The ongoing End of the Spider-Verse event has introduced a powerful new supervillain rivalry for fans to watch develop in the comics. The powerful Inheritor Morlun might be the only one who can stop the other-dimensional hunter known as Shathra. The two powerful villains could have an epic battle that would challenge some of Marvel’s other memorable rivalries.
Marvel villains like Green Goblin and Hobgoblin attack each other almost as much as they target Spider-Man. Kang & Immortus are fighting against a self-fulfilling prophecy that further fuels their hatred. Even legendary villains like Magneto and Red Skull have developed rivalries based on their beliefs over the years.
10 Green Goblin & Hobgoblin
Corporate And Costumed Rivals
Norman Osborn was the first villain to use the Green Goblin identity, but he wasn’t the last to use the theme by any means. Roderick Kingsley stole Osborn’s tech and imagery which he modified into his own criminal identity known as the Hobgoblin.
While imitation is often considered the sincerest form of flattery, Osborn didn’t quite feel the same. Green Goblin and Hobgoblin have developed a long-lasting rivalry that has exploded into violent battles that have nearly taken out both characters. The hatred has extended to other carriers of their respective mantles as well, as both Harry Osborn and Phil Urich continued the rivalry.
9 Kang & Immortus
Two Sides Of The Same Temporal Coin
One of the Avengers' most iconic villains is the time-traveling warrior known as Kang the Conqueror. However, they were initially unaware of the villain’s futuristic self. When they later encountered the Master of Time known as Immortus, the Avengers quickly discovered their connection.
Immortus is actually an older version of Kang the Conqueror from later in the timestream. Kang felt that Immortus was too weak and cowardly and he rejected his future self’s loyalty to the powerful Time-Keepers. This resulted in a number of epic battles between Kang and Immortus that ultimately resulted in their futures being separated as they split into individuals.
8 Kingpin & Hammerhead
Competitive Underworld Crime Bosses
New York's criminal underworld is a competitive scene and has resulted in more than a few villainous rivalries. One of the most enduring is between Wilson Fisk/Kingpin and Joseph/Hammerhead. Fisk climbed his way to the top as a corporate businessman who had also secretly taken control of the various gangs as the Kingpin.
Hammerhead was a gangster with a fondness for the classic mob stereotype. He spent a lot of his career fighting against Silvio "Silvermane" Manfredi for his own spot at the top, which then put him in direct competition with Kingpin. Every time Wilson Fisk goes to jail, hammerhead surfaces to take control, reigniting the rivalry when Kingpin returns to inevitably reclaim his territory.
7 "Jack" & Jack O'Lanterns
Murderous And Competitive Rivals
One of the most interesting rivalries between Marvel villains hasn't lasted as long as others or even been noticed as much, but it is no less memorable. A mercenary named Jason Macendale Jr. created the Jack O'Lantern costumed identity, though he abandoned it for the Hobgoblin guise. A few other villains then used that and the similar "Mad Jack" identity for years.
That all changed when the young murderer known only as "Jack" was taken in by the Crime-Master. His murderous impulses were stoked by Crime-Master who gave him the Jack O'Lantern identity. The new Jack O'Lantern set out to prove he was a better Marvel villain than his original inspiration by killing every other villain who used the costumed identity over the years.
6 Beyonder And Molecule Man
Nigh-Omnipotent Cosmically-Powered Enemies
The first Secret Wars event introduced one of the most powerful cosmic beings in the Marvel universe. The Beyonder spirited heroes and villains away to a patchwork planet known as Battleworld to observe the ultimate battle between good and evil. However, it was Owen Reece's empowerment as the Molecule Man that brought the Beyonder to the Marvel universe in the first place.
Molecule Man could manipulate matter and energy at the molecular level, giving him near-god-like abilities on the same level as the Beyonder which led to their ongoing rivalry. The Beyonder was actually a curious infant from a race of other-dimensional beings. They empowered Molecule Man as a multiversal weapon, which frequently led to conflict between Reese and the Beyonder.
5 Thanos & Mephisto
Cosmic Schemers And Powerhouses
Two of Marvel's most important villains have teamed up with each other a few times over the years. Thanos and Mephisto would be nearly unstoppable if they truly worked together, though every team-up has inevitably ended in some form of betrayal from both of them.
Thanos the Mad Titan has incredible cosmic power that allowed him to form and wield the Infinity Gauntlet. Mephisto is a Lord of Hell who offered his aid to Thanos, though it was only so he could steal the Gauntlet for himself. They have looked in the other direction at each other's schemes, though they are quick to battle when their interests get in the way of each other.
4 Doctor Doom & Namor
Former Allies Turned Enemies
Namor the Sub-Mariner was one of Marvel’s very first heroes chronologically. However, he has spent just as much time as a villain fighting against the surface world. His ongoing battle to protect his oceans led him into alliances with powerful villains like Doctor Doom.
Doom and Namor shared an ongoing agreement that one would get the land and one would get the oceans if victorious. Unfortunately, they have betrayed each other so many times over the years that any new alliance is short-lived and doomed to failure. Their constant betrayals have led to bad blood and ruined any trust that had formed over the years.
3 Apocalypse & Mr. Sinister
Eternal Villains Waging War
Powerful Celestial technology transformed the eternal mutant En Sabah Nur into the powerful X-Men villain known as Apocalypse. Years later, Apocalypse used the same technology to turn the immoral geneticist Nathaniel Essex into the terrifying villain known as Mr. Sinister. They started as allies in Victorian England but quickly turned on each other after Essex's transformation.
Mr. Sinister not only feared Apocalypses's power but also his plans for the world that would negatively impact Essex and his experiments. He spent years trying to create a mutant weapon to fight Apocalypse, which led to the birth/creation of eventual X-Men like Cable and Nate Grey.
2 Venom & Carnage
Ongoing Symbiotic Family Feud
Eddie Brock has become known as a “lethal protector” in recent years. However, he started his villainous career as Venom when he dedicated his life to getting revenge on Spider-Man. Things changed after serial killer Cletus Kasaday bonded with his own symbiote to become the first host of Carnage.
Venom felt responsible for Carnage since it was his symbiote’s spawn that created the powerful new killer. He put aside his differences with Spider-Man to take down the threat of Carnage. The beginning of Venom and Carnage's rivalry helped put Eddie Brock on his long road to heroism as he rededicated himself to never becoming like his darker half.
1 Magneto & Red Skull
Two Very Opposed Ideologies
Red Skull first rose to villainous power as a leader in the Nazi party before he helped found the Hydra organization. Magneto’s childhood was spent suffering in a concentration camp at the hands of Nazis due to his Jewish heritage. Their opposing ideologies and the horrors Magneto experienced as a youth in the concentration camps fueled a lasting rivalry between the two villains.
When they gathered together during the Acts of Vengeance event, Magneto quickly turned on the Red Skull due to the atrocities he committed in the past. Magneto even got his revenge when he violently killed Red Skull, though cloned versions later returned. Red Skull’s evil idealogy has made him an enemy of everyone, proving he is one of Marvel's most unlikable villains.