Marvel: Best Fantastic Four Villains

Key Takeaways

• Doctor Doom is the most iconic and dangerous foe for The Fantastic Four due to his genius intellect and the scale of his threats.
• Galactus poses a fascinating nuanced threat to the entire cosmos by seeking out planets to devour for his own survival.
• Kang the Conqueror, with his time travel powers, is a recurring villain for The Fantastic Four, always trying to outsmart them throughout time.

Often called Marvel’s first family, the Fantastic Four are one of the most beloved teams in all of comics. Individually known as Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Human Torch, and The Thing, the Fantastic Four are just as famous for their “family trips” into strange locales as they are for their crime-fighting escapades. Their adventures on both ends of this spectrum have won them one of the most eclectic rogues galleries in all comics.

The Fantastic Four have squared off against everything from costumed criminals, to mad scientists, to interdimensional warlords. This wide menagerie of villains helps color the team’s adventures and makes them interesting. Even among this fascinating group of ne’er-do-wells, a few stand atop the heap.

Updated on October 5, 2024, by Blaise Santi: The Fantastic Four has always been one of Marvel’s most popular franchises, but it’s about to reach a whole new level when The Fantastic Four: First Steps comes out in 2025. The film is set to feature many iconic characters from the First Family’s comic book history, but there have been plenty of integral villains of the superhero team who haven’t even shown up on film yet. Take a look at these extra characters who antagonized The Fantastic Four, and keep an eye out for their first comic book appearances, some of which were surprisingly early on in The Fantastic Four’s adventures.

15

Wizard

A Tech Savvy Crook Who Leads A Knockoff Fantastic Four

Despite his name, Wizard doesn’t actually have any magical ability to speak of. Rather, he is a technological genius who used his gadgets for stage magic before he turned to a life of crime. He fancies himself a rival to the Fantastic Four, so much so that he creates his own evil version.

Wizard is perhaps most famous for leading a team called the Frightful Four, which had a rotating roster of supervillains meant to challenge the Fantastic Four. While they’ve never succeeded in beating them, the group has proven a worthy rival to the Four on several occasions. Wizard’s tenacity and mastery of high-tech gadgets make him an excellent Fantastic Four villain.

14

Puppet Master

A Villain More Complex Than A Physical Foe

In terms of physical strength, Puppet Master isn’t going to send anyone crying to their mothers. Fortunately for him, his true strength lies in his excellent artistic skills. Using a special radioactive clay, Puppet Master can control anyone as long as he can carve their likeness.

This allows him to use civilians as human shields, creating scenarios that the Fantastic Four can’t simply fight their way out of. He also has a history of manipulating heroes to fight against each other. On top of that, he’s the stepfather of the Thing’s wife, Alicia Masters, thus complicating his relationship with the heroes.

13

Molecule Man

A Lowly Scientist Who Meddles With Powers Beyond His Control

Molecule Man is one of many integral Marvel villains who actually debuted early on in The Fantastic Four’s history. In their 20th-ever issue, the superhero team faces off against a scientist who, as a result of a nuclear accident, became the incredibly powerful Molecule Man, who poses a huge challenge for the team due to his molecule-affecting abilities.

However, the four disarm Molecule Man by taking away his wand, although future iterations of the character can’t be so easily beaten. Molecule Man has been known to possess the bodies of many Marvel heroes, including Reed Richards himself, and has even made allies with multiversal threats, making him one of the F4’s most difficult enemies.

12

Medusa

The Inhuman Queen Has A Personal Vendetta Against The F4

Medusa is notable for being the queen of the Inhumans and the wife of the silent but deadly Black Bolt. Her power is pretty unique as far as Marvel characters go, with the ability to have psychic control over her hair as a result of the Terrigen mist. Despite her long history in the comics, her original appearance established her as a frequent enemy of the Fantastic Four.

Alongside the likes of the Wizard, Sandman, and Paste-Pot Pete, Medusa assembled a team known as the “Frightful Four,” though they were quickly defeated by the original squad. Even when she initially joined the Inhumans, her primary goal was to defeat The Fantastic Four, though she’s also allied with the team against intergalactic threats like the Kree or Thanos.

11

Mole Man

The First Family’s First Villain

Mole Man was the first supervillain the Fantastic Four ever fought, and he has remained one of their most iconic villains since. Mole Man doesn’t have any superpowers of his own, aside from heightened senses and skill with a staff. His true strength lies in his ability to marshal kaiju-like monsters to his side.

Mole Man is the ruler of the underground kingdom of Subterranea, which is inhabited by mole-like monsters. Some of these are as tall as a building, which comes in handy for his war on the surface world. It also leads to some incredible encounters with the Fantastic Four.

10

Blastaar

A Cunning Warlord With Incredible Power

Also known as “The Living Bomb-Burst,” Blastaar is a warlord residing in the Negative Zone. With the Fantastic Four frequently voyaging there, they regularly come into conflict with him. While Blastaar isn’t the most dangerous threat in the Negative Zone, he’s definitely one to steer clear of.

On top of being a highly-trained warrior and strategist, Blastaar is capable of firing concussive blasts from his hands. He’s able to use these blasts to fly and is very skilled at doing so. He may not get as much attention as he deserves, but Blastaar is one of the Fantastic Four’s most impressive villains.

9

Namor

Marvel’s First Mutant Is A Frequent Fantastic Four Nemesis

In the Golden Age of comics, Namor was one of the first superheroes Marvel created, and some credit him as the first antihero. Despite this, Namor has frequently clashed with the Fantastic Four as an occasional villain, though he’s usually swayed to the side of good by his love for his people… and Susan Storm.

