A Marvel hero with an indelible legacy, Captain Marvel has a long history dating back to 1967. Starting out as Mar-Vell, the character has gone through many role changes throughout the decades-long presence of the character.
As a result, Captain Marvel has a slew of varied villains. Some who have started out as antagonists to the earliest versions of the Captain Marvel character such as Mar-Vell, while others have come into the picture with the latest person to embrace the mantle, Carol Danvers. Many of these villains encountered Carol at various times throughout her career, including while she operated under the Ms. Marvel and Binary monikers. While not all Marvel villains may be heavy hitters, there are an exclusive few who have been a daunting match to the high-powered superhero.
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12 The Supreme Intelligence
First appearing in Fantastic Four #65 in 1967, the Supreme Intelligence is composed of all the greatest minds of the Kree. Possessing the ability of telekinesis, telepathy, cosmic awareness, sensory linking, and retro- and precognition, the Supreme Intelligence can also manipulate energy and matter.
Despite these formidable powers, Captain Marvel, in her Carol Danvers iteration, was able to outsmart the Supreme Intelligence when it was the Vox Supreme, a being created by combining remnants of the Supreme Intelligence with Kree Super-Inhumans. By fusing with the DNA of the Avengers through a device built by Iron Man, she defeated Vox Supreme. It was eventually killed by Binary, a being of pure energy accidentally created by Captain Marvel.
11 Ove
The son of Namor and Amora the Enchantress, Ove has the impressive physiology of both his parents. He is half mutant Atlantean and half Asgardian, combining the best of both worlds. He can breathe underwater and fly as well as having amphibious physiological adaptation, extended longevity, and superhuman strength, agility, and reflexes.
In his battle with Carol Danvers, Ove was defeated when Captain Marvel sent him into the past and removed his powers after he ingested a time-traveling potion to mock Carol. Therefore, despite his many impressive abilities, Ove does not have the maturity to handle the best heroes on his own and often requires his mom’s help when the going gets tough.
10 Star
A complex Marvel villain, Ripley Ryan aka Star starts out her story appearing as a hero. However, her heroics turn out to be a facade for the true apathetic and power-hungry nature of the character, making her villainous disposition clear.
Establishing her first appearance in Captain Marvel (Vol. 10) #1, Star was not only a physically intimidating villain thanks to her using Captain Marvel’s siphoned-off abilities, but also unpredictable. Star almost killed Minn-Erva, her closest ally, after she learned that she had plans to recruit Carol to work alongside them in an attempt to save the Kree from extinction.
9 M.O.D.O.K.
Created by the evil organization A.I.M, a frequent adversary of Captain Marvel, M.O.D.O.K. stands for “Mental Organism Designed Only For Killing,” giving even the most casual comic book readers an idea of what kind of person M.O.D.O.K. is without even delving into M.O.D.O.K.’s origins.
The experiment that made M.O.D.O.K. the freakishly intelligent person he is also gave him psionic powers. These powers consist of telekinetic force blasts, force fields, telepathy, and the ever-helpful ability of mind control. M.O.D.O.K. is so ruthless and filled with hubris that he not only fights against heroes but also villains as well, showing that he has no loyalty to anyone or anything.
8 Nitro
Nitro is responsible for the death of Mar-Vell, an earlier version of the Captain Marvel character, who developed cancer from a toxic nerve gas during a battle with the villain. Having the ability to blow his own body up and then recover shortly after, Nitro has an incredibly potent power. The toxic chemicals that Nitro released proved to be deadly, even to a Kree being.
Holding the distinction of killing Mar-Vell, Nitro shocked civilians and supers even further when he detonated himself in an explosion that leveled an entire neighborhood in Stamford, Connecticut, killing the students of the local elementary school. This diabolical and despicable act was the catalyst to the Super Hero Registration Act, which then caused the Civil War.
