For nearly sixty years, the Fantastic Four have served as Marvel’s first family. With heroes like Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Sue, and Johnny Storm leading the charge on weird and suspenseful tales, there was no doubt that villains were sure to follow the first family along their marvelous adventures.
A good portion of these villains ended up being nothing more than jokes, as antagonists who may have some evil or menace to them were are easily beaten by the Fantastic Four. Some, on the other hand, are the opposite, and have become formidable foes for the first family.
Puppet Master
Familial disputes in Marvel comics can lead to all sorts of strange encounters. Villains’ and heroes’ paths can cross in the weirdest ways, as was the case with the Puppet Master, Alicia Masters, and Ben Grimm.
A villain who can control people via puppets, the Puppet Master ended up unintentionally setting the Thing and his daughter up. Still, overall, Puppet Master was never the best of villains with his plots being easily foiled.
Mole Man
By all accounts, Mole Man actually isn’t that bad of a villain. As the very first foe the Fantastic Four ever took on, he simply wasn’t the most intimidating of antagonists.
While he may deserve another chance or more attention in the MCU or an animated show, Mole Man is a definite joke villain who has real potential that has never been truly explored.
Red Ghost
Having the ability to become “intangible” sounds like a cool superpower, and it’s something Sue Storm has made great use of. However, intangibility coupled with super-powered monkeys? Not that threatening.
And that’s about all we know about Red Ghost. He was a Russian scientist who, following an accident, gained abilities similar to Sue and ended up becoming a villain who can control super apes. Such a skillset is more subpart than sinister.
Dragon Man
Sometimes, not all villains remain villainous for their entire lives. Dragon Man was originally a robot created by the likes of Diablo to help destroy the Fantastic Four. However, as the years wore on and Dragon Man’s plots started to wane, he turned over a new leaf.
Joining the Future Foundation, Dragon Man put his checkered and small-time villain career behind him and turned to the life of an explorer rather than a low-level baddie.
Psycho-Man
Different universes in the Marvel world are strange, without a doubt. For example, the Microverse is home to plenty of strange creatures like Psycho-Man, a tiny villain with powers over emotions.
Able to control one’s rage, empathy, or sadness, the Psycho-Man is far more of a dangerous foe than most fans give him credit for although his stature and constant need for a larger suit/body diminish him.
Wizard
Geniuses are easy to find in Fantastic Four comics but that doesn’t mean they always hit the mark. The Wizard was a child prodigy who quickly turned to a life of crime and went up against the first family.
Creating his own team called the Frightful Four, the Wizard constantly plagues the Fantastic Four and other heroes but never seems to be able to get the upper hand on the equally intelligent Reed Richards.
Mad Thinker
Comic names can sometimes be a bit on the nose, especially for villains. The Mad Thinker’s name is exactly what one would think it sounds like, an insane, intelligent man whose intellect goes toe to toe with Reed Richards.
Although the Mad Thinker’s come close several times at getting an edge over the Fantastic Four, every time he’s always outsmarted or outdone by either Reed, his daughter Valeria or someone else.
Diablo
Decent villains can typically be defined by their backstory. The alchemist Diablo began his life in the 9th century, where he sold his soul to live forever. Making a pact with vampires, Diablo was then buried by villagers where he lay for decades before being discovered by the Fantastic Four.
Although he’s become a bit of a joke in later comics, Diablo’s villain backstory is pretty prolific, and it makes up for his bizarre costume and constantly failing schemes – although he did manage to get the upper hand on both the Avengers and Defenders recently.
Super Skrull
Extra-terrestrials and aliens have always been an odd yet awesome species to explore in comics. Although normal Skrulls are able to shape-shift into other humans or beings, the Super Skrull, Kl’rt, is able to mimic other heroes’ powers.
Possessing all four of the Fantastic Four’s powers, Kl’rt ended up being a deadly foe for the first family. With Sue’s invisibility and the Thing’s rocky hands, he easily could’ve been their end. As it was, Kl’rt ended up rejoining the Skrull empire and has since started working with the new Guardians of the Galaxy.
Galactus
The Fantastic Four have fought monsters, mad scientists, and everything in between with ease. Yet, facing down a planet devouring monster like Galactus is a whole other ballpark.
Since his debut, The Devourer of Worlds has become a staple of the Marvel Universe. Originally a mortal man named Taa, Galactus has changed thanks to cosmic powers when his universe ended and has since become a planet-eating monster. Although he’s mainly written as a god-like being who’s constantly hangry, Galactus is an actual complex character, especially with his heralds like the Silver Surfer.
Annihilus
A great many Marvel villains tend to crossover from one comic to another and while Annihilus, ruler of the Negative Zone will always be a Fantastic Four villain, the insane cosmic bug has since branched out into the larger world and weaved a campaign of destruction.
From the Annihilation Wars to nearly killing Johnny Storm, Annihilus contains great power and seemingly never dies. He was even responsible for capturing Galactus himself and using him as a weapon in the first Annihilation war. Not bad for an evil bug.
Kang The Conqueror
Villains from the future can always be a nuisance to face down. Hailing from the 31st century, Kang The Conqueror is, as the name implies, a conqueror of time and worlds who faced down not just the Fantastic Four but the Avengers as well.
With his immense intellect and a vast array of future tech putting him at an advantage, Kang was almost always five steps ahead of the heroes. With the villain set to make his MCU appearence soon, one can only hope he and the Fantastic Four will cross paths on the big screen.
Namor
Now, by all accounts, Namor the Submariner is technically more of an anti-hero than a villain. He even predates the Fantastic Four by about twenty years as Marvel’s first superhero, serving alongside Captain America in World War II before falling for Sue Storm, being the ruler of Atlantis, a mutant, and even teaming up with the first family.
However, Namor has a villainous streak to him. From tricking Sue into helping him try to kill other Atlanteans to devastating Wakanda with a tidal wave and most recently, trying to harness the Phoenix force, Namor’s anti-heroism almost always turns towards a more villainous angle.
Doctor Doom
Without a doubt, Victor Von Doom is one of the Fantastic Four’s most complex villains. Beginning as a fellow scientist like Reed Richards, Doom quickly fell prey to magic, science, and facial disfigurement, turning him into the heinous villain Doctor Doom.
The great thing about Doom is his different layers and utilizations. One moment, he could be used as an over-the-top villain blasting at heroes willy-nilly. Next, he could be an intelligent and shrewd man intent on world domination through genius moves. He could be an omnipotent being known as God-Emperor or even an almost heroic character and unlikely friend. No matter how he’s written, Doctor Doom is a true legendary villain of the Fantastic Four.
