Marvel will turn its heroes and villains upside down in AXIS. Avengers and X-Men will unite against the threat of the Red Skull. In a preview for Act Two: Inversion, classic villains fight for redemption and some heroes appear to have gone to the dark side.
Characters playing the role of hero, villain and every shade in between make for compelling stories that make us cheer, swoon and declare, “Nooooooo!”
Inspired by Rick Remender’s “recalibration of the moral compass” of our favorite icons in the upcoming event here are mighty Marvel heroes who went from villain to hero.
Let’s start with the Avengers:
Ares The God of War and son of Zeus was a frequent enemy of Thor, Hercules and the Avengers. Michael Avon Oeming portrayed Ares as an anti-hero living on Earth as a single father until a war of rival deities drew him back into the mythic battle. Brian Michael Bendis made Ares part of his New Avengers era. Ares was recruited to join the Avengers team run by S.H.I.E.L.D. then later by Norman Osborn, the Dark Avengers. Ares made a valiant last stand against Osborn and The Sentry in SIEGE but he is a God so it could only be a matter of writer’s pitch before he’s swinging his battle axe again.
Wonder Man Simon Williams was killed, revived and manipulated by three different villains before winning his freedom and joining the Avengers. Williams is currently a member of the Unity team in Uncanny Avengers.
Vision The android was created by Ultron to infiltrate and destroy Earth’s Mightiest Heroes but turned on his master and became a popular Avengers. Paul Bettany will play the Vision in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Rick Remender promises a bigger role for the android in AXIS.
Quicksilver The son of Magneto first appeared in X-Men as a member of his father’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants but along with his sister joined the Avengers. Pietro Maximoff fought with the Avengers and even X-Factor for while but he would definitely go to the darker side. Pietro manipulated his sister into warping reality, kidnapping and abusing Professor X’s powers to create mutant dominated world ruled by Magneto. Pietro would later steal the Inhumans’ greatest secret to gain his mutant powers and give help re-power mutants depowered by his sister. Pietro’s actions caused a Silent War between Earth and the Inhumans and his re-powering attempts killed some ex-mutants. Pietro would later teach at Avengers Academy and is currently a member of X-Factor where he watched out for his half-sister Polaris.
Black Widow Natasha Romanoff was a deadly Russian spy/assassin before breaking her brainwashing and defecting to the U.S. Natasha would become a freelance agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. for mentor Nick Fury, a crime-fighting partner of Daredevil and Avenger. Natasha is currently an Avenger while taking on secret solo missions in her own solo series to make up for her path and “the red in her ledger.”
Scarlet Witch Wanda Maximoff is one of the most tragic heroines in all of comics. Wanda was a member of Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants before joining the Avengers with her brother. Wanda marries, has twins who turned out not be real, slowly goes insane, kills several Avengers, warps reality into the House of M and decimates the mutant race. In later stories we learned Wanda was manipulated by her brother and Doctor Doom. Wanda’s path to redemption started in Avengers vs. X-Men and in the pages of Uncanny Avengers. Scarlet Witch will play a critical role in the Red Skull’s plot in AXIS leading to a confrontation between the mega villain and Magneto.
Spider-Woman After an early life among fellow science experiment victims, Jessica Drew was captured, brainwashed into becoming a top HYDRA agent but given a second chance by Nick Fury. Jessica was play a double agent before becoming a solo hero and eventual Avenger. In a shocking twist, the Spider-Woman who joined the New Avengers was actually a Skrull Empress slowly plotting the takeover of Earth. Jessica would be redeemed as a fan-favorite Avenger and will star in a new solo series this Fall in the aftermath of the Spider-Man: Spider-Verse story.
Hawkeye Clint Barton was a reluctant villain in the pages of Tales to Suspense as Black Widow recruited him to steal from Tony Stark. Clint was soon become a good guy and popular Avenger. Clint formed the West Coast Avengers, lead the Thunderbolts, more rogues on the road to reform. Clint is at the top of the list because once he went good, he never went villain again. The death of his wife, getting killed and resurrected by Scarlet Witch and the strange return of his late wife, push Clint to his emotional limits but he stayed on the straight and narrow.
By Editor