Highlights
- The Fantastic Four are a beloved team with a diverse rogues’ gallery, including tech-savvy Wizard and complex Puppet Master.
- Mole Man, Blastaar, and Annihilus are formidable villains with unique powers who provide thrilling challenges for the Fantastic Four.
- Super-Skrull, Maker, Galactus, and Doctor Doom stand out as some of the most impressive and iconic foes the Fantastic Four have faced.
Often called Marvel’s first family, the Fantastic Four are one of the most beloved teams in all of comics. Individually known as Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Human Torch, and The Thing, the Fantastic Four are just as famous for their “family trips” into strange locales as they are for their crime-fighting escapades. Their adventures on both ends of this spectrum have won them one of the most eclectic rogues galleries in all comics.
The Fantastic Four have squared off against everything from costumed criminals, to mad scientists, to interdimensional warlords. This wide menagerie of villains helps color the team’s adventures, and makes them interesting. Even among this fascinating group of ne’er-do-wells, a few stand atop the heap.
10 Wizard
A Tech Savvy Crook Who Leads A Knockoff Fantastic Four
- Alter Ego: Bently Wittman
- Created By: Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby
- First Appearance: Strange Tales #102 (November 1962)
Despite his name, Wizard doesn’t actually have any magical ability to speak of. Rather, he is a technological genius who used his gadgets for stage magic before he turned to a life of crime. He fancies himself a rival to the Fantastic Four, so much so that he created his own evil version.
Wizard is perhaps most famous for leading a team called the Frightful Four, which had a rotating roster of supervillains meant to challenge the Fantastic Four. While they’ve never succeeded in beating them, the group has proven a worthy rival to the Four on several occasions. Wizard’s tenacity and mastery of high-tech gadgets make him an excellent Fantastic Four villain.
9 Puppet Master
A Villain More Complex Than A Physical Foe
- Alter Ego: Philip Masters
- Created By: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
- First Appearance: Fantastic Four #8 (November 1962)
In terms of physical strength, Puppet Master isn’t going to send anyone crying to their mothers. Fortunately for him, his true strength lies in his excellent artistic skills. Using a special radioactive clay, Puppet Master can control anyone as long as he can carve their likeness.
This allows him to use civilians as human shields, creating scenarios that the Fantastic Four can’t simply fight their way out of. He also has a history of manipulating heroes to fight against each other. On top of that, he’s the step-father of the Thing’s wife, Alicia Masters, thus complicating his relationship with the heroes.
8 Mole Man
The First Family’s First Villain
- Alter Ego: Harvey Rupert Elder
- Created By: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
- First Appearance: Fantastic Four #1 (November 1961)
Mole Man was the first supervillain the Fantastic Four ever fought, and he has remained one of their most iconic villains since. Mole Man doesn’t have any superpowers of his own, aside from heightened senses and skill with a staff. His true strength lies in his ability to marshal kaiju-like monsters to his side.
Mole Man is the ruler of the underground kingdom of Subterranea, which is inhabited by mole-like monsters. Some of these are as tall as a building, which comes in handy for his war on the surface world. It also leads to some incredible encounters with the Fantastic Four.
7 Blastaar
A Cunning Warlord With Incredible Power
- Alter Ego: N/A
- Created By: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
- First Appearance: Fantastic Four #62 (May 1967)
Also known as “The Living Bomb-Burst,” Blastaar is a warlord residing in the Negative Zone. With the Fantastic Four frequently voyaging there, they regularly come into conflict with him. While Blastaar isn’t the most dangerous threat in the Negative Zone, he’s definitely one to steer clear of.
On top of being a highly-trained warrior and strategist, Blastaar is capable of firing concussive blasts from his hands. He’s able to use these blasts to fly, and is very skilled at doing so. He may not get as much attention as he deserves, but Blastaar is one of the Fantastic Four’s most impressive villains.
6 Namor
One Of Marvel’s First Heroes Is One Of The Fantastic Four’s Frequent Nemeses
- Alter Ego: Namor McKenzie
- Created By: Bill Everett
- First Appearance: Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1 (April 1939) (uncirculated), Marvel Comics #1 (October 1939)
In the Golden Age of comics, Namor was one of the first superheroes Marvel created, and some credit him as the first antihero. Despite this, Namor has frequently clashed with the Fantastic Four as an ocasional villain, though he’s usually swayed to the side of good by his love for his people… and Susan Storm.
