Summary
It’s always been the dream of comic book fans to play video games that let them live out their fantasies of playing as Marvel’s greatest superheroes. From Spider-Man to Wolverine to Captain Marvel, there are dozens of games where these iconic Marvel heroes are not only playable but front and center. However, it’s not as common to find games where fans play the villain instead.
These games based on Marvel Comics prominently feature supervillains as playable heroes, whether they’re part of larger teams or only available via DLC. While there hasn’t been a game that lets Marvel fans embody a supervillain likeMarvel’s Spider-Mandoes for their most iconic hero, these games will scratch the itch of getting to control the baddest of the bad in the Marvel universe.
BeforeMarvel Rivals, the premiere experience of playing as Marvel characters in online multiplayer wasMarvel Heroes, which originally launched in 2013 on PC before being ported to Xbox One and PS4 asMarvel Heroes Omega. This free-to-play game not only featured a story written by Marvel veteran Brian Michael Bendis, but it also featured over 30 playable villains,as well as many Marvel anti-heroes.
In terms of Marvel games,Marvel Heroeshad the most diverse cast of villains, including the big ones like Loki and Magneto, as well as obscure villains like Lady Deathstrike, Mister Sinister, and The Hood. Sadly, the MMORPG was prematurely shut down in November 2017 after Disney pulled their license for the developers, making this brief experiment a case of wasted potential.
The third entry in theMarvel Ultimate Alliancefranchise came ten years after the previous one, capitalizing on the success ofAvengers: Infinity Warto delivera story centered on Thanos' huntfor the Infinity Gems. The roster of playable characters reaches over 30 recognizable names, like Black Panther, Captain America, and Ms. Marvel, but there’s also a handful of baddies to play as.
Among the most notable supervillains inMarvel Ultimate Alliance 3include Thanos himself, as well as Morbius, Loki, Elektra, and Doctor Doom. There are also plenty of heroes that aren’t exactly heroic, like Scarlet Witch, the Punisher, and Venom, to name a few. The game got decent reviews, though some critics agreed it was a disappointing entry to the series and left a lot to be desired.
The Midnight Sons are one of the coolest superhero teams in Marvel Comics, often comprised of supernatural heroes like Ghost Rider, Blade, Elsa Bloodstone, and Moon Knight. In 2022, the team got their own game from Firaxis Games,Marvel’s Midnight Suns, featuring thirteen playable characters from the comic book team, including oft-villainous ones like Morbius, Venom, and Scarlet Witch.
Although the game failed commercially, there’s a lot to love for diehard Marvel fans, according to reviewers. While some felt the PC version was lacking in terms of technical prowess, others felt the card game mechanics were a mismatched concept with these fan-favorite fighters. Ultimately, it might not be the playable villain game fans would ideally want, but it’s good enough for a fun playthrough.
Lego games are somewhat infamous for having massive rosters of obscure characters. Just look at theLego Star Warsfranchise. Nevertheless,Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2doesn’t disappoint with its expansive roster, which includes DLC-exclusive characters as well. Its stack of villains is impressive, with options like Killmonger, Thanos, Maestro, Kraven the Hunter, Dormammu, and Baron Zemo.
Becauseall Lego games are essentially the samegameplay-wise, this is a perfect recommendation for those who are already familiar with the video game franchise. For the diehard Marvel Comics fans, this is probably one of the best opportunities to control the most obscure supervillains fans can imagine from the comics, though don’t be surprised if all the characters basically feel the same.
2017’s successor toUltimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3features a roster of 38 characters across both Marvel Comics and Capcom’s video game history. Given that only half of those characters are from Marvel, there are only so many supervillains that could make the cut. Thankfully, the ones that do make the cut inMarvel vs. Capcom: Infiniteare quite exciting.
The villains include Dormammu, Thanos, Ultron, and Venom, with a handful of anti-heroes too like Ghost Rider and Winter Soldier. While it’s a fun party game, a lot of critics had issues with the game’s abandonment ofMarvel vs. Capcom’s classic 3-on-3 gameplay, while others felt the character design was lacking. Still, nothing beats getting to kick Mega Man’s butt as Ultron!
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2has an original story but takes inspiration from comic book storylines likeCivil WarandSecret War. Although players for the most part control either side of a superhero conflict led by Iron Man and Captain America, respectively, there are a handful of playable supervillains, including Green Goblin, Juggernaut, Magneto, Songbird, and Venom.
While it may not scratch the same nostalgia itch as the first installment of the franchise,Ultimate Alliance 2is one of the better hack-and-slashers on this list. Reviews appreciated its more coherent story compared to the first game, but many others thought it was a step down from the original in other areas like gameplay, character customization, and a few technical quirks here and there.
Lego Marvel Super Heroeswas the first video game crossover between Marvel and Lego, featuring a pretty standard story where the Marvel universe unites to face the evil Doctor Doom. The game, like other Lego titles, has over 150 different characters from across the Marvel Comics universe, with some inspiration also taken from the designs of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In terms of villains, there’s no shortage made playable, including Abomination, Doctor Doom, Emma Frost, The Leader, Super-Skrull, and Ronan the Accuser. There are even a few other supervillains that were made available via DLC, like Dark Phoenix, Malekith, and Thanos. It certainly appealed to all kinds of video game fansacross the spectrum of loving or even hating Marvel.
Marvel Ultimate Alliancewas originally released in 2006, but it was certainly ahead of the curve in terms of giving audiencesthe definitive Marvel gaming experience. Across every version of the game, there are 23 playable characters, from iconic Marvel heroes like Spider-Man and Wolverine to villains like Doctor Doom, Elektra, Magneto, Namor, Sabretooth, and Venom.
Other versions of the game, like the PSP iteration, feature exclusive characters like Ronin, a.k.a. Maya Lopez, who is the daughter of the supervillain Kingpin. From the charismatic voice acting to the freedom to allow players to assemble any four-person team they’d like, it’s a dream Marvel game, even if aspects of its performance haven’t aged well in the modern day.
If fans are up-to-date on the video game community, chances are they’ve already heard ofMarvel Rivals. The hero shooter released at the end of 2024 assembles a cast of nearly 40 Marvel characters (thus far) in a team-based PvP bonanza. This roster includes classic Marvel heroes as well as more obscure ones, from Doctor Strange to Magik. And don’t worry, there’s plenty of villains to play as.
So far, the villain roster inMarvel Rivalsincludes Magneto, Venom, Hela, Namor, Scarlet Witch, Winter Soldier, and Loki. As far as MMO games go,Marvel Rivalshas especially been praised for its lack of pay-to-win gameplay and even makes for a good team-building game promoting fairly ending matches prematurely if players vote. Hopefully, the game only gets better in the future, and adds more villains!
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3was released in 2011, but it had already perfected the format of the iconic fighting game franchise. There are 36 total characters on the playable roster,mostly composed of returning charactersfrom previous entries, but with some new faces: Rocket Raccoon, Nova, and Iron Fist, to name a few. However, its roster of villains features some oddities like Shuma-Gorath, too!
In total,Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3features eight Marvel villains, whether it’s iconic ones like Magneto and Doctor Doom, or characters like MODOK and Sentinel. Although it doesn’t do much to expand the roster of the franchise for its steep price tag, gameplay-wise it’s an all-around improvement of its predecessors. As far as playable Marvel villains go, this is as good as it gets…for now.
