Brainwashing is a sinister form of mind-control that can turn people into meat-puppets, forced to unconsciously do someone else's bidding. Naturally, it's become a favorite trick of villains. Though it's a common trope in science fiction and related media, horrifyingly, the act actually has real world origins. The English word itself comes from a Chinese phrase that means to "clean the brain." It originates from the Korean War, describing the tortuous practice of UN-allied troops -- largely Americans -- being inundated with propaganda to cause mental instability. Everything from this, to mind-altering substances to hypnotism can be classed as brainwashing, or at least, attempts at it. In fiction, George Orwell's 1984 and Richard Condon's The Manchurian Candidate are among early famous examples, and helped create the widespread idea that the act can cause heel-face ideological turns.
In comics, many superheroes and supervillains are capable of the feat to varying degrees. Professor X has been known to alter the memories of both allies and enemies to unconsciously influence them, while Martian Manhunter is disturbingly adept at extracting information from people's minds. When it comes to using brainwashing to its fullest, fictional potential, though, villains nearly always have heroes beat. The looser the morals, the tighter the mind control. Classic Wonder Woman foe, Dr. Psycho, has been trying to worm his way into people's brains for years, and many in the Marvel universe have been slaves -- body and mind -- to Apocalypse. For this list, we're looking at some of the most extreme cases of superheroes being turned bad by mental tampering. (And, by "bad," we also mean really cool.)
20 WOLVERINE
As well as serving as Apocalypse's Horseman of Death -- which he clawed away from Sabretooth -- Wolverine has been a mental slave for another evil purpose. In Enemy of the State, Logan went missing for weeks. S.H.I.E.L.D found and patched him up, only for the X-Man to go savage on them and break free again.
As it turned out, Wolverine had been completely reprogrammed by Gorgon -- in league with Hydra, the Hand and a covert mutant group called the Dawn of the White Light -- and instructed to steal plans for Reed Richards-branded tech that the villainous alliance could use to make highly destructive weapons. A similarly brainwashed Logan also busted his way out of a Weapon X facility in X-Men: Apocalypse.
19 BUCKY BARNES
James "Bucky" Barnes was once a celebrated WWII hero who died fighting the good fight at Captain America's side. Bucky Barnes' legacy became the stuff of legend, as did his time as the unwitting assassin, the Winter Soldier. After being pulled from the sea, Bucky's mind was cleansed and rebuilt by Hydra.
Their method was so effective, in fact, that Bucky could be turned from independent passivity to ruthless drone just by hearing a certain sequence of words. As we saw in Captain America: Civil War, if this knowledge gets into in the wrong hands, Bucky can be used as a near-unstoppable living weapon who barely recognizes his own friends.
18 WONDER WOMAN
When she's not evading Dr. Psycho's mental probing, Wonder Woman has fallen prey -- as many have -- to Gorilla Grodd's control, too. In Justice League: Unlimited, Diana became the star attraction at Roulette's "Meta-Brawl." The gladiatorial arena pitted mind-controlled superheroes against each other with spectators betting on the outcome.
Using brainwashing tech from Grodd, business was booming for Roulette, especially after she introduced the gimmick of "girls only" fights. Black Canary and Huntress infiltrated the event to try and shut it down. They fought their way through, only to find themselves in the warpath of the bloodthirsty Amazonian, who very nearly made mincemeat out of them.
17 TIM DRAKE
Being Batman's sidekick means exposing yourself to the twisted plans of Gotham's Clown Prince of Crime. The Joker has put Jason Todd in an early (if not temporary) grave and robbed Barbara Gordon of her mobility, but what he did to the third Robin in the world of Batman Beyond might be the most messed up.
In the Return of the Joker movie, it's shockingly revealed that the Joker himself hasn't actually returned but instead created an apprentice: Tim Drake. After being captured and tortured by the original Joker and Harley Quinn years ago, Tim's new identity nearly led to Batman's death. Luckily, he managed to regain control and turn on his reprogramming, which is testament to Tim's brain power.
16 ANGEL
Warren Worthington III had it all: a sweet pair wings, fabulous wealth, the face of a male model and an actual model on his arm in the form of Elizabeth Braddock, aka Psylocke. And then Apocalypse just had to ruin it all. In 1987's X-Factor, Vol. 1 #10, Warren battled the Marauders and badly damaged his wings.
Warren was thought to have not survived the encounter, but unfortunately for him, he did. He was captured by Apocalypse, who gave him new artificial wings and twisted his mind and body into his Horseman of Death. Angel was upgraded to Archangel, and Warren was more powerful than ever.
