10 Most Unexpectedly Powerful Marvel Villains

Sometimes it's the most obscure baddies that you need to be the most afraid of.

Stilt-Man Punisher
Marvel Comics

It has often been said that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has a villain problem, and honestly, it's getting pretty tired. I'm not even sure who's still saying it at this point, but they really need to find something new to say. The MCU has provided some truly memorable, menacing, and malicious baddies, almost all of whom are as compelling as the heroes they fight.

Frankly, the most uninteresting villain to the MCU at this point is Martin Scorsese, armed only with his exclusionary opinions.

While the movies have been showcasing some of the comics' most powerful evil-doers, there are still legions of even more obscure and insane villains to choose from. The only "villain problem" that Marvel Comics has ever had is that some of them often come across as a little bit TOO weird. But, if you're anything like us, you know that that weirdness is less of a problem and more a part of the endless fun.

Several of these weird and wonderful criminals can appear laughable at first, and it isn't until you really examine them that you see just how incredibly dangerous they can really be. The following collection of scoundrels and sinners may not seem like much at first, but look deeper and you'll discover damning depths of danger and despair!

10. Taskmaster

Stilt-Man Punisher
Marvel

While Taskmaster has existed in relative obscurity for many years, he's about to enter the mainstream rogue's gallery in a big way. There's been a lot of buzz about his role as the big bad in both the upcoming Black Widow movie and the highly anticipated Avengers video game. So, who is he?

At first look, you could be forgiven for thinking he was just a knock-off Skeletor from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. And who could blame you? He's got a skull for a face! Well, technically it's just a mask (except in some storylines where it seems to be his real exposed skull). However, he has some truly dangerous tricks up his sleeve that could make Skeletor look like a goofy Saturday morning cartoon villain (which, we suppose, he is).

Taskmaster has "photographic reflexes", meaning he can watch anyone do any action once, then copy it without practice. If he wants to become a master archer, all he has to do is watch Hawkeye for a few minutes. If he wants to throw his shield like a frisbee of mass destruction, one look at Captain America flinging his around and he can do just that. If Black Widow hits him with a back-flip spinning kick, you know he's going to hit right back with a very similar back-flip spinning kick.

The world's most dangerous copycat, Taskmaster is not somebody you want to show your best moves to.

Contributor
Contributor

Jimmy Kavanagh is an Irish writer and co-founder of Club Valentine Comedy, a Dublin-based comedy collective. You can hear him talk to his favourite comedians about their favourite comics on his podcast, Comics Swapping Comics.