In recent years, Marvel has reinvented old villains and made them more complex than they used to be. It's less common to have a bad guy with a simple goal. These days, villains often have relatable motives that aren't always bad, but are still taken too far.
This new age of villains sometimes fights alongside heroes, whether they convert to heroism full time or have a brief change of heart. Other times, their motives align with the heroes, and they help make a difference in the world.
10 Mephisto Aids Heroes In Their Fight Against His Son, Blackheart
There was a time when Mephisto assisted heroes in a major way, preventing a catastrophic outcome. This happened when his son, Blackheart, sought to rule Earth by bringing Hell there. He was opposed by Agent Venom, Ghost Rider, Red Hulk, and X-23, but they were unsuccessful and even lost their lives in the attempt.
Blackheart proved to be much worse than his father, being someone who wanted to spread chaos across different realms, unlike his father who stood in his own realm. In opposition to his son, Mephisto resurrected the heroes and helped them defeat Blackheart. This was done via a satanic pact, so catastrophe was avoided due to Mephisto, but at a terrible cost to the heroes.
9 The Hood Rallies Criminals Against The Skrull
In a time when heroes were more divided and outnumbered than ever, it would be criminals that came to their aid. These criminals were led by none other than The Hood who knew that with a world destroyed and ruled by the Skrull, there would be no room for his criminal business dealings.
As a result, he rallied criminals of all levels to reinforce the heroes battling the Skrulls at the time. Yes, this was for self-interested reasons, but regardless this did see various evildoers fight on the side of good, if only for a short time.
8 Black Widow Turns From Soviet Spy To Avenger
Black Widow is known very much for her role in the Avengers and heroics in general, but this wasn't always the case. Her past as a Widow was complicated as the first Widow, Clair Voyant, killed villains and sent their souls to the devil.
One of Natasha Romanoff's earlier appearances even sees her take the form of a Soviet spy attempting to take down Iron Man himself. She eventually defects from the Soviet Union to become an Avenger and hero herself, changing the world for the better ever since. While she has been a hero for some time, her past as a villain plays very heavily into her character to this day.
7 Venom Goes From Spider-Man Villain To Hero In His Own Right
Another character typically seen as anti-hero or hero today, Venom started out as a major Spider-Man villain. After Peter Parker got rid of the alien symbiote, it would go over to none other than Eddie Brock, who hated Peter and pursued Spider-Man as a result.
Aside from his feud with Spider-Man, he put a great deal of time and effort into performing all sorts of heroic deeds. He even came to realize that his arch-nemesis was only trying to do good. Venom would echo the same desires and intent with Flash Thompson and Eddie Brock. He has also been a hero for some time, though his heroics may be a bit less known than Black Widow's.
6 Emma Frost Sees Eye To Eye With Charles Xavier
An example of a much more surprising addition to the hero roster, Emma Frost started out as anything but. She's a very powerful mutant that once served as the White Queen for the Hellfire Club and gave the X-Men a run for their money on several occasions.
She would then go on to become a prominent member of the X-Men for a time, even helping to lead them. It was also when she started teaching mutants herself that she saw the truth of Charles Xavier's ways. Regardless, she has still proven to be looking out for herself first and foremost a lot of the time and sees everyone else as beneath her.
5 Magneto Led Xavier's School In His Absence And Assists In Nation X
A character who is a villain above all else, Magneto has proven to be a fan favorite and one of the best Marvel has to offer. While most people consider him to be a villain, he does his fair share of good deeds in defense of mutant kind, treading the fine line between hero and villain. It is important to remember that Erik Lehnsherr and Charles Xavier were extremely close prior to their current roles, and that friendship brings about a certain degree of respect for one another.
Magneto even took over for Professor X as leader at his school when he had to leave Earth. Additionally, he helped out with the upkeep of Utopia in the Nation X event. Typically, Magneto aims to look out for mutants and this sometimes puts him on the same side as the X-Men against a common enemy.
4 Thanos Saves 616 Universe From Cancerverse
While he did snap a sizable portion of the universe's population away both in the comics and the movies, even Thanos has his moments of heroism. One such example is when he joins forces with the heroes to fight both Magus and then the Goddess in the Infinity Trilogy comics.
That wasn't the only time Thanos fought to prevent an otherworldly threat from prevailing. The Mad Titan stands firm against those in the Cancerverse alongside other heroes to prevent them from pouring into the 616 universe. The universe in question contains all sorts of horrors, including the dark reflection of the Avengers - the Revengers. Trapping himself and a few others there, Thanos does succeed in preventing mayhem in the 616 universe.
3 Norman Osborn Squashes The Skrull Threat
Similar to the case with Hood, the Skrulls brought out another villain to a brief stint of heroism. Norman Osborn rallied the Thunderbolts against the Skrull. He was even the one to land the final blow on the Skrull queen, leading the government and the public to hail him as a hero.
Osborn's time doing actual good work was short lived as he used this opportunity to elevate H.A.M.M.E.R. and form his own Dark Avengers who did more harm than good. He helped save the world just to seize the opportunities that came from the turmoil and pursue his own ends.
2 Doctor Octopus As The Superior Spider-Man
One of the more shocking times a villain pursued a life of heroics, for a good deal of time at least, was when Doctor Octopus took over the body of Peter Parker. Just as the body of Otto Octavius was decaying and dying, he transferred himself into the body of his arch-nemesis, Spider-Man.
It was at the point of Peter's death that Doctor Octopus witnessed his memories and decided to honor his legacy as the Superior Spider-Man. He would go on to fight crime very effectively, although his tactics were a bit more brutal. Additionally, he battled the Inheritors alongside a multiversal army of Spider-Men.
1 Doctor Doom Serves As Beloved Ruler And Temporarily Replaces Iron Man
Another fan favorite villain, Victor Von Doom has left a somewhat positive mark on the world at times. For starters, under his rule, the people of Latveria are healthy and enjoy a good economy. The citizens do seem to love him, despite his having used mind control on them in the past.
A lesser role that Doom played was Infamous Iron Man, replacing Tony Stark in the wake of Civil War II. Unsurprisingly, his time as an edgy hero is short lived. It is also worth noting that Doctor Doom also saved many aspects and characters in the multiverse during the Secret Wars event with the powers he stole from the Beyonders.
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