15 NIGHTCRAWLER
Though he's the offspring of a demonic mutant and a neglectful mother, Kurt Wagner is usually the heart of any team he's on. But, that sweet disposition has often led to him being taken advantage of, like in X2. His manipulation provides the action-packed opening sequence to the sequel to Bryan Singer's first X-Men film.
Under the influence of a mind controlling serum, Nightcrawler uses his teleportation and wall-crawling skill to stealth his way into the White House, past every security guard, all the way up to the President in order to carry out his mission: assassination. The move was intended to stir up mutant/human discontent, and it succeeded -- showcasing Kurt at his most deadly.
14 SUPERBOY
When Superboy first appeared in 1993's The Adventures of Superman #500 -- and asked us never to call him by that name -- he was sporting a "bad boy" quiff and leather jacket. Skip ahead to Teen Titans, Vol. 3 #24 and Connor Kent was once again rocking a bold look. This time, it was a little less "Danny Zuko from Grease" and a little more "escaped from a prison for the criminally insane."
Thanks to the interference of his genetic creator, Lex Luthor, Connor started going off the rails mentally, becoming more and more like a Luthor mini-me, until he physically completed the transformation by shaving his head, etching an "L" into his chest and beating the living daylights out of his teammates.
13 IRON FIST
When you're the immortal Iron Fist, not even a sickly-color combination and being the Netflix Defenders' whiniest member can dampen your cool. Danny Rand's martial arts skills are legendary, even in a universe overstuffed with those trained in fighting traditions.
One of Danny's best fights happened when he was under the control of Black Dragon in 1998's Black Panther, Vol. 3 #38-40. After a lot of confusing body swapping shenanigans, Iron Fist's old enemy managed to infiltrate and power Danny's body up from one to two glowing fists of fury. Cue a fast and ferocious brawl between the corrupted Living Weapon and Wakanda's greatest hero.
12 DEADPOOL
At this point, it's really a wonder that Deadpool has enough brains left to wash. As someone who is all id and not much ego, we know that Wade Wilson is very susceptible to being influenced. All it took for him to slaughter the Marvel universe (the first time around) was a little encouragement from a voice in his head.
In the spoofy Cable and Deadpool "Enema of the State" story, Wade is turned into a slavish gun for hire by a shadowy group called the Black Box, forced to kill any threat that they deem a big enough public menace. Deadpool considers clowns and Simon Cowell as the highest ranking targets, before settling on his co-star, Cable, instead.
11 ROGUE
Rogue's double-edged sword of a mutation means that she's used to having invaders in her head. If she touches a mutant or superpowered person, she absorbs their abilities. But, with that contact, she can also absorb their memories and mannerisms, leading her to not quite be herself.
In the X-Men: Evolution series, the telepathic villain, Mesmero used Rogue's unique power to his advantage in Season Three. In order to unlock three sealed doors that lead to his master Apcalypse's tomb, Mesmero took control of Gambit, Mystique and Rogue's minds. He forced Rogue to steal every mutant ability around her, filling her potential to the max with power.
10 COLOSSUS
Colossus was back in mother Russia, living in quiet retirement, when his sister Illiyana arrived to pull him back into the X-Men's fray in 2016's Extraordinary X-Men, Vol. 1 #1. One minute, Colossus was helping the X-Haven refugees against the M-Pox plague, and the next, he was thousands of years into the future, thanks to Sugar Man's time-travelling ark.
Colossus and his young team found themselves in Omega World, facing down Apocalypse's Horsemen. Colossus valiantly stayed to fight while his teammates escaped, and was transformed into the Horseman of War. In this form, he demolished the X-Men that came up against him -- including Storm -- stopped only by his sister's intervention.
9 VEGETA
During the Majin Buu Saga in Dragon Ball Z, Goku and his allies weren't just beset by Buu, but by the evil alien wizard, Bibidi and his cloned partner, Babidi. Babidi made good use of his manipulative sorcery, identifying a weakness in Vegeta that allowed him to invade his mind...
...Or so he thought. Vegeta actually wanted the sorcerer to take him over, as the act would give the Saiyan prince a huge power boost -- enough, Vegeta hoped, to finally put him on level pegging with his longtime rival, Goku. Even cooler: Vegeta demonstrated that he could break out of the "brainwashing" any time he wanted.
8 SUPERGIRL
Just like her cousin, Kara has had her mind taken over by ill-intentioned forces more than once. In Batman/Superman, Vol. 1 #77, she goes berserk on Robin after exposure to Scarecrow's fear toxin causes her to mistake him for Reactron -- who was responsible for the death of her parents.
