Marvel is filled with iconic feuds between heroes and villains. For some of these rivalries, things run a bit deeper as the hero played a significant part in the villain’s origin story. Heroes like Spider-Man, Ant-Man and Reed Richards are no strangers to creating their own enemies. In fact, they've done so more than once in their respective histories.
Marvel heroes who've inadvertently created or inspired a villain often feel directly responsible, motivating them to pursue and stop them at all costs. Given this dynamic, these particular pairs of Marvel heroes and villains have built complex relationships with each other as their continual war rages on.
10 Spider-Man & Venom
Spider-Man embraced the symbiote until he realized its true nature. His only option was to reject bonding with it any further. Unpleased with this rejection, the symbiote searched for its perfect host and found Eddie Brock. Eddie and Peter Parker already had a turbulent relationship, since Peter was responsible for discrediting Eddie as a journalist, jeopardizing his career.
Given Eddie Brock’s vendetta against Peter Parker and the symbiote’s hatred for Spider-Man, both sought to destroy Spider-Man once they merged as Venom. Since their initial clash, Venom has partnered with Spider-Man out of necessity, but there remains an undercurrent of disdain despite Spider-Man being widely respected by many villains.
9 Ant-Man & Ultron
Had the MCU stayed true to the comics, the first Ant-Man, Hank Pym, would have been responsible for Ultron’s existence rather than Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. Pym’s artificial intelligence experiment went wrong when he gave it consciousness and transferred his brain patterns for the foundation of Ultron’s programming.
Unintentionally, Ant-Man created an artificially intelligent robot with a propensity toward hatred for Pym, the Avengers, and humanity in general. Blinded by hatred, Ultron can’t exert his full power, which helps give Ant-Man Avengers an advantage when trying to stop the lethal machine from destroying humanity. Through it all, Ant-Man has never fully forgiven himself for Ultron's creation.
8 Black Panther & Killmonger
Killmonger holds Wakanda’s king and Black Panther, T’Challa, responsible for his parents’ deaths during Ulysses Klaw’s invasion to steal Vibranium. Not only that, but Klaw took Killmonger from Wakanda, holding him captive in the United States, where he was forced to grow up under Klaw’s influence.
Only direct action from T'Challa could've brought Killmonger back to Wakanda. To exact revenge, Killmonger devised a plan to usurp T’Challa. Killmonger believed himself to be a better fit to lead Wakanda than Black Panther, which inspired his ambition to lead Wakanda according to his own ideals.
7 Hulk & Abomination
Emil Blonsky was a secret agent for Yugoslavia, charged with investigating a nuclear research facility where Dr. Bruce Banner worked. Emil went to Dr. Banner’s lab to photograph the gamma ray machine, but he was interrupted and forced to hide as Banner entered his lab.
Bruce Banner intended to blast himself with a lethal dose of gamma radiation to stop the Hulk from wiping out humanity under the Stranger’s influence. Before he could go through with it, Banner was arrested. Emil seized the opportunity to become his own Hulk. Given the excessive gamma radiation, Emil became something more than Hulk, calling himself Abomination.
6 Moon Knight & Black Spectre
Black Spectre, no matter who holds the mantle, has always taken inspiration from Moon Knight. Just as Carson Knowles’ Black Spectre armor reflected the Fist of Vengeance in areas like his mask, so did Ryan Trent.
Ryan Trent felt couldn’t stand being overlooked by his boss, who preferred working with Moon Knight rather than the detective. In response, Ryan became Black Spectre and committed heinous acts, obsessed with becoming Moon Knight to gain what he felt was his deserved recognition.
5 Punisher & Jigsaw
Frank Castle, the Punisher, lost his entire family in a mob hit gone wrong, and Billy Russo was hired to kill him. Before Billy could strike, Frank killed all of his associates and threw Billy through a glass window, destroying “Billy the Beaut” and creating “Jigsaw.”
Frank chose to leave Billy alive in this state as a brutal message, encouraging others to re-think crossing the Punisher. There is no shortage of bad blood between Jigsaw and Punisher. Jigsaw continually returns to battle Punisher and exact vengeance. Because Punisher doesn’t want to finish the job by killing him, their war seemingly has no end in sight.
4 Ant-Man & Yellowjacket
After Crossfire injured Darren Cross’ son, he was desperate for a way to save him. Darren believed the laboratory within the Ant-Man helmet held the solution. His opportunity to explore the laboratory presented itself when Scott Lang was arrested and S.H.I.E.L.D. possessed the helmet.
In the laboratory, Darren discovered a prototype armor developed by Hank Pym that used Pym Particles to make the suit a quantum weapon. Recognizing the potential power of Pym’s suit, Darren took it for himself and became “Yellowjacket,” one of Scott Lang’s most serious threats.
3 Captain America & Baron Zemo
Helmut Zemo targeted Captain America for dousing Adhesive X on the first Baron Zemo, his father Heinrich, which permanently burned the purple mask to his face. Avenging his father, Helmut captured Captain America and hung him over Adhesive X. While Falcon saved Captain America, Helmut got struck with the shield, sending him directly into the vat of Adhesive X.
Helmut used a purple mask like his father to conceal his face after received severe scars from the chemical burns. This ordeal only reinforced Zemo’s hatred toward Captain America and the Avengers, prompting him to create various teams and plans to destroy them.
2 Reed Richards & Doctor Doom
Although Reed Richards isn’t personally responsible for Victor Von Doom becoming Doctor Doom in the comics, the competition between the two drove Victor’s scientific endeavors. Having moved from Latveria to New York to go to college, Victor met Reed.
While performing secret experiments on bridging the gap between dimensions, Victor Von Doom was caught in an explosion that scarred his face and led to his expulsion from his University. Angered by his injuries, Victor left for Tibet, beginning a journey that would conclude with him becoming Doctor Doom, a villain more popular than most heroes.
1 Spider-Man & Green Goblin
Norman Osborn’s Green Goblin seemingly died fighting Spider-Man in front of his son Harry Osborn, leading Harry to blame Spidey for his father’s death. When Harry discovered his roommate, Peter Parker, was Spider-Man, Harry knew what he needed to do. Fueled by his hatred for Spider-Man and need for revenge, Harry became the next Green Goblin.
However, without any abilities to contend with Spider-Man's, Harry Osborn was defeated. He frequently tried to exact revenge on Peter, but to no avail. In a true reversal, Norman Osborn returned after Harry's death, bent on punishing the web-slinger for his son's demise. No matter who wore the Goblin mask, revenge against Peter Parker was always a motivating factor.