As the King of Atlantis, Namor has the ability to breathe underwater, as well as superhuman strength and durability. He also has wings on his ankles that allow him to fly. This, plus his arrogance and complicated code of honor, make him more than just the simple Aquaman clone some fans accuse him of being.
5 Annihilus
Another Negative Zone Warlord Who Came Close To Conquering The Galaxy
- Alter Ego: N/A
- Created By: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
- First Appearance: Fantastic Four Annual #6 (November 1968)
Like Blastaar, Annihilus is another warlord from the Negative Zone. The two are rivals and occasional allies, but both are bad news for Earth. While each is dangerous, Annihilus is definitely the greater of two evils.
On top of his natural flight and super strength abilities, Anihilus wields a powerful weapon called the Cosmic Control Rod. The Rod has slowed his aging to the point that he’s essentially immortal, and it allows him to restructure matter on a molecular level. He poses a threat not just to the Fantastic Four, but even powerful cosmic heroes like Nova.
4 Super-Skrull
All The Four’s Powers Combined
- Alter Ego: Kl’rt
- Created By: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
- First Appearance: Fantastic Four #18 (September 1963)
Many superheroes have to deal with an evil version of themselves, but Super-Skrull takes things to a whole new level. Created by the Skrulls as the ultimate weapon against the Fantastic Four, Super-Skrull has all the powers of the four. And that’s on top of a Skrull’s natural shapeshifting abilities.
Not only does he have the Fantastic Four’s powers, but his powers are much stronger than theirs. Any individual member of the team has no chance against Super-Skrull. That means that every battle against him becomes a thrilling test of teamwork and wits.
3 Maker
This Evil Reed Richards Is A Multiversal Threat
- Alter Ego: Reed Richards
- Created By: Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar, and Adam Kubert
- First Appearance: As Mr. Fantastic: Ultimate Fantastic Four #1 (February 2004). As The Maker: Ultimate Fallout #4 (August 2011)
Evil versions of Superman are a popular recurring theme in superhero fiction, but Maker makes a very strong case for an evil Reed Richards. Originally, the heroic Mr. Fantastic of Earth-1610, Maker turned to villainy after a series of personal tragedies. While he has Mr. Fantastic’s stretching powers, his greatest weapon is his vast intellect.
His brilliant mind and lack of morals have made him a threat not just to the main Fantastic Four, but the entire multiverse. Most recently in the comics, he relocated to Earth-6160 and molded it into a world without its greatest heroes. That’s a goal most supervillains have only dreamt about.
2 Galactus
A World-Devourer With A Fascinating Amount Of Nuance
- Alter Ego: N/A
- Created By: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
- First Appearance: Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966)
While Galactus most famously deals with the Fantastic Four, he’s a threat to the entire cosmos. Galactus is a powerful space giant who wanders the stars in search of planets. Unfortunately, he seeks out these planets so that he can devour them.
What makes Galactus such a fascinating character isn’t his immense power, but his nuance. He isn’t overtly malicious or evil, and, in fact, has no desire to hurt anyone. He’s tried several times to end his great hunger for the sake of the universe, but his failure continues to put him into conflict with the Fantastic Four and other heroes.
1 Doctor Doom
The Greatest Threat To The Fantastic Four And The Marvel Universe
- Alter Ego: Victor Werner Von Doom
- Created By: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
- First Appearance: The Fantastic Four #5 (July 1962)
When it comes to the Fantastic Four’s villains, none are more iconic than Doctor Doom. The ruler of Latveria, the bad Doctor is a global threat who’s a source of dread to almost every hero in the Marvel Universe. Because of his intense rivalry with Mr. Fantastic, though, he’s an especially dangerous threat to the Fantastic Four.
Doctor Doom has an incredibly huge ego, but he has the genius to back it up. Reed Richards has often reluctantly approached Doom for help, and Doom has agreed solely so he can rub it in his hated rival’s face. His intelligence, cunning, and arrogance have made him one of the most beloved villains in all of Marvel among the fanbase.
Leave a Reply