She also falls prey to Darkseid's mental reconditioning when she first arrives on Earth in the Batman/Superman, "The Supergirl From Krypton" storyline, too. The ruler of Apokolips makes the superhero one of his female Furies, and it takes a Kryptonite ring from her cousin to stop the enraged heroine from destroying him.
7 TOMMY OLIVER
Not a lot of superheroes are introduced to us already brainwashed, but a Ranger as legendary as Tommy Oliver deserved the unconventional origin story he got. In the five-part "Green With Evil" saga of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, Tommy debuted not as the sixth Ranger, but as Rita Repulsa's Ranger.
Using her evil magic, Rita used the Green Ranger and his flute-controlled Dragonzord to do her bidding, and time after time, Tommy handed the other Rangers their heads in combat. The only way the team could beat him was by breaking the spell and persuading their former enemy to join them.
6 HAWKEYE
Sometimes referred to as "Arrow Guy" and reduced to a mere footnote in Avengers: Infinity War, the MCU's Hawkeye has historically gotten a bad rap on the big screen. Comic book fans know that Clint Barton has a lot more to him that just being a modern-day Legolas, but he has proved his mettle in the films.
In The Avengers, Hawkeye fell under Loki's control thanks to his Infinity Stone-powered "pokey" stick and he proved a highly effective tool in the would-be King of Earth's arsenal. After all, with just a handful of underlings and a few well-aimed shots, he nearly took the Helicarrier down. Not bad for a dude with a bow and arrow.
5 THUNDERBIRD
Earth-616's Apache mutant, Thunderbird is endowed with great physical strength, durability and abnormal density for the human body. His Earth-1100 equivalent, however, got an increased helping courtesy of Apocalypse when he became his Horseman War, though he eventually puts those stats to good use defeating his master.
As well as becoming so dense that he'd sink like a rock in water, this enslaved version of John Proudstar could survive without any sustenance -- even oxygen -- and was able to take down Earth-901237's Hulk when he amped himself up enough. You wouldn't like this T-Bird when he's angry...
4 X-23
Logan is infamous for his anger issues, ranging from grouchy put-downs to murderous savagery. Laura Kinney, heir to the Wolverine mantle, inherited all of his bad habits and then some. Again, like Logan, she fell victim to torturous experimentation in her younger years as X-23.
In 2005's "Innocence Lost" storyline, we learned that Laura was indoctrinated with a "Trigger Scent" that turns her into a mindless Terminator that won't stop until her target(s) is/are dead. The conditioning is so powerful she can't resist butchering those she loves the most, nor can a mutant psychic on Emma Frost's level undo its effect.
3 THOR
The God of Thunder as a loose cannon is something to be feared in the Marvel universe... but, for fans, it's really fun to watch. In the build-up to 1993's "Blood and Thunder" event, Thor's state of mind continues to spiral downwards, stoked by a psychological embodiment of his negative feelings known as the Mind Valkyrie.
Valkyrie's whisperings become too hard for the Asgardian to resist, until he's willing to raze his entire home on her command. A passing Silver Surfer wasn't enough to quell Thor's rage, and made the rash decision to call in Thanos. Luckily, the Mad Titan complied and ended the Odinson's warpath.
2 BATMAN
Batman is famously a tough cookie to crack -- both physically and mentally. Few of his adversaries can claim to have broken either, and among that exclusive club are two Vorians. In 1963's World's Finest #145, the aliens lured Bats to a prison in space and hypnotized him into thinking he was a prison guard.
The inmates were superheroes from around the universe, with the star prisoner being none other than Superman. Without a yellow sun, the Man of Steel was totally depowered and at the mercy of a brainwashed Batman at his most cruel: mocking Supes and forcing him to do hard labor. Superman ultimately de-hypnotizes him but the psychological scars must have lasted.
1 SUPERMAN
Superman practically gets brainwashed every other week. (Particularly on Smallville.) The Man of Steel has few chinks in his armor, but through science, magic or rare forms of Kryptonite his brain can be cracked open like a walnut, and villains -- naturally -- relish the chance to hijack the will of the world's greatest superhero.
Though he lacks his admirable moral fiber, an unhinged Kal-El is always cool to see because the safetys on his tremendous abilities are normally turned off, like when he falls for Poison Ivy's seductive charms in Hush with Batman at his mercy, or when he becomes Darkseid and Granny Goodness' puppet in Superman: The Animated Series. No wonder Batman always keeps some Green K handy.