One of the most intriguing interpretations of the hero's journey is the transformation of an infamous villain into a beloved hero. Marvel Comics has an impressive history of redemption stories, with many established heroes of the modern era grown from villainous roots. In fact, there are many Marvel heroes, who are well-known due to the MCU, that casual fans might not even realize originated as villains.
While not every attempt has been successful, and some characters have proven to be potentially irredeemable, others have soared to unprecedented and unexpected heights and shown that true redemption is entirely possible.
10 Swordsman
One of the trainers of a young Clint Barton, Jacques Duquesne, the original Swordsman was always opportunistic, to the point of being exiled from the carnival the two worked for after being caught stealing the profits of his compatriots. After reinventing himself as an international swashbuckling hero, Duquesne reunited with Barton, who had by then become the Avenger, Hawkeye. and gained the trust of earth's mightiest over the course of multiple adventures. While this entire act would prove to be a ruse, a last-minute change of heart during a mission with the Avengers resulted in Swordsman's redemption, and he was eventually sought out for full Avengers membership during a team restructuring, years later.
9 Magneto
While he's best known as the longtime arch-nemesis of the X-Men, Magneto, despite differing views, is a life-long friend of X-Men founder Professor Charles Xavier. True to the themes of the comics from which he originated, Magneto has evolved over the years from perennial X-Men villain to unassuming ally.
Although his overarching goals have forced him to resume a villainous role at times, Magneto's willing stints as the teacher of Xavier's second class, the New Mutants, as well as his recent alignment with the mutant nation of Krakoa have shown his willingness to assume a more heroic role when it suits him.
8 Wonder Man
Granted ionic energy manipulating powers and set to infiltrate the Avengers by the infamous Baron Zemo, Simon Williams, better known as Wonder Man, spent his early years as a frequently used pawn in the schemes of many villains. The actions of the android Avenger The Vision, however, who was programmed with a replica of Williams' brain patterns, proved that he was heroic at his core. When Wonder Man returned years after these initial appearances, it was an uphill battle to gain the trust of his former foes. Simon showed resilience in the face of this adversity and went on to prove himself as every bit the hero as his robotic counterpart, eventually co-founding the West Coast branch of the Avengers.
7 Scarlet Witch And Quicksilver
When they debuted in the first year of X-Men comics, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff were introduced to the world as members of Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. With this team, the twins, codenamed Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, were frequent antagonists of Xavier's original class of students. As the Brotherhood's exploits became frequently more dastardly, the pair became disillusioned with Magneto's vision and eventually went AWOL. They next appeared as members of Captain America's second generation of Avengers, after founders Iron Man and Thor took an early hiatus. As Avengers, the duo quickly made amends for their past deeds, with Wanda, in particular, becoming one of the team's longest-serving members. Despite each having made some arguably villainous acts in the following years, with occasional teases of a backslide into evil, the twins have always reverted to the side of good when tested.
6 Venom
Despite playing a frequently antagonistic role in his rivalry with Spider-Man, neither Eddie Brock nor his alien symbiote is inherently evil. In fact, in their over 30 years of existence, Venom has taken on a heroic persona more often than not.
Whether leading the charge against the sadistic allies of Cletus Kasady in 1993s Maximum Carnage or defending the innocent as San Francisco's lethal protector, Venom's methods may be drastic, but their intentions are genuine. Since overcoming their early distrust of one another, Spider-Man and Venom have developed an uneasy truce, and gone on to team up on numerous occasions.
5 Black Widow
While fans today will undoubtedly associate Natasha Romanov, the Black Widow, with her longstanding role as one of Earth's mightiest heroes, many may not realize that she began her costumed career as a recurring foe of the armored Avenger, Iron Man. After multiple early run-ins with the hero, Natasha eventually came to admire Tony Stark's selflessness and heroism and defected from her role as a Soviet super-spy to join SHIELD, and eventually The Avengers. While she still has plenty of red on her ledger, Natasha has worked hard to make amends for her past actions, becoming one of the team's most trusted and valued members.
4 Hawkeye
After initially being inspired by the exploits of Iron Man, the expert marksman Clint Barton's life as the masked adventurer Hawkeye got off to a rocky start. Meeting Black Widow early in his costumed career, Clint was blinded by his initial infatuation with the spy, who at this point was still an antagonist to his hero. After proving his altruism, Hawkeye became dissatisfied with his potentially villainous route, and made a conscious choice to "walk the straight and narrow." He was shortly afterward recruited alongside Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch into Captain America's second generation of Avengers. Always with an eye towards the path he could have taken, Hawkeye has made great efforts to mentor other costumed characters, including a long tenure as leader of The Thunderbolts, and later taking the Young Avenger, Kate Bishop, under his wing.
3 Prowler
Beginning as a remarkably intelligent, yet misguided teen who turned to crime out of desperation, young Hobie Brown's life would change on the day he met Spider-Man. After being swiftly defeated by the hero, Brown was the recipient of an inspirational Peter Parker pep-talk, from which he completely reevaluated the way in which he was using his genius. From costumed burglar to high tech hero, The Prowler joined the ranks of Spider-Man villains who successfully reformed, becoming one of the web slinger's most trusted allies, and a fully-fledged hero in his own right.
2 Songbird
Melissa Gold spent her first almost 20 years of publication history as the frequent Avengers villain Screaming Mimi, using her sonic powers for nefarious purposes. When most of the Avengers were presumed deceased following 1996's Onslaught crossover, she was among the members of Zemo's Masters of Evil who decided to capitalize on this vacuum by reinventing themselves as The Thunderbolts, in a plan to gain the public's trust before taking over the world. Changing her persona from Screaming Mimi to Songbird, Melissa was unprepared for the thrill that heroism would bring her. When the Thunderbolts' true identities were revealed, and Hawkeye took over leadership of the team, Songbird was one of the members who stayed aboard, seeing an opportunity to truly reform. Although it has been a slow journey, Melissa has proven time and again that her intentions are gold, and her dark past is firmly behind her.
1 Rogue
Rogue's earliest adventures were as an enemy of Carol "Captain Marvel" Danvers as a member of Mystique's version of The Brotherhood of Mutants. In one of her earliest appearances, she would use her power siphoning abilities against the longtime Avenger, accidentally absorbing most of Carol's identity in the process, and almost driving her insane. Desperately seeking a solution, she turned to the world's leading expert on mutant powers, Professor Charles Xavier, a sworn enemy of her foster mother Mystique. Since her initial depiction as a reluctant recruit of the X-Men, Rogue has blossomed into one of mutant kind's greatest heroes. Far from her humble beginnings, Rogue has since led multiple teams of X-Men, helped to mentor a new generation of students, and made peace with the actions of her past. She and Carol recently reconciled when Captain America himself appointed Rogue the leader of the Avengers mutant outreach team, the Unity Squad.
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July 24, 2021 at 12:00AM
