10 Messed Up Marvel Villains You Won't Believe Exist

2. Scarecrow

Ghost Rider Scarecrow
Marvel Comics

Marvel and DC have never been strangers to the odd rip-off, but don't mistake the House of Ideas' Scarecrow for an ersatz version of Batman's formidable adversary - at least in his current form.

Initially introduced in 1964's Tales of Suspense #51, Ebenezer Laughton started out as a circus performer skilled in contortion. He eventually witnessed Iron Man apprehend a villain and decided that he could use his own skills for a life of crime, which is when he became the supervillain known as the Scarecrow.

So far, so normal. However, years of suffering defeat at the hands of Marvel's heroes turned Scarecrow into a terrifying serial killer, which eventually led him into the path of Ghost Rider. After dying in a battle with the Spirit of Vengeance, Scarecrow was given demonic powers and was eventually resurrected by Blackheart.

As far as creepiness goes, Scarecrow offers the complete package. He has a terrifying look, a demonic backstory, and a frightening array of powers that he can use to strike terror into his victims. All that after witnessing Iron Man fight a villain by coincidence!

Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.