Superheroes are meant to represent the best parts of ourselves. They are people who have chosen to craft a new identity that allows them to save the day in a way that they can’t as a normal citizen without putting themselves or the ones they love at risk. Over time, these new identities came to be more than masks. They became symbols of standing up for what’s right no matter the circumstance, and mantles that can be passed on to others who embody the same spirit. Seeing new heroes pick up the legacy left behind by those who started the fight is inspiring like few things could hope to be. However, these identities aren’t always taken for noble reasons.
Sometimes the best way to defeat your enemy is to become them, and that’s exactly what these five Marvel villains did. Villains may steal a hero’s identity for a variety of reasons, be it a plan to discredit the hero, a desire to prove they’re better than them, or even to start themselves on the path to redemption. These villains, for one reason or another, all chose to wear the skin of the heroes who so often beat them, and not for just a single issue, either, but a significant portion of time. Today, we’re examining which villains stole from which hero, and talking about why these new identities worked so well.
5) Doctor Octopus – Spider-Man
Perhaps the most famous example of this trope is when Doc Ock stole Spider-Man’s body, proclaiming himself the Superior Spider-Man. Otto planned on continuing his own villainous schemes with a fresh slate, but upon seeing Peter’s memories, dedicated himself to using his great power responsibly. Of course, he was still Otto Octavius, meaning that he went about saving the day in his own egotistical, morally dubious way. He created an entire network of spider-bots to monitor all crime across the city, and made the Raft his home base. He even founded a multibillion-dollar company in his civilian life, creating Parker Industries.
Otto’s path to heroism was long, grueling, and filled with pitfalls. He could never quite shake some of his villainous instincts, and when push came to shove, he realized that he didn’t have what it took to protect the city from the Green Goblin. He was too in his own head, hesitating, which is something Spider-Man could never afford to do. In the end, Otto accepted that he wasn’t the superior Spider-Man, and returned control of the body to Peter. Otto’s time as Spider-Man taught him what being a superhero cost, and he proved that he was one by giving up everything so Peter could save the day.
4) Daken – Wolverine
Akihiro has a contentious history with his father, the original Wolverine. Immediately following World War II, Logan took a wife named Itsu, but she was killed while still pregnant. Unknown to Wolverine, the baby survived, but was kidnapped by the villain Romulus and raised by a rich couple. In his later childhood, Akihiro was taught to hate Wolverine, blaming him for all the traumas of his life. He grew into a cold-blooded murderer intent on destroying his father however he could, and he did just that when Norman Osborn created the Dark Avengers and offered Daken the position of his Wolverine.
Daken took the job solely to ruin his father’s reputation, taking great pleasure in every vile act and manipulating his teammates and enemies alike. Daken maintained his Dark Wolverine persona for quite some time, but when he visited Krakoa, he finally learned to bury the hatchet. Funnily enough, his turn to heroism involved him taking another identity that his father once used, the Hellverine. Daken is a complicated man who has killed just as much as he’s saved, but at the end of the day, he is trying to find his place in the world. Perhaps now, he’s finally found it.
3) Baron Zemo – Citizen V
The original Citizen V was a classic hero and adventurer from the 1940s, who operated as a freedom fighter against Nazi occupation. However, he was killed in action by Baron Heinrich Zemo, the father of the Baron Helmut Zemo we all know today. After the Avengers and Fantastic Four seemingly died defeating Onslaught, Zemo saw the opportunity to control and further decimate the superhero world. He stole the Citizen V identity and convinced the rest of the Masters of Evil to adopt similar heroic personas, posing as a new team known as the Thunderbolts.
To Zemo, posing as a hero, specifically a hero that his father killed, was his ultimate insult to his greatest foes. He wanted to humiliate and decimate them all, so that nobody could stand in his way while he conquered the world. Posing as a do-gooder gave him the chance to gain the people’s trust and hide his true plans in plain sight, but of course, his ultimate failure has always been and will always be his pride. Zemo was so convinced that he had already won that he never foresaw some of his teammates actually wishing to remain heroes and stopping him. He convinced his allies to become saviors, but he never counted on them actually being heroes.
2) Doctor Doom – Iron Man
Doctor Doom is one of the vainest, pettiest, most narcissistic men in the entire multiverse. He became a villain because he refused to listen to Reed Richards’s advice about his machine, and when it predictably blew up in his face, he mental-gymnasticsed into blaming Reed for his scar. His refusal to accept that Reed is smarter than him has led him down dark, villainous paths, but all that changed at the end of Secret Wars (2015). Doom finally admitted that Reed was the better man, and when Reed rebuilt the multiverse, he healed Doom’s face, giving him a fresh start.
Doom tried to be a hero, taking the role of the Infamous Iron Man when Captain Marvel put Tony in a coma. Victor seemed to have fully reformed, saving lives and working to better his reputation. He even earned SHIELD’s trust as a hero, but his rise was swiftly followed by just as harsh a fall. His face was scarred once again, and Doom almost immediately returned to his villainous ways. Pride has always been Victor’s biggest weakness, and his inability to accept that he isn’t perfect is his main driving force to villainy. He could be a great hero, but he’s too flawed to see that flaws don’t have to define him.
1) Norman Osborn – Spider-Man
Norman Osborn is one of the worst villains there is. You name a crime, and he’s probably committed it. He once vowed to destroy Peter’s life at any cost, hating Spider-Man more than anything in the world. He tormented Spider-Man for years, but everything changed when his sins were removed by the empowered Sin-Eater. Ever since, he’s been on a mission of redemption, which mostly consisted of supporting Spider-Man. He’s actually become one of Spider-Man’s closest allies, and when Peter disappeared after his fight with Hellgate, Norman knew that somebody had to fill in as Spider-Man.
Norman has always been quick to steal identities. He became his own version of Iron Man when he stole Nick Fury’s position in SHIELD. Heck, he wasn’t even the first Goblin. The mad billionaire has been in a constant battle with himself for his entire life, trying to become the man he thinks he needs to be. When he was Spider-Man, Norman finally realized that the thing he lacked was kindness. He saw how people loved Spider-Man, and felt how good it was to help people and be seen as a hero. It taught him that the treasure he’s always chased wasn’t down a dark path, but one of light.
Marvel’s heroes haven’t always held onto their identities, but even when others take them and run with them, they’re sure to give us a great story out of it. Which stolen identity is your favorite?
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