Could They Secretly Be Villains?

What if some of the most well-known Marvel Heroes were actually villains in disguise? I ask this because recently it was revealed that Captain America might have been secretly working as a part of Hydra, thus possibly making him a villain under the most amazing cover.

This revelation led me to write about other heroes who could possibly be villains.

Let’s begin with the aforementioned Captain America.

For anybody who does not know, Captain America is your typical American Hero. Deemed unfit for military service, he underwent a transformation that turned him into the ‘Super Soldier’.

Recently in Steve Rogers: Captain America #1, Steve is revealed to being saying, “Hail Hydra” at the end of the book. This naturally sent widespread panic and discussions throughout the comic world. Many thoughts came up:

• Has Steve been involved with the Red Skull throughout his long history?
• Is he not the Boy Scout we all think he is?
• Has he been the Leader of the Avengers if only to strategically place him in command of “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes?”
• Have there been hints at this in the past?

I’d like to think so.
In the Civil War storyline, depending on your beliefs, he did oppose the Government and rebel against their wishes. He was anti-registration and as a consequence, not only was there a tremendous battle, one of Earth’s heroes (Goliath, Bill Foster) tragically died.

Was this a plot by Captain America to rid the world of a few heroes?

In the Ultimate Universe, while still a soldier, Captain America is ruthless. Unlike his Earth 616 counterpart, Ultimate Captain America has no problem and will kill at any cost. Perhaps, Ultimate Captain America is looming within Normal Captain America and soon enough it will be unleashed on the world.

Question: What would happen if the world’s strongest mind said, “F@ck it. I’m done”?

Answer: Oh sh@t.

Professor Charles Xavier has long been the foremost supporter of peace and harmony. He has made it his life’s mission to create a world that does not fear mutants nor does it discriminate against them. In fact, he created his own Super Group to aid him in his quest.

So what if he suddenly gave up?

Could he wipe out an entire generation?

Could he be responsible for mass genocide?

Could he create a world in which he rules with his fellow mutants at his side, willing to do his every bidding, not because they want to, but because they have to?

You bet he could.

Within the confines of X-Men Vol. 2, #53 we see a glimpse of this.

In the history of Charles Xavier and Max Eisenhardt, there have been countless battles and team-ups. In X-Men #53, the unthinkable happens when Charles, in an attempt to shut down the mind of Max, has Max’s mind and darker tendencies escape, enter, and merge with his own mind. Doing this, brought Charles’ own darker tendencies to the surface and from this, Onslaught was born.

Onslaught became an ultimate creature possessing the best abilities of both mutants:

• Telepathy
• Telekinesis
• Magnetic Manipulation
• Reality Warping
• Super Human Strength and Durability.

Now I ask you, would you be afraid if Charles Xavier succumbed to his own darkness and became a villain?

The answer should be simple.

Inevitably, you can’t do a Marvel “What If?” post without mentioning Spider-Man.

Most think of Spider-Man as your quintessential good guy. Always the first to jump into action, Spider-Man has long been thought of as the perfect hero. He may even be at the level of  Superman or Captain America.

The thought of him being a villain conjures up images of:

• Did he purposely let Gwen Stacy fall?
• Did he intentionally detach himself from the Symbiote suit so that an army of Symbiote-powered villains would appear?
• What if, he secretly was using Mary Jane as a cover up for his true intentions?

In what is possibly his second most well-known suit, Spider-Man has teetered on the edge of being a villain multiple times.

Merging with the Symbiote Suit (Secret Wars #8, December 1984) gave Peter Parker power that he could only imagine. At this same time, however, his darker side manifested and was unleashed on the world. He became just a little more callous and unfeeling. His character shifted from that of a “do-gooder” to that of a “do-whatever-is-necessary-and-at-any-cost” type character.

Quite frankly, Spider-Man has long been popular because of his eternal conflict, how relatable he is and his constant struggle. Take all these away and we are left with a character that is truly boring. Give him the Black Suit and we have something incredible. There is a reason that it is the second favourite costume of many people.

If you don’t believe me, just take a look at Venom. Venom was created in the age of comics where very few new characters survived. His worldwide appeal allowed him to endure and remain extremely popular.

To imagine Wolverine as a villain really isn’t that much of a stretch.

• Intense Rage – Yes
• Somewhat Uncontrollable Anger – Yes
• Occasional Amnesiac – Yes
• Mass Murdering Capable Weapon – Yes
• Proven Killing Machine – Yes
• Can Endure Tremendous Pain and Punishment – Yes
• Best There Is At What He Does, and What He Does Ain’t Pretty – Yes

Wolverine could very well top the list of heroes that would make better villains.

He has overcome adversity after adversity and is able to withstand setbacks (as all villains do).  He has fought in numerous wars, had his memory erased and been subjected to experiment after experiment.

What if as a part of his erased memories, he was a member of the Brotherhood of Evil mutants or he and Sabretooth teamed to massacre villages and small towns? Because of his spotty memory, he wouldn’t remember it.

How about if instead of creating the Jean Grey School for the Gifted that would allow him to carry on the work of Professor Xavier, he created it to train an elite group of mutants to do his bidding? Because of his long history with the X-Men and Avengers, no one would suspect him of any wrong and he could literally fly under the radar while he amassed his army.

Oh, and let’s not forget he destroyed The Incredible Hulk in the Old Man Logan storyline.

Wolverine has all the capabilities to be the world’s foremost villain. Maybe that’s because he is…

Speaking of The Incredible Hulk; can you imagine if he was a villain?

Two words for you: “HULK SMASH”

The Hulk, as he puts it, is the “Strongest There Is.” He is capable of going toe-to-toe with the most powerful beings in the world and has done so many times.

I want to once again direct you to the Ultimate Universe again.

In this story (which by-the-way, is one of my favourites and possibly one of the best written and drawn stories ever) The Hulk is portrayed as a menace.

Finding out that Betty Ross (his long time crush) had left him and being mocked by his fellow Ultimates, Bruce Banner injected himself with a newly formed Serum composed of The Hulk Serum along with the Super Soldier Serum. Instanly, he became the Grey Hulk who was far more viscious, went on a mass murdering spree (killing 852 people), which included EATING PEOPLE.

So, is it a stretch to think that Regular Hulk couldn’t do the same?

The Illuminati didn’t think so when they shipped him off into space in the Planet Hulk story.

He is hated and feared by society and his strength is proportional to his anger. As Bruce Banner, he is one of the foremost minds in Marvel rivalling that of Hank Pym, Reed Richards, and Tony Stark.

Perhaps, Bruce Banner is plotting his worldwide revenge and nobody sees it coming?

Maybe, just maybe we aren’t too far off from The Hulk being exposed as a villain.

What are your thoughts?

Who are characters that you think could secretly be villains in disguise?

Comment and share below.