Some Marvel villains are just outright too terrifying to appear in theMarvel Cinematic Universeas it currently stands.The MCU timelinehas long been known for delivering thrilling superhero action packaged within a PG-13 framework. As a result, some monstrous Marvel foes would be considered far too horrifying to appear in the MCU.
The MCU has primarily delivered PG-13 projects. However, recent developments suggest that the franchise is slowly opening the door to darker and more terrifying storytelling. WithAgatha All Alongembracing supernatural horror andDeadpool & Wolverinebecoming the MCU’s first R-rated film,the MCU’s futurecould feasibly venture further into genuine horror, which many of these characters would be ideal more. If the MCU were to include them in the franchise’s current tone, their sheer horror elements would likely need to be toned down to be palatable for all audiences.
10Mr. Smile & Mr. Sulk
First Appeared In Dr. Strange #5 (July 2020)
Few Marvel villains evoke pure horror quite like Mr. Smile and Mr. Sulk. These unsettling figures, introduced inDr. Strange#5,look like they crawled straight out of a horror movie. Mr. Smile is a gaunt, grinning nightmare with razor-sharp teeth, while Mr. Sulk is a hulking brute with a featureless face. Their entire presence feels like something from a psychological horror film, making them one of the most genuinely frightening duos in Marvel’s history.
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Bringing Mr Smile and Mr Sulk into the MCU wouldrequire embracing a full-fledged horror aesthetic– akin toItorThe Babadook.Their designs alone could push a PG-13 rating to its limits, and their eerie, silent menace would set them apart from the MCU’s usual rogues’ gallery. If Marvel Studios ever decides to fully embrace horror, these two could make for haunting, unforgettable villains.
9Madcap Can Induce Madness
First Appeared In Captain America #307 (July 1985)
Madcap is one of the most disturbing villains Marvel has ever created. A man who lost his entire family in a tragic accident, he was exposed to a chemical that granted him an unbreakable healing factor and drove him completely insane. His powers extend beyond mere resilience –his very presence can induce madness in others. In some stories, his influence has driven people to suicide, making him an especially unsettling figure.
Later iterations of Madcap take his horror elements even further, particularly after his monstrous face is reveled. At one point, he bonds to another character’s stomach in a grotesque, body-horror twist reminiscent ofMalignantorThe X-Files.While the MCU could tone down his more extreme elements, his core concept – a walking manifestation of insanity –would still be a tough sellin a franchise that typically blends comedy with its darkness.
8The Brood Are The X-Men’s Scariest Foe
First Appeared In The Uncanny X-Men #155 (March 1982)
If theAlienfranchise ever had a crossover with Marvel, it would look exactly like the Brood. Introduced as one of the X-Men’s most dangerous threats, the Brood are insectoid parasites that implant their eggs inside living hosts, slowly transforming them into monstrous new Brood drones. Artist Dave Cockrum has stated that he designed the aliens asthe most horrible looking thing he could conceive.
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The horror parallels to Xenomorphs fromAlienare impossible to ignore – especially considering that the Brood’s reproductive process is even more terrifying, with the victim retaining their intelligence as their body mutates into a grotesque, insectoid form. While the MCU is set to introduce the X-Men, the Brood’ssheer body horror and nightmarish designmight make them a tough fit for the franchise’s lighter tone. Indeed, the Brood’s appearance inX-Men: TASwas so toned down the monsters lost their mystique.
7Arcade Is A Theatrical Hitman
Marvel Team-Up #65 (January 1978)
While Arcade might not seem as outwardly terrifying as some of the other villains on this list, his methods place him firmly in horror territory. A sadistic assassin, Arcade doesn’t just kill his targets –he traps them in elaborately themed death gamesinside his personal playground of horror, Murderworld.Essentially a PG-13 version ofSaw, Arcade’s lethal amusement park is filled with deadly contraptions and psychological torment.
Whether it’s trapping the X-Men in a giant pinball machine or forcing his victims to navigate rooms filled with lethal surprises, Arcade’s brand of villainy is equal parts theatrical and sadistic, often sporting an extremely unsettling rictus grin. While the MCU could adapt him more comedically, a fully realized Murderworldwould require embracing a much darker tone.Undoubtedly, a comic-accurate Arcade might be too intense for Marvel’s usual family-friendly approach.
6Styx The Living Cancer
First Appeared In Amazing Spider-Man #309 (July 1988)
Styx is a horrifying villain who embodies pure death and decay. Once a reanimated corpse, he possesses the ability to instantly rot and kill all organic matter with a single touch. His grotesque power makes him one of the most terrifying figures in Marvel lore, as even a brief encounter with himcould mean instant death.
