Supervillains are notorious for being extremely brutal and evil, so much so that comic books often have to imply what these villains are doing rather than show the bloodshed that they cause. In the DC Universe, supervillains like the Joker run rampant around the city, often causing chaos wherever they go. In Marvel, villains tend to fall into the "anti-hero" category or into "world-domination."
These villains as heroes would be incredibly interesting, whether that be due to their motives, executions, and even in their appearances. Neither of these franchises is afraid of making "scary-looking" heroes, such as Ghost Rider and Lobo, but what if the villains that many fans have come to love stayed as they appear and behave, but fought for good instead of evil?
10 Joker
While the idea of the Joker becoming a superhero sounds a bit bizarre due to how much "bad" this character has actually done, it also sounds like an incredibly exciting prospect. The Joker is pretty much as evil as they come in a comic book supervillain.
He is extremely chaotic and kills for fun, to push Batman's buttons more than anything else. He is also fiercely brutal and elaborate. If the Joker were a hero, he would probably keep a lot of his wild gestures, but turn it to the side of good, all while laughing his head off.
9 Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom is easily one of the coolest villains in the Marvel universe and is one of the most iconic, known for often being on the side of evil with his superior intellect. While he hasn't had a ton of attention in the Marvel Cinematic Universe just yet, the character is widely loved by fans of the comic.
He is eloquent and has defeated some of Marvel's strongest characters (including Thanos). If he were to become a superhero, he surely would be one of the best there is and would be even more interesting due to his troubled past.
8 The Ventriloquist
The Ventriloquist and Scarface are a dynamic duo of villains within the Batman universe. The Ventriloquist is a meek and quiet man who always gets bossed around by his aggressive, crime-hungry puppet, Scarface. Many people in the universe have thought that Scarface was manipulating the Ventriloquist, forcing him to do evil, when really the man is just plain evil and uses Scarface as a scapegoat.
It would make for a pretty interesting story if the Ventriloquist was actually a good guy, while his puppet was evil. This would make the two clash often and make the Ventriloquist a constant victim that is fighting for his own freedom.
7 Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn is a bit of a wild card when it comes to her moral alignment throughout her character's history. As of late, she is more of an anti-hero who aligns with what she believes is right, which often puts her in pretty bizarre team-ups with big-name superheroes.
These comics show that Harley makes for a much cooler hero than she ever did as a villain. She is wild and a bit of a loose cannon, who doesn't shy away from a bit of brutality when it comes to saving the day.
6 Venom
Fans of Venom already know that this character more often falls under the "anti-hero" category than a straight-up villain. Venom is the sentient alien symbiote that attaches itself to different life forms that acts as a super costume to the different people it bonds to. Venom kind of follows the moral alignment of its host, meaning it can often be good or bad depending on who wears the suit, while still often trying to manipulate with evil intentions.
Venom would make for a super cool hero due to this. As a hero, the symbiote could manipulate the host to do good things, even with its scary appearance. They would probably be very similar to Spider-Man but with a horrifying presentation. The 2018 Venom film also did a pretty great job at showing what the character would be like if he leaned towards the good side.
5 Mephisto
Mephisto is pretty much the devil of the Marvel universe. He has created a ton of chaos throughout, most notably making the deal with Spider-Man and Mary Jane to take away their marriage in exchange for the erasure of the Marvel Civil War and the world knowing Peter's secret identity.
Mephisto as a good guy would be super cool due to the fact that he notoriously makes deals with humans and twists them into something bad, but as a hero, he would make them good. His dark demeanor and devilish appearance would certainly scare off a few, which would make him so interesting and twisted as a hero.
4 Green Goblin
Green Goblin would make for a super horrifying superhero, but that is what makes this idea so much fun. Marvel isn't too afraid of making "scary" looking heroes, such as Ghost Rider. Citizens may be afraid to get rescued by the likes of the Green Goblin, but that is exactly what would be needed to make for an interesting and gritty superhero story.
With his appearance and his gadgets, the Green Goblin would swoop into action, fighting off villains in a maniacal way, taking those he is saving away on his glider.
3 Mysterio
Mysterio has done some good from time to time throughout his run as a main supervillain in the Spider-Man comics. However, if this character were always a good guy, it would probably be super interesting.
He obviously wouldn't be able to handle big-name bad guys on his own as he deals with illusions more than anything else, but he would be an excellent supporting hero to someone who can pack the punch while he deals out an illusion that would act as a huge distraction.
2 Deathstroke
While Deathstroke tends to flip-flop between "right and wrong" as it stands, he is notably more of a villain in the DC universe than a hero. This mercenary doesn't shy away from brutality, and it could be assumed that he would do the same thing if he were a hero. He would probably be a bit similar to Marvel's Punisher.
Seeing a Deathstroke that doesn't kill would surely be interesting as he would be more and more like Batman, and would probably have an even more complex relationship with Robin if this were the case.
1 Scarecrow
Scarecrow would make for a super interesting superhero due to the fact that his crime-fighting tactics would be a little darker than most. A hero who uses fear to scare the wits out of their foes sounds pretty intense.
While Crane would definitely need some back up when it came to actual combat, he could also totally manipulate situations in his favor with his fear toxins as they spread around an area. Using fear is such an "evil" concept, that seeing it twisted to do some good could definitely make for some incredibly interesting stories.