12 Strongest Thunderbolts Villains, Ranked by Power Level
As the Thunderbolts enter MCU lore, fans are just getting to know the ragtag team of antiheroes and former villains. However, the team have existed in Marvel"s comics since 1997, collecting a huge range of ultra-powerful enemies. Here are the strongest of the lot - villains who pushed the Thunderbolts to their absolute limit and, sometimes, beyond.
Since the Thunderbolts are generally either former villains or outright villainous, we"re excluding Marvel"s hero teams from this list, so the Avengers won"t appear, despite a history of clashing with the Thunderbolts.
12 Mercy, aka Abigail Wright Introduced in Incredible Hulk #338 by Peter David and Todd McFarlane Close Originally a Hulk villain, Mercy is an alien being who set herself the task of "freeing" all those who experience negative emotions. When she detects someone experiencing intense sadness, guilt or rage, Mercy incinerates them, seeing herself as a merciful hero who stops suffering at the source. Immensely strong, Mercy has a range of powers including teleportation, intangibility, telepathy and pyrokinesis. She was originally a member of Red Hulk"s Thunderbolts, but after they realized they couldn"t control her murderous impulses, they schemed to trap her in Hell.
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Posts 2 11 Madman, aka Philip Sterns Debuted in Incredible Hulk #362 by Peter David & Jeff Purves Close Another enemy of Red Hulk"s Thunderbolts, Madman is the brother of Hulk"s nemesis the Leader. Having exposed himself to gamma radiation, Mad Man has incredible strength and durability, having even knocked out the Hulk. However, the radiation has warped his mind, leading to bouts of paranoia and megalomania. Red Hulk outfitted the team with gamma-powered weapons and body armor to take down Madman, with Punisher strapping a landmine to his body to take the villain down.
10 The Fathom Five, aka Llyron, Bloodtide, Dragonrider, Manowar and Sea Leopard Introduced in New Thunderbolts #1 by Fabian Nicieza, Kurt Busiek and Tom Grummett Close A group of Atlantean terrorists, the Fathom Five are anti-human killers who attacked various cities and were opposed by the Thunderbolts. The members were:
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Posts 2 9 The Purple Man, aka Zebediah Killgrave Introduced in Daredevil #4 by Stan Lee and Joe Orlando Close A powerful sociopath, Purple Man exudes pheromones which give him total control over anyone in his vicinity. Purple Man can command his thralls to do, think or feel anything, and can even implant hypnotic commands to trigger later in life. Purple Man is considered one of the three most wanted supervillains on Earth after Doctor Doom and Magneto.
Purple Man initially clashed with the Thunderbolts after he was hired to destabilize the team by their former leader Baron Zemo. He later fought Luke Cage when he formed a new version of the team, and was used by the Kingpin to control his version of the team during the Devil"s Reign event, influencing John Walker"s U.S.Agent to lead a group of unrepentant villains.
8 Doctor Doom, aka Victor von Doom Introduced in Fantastic Four #5 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby Close One of Marvel"s most iconic villains, Doctor Doom is a master of advanced science and eldritch sorcery. Doom has clashed with the Thunderbolts multiple times, but most notably in the recent Thunderbolts: Doomstrike, by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly and Tommaso Bianchi. A tie-in to the One World Under Doom event - where Doctor Doom has seized control of the planet - the series sees Bucky Barnes" Thunderbolts assault Doom, who has assembled former members of the Thunderbolts including Atlas, Fixer and Citizen V into his own team.
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Posts 7 Graviton, aka Franklin Hall First Seen in Avengers #158 by Jim Shooter and Sal Buscema Close One of Marvel"s most powerful superhumans, Graviton boasts total control over gravity. A longtime threat to the Avengers, Graviton was destabilized by the manipulation of Thunderbolts member Moonstone, founding his own nation after she forced him to confront his lack of purpose. The Thunderbolts managed to defeat and gravely injure the tyrannical Graviton, but not before he crushed Leila Davis" Beetle (a member of Thunderbolts spin-off team the Redeemers) to death using his powers.
6 Captain Marvel, aka Khn'nr Debuted in Civil War: The Return #1 by Tom Raney and Paul Jenkins Close A shapeshifting Skrull who intended to infiltrate Earth as a "resurrected" Captain Marvel, Khn"nr was quickly won over by the hero"s moral code. Confused and unwilling to fully rebel against the Skrull Empire, Khn"nr chose to attack Norman Osborn"s Thunderbolts, seeing them as both a valid military target for the Skrull invasion and a genuine source of evil that Captain Marvel would have opposed. Khn"nr effortlessly bested the team but was manipulated by Norman Osborn, who persuaded him to embrace his heroic identity and attack the Skrull fleet directly.
