# Superheros that became Supervillains **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 24, 2008, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superheros-that-became-supervillains/457664 "2008-07-24T22:09:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superheros-that-became-supervillains/457664/21 "2008-07-25T03:31:45Z")
Hawk of Hawk & Dove became _Monarch_. So did Captain Atom. ---
**Author:** ![Yumblie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/76d3ee/32.png) [@Yumblie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumblie)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superheros-that-became-supervillains/457664/22 "2008-07-25T03:34:31Z")
Adam Monroe of _Heroes_ starts out as a (rather ineffectual) hero, then turns supervillain after a few centuries of boredom and frustration with humanity. ---
**Author:** ![Risha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@Risha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Risha)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superheros-that-became-supervillains/457664/23 "2008-07-25T04:26:01Z")
I’m not sure that Daimon Hellstrom counts, but similarly-backstoried Illyana Rasputin may. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superheros-that-became-supervillains/457664/24 "2008-07-25T04:43:53Z")
**Black Adam** , somewhat equivocally. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superheros-that-became-supervillains/457664/25 "2008-07-25T13:19:34Z")
The original Marvel Boy became the villainous Crusader. Two heroes called Dynamic Man have been recast as villains (or at least extreme dicks). The third Foolkiller–Kurt Gerhardt–was sort of heroic, but was one of the criminals who broke out of the Vault, and seemed pretty vicious. Glamour and Illusion, a “Nick and Nora Charles”-type couple of stage magicians, were introduced as pals of Vision and Scarlet Witch, but later revealed to be jewel thieves. Triumph, introduced as the forgotten founder of the Justice League, was last seen betraying them. He is currently petrified in their trophy room. Congorilla! ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superheros-that-became-supervillains/457664/26 "2008-07-25T17:16:31Z")
If memory serves: Yellowjacket, in despair after his wife left, got tricked into helping Egghead and then kind of went on a villainous rampage of his own for a while. But I think he got better. ---
**Author:** ![SisterCoyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@SisterCoyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SisterCoyote)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superheros-that-became-supervillains/457664/27 "2008-07-25T17:59:17Z")
**Baldwin** - I don’t much care for Shelley as a general rule, and thanks for the spelling tip. Some days, you know? Thanks, everybody who’s posted so far. **Skald** , I’m keeping my eye on you and the horse you rode in on. **Trihs** , I’m struggling with the idea of the Hulk being intelligent enough to be a villain. Banner, yes. That I could see. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superheros-that-became-supervillains/457664/28 "2008-07-25T18:32:07Z")
[QUOTE=SisterCoyote] **Trihs** , I’m struggling with the idea of the Hulk being intelligent enough to be a villain. Banner, yes. That I could see. [/QUOTE] The Hulk is frequently quite intelligent, occasionally every bit as intelligent as Bruce Banner. ---
**Author:** ![SisterCoyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@SisterCoyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SisterCoyote)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superheros-that-became-supervillains/457664/29 "2008-07-25T19:06:46Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] The Hulk is frequently quite intelligent, occasionally every bit as intelligent as Bruce Banner. [/QUOTE] Oh, I trust you both. I just never really read many Hulk comics and so my view is a little shaded towards the other mass-media versions. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superheros-that-became-supervillains/457664/30 "2008-07-25T19:23:46Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] But to name it _ **Pookie** _?!? An outrage, sir! An outrage! You should be barred from the Officers’ Mess! [/QUOTE] I did not name the horse. I was informed of the horse’s preferred appellation when she became my steed. Admittedly I might have preferred a different one, but you do not argue with winged horses. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superheros-that-became-supervillains/457664/31 "2008-07-25T19:25:50Z")
There have been several series– **Brat Pack, Maximmotal, Marshal Law, The Boys, Top Ten** – that make the convincing case that there is no real distinction between superheroes and super-villains. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superheros-that-became-supervillains/457664/32 "2008-07-25T19:41:34Z")
Iron Man in the Civil War series. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superheros-that-became-supervillains/457664/33 "2008-07-25T20:31:58Z")
[QUOTE=Tom Tildrum] If memory serves: Yellowjacket, in despair after his wife left, got tricked into helping Egghead and then kind of went on a villainous rampage of his own for a while. But I think he got better. [/QUOTE] Hank was mentally unstable for a long time…does his villainy count if he wasn’t really responsible for it? ---
**Author:** ![Risha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@Risha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Risha)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superheros-that-became-supervillains/457664/34 "2008-07-25T20:36:18Z")
[QUOTE=Krokodil] There have been several series– **Brat Pack, Maximmotal, Marshal Law, The Boys, Top Ten** – that make the convincing case that there is no real distinction between superheroes and super-villains. [/QUOTE] Squadron Supreme. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superheros-that-became-supervillains/457664/35 "2008-07-25T22:48:55Z")
[QUOTE=Skald the Rhymer] I did not name the horse. I was informed of the horse’s preferred appellation when she became my steed. Admittedly I might have preferred a different one, but you do not argue with winged horses. [/QUOTE] Oh. then you merely be allowed to _wait tables_, in the Officers’ Mess. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superheros-that-became-supervillains/457664.md?page=1)