A superhero is only as good as their villain. Seeing Spider-Man beat up some random thugs every now and then is fine, but if he never faced off against Green Goblin, the Webhead's adventures would get boring fast. The struggle that the hero faces as they go up against their greatest foes is what keeps readers coming back for more. But what happens when the hero finds themselves teaming up with an old adversary?
Sometimes, a villain finds the life of villainy just isn't working out and they switch sides, joining the heroes in the never-ending battle against evil. This switch doesn't always stick, with the reformed criminal often returning to their fiendish roots, but sometimes the baddie finds that being a hero is a pretty good feeling and they stick with it.
10 Magneto Flips More Often Than Two-Face's Coin
Magneto, the self-declared Master of Magnetism, has gone back and forth so many times, it is hard to keep track of where his allegiances lie from month to month. Once the leader of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Magneto was the X-Men's greatest foe right up until he joined them. Then he went back to being evil for a while before becoming a hero again. This flip-flop has gone on for decades, and will likely go on for decades to come. The reason Magneto can so easily switch back and forth is because his ultimate cause - protecting mutants - is a noble one, even if his actions are sometimes quite horrific.
9 Lex Luthor Turned Good For All The Wrong Reasons
The biggest thorn in Superman's side, Lex Luthor has shown up to help save the day a number of times, but it was always because he could benefit in some way. Most recently, Luthor helped the heroes fight against Perpetua when she attempted to destroy the universe, but that was only after Perpetua betrayed him; before that, he was on her side.
Luthor also became a hero when the Crime Syndicate of Earth-3 came to Earth-1 and took it over, but again his reasons were less about saving others and more about not wanting anyone else to rule the world. After the Forever Evil event, Luthor did join the Justice League for a period, and he even continued to play hero when the New 52 Superman died, but once Superman came back, Luthor returned to his evil ways.
8 Sandman's Heroism Was Taken Away By Another Villain
After years of fighting Spider-Man, Sandman decided to give the hero life a try when the Fantastic Four's Thing sat him down and gave him a good talk. Sandman joined the Outlaws, a team of rehabilitated villains, and helped Spider-Man on a few missions before receiving a presidential pardon and joining the Avengers as a reserve member before becoming part of Silver Sable's Wild Pack.
Sadly, Sandman's tenure as a hero came to an end when the villainous Wizard brainwashed him and returned him to his evil roots. Sandman reformed the Sinister Six and set out to try and destroy Spider-Man once again.
7 Terra Had To Be Cloned To Become A Hero
A member of the Teen Titans, Terra was introduced as a hero, but in truth, she was secretly working with Deathstroke to destroy the teen heroes from the inside. The half-sister of the hero Geo-Force, Terra believed that instead of helping people, she and her brother should rule over them. In the end, Terra's evil ways cost her her life.
But years later, Terra returned from the 21st century, a clone of herself who was sent back in time to stop the birth of Donna Troy's son, who was destined to become the evil Lord Chaos. Terra joined the Team Titans and became the hero her friends originally believed she was.
6 Venom Had The Makings Of A Hero From Day One
Unlike most villains, Venom didn't start off looking to become rich or to rule the world. For the alien symbiote that connected with Eddie Brock, it was all about revenge. Both the symbiote and Brock felt that Spider-Man had destroyed their lives, and together they would destroy his.
But Eddie's religious beliefs meant that Venom would not kill anyone but Spider-Man, opening the path for him to become a hero. When the Carnage symbiote connected with Cletus Kasady, Venom teamed up with Spider-Man to stop the murderous madman. Soon after, Brock and the symbiote left New York for San Francisco where they started their heroic career.
5 Catwoman Stole Batman's Heart And Became A Hero In Turn
One of Batman's earliest adversaries, Catwoman spent a lot of her time caught between being a burglar and being attracted to the Dark Knight - an attraction that Batman reciprocated. As time went on, Catwoman's criminal activity took a backseat whenever Batman called on her, and in time the two admitted their feelings for one another. Catwoman gave up the criminal life and became a full-fledged hero, working alongside the Caped Crusader and even coming close to marrying him before both of their worlds fell apart at the Joker's hands. These days, Catwoman stays on the right side of the law while working to clean up her reputation.
4 Hawkeye Was An Accidental Villian
A circus performer known as “The World’s Greatest Marksman," Clint Barton decided to play up his Hawkeye persona with a costume after seeing Iron Man in action. When Hawkeye first appeared in his new outfit, the police mistook him for a thief, and before long Clint found himself teamed up with the Soviet agent Black Widow. The two spent some time fighting the heroes and fell in love, but the criminal life wasn't what Hawkeye wanted. Tired of living as a crook, Hawkeye went to the Avengers and told them that he wanted to reform. From that day on, Hawkeye has been one of the good guys.
3 Rogue Was Recruited Into Villainy
As with so many of Marvel's mutants, when Rogue's ability to absorb the energy and psyche of others through skin-to-skin contact emerged, she found herself ostracized by her community. Alone and filled with rage, Rogue was found by Mystique, who convinced the young teen to join the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
During a battle with the Avengers, Rogue absorbed the powers and thoughts of Carol Danvers, then known as Ms. Marvel. Unlike with others, Rogue did not lose Ms. Marvel's powers or memories after a brief period of time. With Carol's thoughts mixed in her head, Rogue turned to Professor X to help clear her mind, leading to her joining the X-Men.
2 Clayface Just Needed A Friend
A B-list actor who turned to murder when he found out one of his films was being remade, Basil Karlo was the first Clayface, and continues to be the most well-known. Basil started off using simple make-up to change his appearance, but after getting his hands on the blood samples of Preston Payne and Sondra Fuller - better known as Clayface IV and Lady Clay - Basil gained the ability to shapeshift.
For years, Basil and Batman fought it out, but when Batman came to the conclusion that all Clayface really wanted was help controlling his powers and emotions, the Caped Crusader offered his foe a spot on a new superhero team. While most believe Clayface died in battle, the truth is, Basil chose to leave behind the superhero life and live quietly outside of Gotham.
1 Wonder Man Started Off With Embezellment Before Becoming A Supervillain
At just 22, Simon found himself running Williams Innovations even though he was not prepared for the job. Simon's business decisions were all dreadful, costing Williams Innovations billions. When his brother convinced Simon to embezzle money from the company and invest in criminal activity, Simon soon found himself under arrest.
Simon was broken out of jail by the Masters of Evil and was given powers by Baron Zemo and became Wonder Man. The trick was that without a special potion that Zemo had, Simon would die. Looking to save his own life and stop the Masters of Evil, Wonder Man turned to the Avengers for help. Wonder Man died soon after, but upon returning to life he became a hero.
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