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Styx’s appearance is equally disturbing, with a cadaverous, almost skeletal form that reinforces his grim nature and long gnarled fingers he can extend at will. Unlike other Marvel villains who rely on weapons or strategic planning, Styx’s mere existence isa death sentence for those around him. Adapting him into the MCU would be a challenge, as his rotting touch and ghastly presence push the boundaries of PG-13 horror. If Marvel ever ventures into full-fledged supernatural terror, Styx could be one of its most chilling additions.
5Freak AKA Armadillo Man
The Amazing Spider-Man #552 (March 2008)
Freak, also known as Armadillo Man, is a truly grotesque character whose very existence is dreadful. While seeking drugs, Freak accidentally injects himself with Dr Curt Connor’s animal genes. This triggers several evolutions wherein his skin comes away and reveals an armadillo-like creature with bullet-proof skin. His transition as a monstrous, skinless man with exposed muscleproffers a horrific visage. This makes him one of Marvel’s most unsettling figures.
Freak’s ultimate transformation into a near-mindless brute with extreme durability and an ability to adapt to conditions made him incredibly difficult to stop. Unlike the more stylized horror of villains like Green Goblin, Freak’s designleans into raw body horror, reminiscent of grotesque creatures from films likeThe FlyorHellraiser. The sheer grotesqueness of his exposed flesh would likely be too intense for a standard MCU release.
4The Thousand Is An Arachnophobe’s Biggest Nightmare
First Appeared In Tangled Web: The Thousand #1 (May, 2001)
The Thousand is an entity straight out of a horror film. Originally a man named Carl King, he became a hive mind of spiders after consuming Peter Parker’s radioactive spider. This resulted in his body being completely overtaken by the arachnids, allowing them to infiltrate and possess human hosts. Thesheer nightmare fuel ofa swarm of sentient spiders using human bodies as puppets makes The Thousand one of the most terrifying villains in Marvel history.
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A scenario where an innocent person is reduced to nothing, but a hollow husk controlled by countless arachnids is trulya horrifying concept. As is the Thousand’s emergence from a host body, which typically involves teeth falling out or eyes being torn open as spiders claw their way out, killing the host. This makes him one of Spider-Man’s most terrifying foes.
3Skinless Man Is Straight Out Of A Horror Movie
First Appeared In Uncanny X-Force #21 (February 2012)
Skinless Man is exactly what his name implies – a horrifying villain stripped of his flesh,revealing a grotesque, sinewy figurethat is the stuff of nightmares. Once a former British barrister named Harry Pizer, he became embroiled in the Weapon Plus program. There he was subjected to a horrific punishment that left him alive but without skin.
The Skinless Man’s appearance is reminiscent of Frank fromHellraiser, with his gruesome, skinless form making him one of themost visually unsettling villains in Marvel history.A character like this would be nearly impossible to adapt into the MCU without severely toning down his horrific nature. If Marvel ever embraces a full horror aesthetic, Skinless Man could be a truly terrifying addition, but his grotesque design makes him unlikely to appear in the franchise as it currently exists.
2Demogoblin Is A Monstrous Goblin Villain
First Appeared In Web Of Spider-Man #86 (March 1992)
Demogoblin takes the already terrifying concept of Spider-Man’s Goblin villains and amplifies it with pure demonic horror. Initially, the Demogoblin is the persona created when Hobgoblin’s essence was fused with a demon. The resultant monster soon separated from Hobgoblin, retaining a hellish, skeletal visage and an eerie, sickly glow. Unlike the traditional Goblin enemies,Demogoblin isn’t motivated by greed or revengebut by supernatural zealotry, seeking to purge the world of sinners in the most violent way possible.
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The Demogoblin is armed with the Goblins’ signature pumpkin bombs but also deploys his own that a despair and suffering in their victims. Thisadds a distinctly psychological horror elementto his already monstrous persona. While the MCU has introduced a Green Goblin, Demogoblin’s outright demonic nature would push the franchise into much darker territory than it has ever gone before.
1Carrion Is A Walking Plague
Spectacular Spider-Man #25 (December 1978)
Carrion is the living embodiment of a deadly plague. Created by the geneticist and Spider-Man foe Miles Warren, AKA the Jackal, Carrion has reappeared under several guises – though always with a disfigured appearance and the ability to decay and wither anything he touches. Over time, his mutation worsened, transforming him into a walking virusthat could spread contagion at an alarming rate.
What makes Carrion especially terrifying is his ability to reduce people to dust with just a touch, making him a nearly unstoppable force of destruction. His later transformation into a sentient virus, capable of infecting others and spreading himself like a disease,makes him even more horrifying in a post-COVID world. His plague-like abilities and devastating touch make him one of Marvel’s most unsettling villains—one that might be too intense for mainstreamMCUaudiences.