As Osborn had intended, Khn"nr died in the attack, though his actions did aid in the defeat of the Skrulls. Osborn then used stolen knowledge of the Skrull queen to strike the final blow of the conflict, with a resultant wave of popularity seeing him replace Nick Fury as the head of world security. Osborn"s former Thunderbolts were promoted to his Dark Avengers, while he created a new Thunderbolts roster to act as his personal assassins and enforcers.
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Posts 6 5 Count Nefaria, aka Luchino Nefaria Introduced in Avengers #13 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Don Heck Close Easily Marvel"s most underrated powerhouse, Count Nefaria is one of Marvel"s strongest villains. An ionic energy being similar to the Avengers" Wonder Man, Nefaria has incredible strength, superspeed, near-invulnerability, enhanced senses, telekinesis, teleportation, energy control, and the power to siphon power from (and subsequently control) other ionic beings. Nefaria is so strong that he"s defeated entire Avengers rosters solo and even fought Superman during the JLA/Avengers crossover, with so much durability that he can take a direct blow from Mjolnir without reacting.
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The Thunderbolts took on Nefaria alongside the Avengers when the villain took control of Wonder Man and longtime Thunderbolts member Atlas (both also ionic beings.) Thankfully, with the aid of Nefaria"s villainous daughter Madame Masque, the teams were able to disperse Nefaria"s energy form, though he reassembled his body soon after.
4 Doctor Strange, aka King Oberoth'm'gozz First Seen in Thunderbolts Annual #1 by Ben Acker, Ben Blacker and Matteo Lolli Close A one-time enemy of Red Hulk"s Thunderbolts, King Oberoth"m"gozz is an eldritch being who rules the dimension of "True Faeries," who are depicted as Lovecraftian horrors. Having manifested on Earth, Oberoth"m"gozz began impersonating Doctor Strange, intending to trap the residents of Earth in a never-ending state of forced happiness. An incredibly powerful magical entity, Oberoth"m"gozz easily impersonated the Sorcerer Supreme while also commanding an army of eldritch thralls.
Thankfully, the Thunderbolts were given magical weaponry by SHIELD offshoot WAND, and Punisher was immune to Oberoth"m"gozz"s magic because only killing the guilty brings him any kind of happiness. Injured with Ghost Rider"s Hellfire Shotgun, Oberoth"m"gozz was defeated, but may still live on.
3 Humus Sapien, aka Sonny Baredo Debuted in Thunderbolts #54 by Fabian Nicieza and Patrick Zircher, Created by Michael A. Barreiro Close Humus Sapien is a mutant with incredible control over the planet, drawing power from its inherent "bio-field." Humus Sapien could control the planet and its native life, from commanding plantlife to causing earthquakes. While on Earth, Humus Sapien appeared to have control of all natural matter on the molecular level, but had little experience directing his powers. Imprisoned by a cabal of villains, Humus Sapien was later awakened by Thunderbolts mainstay Fixer, who hacked SHIELD files on the powerful superhuman.
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Posts Tragically, it later emerged that Humus Sapien"s abilities were sustained by drawing lifeforce from the Earth, and that by escaping imprisonment and fighting the Thunderbolts, he had unwittingly killed thousands of people. Following this discovery, Humus Sapien chose to exile himself from the planet.
Humus Sapien was the result of a competition in Marvel"s fan magazine FOOM, which ran a contest for fans to create a "guest star" character. Sadly, the contest wasn"t carried through, but Thunderbolts editor Tom Brevoort later remembered the character and contacted winner Michael A Barreiro.
Since the Thunderbolts are generally either former villains or outright villainous, we"re excluding Marvel"s hero teams from this list, so the Avengers won"t appear, despite a history of clashing with the Thunderbolts.
12 Mercy, aka Abigail Wright Introduced in Incredible Hulk #338 by Peter David and Todd McFarlane Close Originally a Hulk villain, Mercy is an alien being who set herself the task of "freeing" all those who experience negative emotions. When she detects someone experiencing intense sadness, guilt or rage, Mercy incinerates them, seeing herself as a merciful hero who stops suffering at the source. Immensely strong, Mercy has a range of powers including teleportation, intangibility, telepathy and pyrokinesis. She was originally a member of Red Hulk"s Thunderbolts, but after they realized they couldn"t control her murderous impulses, they schemed to trap her in Hell.
