Highlights
- King Shark could be a mutant in Marvel, teaming with mutants or fighting X-Men.
- Reverse Flash’s time travel ability makes him a threat to Captain America in Marvel.
- Black Manta’s revenge against Namor or Fantastic Four fits well in Marvel’s universe.
The two biggest names in comics are the publishers Marvel and DC. Each of these companies features a unique shared universe of superheroes, and a flagship team that unites to face off against the most powerful, world-ending threats. However, every hero in each universe has their own set of recurring villains.
Many of the villains owned by DC are iconic, and some have even become household names. With this in mind, it is interesting to try and work out which of these villains would work best in the Marvel Comics universe, and who they would most likely face off against if they appeared there.
8 King Shark
Enemy Of The X-Men
- Created by: Kark Kessel, Tom Grummett
- First Appearance: Superboy Volume 4 #9 (1994)
In the DC universe, King Shark is a humanoid shark-man that originates in Hawaii. His origins have changed several times over the years, but the most prominent story states that he is the son of a shark god and his true name is Nanaue. Due to his innate bloodlust, King Shark is often driven to cannibalism, which requires the likes of Batman, The Flash, or Aquaman to view him as a villain.
While the idea of King Shark being the son of a shark god might not fit into the Marvel universe, it is easy to picture this villain as a mutant. As such, King Shark’s desire to eat people as part of his mutation could see him team up with Magneto’s Brotherhood or the underground race of mutants, called Morlocks, to fight against The X-Men.
7 Reverse Flash
Enemy Of Captain America
- Created by: John Broome, Joe Kubert
- First Appearance: Flash Comics #104 (1949)
Reverse Flash is an interesting character, because his speed powers make him a good fit as a villain for a lot of Marvel heroes. He could easily be a mutant, and he is strong enough to be a threat to an entire team like The Avengers. However, it is his ability to time travel that makes him a great foil for Captain America.
The main role of Reverse Flash is as a threat to the Flash. Once a superfan from the future, Eobard Thawne goes back in time to meet his hero, but is inadvertently dismissed by the man he modeled himself after. From that moment on, Thawne swears revenge on the Flash and is consumed by hatred for DC’s signature speedster. With this in mind, it’s quite easy to see this play out in the Marvel universe. Reverse Flash could travel back to meet Captain America in WWII, only to be dismissed to become the hero’s enemy after he is unfrozen in the present day.
6 Black Manta
Enemy Of Namor/Fantastic Four
- Created by: Bob Haney, Nick Cardy
- First Appearance: Aquaman #35 (1967)
The comics have proposed many origin stories for the villain, Black Manta. However, the one that fits best with the Marvel universe is the origin the character has in the New 52. As a pirate, Black Manta is trained to survive the depths of the ocean. He swears revenge on Aquaman after the hero kills his father on a salvage mission.
Given that Aquaman and Namor the Submariner are very similar characters, the villains’ origins could remain the same in the Marvel universe. Only now, Namor is the one who killed Black Manta’s father, so he swears revenge on this King of Atlantis instead. With The Fantastic Four being explorers in the comics who have been to the ocean many times, Namor’s rivalry with Black Manta could also impact this team of Marvel heroes.
5 Lobo
Enemy Of Deadpool
- Created by: Roger Slifer, Keith Giffen
- First Appearance: Omega Men #3 (1983)
After Lobo’s initial debut in the 1980s, the villain was eventually revived to work as a commentary on the darker, edgier state of comic books in the 90s. Ironically, fans loved this character, and Lobo is mostly known for being an intergalactic bounty hunter with an attitude problem.
With all that said, Lobo’s origin story is very similar to that of Marvel’s fourth wall-breaking mutant, Deadpool. The merc with a mouth started as another edgy mutant in the 90s before being turned into the comical trickster that fans love today, almost the reverse of what happened to Lobo. Therefore, giving Lobo the ability to also break the fourth wall and comment on the mutant’s gritty origins would make him a great foil for Deadpool.
4 Solomon Grundy
Enemy Of The Hulk
- Created by: Alfred Bester, Paul Reinman
- First Appearance: All-American Comics #61 (1944)
Whether fans want to admit it or not, it is hard to look at Solomon Grundy and not think of The Hulk. Both are very strong monsters that are impossible to kill, and both have been viewed as either a villain or a hero in their time. The main difference between the pair is the fact that The Hulk is usually hidden behind the mild-mannered alter-ego Bruce Banner, while Solomon Grundy was once a man named Cyrus Gold who was brought back to life by witchcraft.
While many comic book fans would love to see Superman and Hulk have a battle, the best DC character to act as a returning foil for the Marvel hero is Solomon Grundy. He is not a villain that Hulk can beat by simply punching, and the similarities between the pair could also work to sway public opinion against the green Avenger.
3 Mr. Freeze
Enemy Of Spider-Man
- Created by: Paul Dini, Bruce Timm
- First Appearance: Batman: The Animated Series (1992)
Mr. Freeze is a Batman villain who has been in conflict with the DC hero since the 1960s. However, the version of the character that most fans love is the one portrayed as Victor Fries in Batman: The Animated Series. This character was once a scientist who turned to a life of crime in an effort to save his wife from a terminal illness.
Putting aside the fact that Mr. Freeze’s powers would be a great weapon against Spider-Man, his backstory is perfect for a new Spider-Man rogue. Many of Spider-Man’s enemies start out as mentors or kindhearted friends before turning to the darkside. As a result, Mr. Freeze could work as a great scientist to hire Peter Parker to aid in his research. He could then end up fighting Spider-Man after he starts committing crimes. It is too dramatic a story for Marvel to ignore.
2 Lex Luthor
Enemy of Iron Man
- Created by: Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster
- First Appearance: Action Comics #23 (1940)
If DC villains were paired up with specific Marvel heroes, it’s easy to see how someone like Lex Luthor would conflict with Tony Stark. The highly intelligent businessman has been at war with Superman for generations, as Luthor wants to be seen as the most powerful man in the world. His schemes normally involve trying to take down Superman, while also running his successful company, LexCorp.
In Marvel, Lex’s goals would most likely remain the same. This time, though, he would put his efforts into proving that he is smarter than the other super-intelligent billionaire in the world: Tony Stark. Therefore, Lex Luthor’s desire to be the most powerful man on Earth would see him building his own suits of power armor to fight Iron Man, instead of trying to acquire Krytonite.
1 The Joker
Enemy Of Anyone
- Created by: Bob Kane, Bill Finger
- First Appearance: Batman #1 (1940)
The main ethos behind The Joker is that he creates chaos in an effort to make Batman break his one rule of not killing, in an attempt to prove to the world that anyone can fall into madness. The Joker is obsessed with Batman, and truly believes that the caped crusader is just one bad day away from being as unhinged as the villains he hunts.
With all that said, it isn’t easy to pit this DC villain against any one Marvel hero. It all depends on whose moral code he finds most fascinating. He could obsessively try to break Spider-Man, prove to the world that Tony Stark is a failure, or even try to kill Wolverine for the fun of it. Either way, having The Joker in the Marvel universe would be bad news for everyone.
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