Villains that permanently went legit?

[Hybrid]

What are the former villains that went legit and became good guys, never to return again (apart from maybe an instance or two of backsliding by a bad writer)?

Just off the top of my head:

• Hawkeye
• Quicksilver
• Scarlet Witch
• Black Widow
• Black Knight
• Wonder Man
• Rogue
• Venom
• Screaming Mimi (now known as Songbird)
• Beetle (now known as MACH)
• Emma Frost

Honorable Mention

• Sandman (went legit throughout the '80s and '90s, and was even an Avenger, but eventually went back to villainy)

Anyone else to note?

Also, we can include honorable mentions for villains who had a long streak of being good, before permanently going back to villainy, just as an extra note.

[HipHopAvenger]

Juggernaut (helped the X-Men and looks like he’s going to join Punisher’s cause of fighting against killers of the kids parents during War of the Realms)
Atlas (rejected Moonstone’s offer to join her during War of the Realms)

[Hybrid]

Juggernaut (helped the X-Men and looks like he’s going to join Punisher’s cause of fighting against killers of the kids parents during War of the Realms)

Juggernaut's been in a weird place. He had a good run going legit as part of the Thunderbolts, then he joined the X-Men for a while, but went back into villainy... before joining the X-Men again? The recent Rosenberg run, while terrible, did make Juggernaut an X-Man again. It's kind of odd because historically the Juggernaut's been the guy who shows up and just makes life hell.

[Tycon]

• Frenzy
• Absorbing Man
• Songbird
• Elixir
• Mimic
• Danger
• Diamondback
• Prowler

Honorable mention: Random, Omega Red

[Raye]

though he's been more anti-hero until pretty recently, Loki's lasted something like 8 years now. Yeah he played the part of villain at times, but it was in a double/undercover agent sort of way, doing shady things on the surface but actually trying to help, even if his methods were kinda messed up.

[HipHopAvenger]

I kinda want to see Black Mamba & Asp dabble in more heroics like Diamondback does

[Kurolegacy]

• Frenzy
• Absorbing Man
• Songbird
• Elixir
• Mimic
• Danger
• Diamondback
• Prowler

Honorable mention: Random, Omega Red

Can we really say Absorbing Man just yet? Sure he hasn’t been a villain in Blackbolt and Immortal Hulk but only time will tell if he and Titania remain as is or a future writer backslides them into villainy.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Can we really say Absorbing Man just yet? Sure he hasn’t been a villain in Blackbolt and Immortal Hulk but only time will tell if he and Titania remain as is or a future writer backslides them into villainy.

Yeah, Absorbing Man isn't an utter scumbag, but he's no hero either. He's only with Gamma Flight to stay out of jail and with his wife

[MichelleDiMera]

Juggernaut's been in a weird place. He had a good run going legit as part of the Thunderbolts, then he joined the X-Men for a while, but went back into villainy... before joining the X-Men again? The recent Rosenberg run, while terrible, did make Juggernaut an X-Man again. It's kind of odd because historically the Juggernaut's been the guy who shows up and just makes life hell.

Problem with the face turns for Juggernaut..he has to be powered down.

[Triniking1234]

For the Black Knight one, I think the only times he was ever villainous it was due to manipulation from others.

[XPac]

Problem with the face turns for Juggernaut..he has to be powered down.

The X writers really just need to decide what lane Juggernaut is riding in and stick to it. The flip flopping is really watering the character down.

[The Overlord]

What are the former villains that went legit and became good guys, never to return again (apart from maybe an instance or two of backsliding by a bad writer)?

Just off the top of my head:

• Hawkeye
• Quicksilver
• Scarlet Witch
• Black Widow
• Black Knight
• Wonder Man
• Rogue
• Venom
• Screaming Mimi (now known as Songbird)
• Beetle (now known as MACH)
• Emma Frost

Honorable Mention

• Sandman (went legit throughout the '80s and '90s, and was even an Avenger, but eventually went back to villainy)

Anyone else to note?

Also, we can include honorable mentions for villains who had a long streak of being good, before permanently going back to villainy, just as an extra note.

That's a fairly extensive list and does cover most of the candidates?

Has ther been a villain who actively tired to reform and failed? I am not talking about Sandman who became a villain again due to mind control (which is stupid), but actually tried to reform and failed to do so, rather then pretending to reform as part of a villainous scheme or becoming mind controlled to be evil again.

There was a short story from the 90s where Trapster tried to reform and failed and I feel like that would some layers to the characters if they adapted into the comics:

http://notblogx.blogspot.com/2013/06...-part-six.html

[Raye]

Doom comes to mind as a recent example. He tried to go straight, even prior to Secret Wars and Superior Iron Man he was kind of moving in that direction, but then Hood attacked him, he went back to his castle and emerged a villain again.

Oh. and Superior reminds me, Otto is trying. More anti-hero again, but, he's trying to be better. I hear his book is cancelled, so it may not go any further though.

Also, come to think of it, Scott Lang who himself is an ex-con hired Grizzly and Machinesmith to work with him, so they went straight. Though Machinesmith was... iffy.

Porcupine, too.

[stingray]

What are the former villains that went legit and became good guys, never to return again (apart from maybe an instance or two of backsliding by a bad writer)?

Just off the top of my head:

• Hawkeye
• Quicksilver
• Scarlet Witch
• Black Widow
• Black Knight
• Wonder Man
• Rogue
• Venom
• Screaming Mimi (now known as Songbird)
• Beetle (now known as MACH)
• Emma Frost

Honorable Mention

• Sandman (went legit throughout the '80s and '90s, and was even an Avenger, but eventually went back to villainy)

Anyone else to note?

Also, we can include honorable mentions for villains who had a long streak of being good, before permanently going back to villainy, just as an extra note.

Agree with all of these except Black Knight, who was never a villain. Dane Whitman inherited the mantle from his villainous ancestor and impersonated the evil BK in the Masters of Evil, but was always heroic.

[MyriVerse]

What are the former villains that went legit and became good guys, never to return again (apart from maybe an instance or two of backsliding by a bad writer)?

Just off the top of my head:

• Hawkeye
• Quicksilver
• Scarlet Witch
• Black Widow
• Black Knight
• Wonder Man
• Rogue
• Venom
• Screaming Mimi (now known as Songbird)
• Beetle (now known as MACH)
• Emma Frost

Honorable Mention

• Sandman (went legit throughout the '80s and '90s, and was even an Avenger, but eventually went back to villainy)

Anyone else to note?

Also, we can include honorable mentions for villains who had a long streak of being good, before permanently going back to villainy, just as an extra note.

Scratch Emma off that list. She went back to villainy when she dumped Cyclops.