As the King of Atlantis, Namor has the ability to breathe underwater and superhuman strength and durability. He also has wings on his ankles that allow him to fly. This, plus his arrogance and complicated code of honor, make him more than just the simple Aquaman clone some fans accuse him of being.

8

The Beyonder

An Omniscient Psychopath Who Plays With Mankind

Few Marvel Comics characters are as mysterious as the Beyonder, a cosmic being belonging to a race responsible for Molecule Man’s creation. The Beyonder is notably the reason for the “Secret Wars” commencing, creating incursions between multiverses and patchworking them together as the Battleworld like a little kid playing with action figures.

Despite this character’s omnipotent power over the Marvel universe, he’s made an enemy of the Fantastic Four on numerous occasions, especially during the “Secret Wars” arcs. As the sentient being Kosmos, the Beyonder is a recurring antagonist for the First Family, a multiversal being capable of destruction only preventable by the cosmic super-team.

7

Annihilus

Another Negative Zone Warlord Turned Super-Villain

Like Blastaar, Annihilus is another warlord from the Negative Zone. The two are rivals and occasional allies, but both are bad news for Earth. While each is dangerous, Annihilus is definitely the greater of two evils.

On top of his natural flight and super-strength abilities, Anihilus wields a powerful weapon called the Cosmic Control Rod. The Rod has slowed his aging to the point that he’s essentially immortal, and it allows him to restructure matter on a molecular level. He poses a threat not just to the Fantastic Four, but even to powerful cosmic heroes like Nova.

6

Super-Skrull

The Shape-Shifting Alien Has Some Familiar Powers

Many superheroes have to deal with an evil version of themselves, but Super-Skrull takes things to a whole new level. Created by the Skrulls as the ultimate weapon against the Fantastic Four, Super-Skrull has all the powers of the four. And that’s on top of a Skrull’s natural shapeshifting abilities.

Not only does he have the Fantastic Four’s powers, but his powers are much stronger than theirs. Any individual member of the team has no chance against Super-Skrull. That means that every battle against him becomes a thrilling test of teamwork and wits.

5

Ravonna Renslayer

Kang’s Queen Is Much More Than A Supporting Character

Many Marvel fans likely know Ravonna Renslayer as the TVA judge from Loki, but her comic roots are far deeper than that. Ravonna was the daughter of King Carelius, a monarch from 40th century Earth, whose people are spared at the cost of being romanced by Kang the Conqueror. However, she proves herself to be more than just an iconic villain’s love interest.

Disguising herself as Nebula, Ravonna nearly tricks The Fantastic Four into setting her free among the timelines using the Ultimate Nullifier, but she is stopped. Other comic storylines even saw Ravonna take on the moniker of Terminatrix, which she adopted after defeating Kang, a feat not many in the Marvel universe can boast about.

4

Maker

This Evil Reed Richards Is A Multiversal Threat

Evil versions of Superman are a popular recurring theme in superhero fiction, but Maker makes a very strong case for an evil Reed Richards. Originally, the heroic Mr. Fantastic of Earth-1610, Maker turned to villainy after a series of personal tragedies. While he has Mr. Fantastic’s stretching powers, his greatest weapon is his vast intellect.

His brilliant mind and lack of morals have made him a threat not just to the main Fantastic Four, but to the entire multiverse. Most recently in the comics, he relocated to Earth-6160 and molded it into a world without its greatest heroes. That’s a goal most supervillains have only dreamt about.

3

Kang The Conqueror

A Man Out Of Time Who Always Loses To The Fantastic Four

One of the most iconic villains in The Fantastic Four’s history is Kang the Conqueror. Kang has a strong association with the F4, given that he was originally a 30th-century scientist named Nathaniel, and a distant descendent of Reed Richards. After discovering time travel, Kang is initially a peacemaker across timelines before using his powers for evil and conquest.

He made his first appearance (retroactively) early in The Fantastic Four’s adventures, taking on the persona of the pharaoh Rama-Tut. Inspired by Doom, he adopts the now-iconic Kang costume and remains a vicious multiversal threat. No matter what time period Kang goes to conquer, The Fantastic Four (or Avengers) somehow find a way to stop him.

2

Galactus

A World-Devourer With A Fascinating Amount Of Nuance

While Galactus most famously deals with the Fantastic Four, he’s a threat to the entire cosmos. Galactus is a powerful space giant who wanders the stars in search of planets. Unfortunately, he seeks out these planets so that he can devour them.

What makes Galactus such a fascinating character isn’t his immense power, but his nuance. He isn’t overtly malicious or evil, and, in fact, has no desire to hurt anyone. He’s tried several times to end his great hunger for the sake of the universe, but his failure continues to put him into conflict with the Fantastic Four and other heroes.

1

Doctor Doom

The Greatest Threat To The Fantastic Four And The Marvel Universe

When it comes to the Fantastic Four’s villains, none are more iconic than Doctor Doom. The ruler of Latveria, the bad Doctor is a global threat who’s a source of dread to almost every hero in the Marvel Universe. Because of his intense rivalry with Mr. Fantastic, though, he’s an especially dangerous threat to the Fantastic Four.

Doctor Doom has an incredibly huge ego, but he has the genius to back it up. Reed Richards has often reluctantly approached Doom for help, and Doom has agreed solely so he can rub it in his hated rival’s face. His intelligence, cunning, and arrogance have made him one of the most beloved villains in all of Marvel among the fanbase.