again the villain in this topsy-turvy storyline.
4 Bucky Barnes – The WW2 Solider With A Tragic Past
Viewers can see from every film (and TV show) that Bucky has been through a lot. He started as a soldier in WW2, when he ended up getting brainwashed and forced to work for Hydra. At that point, he is definitely considered a villain.
So when he gets the opportunity to shed the Winter Solider alias, he becomes James Buchanan Barnes once again. Except in the events of The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, when Bucky, Zemo, and Sam have to go to Madripoor to find more information about the Flag-Smashers, Bucky goes back to his old self, resuming the role of the Winter Soldier becoming the villain everyone fears one last time.
3 Magneto – A Character Who Is A Hero And A Villain Depending If It Matches His Ideals
Magneto is a character who both plays the antagonist and the protagonist. He is a crucial character in the X-Men comics and has a very interesting backstory to explain to fans why he is the way he is. Magneto was actually a Holocaust survivor and so he did not want mutants to suffer the same fate that he did during this historical tragedy. He has often gone back and forth between good and evil, but this is because he truly had what was best for the mutant race in mind.
2 Jean Grey – A Mutant With The Phoneix Force
Jean Grey is another important character in the world of X-Men and was originally part of the X-Men team until one mission where she got possessed with the Phoneix Force. She was granted upgraded superhuman abilities on top of her standard mutant powers.
When she got these powers she slowly started to be convinced that she was too good for the X-Men and should become a member of the Hellfire Club. This is exactly what she did, and Jean ended up becoming a big villain. She went back and forth for a while trying to determine her identity on where her loyalties lie, which makes for a very interesting story.
1 Loki – Changing His Loyalties When Ever He Feels Like It
Throughout the MCU and in the comics, Loki frequently gets overshadowed by his brother, so perhaps this is why Loki always felt the need to cause trouble. But nonetheless, Loki has switched his loyalties many times. He started off as a villain in the film The Avengers, where Thor and the rest of the team had to stop him before things got out of hand. Loki even tried to stop his brother from being the king of Asgard in the film Thor. Eventually, he mellowed out, to the point where he no longer tries to take over Earth. But in Avengers: Endgame when he steals the cube, that is definitely a move that makes the audience think this iconic trickster is once again up to something devious.
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