Shortage of Villains?

[Anthony W]

Marvel seems to be doing a good job creating new heroes but are they doing a good job creating villains for them? It seems that Marvel are giving them other heroes hand me downs instead of working to give them their own unique rogue galleries.

[mr_crisp]

Who needs villains nowadays when the heroes are too busy fighting each other.

[Mutant God]

I agree I think lots of new/better villains need to be created, but Ms. Marvel (Kamala) has battled new villains in her book I think but none of them have become recurring and some just stand out I guess.

[williamtheday]

How about the legacy villains like The Young Masters of Evil?

[Thor-Ul]

Who needs villains nowadays when the heroes are too busy fighting each other.

That. But still there are some new villians like the black order of Thanos.

[ed2962]

It's the same thing as with creating new heroes. A creator might be hesitant to come with a villain that becomes the next Thanos or Harley Quinn only to have the company own it lock stock and barrel.

[Zero Hunter]

I think a better thing would be to make the editors share their toys. They hold onto their villains like Golum does the one ring. Spread them around. They used to do that in the old days when you would see things like Captain America fight Electro or Mister Fantastic fight Doc Ock. Maybe do something like Acts of Vengeance II but have it last a whole year or more.

If nothing else it would be more interesting than watching the heroes fight the same villain for the 30th time.

[Colossus1980]

Seems to be the same villains over and over for all the new heroes. Wrecking Crew, Absorbing Man, Arcade, Mole Man and a few others seem to pop up everywhere. The new legacy heroes who are teens seem to be fighting adults who are twice their age. Nice.

[Likewater]

It's the same thing as with creating new heroes. A creator might be hesitant to come with a villain that becomes the next Thanos or Harley Quinn only to have the company own it lock stock and barrel.

Harley Quinn, was a creation of the Animate Series. She was made to lighten the Joker, she simply worked so well she became cannon. Mr Freeze did that before her, and X-23 later.

I don't think Disney has it in them to give an animated series that level of creative freedom.

They can always try digging up and retooling old villains they killed off, they can take a look at the 90's and revive and re-purpose some creative material.

[DJ1107]

More Villains like The Black Order or Zodiac less Like The Freelancers. Infact make a New Scourge of the Underworld to gun the Freelancers down please.

[Raye]

New villains have been introduced, but it's the same as with heroes, there is no guarantee they will catch on.

But off the top of my head, we JUST had a new villain created with Stevil, there is no way he isn't going to be popping up again, and another evil doppelganger the Maker was brought in from the Ultimate universe. sure they are based on existing characters, but they are still new villains for the main universe. Ms Marvel has introduced a few, but they are unlikely to spread beyond that book... Jason Aaron is actually really good at introducing new villains, Dario Agger, Gorr (though, yeah, he is unlikely to appear again), Mr. Misery in Dr Strange (though as with Ms Marvel he is too closely linked to Strange to appear outside that book, probably) brought back Cul who was first introduced, what 6 years ago or so? That's newish. I know people don't like them but the Hellfire kids... Squirrel Girl introduced Ratatoskr (based on mythology, but new to the MU) and that woman whose name escapes me at the moment who could talk to animals, probably a bunch more I am spacing on... my point is, villains are being created, it's just that most of them come and go with barely a memory, just like most new characters in general. It will take a combo of time, exposure, and luck to see if any of them will have staying power.

[King_Thor13]

Well, for the villains I'd say it's more of a problem with Marvel not accessing already established villains and building on them. A lot of events and arcs in recent years have either been hero-on-hero conflicts or have recycled the same bunch of villains over and over again. New villains are a rarity, and when they do appear, they're so boring and uninspired that we never really see them again. But there are already countless Marvel villains that already exist that should be being used.

Calypso, Typhoid Mary, Hydro-Man, Beetle, Chameleon, Morbius, White Wolf, Erik Killmonger, Steel Serpent, Ghost, Blizzard, the Serpent Society, Batroc, Dark Widow, Constrictor, Speed Demon, Headsman, Deathlocket, Young Masters of Evil, Zzzax, Detroit Steel, Madame Masque, Umar etc.

It's nice when Marvel writers do really know the content and access the vast number of pre-existing characters.

[ed2962]

Harley Quinn, was a creation of the Animate Series. She was made to lighten the Joker, she simply worked so well she became cannon. Mr Freeze did that before her, and X-23 later.

I don't think Disney has it in them to give an animated series that level of creative freedom.

They can always try digging up and retooling old villains they killed off, they can take a look at the 90's and revive and re-purpose some creative material.

True. But a lot of writers just don't seem to have the interest in reviving obscure characters unless it's someone they were already familiar with from their childhood or something.

[GOLGO 13]

It's the same thing as with creating new heroes. A creator might be hesitant to come with a villain that becomes the next Thanos or Harley Quinn only to have the company own it lock stock and barrel.

There you have it. Can't blame these creators at all.

[Iron Maiden]

There you have it. Can't blame these creators at all.

I was surprised that Hickman gave them a group of new villains with the Black Order. But I think they mostly got bumped off. Isn't Black Swan dead? I'd like to have seen her hang in there.