10 Superheroes Who Started Out As Villains
7. Falcon
In the MCU, Sam Wilson was always a good guy, but things didn't start out that way in the comics. The Falcon made his first appearance in Captain America #117, making him the first African American superhero in comics. Of course, he wasn't a hero initially. Instead, he was a criminal and gang member who called himself "Snap" Wilson.
He created the persona due to his parent's murders and his overall anger at the world around him. He wasn't a supervillain or anything like that, but he wasn't a law-abiding citizen either.
Eventually, he boarded a plane to Rio de Janeiro for a "big score," but his plane crashed on Exile Island. It was on the island where Wilson found Redwing, the falcon he formed a strong bond with. His world changed when the Red Skull used the Cosmic Cube to alter reality.
He made it possible for Wilson to have a mental link with birds and removed his memories of his "Snap" persona. This was all in a plot to kill Captain America, but instead of that happening, Wilson and Cap become friends who fight the Exiles and the Red Skull. From that point on, he was the superhero known as the Falcon.