Related 12 Strongest Hulk Villains Who Still Haven't Appeared in the MCU (But Should) Some of Hulk"s best villains still haven"t appeared in the MCU - here are 12 powerhouses who still need to go up against Bruce Banner.Posts 2 11 Madman, aka Philip Sterns Debuted in Incredible Hulk #362 by Peter David & Jeff Purves Close Another enemy of Red Hulk"s Thunderbolts, Madman is the brother of Hulk"s nemesis the Leader. Having exposed himself to gamma radiation, Mad Man has incredible strength and durability, having even knocked out the Hulk. However, the radiation has warped his mind, leading to bouts of paranoia and megalomania. Red Hulk outfitted the team with gamma-powered weapons and body armor to take down Madman, with Punisher strapping a landmine to his body to take the villain down.
10 The Fathom Five, aka Llyron, Bloodtide, Dragonrider, Manowar and Sea Leopard Introduced in New Thunderbolts #1 by Fabian Nicieza, Kurt Busiek and Tom Grummett Close A group of Atlantean terrorists, the Fathom Five are anti-human killers who attacked various cities and were opposed by the Thunderbolts. The members were:
- Llyron - The great-nephew of Namor who possesses similar powers, including flight, enhanced strength and a healing factor when in water.
- Bloodtide - A hydrokinetic warrior later recruited to join Namor"s Defenders of the Deep.
- Dragonrider - The wielder of a mystic conch shell which allows her to command underwater monstrosities.
- Manowar - An experimental being with jellyfish-like abilities created by the Portugese government.
- Sea Leopard - A telepathic Lemurian with deadly claws and a superstrong tail.
Related 16 Strongest Members of the Thunderbolts in Marvel Lore, Ranked by Power Level The Thunderbolts have recruited dark heroes and outright villains who the Avengers would never even consider - here are the strongest.Posts 2 9 The Purple Man, aka Zebediah Killgrave Introduced in Daredevil #4 by Stan Lee and Joe Orlando Close A powerful sociopath, Purple Man exudes pheromones which give him total control over anyone in his vicinity. Purple Man can command his thralls to do, think or feel anything, and can even implant hypnotic commands to trigger later in life. Purple Man is considered one of the three most wanted supervillains on Earth after Doctor Doom and Magneto.
Purple Man initially clashed with the Thunderbolts after he was hired to destabilize the team by their former leader Baron Zemo. He later fought Luke Cage when he formed a new version of the team, and was used by the Kingpin to control his version of the team during the Devil"s Reign event, influencing John Walker"s U.S.Agent to lead a group of unrepentant villains.
8 Doctor Doom, aka Victor von Doom Introduced in Fantastic Four #5 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby Close One of Marvel"s most iconic villains, Doctor Doom is a master of advanced science and eldritch sorcery. Doom has clashed with the Thunderbolts multiple times, but most notably in the recent Thunderbolts: Doomstrike, by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly and Tommaso Bianchi. A tie-in to the One World Under Doom event - where Doctor Doom has seized control of the planet - the series sees Bucky Barnes" Thunderbolts assault Doom, who has assembled former members of the Thunderbolts including Atlas, Fixer and Citizen V into his own team.
Related Sentry's Creator Reveals the Original Codename of Thunderbolts*'s Villain Thunderbolts*"s godlike hero/villain the Sentry almost had a totally different codename, his co-creator has revealed while criticizing Marvel.Posts 7 Graviton, aka Franklin Hall First Seen in Avengers #158 by Jim Shooter and Sal Buscema Close One of Marvel"s most powerful superhumans, Graviton boasts total control over gravity. A longtime threat to the Avengers, Graviton was destabilized by the manipulation of Thunderbolts member Moonstone, founding his own nation after she forced him to confront his lack of purpose. The Thunderbolts managed to defeat and gravely injure the tyrannical Graviton, but not before he crushed Leila Davis" Beetle (a member of Thunderbolts spin-off team the Redeemers) to death using his powers.
