Marvel Comics is well-known for its thrilling and emotionally rich rivalries between iconic characters. These rivalries can range from superheroes and their villainous archenemies to extensive infighting within the hero community. And since Marvel heroes are so quick to jump at each other’s throats, it should come as no surprise to anyone that the supervillain community is even worse. Marvel’s criminal underworld is filled to the brim with villains competing over territory, loot, and the right to kill superheroes. Every supervillain wants to be the top dog, and this has led to long-lasting, hate-filled feuds with fellow costumed criminals that often catch innocent people in the crossfire.
Most supervillains are only out for themselves, which often leads them to stab other criminals in the back to get ahead. Other times, the hatred is even more personal as they spend extensive amounts of time trying to kill each other and their loved ones.
Given how Doctor Doom has usurped Kang’s role as the big-bad of the MCU, it’s quite fitting that the two have an intense and historical rivalry in the comics. As one can guess, Doctor Doom and Kang’s immense egos often lead to fighting each other over the right to dominate the planet. The pair are among the most intelligent and prideful villains in Marvel Comics and possess arsenals capable of eradicating the planet. Doom and Kang have gone to great lengths to prove their intellectual superiority over the other through numerous schemes and betrayals. While they may occasionally show mutual respect, at the end of the day, they both realize that there can only be one egomaniacal ruler of Earth.
Marvel Comics’ most wicked and powerful villains are undoubtedly the Mad Titan Thanos and the Lord of Hell Mephisto. Still, while they may share in enjoying torturing and killing innocent people, every time they try to work together, it always ends in betrayal. As a master manipulator and cheater, Mephisto has tried on many occasions to manipulate the Mad Titan towards his own ends. Mephisto even acted as Thanos’ advisor during the Infinity Gauntlet Saga before trying to steal the all-powerful weapon for himself. However, Thanos always manages to catch on and uproot Mephisto’s plots and overpower the Lord of Hell. Mephisto’s failure to control Thanos has made his hatred for the Mad Titan grow, and over the years, they have done battle numerous times.
The two biggest enemies of Spider-Man, the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus, are constantly fighting each other over who deserves the right to crush the Wall-Crawler. Initially, the duo found camaraderie in their shared hatred of Spider-Man. However, their partnership came to an end when Green Goblin killed Doc Ock’s ex-fiancée to drive him to be even more cruel. To get his revenge, Doc Ock swore to destroy Spider-Man so that he could steal the Green Goblin’s victory. And of course, when Doc Ock became the Superior Spider-Man and reformed, he fought Green Goblin to protect the city. Even now, when Norman Osborn has been redeemed and Doc Ock has returned to villainy, the pair still hold an intense feud.
For centuries, the infamous X-Men villains Apocalypse and Mr. Sinister have been at each other’s throats. During the 19th century, Apocalypse turned the cruel scientist Dr. Nathaniel Essex into the powerful artificial mutant called Mr. Sinister. Forced into serving Apocalypse, Mr. Sinister tried to kill his master by infecting him with a deadly techno-organic virus. When that plan didn’t work, Mr. Sinister spent centuries trying to find a way to kill Apocalypse. In fact, many of Mr. Sinister’s torturous experiments on the Summers family, including the birth of Cable, are so that he may develop a mutant powerful enough to destroy Apocalypse once and for all. Yet no matter what Mr. Sinister does, Apocalypse always survives and seeks to annihilate the traitorous former servant.
The war between the powerful Kree and Skrull Empires has shaped the entire Marvel Universe. With the Kree’s immense technological might and the Skrull’s potent shapeshifting abilities, these warring empires have been in conflict for eons. Such a bloody conflict has left billions dead on both sides and many unaffiliated worlds caught in the crossfire, including Earth. Often, when an alien race invades Earth, it plans to use Earth’s resources and strategic location to aid its war effort. Even when it seems that the Kree and Skrulls have found common ground and set aside their differences, there’s always the unspoken tension that another intergalactic war will break out between them.
The Nazi terrorist and war criminal Red Skull embodies everything Magneto hates about humanity. As a Jewish child in Europe during the 1930s, Magneto spent his early life suffering in a concentration camp that took the lives of his family. Red Skull was practically the face of the Third Reich during World War II, and shares the Nazi’s bigoted views. Magneto hates the Red Skull more than anyone on Earth and has on numerous occasions apprehended and attempted to kill Captain America’s archnemesis. When Magneto looks at Red Skull, all he can think about is the millions of innocent Jews who were senselessly killed during the Holocaust by the Nazi regime. His visceral revulsion evinces that Red Skull is among Marvel’s most vile supervillains.
The rivalry between Venom and his offspring, Carnage, was so immense that it eventually turned the former into a hero. When Eddie Brock was in prison, his cellmate was the notorious and psychopathic serial killer Cletus Cassidy. Eventually, the Venom symbiote managed to break Eddie free, but not before leaving behind a piece of itself. Venom’s offspring merged with Cletus, and together they became the savage monster Carnage. Although Venom had dedicated his life to killing Spider-Man, when Carnage emerged, Venom worked with the hero to stop the madman. Over the years, the two symbiotes have battled countless times, turning Venom into an anti-hero. With their shared history and impact on Spider-Man lore, Venom and Carnage are the ultimate father-son rivalry.
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