It is that time of year again. Time to explore the weird and the terrifying as Halloween approaches. For fans of the comic book industry, Halloween is a time to reflect on the strange, supernatural, and horrifying stories and creatures that fill the pages of these great comic books.
Part of that involves the undead. Those who either once lived and then sadly passed on, or those who come from some demonic realm where the dead live and are filled with untold power. The undead also include powerful villains, so let’s take a look at some of the best undead villains in both Marvel and DC Comics.
10 Lilith
The first undead villain comes from the Marvel Universe, and is one of the supernatural heroes most powerful foes, Lilith. There have been a couple of characters named Lilith, the first being the vampiric daughter of Dracula himself. However the Lilith of this list is an ancient, immortal who became a demon.
Hailing from Atlantis before the cataclysm sunk it into the ocean, she was imprisoned by Atlantean sorcerers after giving birth to the Lilin, her undead, monstrous children. After being released by two unknowing scientists, she would go on to attack and make enemies of the Ghost Riders, Doctor Strange and more.
9 Nightmare
Moving from one Marvel demon to another, one undead villain that is worth exploring has to be the evil Nightmare. Nightmare is a demon who rules over a dream dimension and is known to be one of Doctor Strange’s first major foes he faced in his own comic book series.
Nightmare originated from a dimension known as Everinnye, where he and his cousin the Dweller-in-Darkness resided. Tormenting people in his own dream dimension, he has often clashed with the Marvel heroes. Not only is he familiar with Doctor Strange, but has faced Hercules, Deadpool, Wolverine and The Hulk.
8 Marvel Zombies
One of the biggest villains of undead foes in the Marvel multiverse has to be the former heroes turned undead monsters of the Marvel Zombies universe. Hailing from an alternate universe, a plague infected the heroes of the Marvel Universe, turning the heroes into the universe’s greatest foes.
Captain America, Spider-Man, Daredevil and more heroes became infected by the virus, slowly devouring the population of the world, including the few heroes and villains who didn’t become infected. They even devour the devourer of worlds, gaining cosmic power. They are the most powerful undead force in the entirety of the multiverse.
7 Xarus
When it comes to the undead, one of the most popular and powerful groups in the comic book world has to be vampires. In the world of Marvel Comics, there have been several heroes and villains who belong to the world of vampirism and one of those individuals is the villain Xarus.
The son of Dracula himself, Xarus became tired of his father’s rule and gathered allies to overthrow him. He was instrumental in the attack on the X-Men and mutant population by turning Jubilee into a vampire. More recently he has become the Shadow Colonel, fighting the Avengers.
6 Black Lantern Corps
Now jumping from Marvel into the DC Universe, one of the first foes we have to mention has to be The Black Lantern Corps, the undead army that was the central antagonists of the major cosmic crossover event Blackest Night. First created by the first Black Lantern, the villain Black Hand, it was revealed that the true power behind the Lanterns was the villainous Nekron.
The army was made of fallen heroes and foes alike, turning their bodies into Black Lanterns. These fallen warriors included Ralph and Sue Dibney, Hawkman and Hawkgirl, and the rings were produced by Black Hand using Bruce Wayne’s skull.
5 Grim Reaper
One of the next undead characters that is completely fascinating and doesn’t get enough play in the larger Marvel Universe has to be Grim Reaper. Otherwise known as Eric Williams, Grim Reaper is the brother of Wonder Man, aka Simon Williams. Grim Reaper has been a longtime villain, but joined the ranks of the undead for a short period of time.
After falling to his demise, his love interest Nekra studied necromancy under Black Talon, bringing Eric back as a zombie several times. The final time saw him forced to take a human life every day, becoming a monstrous villain.
4 Gentleman Ghost
This next undead foe is truly unique in that they are a villain due to being cursed not to move on to the afterlife until their killer moves on, which becomes impossible when their killer is cursed to a life of constant resurrection. The foe in question is Gentleman Ghost, aka James Craddock.
A former highwayman and overall criminal in 19th century England, his travels to the United States saw him falsely accused of a crime and sentenced to death. Upon his demise, he returned as Gentleman Ghost, a villain who fights his killers, the resurrected Hawkman and Hawkgirl respectively.
3 Mephisto
This next foe is one of Marvel’s greatest undead foes, as he is the demonic lord known as Mephisto. Having been known to tell others that he and others were born at the beginning of the Marvel Universe after the mighty creator ended their own life, Mephisto is a demon who has fought and tortured the heroes of the Marvel Universe time and time again.
His greatest acts of villainy in the Marvel Universe include creating the Ghost Riders in a fit of jealousy over the power of the fire demon Zarathos, and capturing the soul of Dr. Doom’s mother.
2 Solomon Grundy
Probably the most well known and powerful undead foe of the DC Universe has to be Solomon Grundy. Based off of 19th century rhyme of the same name, Solomon Grundy was a man named Cyrus Gold who had his life taken from him and was thrown into the swamps outside of Gotham City.
Decades later he is resurrected by the toxic swamp chemicals infused into his corpse, turning him into the hulking monster Solomon Grundy. He has the strength and stamina to match Superman himself, and is a longtime foe of the Justice League and specifically Batman and his allies.
1 Dracula
Probably the most popular undead villain in all of comics is the most popular literary character of all time in the horror genre, Dracula. In Marvel Comics, Dracula has tormented the supernatural heroes for centuries, including his longtime nemesis and foe Blade. A vampiric King and notorious villain, the leader has attacked many heroes over the years.
While Blade has been his longtime nemesis, he has clashed with other major heroes in the Marvel Universe, including Werewolf by Night, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man and even The X-Men. He even tangled with Old Man Logan, ultimately losing and having his head thrown into the sun by Sentinel.