6 Captain Marvel, aka Khn'nr Debuted in Civil War: The Return #1 by Tom Raney and Paul Jenkins Close A shapeshifting Skrull who intended to infiltrate Earth as a "resurrected" Captain Marvel, Khn"nr was quickly won over by the hero"s moral code. Confused and unwilling to fully rebel against the Skrull Empire, Khn"nr chose to attack Norman Osborn"s Thunderbolts, seeing them as both a valid military target for the Skrull invasion and a genuine source of evil that Captain Marvel would have opposed. Khn"nr effortlessly bested the team but was manipulated by Norman Osborn, who persuaded him to embrace his heroic identity and attack the Skrull fleet directly.
As Osborn had intended, Khn"nr died in the attack, though his actions did aid in the defeat of the Skrulls. Osborn then used stolen knowledge of the Skrull queen to strike the final blow of the conflict, with a resultant wave of popularity seeing him replace Nick Fury as the head of world security. Osborn"s former Thunderbolts were promoted to his Dark Avengers, while he created a new Thunderbolts roster to act as his personal assassins and enforcers.
Related 12 Strongest Members of the New Avengers, Ranked by Power Level The Sentry is one of Marvel"s most powerful heroes, but the New Avengers boasts several other major powerhouses across the team"s history.Posts 6 5 Count Nefaria, aka Luchino Nefaria Introduced in Avengers #13 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Don Heck Close Easily Marvel"s most underrated powerhouse, Count Nefaria is one of Marvel"s strongest villains. An ionic energy being similar to the Avengers" Wonder Man, Nefaria has incredible strength, superspeed, near-invulnerability, enhanced senses, telekinesis, teleportation, energy control, and the power to siphon power from (and subsequently control) other ionic beings. Nefaria is so strong that he"s defeated entire Avengers rosters solo and even fought Superman during the JLA/Avengers crossover, with so much durability that he can take a direct blow from Mjolnir without reacting.
The Thunderbolts took on Nefaria alongside the Avengers when the villain took control of Wonder Man and longtime Thunderbolts member Atlas (both also ionic beings.) Thankfully, with the aid of Nefaria"s villainous daughter Madame Masque, the teams were able to disperse Nefaria"s energy form, though he reassembled his body soon after.4 Doctor Strange, aka King Oberoth'm'gozz First Seen in Thunderbolts Annual #1 by Ben Acker, Ben Blacker and Matteo Lolli Close A one-time enemy of Red Hulk"s Thunderbolts, King Oberoth"m"gozz is an eldritch being who rules the dimension of "True Faeries," who are depicted as Lovecraftian horrors. Having manifested on Earth, Oberoth"m"gozz began impersonating Doctor Strange, intending to trap the residents of Earth in a never-ending state of forced happiness. An incredibly powerful magical entity, Oberoth"m"gozz easily impersonated the Sorcerer Supreme while also commanding an army of eldritch thralls.
Thankfully, the Thunderbolts were given magical weaponry by SHIELD offshoot WAND, and Punisher was immune to Oberoth"m"gozz"s magic because only killing the guilty brings him any kind of happiness. Injured with Ghost Rider"s Hellfire Shotgun, Oberoth"m"gozz was defeated, but may still live on.
3 Humus Sapien, aka Sonny Baredo Debuted in Thunderbolts #54 by Fabian Nicieza and Patrick Zircher, Created by Michael A. Barreiro Close Humus Sapien is a mutant with incredible control over the planet, drawing power from its inherent "bio-field." Humus Sapien could control the planet and its native life, from commanding plantlife to causing earthquakes. While on Earth, Humus Sapien appeared to have control of all natural matter on the molecular level, but had little experience directing his powers. Imprisoned by a cabal of villains, Humus Sapien was later awakened by Thunderbolts mainstay Fixer, who hacked SHIELD files on the powerful superhuman.
Related 10 Strongest New Avengers Villains, Ranked by Power Level MCU lovers have finally been introduced to the New Avengers on the big screen, thanks to Thunderbolts, but who are their strongest comic villains?Posts Tragically, it later emerged that Humus Sapien"s abilities were sustained by drawing lifeforce from the Earth, and that by escaping imprisonment and fighting the Thunderbolts, he had unwittingly killed thousands of people. Following this discovery, Humus Sapien chose to exile himself from the planet.
Humus Sapien was the result of a competition in Marvel"s fan magazine FOOM, which ran a contest for fans to create a "guest star" character. Sadly, the contest wasn"t carried through, but Thunderbolts editor Tom Brevoort later remembered the character and contacted winner Michael A Barreiro.
