Marvel's heroes are known for their complexity but this feature extends to their villains as well. Many times over the years, villains' motivations have been expanded upon, transforming how fans see them. On top of that, many villains have switched sides, joining superhero teams and helping save the day many times ever.
While some of these fence-sitters have gone back to being villains, they usually aren't as villainous as other bad guys out there. They've done altruistic things that set them apart from their evil fellows. Many of them have even helped the world in ways that standard heroes never could.
10 Destiny Has Done Her Best To Move Mutantkind In The Right Direction
Destiny's precognitive abilities helped her and her wife Mystique live a pretty positive life over the years. The two of them worked together throughout the decades to protect mutantkind, paradoxically leading to many battles with the X-Men. Destiny's powers allowed her to chart multiple different eventualities, and she even predicted the establishment of Krakoa.
In fact, Destiny died knowing that it was the only way for Krakoa to come about. She may have spent years fighting the X-Men, but she died so they could have better lives. Resurrected by Mystique, she's now a leading member of the Quiet Council and still helps chart the best future for mutants.
9 Druig Is The Snake Of The Eternals But He'll Help Out When He Has To
Druig is the most devious Eternal but that doesn't make him evil, exactly. The Eternals serve an important role, protecting the Earth from the Deviants and other threats. Druig has been known to help out his fellow Eternals in those battles, most recently saving the world from Thanos when the villain was Prime Eternal.
Druig has manipulated his way to power with the Eternals multiple times, using whatever he could in his ploys to become Prime Eternal. He's not exactly evil, but he's definitely power-hungry. He'll save the world when he needs to, but will also do whatever it takes to gain more power.
8 Sabretooth Has Done Some Good Over The Years
Sabretooth is Wolverine's most brutal foe. The two have been battling it out for years. Sabretooth is a murderous hedonist of the highest order, known for his terrible deeds and nearly bottomless body count. However, sometimes his worst actions have coincided with doing good. For example, his years in Team X combined killing innocent people with ending Soviet threats to the West.
Sabretooth has also been a member of the X-Men, X-Factor, and the Uncanny Avengers, having spent years with his morality inverted. Sabretooth is a complex man. He enjoys killing and doesn't really care whose side he's on when he does it.
7 Doctor Octopus Proved That He Was The Superior Spider-Man
Doctor Octopus has gone through many changes over the years. The biggest was when Otto Octavius switched bodies with Peter Parker. Ock was exposed to Parker's memories and instead of living it up in a young, spider-powered body, he became the Superior Spider-Man. He wanted to prove that he could be a better hero than the man who had spent years beating him.
Ock did a great job as Spider-Man, creating a better life for Peter Parker than Parker ever did. He even ended up sacrificing himself and allowing Parker to get his body back. While he's since gone back to villainy, Octavius did more good than anyone could imagine as a hero.
6 Thanos Saved The Universe After He Lost The Infinity Gauntlet
Thanos is widely considered the worst villain in the universe, but that hasn't always been the case. Thanos has evolved in many directions over the years and his greatest wrongdoing coincided with a period of great change. After losing the Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos examined his life and changed his ways.
Gifted the Reality Gem to guard by Adam Warlock, Thanos helped save the universe from both the Magus and the Goddess. He helped battle Thor when he had Warrior's Madness, ended the threat of his son Thane when he had the Phoenix Force, and helped destroy a destructive future version of himself. Thanos is more heroic than most people imagine.
5 Norman Osborn Saved The World Several Times
Norman Osborn is better known as the Green Goblin. The accomplished villain is mostly known for trying to destroy Spider-Man, but there was a time when he took on another project. Put in charge of the Thunderbolts by Tony Stark after Civil War, Osborn ran the team and commanded them in the battle against the Skrulls.
After getting the kill shot against Skrull Queen Veranke, Osborn was put in charge of the Superhero Initiative and led his own team of Avengers. During this period, he did everything he could to cement his power base while also saving the world. Osborn is undoubtedly evil, but he did more good for the world than a lot of superheroes.
4 Mystique Has Always Been Altruistic
Mystique is largely misunderstood, much like her wife Destiny. Mystique has worked to make the world better for mutantkind even when it wasn't always apparent to everyone else. Mystique and Destiny worked in the shadows for years to protect mutants and Mystique even did black ops for Xavier on more than one occasion over the years.
Mystique's been a member of the X-Men, as well, although that's usually ended when she betrayed the team. Mystique is undoubtedly duplicitous, but she's championed mutant rights for a lifetime, something she still does as a member of the Quiet Council.
3 Apocalypse's Survival Of The Fittest Mantra Isn't As Terrible As Most Believe
Apocalypse's power is only matched by his ego. For years, the ancient mutant has tried to create a Darwinist world, one where the strong survive. He's tried to bring the world under his control and create a society completely controlled by its most powerful members.
However, Apocalypse's reasoning wasn't as evil as everyone assumed. Millennia in the past, Apocalypse was a citizen of the mutant continent of Okkara. His civilization was attacked by the demonic forces of Amenth and Apocalypse's family and half the mutants of Okkara went to fight them. His wife Genesis told him to create a world that would be strong enough to fight Amenth's armies when they returned. That was Apocalypse's original motivation and upon the establishment of Krakoa, he joined mutant society as an equal.
2 Magneto Has Joined The X-Men And Helped Ensure The Future Of The Mutant Race
Magneto is a complex man. The Holocaust survivor decided long ago that in order for mutants to thrive, humans would have to go. For years, he fought for mutant supremacy, battling his former friend Charles Xavier. As the years went by, Magneto joined with his foes the X-Men on several occasions, eventually becoming a key part of the team when they were based on Utopia.
Now a member of the Great Ring of Arakko and a former member of the Quiet Council, Magneto has been working to make mutants safer without trying to destroy humanity. However, he's still basically a mutant supremacist at heart, no matter how much he's changed.
1 Doctor Doom Has Saved The Universe And Is A Beloved Ruler
Doctor Doom is a bad guy, but he's always had a heroic streak. He may hate Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four, but he saved his homeland from the oppressive yoke of the old Baron. The people of Latveria love him. Whenever he's deposed, life in the country gets much worse. Beyond that, Doom has saved the universe, keeping much of creation intact by creating the Battleworld after the Incursions.
After his stint as God Emperor Doom, he took Iron Man's place and mopped up many of the Fantastic Four's villains, as well as battling Mephisto. Doom isn't the best person, but he's not pure evil. He's merely an arrogant man who is probably right in thinking he could run things better than anyone else and can't see the downsides in that situation.