10 Massively Underrated Marvel Villains
1. Hobgoblin
Spider-Man's archenemy is the Green Goblin. However, for a long time the character was dead and someone needed to fill that void.
During the 80's, writer Roger Stern was under a lot of pressure to have Spider-Man fight the Green Goblin again. Rather than bring back Norman Osborn or have yet another person take up the mantle, he decided to create a new character.
An unknown man found one of Norman Osborn's old hideouts filled with Green Goblin equipment. He was able to improve on Osborn's technology and power-granting formula (removing the negative effect on mental health) and became the Hobgoblin.
For years the most notable thing about Hobgoblin was the mystery surrounding his identity. It stretched out for years, with numerous twists and false revelations, but he was eventually revealed as shady business mogul Roderick Kingsley.
What makes Hobgoblin cool is just how successful he is as a villain. Sure Green Goblin may get all the fame and notoriety, but he also gets constantly socked on the jaw by Spider-Man or impaled on his own glider. Hobgoblin ran a criminal empire for years without anyone even learning his name. When he was finally discovered, he escaped with millions of dollars and retired to his own private island.
More recently, he has returned to crime and now has a very lucrative career hiring out costumed identities to aspiring criminals.