7 The Brood
Captain Marvel has come into contact with the insectoid beings, the Brood, many a time. During a particularly intense confrontation with the Brood and its queen, Captain Marvel temporarily lost her powers and had to take on the queen with no special abilities. Ultimately though, Carol Danvers was able to defeat the Brood Queen, a notable achievement.
First appearing in Uncanny X-Men #155 in 1981, the Brood infect the bodies of other species to serve as hosts that they can infest with their spawn. They are akin to the Xenomorphs of the Alien franchise due to their hosts infestations and their dangerous insectoid alien forms, which can severely damage their opponents with their sharp teeth or poisonous stingers. The Brood also are technologically advanced, having an arsenal of high-tech weaponry.
6 Doomsday Man
Originally created by the U.S. military, Doomsday Man was eventually overtaken by A.I.M to be used against Ms. Marvel. While Ms. Marvel did defeat this almost indestructible sentient robot, Doomsday Man only met his end by being tricked into falling into a hard-to-escape hole in the ground.
Since Doomsday Man was designed with the intense rigors of the cosmos in mind, he was equipped with the materials that would withstand space exploration. This made him an incredibly hard villain to defeat, necessitating strategy and smarts to defeat him.
5 Deathbird
First seen in Ms. Marvel #9 in 1977, Deathbird was sent by M.O.D.O.K. to kill Carol Danvers in her Ms. Marvel guise. However, Ms. Marvel got the best of Deathbird and defeated her using the exhaust of a rocket launch that was at her disposal.
A Shi’ar, Deathbird has the avian features common to her people such as sharp talons and wings that allow her to fly. Raised in the militaristic Shi’ar culture, Deathbird is incredibly skilled in combat and a gifted military strategist. Aiding her powerful abilities, she has javelins that can be thrown with deadly force or even release a noxious gas.
4 Titannus
The Skrull’s answer to Captain America, the fearsome Titannus has been engineered to have enhanced strength and healing from the Super Skrull project. These powers have used been used for evil, as seen when Titannus destroyed Tokyo just for the purpose of getting the attention of Earth’s heroes.
It’s borderline impossible to bring this villain down by oneself, necessitating the need to assemble teams of heroes. Usually involving Captain Marvel, these hero teams are essential to defeating Titannus, which is telling of this Super Skrull’s power.
3 Ronan the Accuser
Clashing with Carol Danvers more times than not, Ronan the Accuser is a cybernetically-enhanced Kree. As a result, he has the Kree attributes of resistance to toxins and disease with enhanced strength as well.
His powers were strengthened even more when he became infused with the Black Vortex, giving him the ability to trap people in realities that take the form of the victim’s deepest forms of guilt. The Kree combat training and weapons proficiency of Ronan the Accuser aid his already impressive qualities.
2 Rogue
It may be surprising to some that Rogue was on the opposing side of a hero like Ms. Marvel. Yet, this was the case when Rogue belonged to Mystique’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
Before Rogue seemed to have a firm grip on her abilities, she went toe to toe with Carol Danvers. Using her powers, Rogue absorbed Carol’s abilities, but she also accidentally absorbed part of her psyche. The inability to rid Carol from her mind was what pushed Rogue to eventually seek help from the X-Men. The rest, as they say, is history and Rogue became one of the most popular X-Men members.
1 Moonstone
A long-time rival of all versions of Captain Marvel, Moonstone was Norman Osborn’s perfect choice for the evil version of Ms. Marvel in his Dark Avengers lineup. A nefarious villain, Moonstone has an arsenal of imposing powers.
For one, she’s an incredibly adept hypnotist, tricking anyone to do her bidding. She was even successful in doing so to the Hulk. Likewise, since she received her powers through fusing with a Kree gravity stone, she has the abilities of superhuman strength, durability, agility, reflexes, and flight, in addition to molecular control, intangibility, photokinesis, and gravity manipulation. As if all this was not enough, when Moonstone possesses all the gravity stones she becomes as powerful as a deity. With such formidable abilities, it’s no wonder that Moonstone is the most dangerous of Captain Marvel‘s many villains.
