Marvel Mayhem’s very own Mercenary Captain of the Z-List brings you a brief look at the hidden gems (black soulless gems that is) that Marvel has forgotten or overlooked as villains as well as her views on whether we’ll be seeing them any time soon.
A servant to the Mandarin, this guys main purpose is to sell weapons (duh) to various factions. He worked briefly for the Crimson Cowl as well.
Likelihood to Return - 3/10 (I'm surprised he hasn't appeared yet with all the weapons AIM seems to sell to people. Probably behind a lot of the trade that goes on but is too obscure to mention)
A hit woman working for a lawyer who represented former foes of the Avengers. She was hired to kill the heroes but hasn't been seen since her original attack.
Likelihood to Return - 1/10 (Hired to Avenge those wronged by the Avengers. Since the Assassin has no known identity we may have already seen her. However anyone in this guise is probably not returning anytime soon.
As bad guys go Bison is pretty much on the fence. He has aided heroes more times then he has hindered them. Potential Thunderbolt Material if the title was still running
Likelihood to Return - 2/10 (Why use Bison when you can use the gritter, more malicious Man Bull? Bison won't be seen until a writer needs a disposable unknown dumb strong guy to fill a team.)
An Atlantean Terrorist who gained hydrokinetic powers after an experience with human pollution, and who because of it became a member of the Fathom Five. At one time the greatest threat to shipping on Earth the Fathom Five was in cahoots with Baron Strucker to take advantage of the Avengers disbanding.
Likelihood to Return - 1/10 (None of the Fathom Five have reappeared save for Lyron. Bloodtide, Man O War and Dragon Rider were incarcerated but have never been seen after their capture. Considering their abilities they are likely held inland then at the Raft which may explain why they weren't seen in one of the prisons many breakouts)
What do you do with a drunken sailor? Well if your an evil necromancer you curse him into a pseudo vampire creature. Partner to Roughhouse, Bloodscream is a deadly foe who has been seen to survive decapitation and an internal explosion (in the same night). Cursed to a half life until he takes the life of an immortal. Bloodscream is a dedicated and brutal foe.
Likelihood to Return - 4/10 (Usually seen as deadly muscle whenever anyone goes to Mandipoor, Bloodscream and Roughouse are generally henchman to whichever big bad is hiding in the city state. Also a member of HYDRA)
Part of a gang of criminal jugglers Bombshell is the only one to have a successful solo career. A militant feminist with a love of grenades, Bombshell despite having an explosive temper was able to subdue Hawkeye and Mockingbird at the same time in her first appearance.
Likelihood to Return - 3/10 (Bombshell is the only member of the Death Throws who is sort of regularly seen. Potential to return alongside Silencer now that there is a new Hawkeye series out.
A potential power house, Bora was originally a Black Widow foe with a hatred for ballerinas because she was deemed too tall to take it on as a profession. Depowered after M-Day, Bora had the ability to create weather portals to the Arctic Circle and summon the power of winter storms through them.
Likelihood to Return - 1/10 (Depowered unfortunately. Her motives are lacking and she's one of the few mutants who never fought the X-Men. I always imagined her on a team masquerading as the X-Men taking the place of Storm)
A deadly pirate who uses advanced technology, the idea sounds terrible but Barracuda surprisingly pulls it off. A one time for of the Human Torch and Iceman.
Likelihood to Return - 4/10 (The good Captain appeared recently in Secret Avengers with weaponry stolen from Project Pegasus. And with actual piracy on the rise I can see him returning to cause trouble soon.)
Chance is a mercenary gambler who bets his fee against successful completion of the job. Armed with high tech gear Chance mostly fails to make money (or at least that what it seems like) mostly because he gets pipped at the post at the last moment.
Likelihood to Return - 2/10 (Chance was seen as part of a group I'm nicknaming 'the Fabulous Five' alongside Taskmaster, Batroc ze Leaper, Lady Stilt Man and the Trapster. No doubt Chance will be wheeled out again. Then again maybe he's loaded, it could explain his lack of appearances, and he only works when he gets low on cash)
One of Luke Cage's foes, Cockroach Hamilton is a member of the Flash Mob and uses a highly advanced shotgun (named Joshua) in his job as a hit-man.
Likelihood to Return - 4/10 (If anything else then for his dietary routine of Cheetos and Roaches. A lot of Cage's old rouges could be deadly if retooled and modernized rather then the jokes they are now.)
Mysterious Russian Assassin who has a thing for religious symbols and wanting to kill Maverick. Apart from that virtually nothing is known about him.
Likelihood to Return - 1/10 (As a Maverick only foe his return is unlikely. That is compounded even further by the fact Maverick is dead.
A Moon Knight Villain, one who was created when he was executed in a faulty electric chair giving him enhanced speed and electrical powers. Not a true villain, he was more of a vigilantie since he targeted criminals rather then innocents.
Likelihood to Return - 2/10 (If a Moon Knight Series was Relaunched then Deadzone would probably make a reappearance eventually)
Able to appear as any member of the dead (or even previously dead) the Dead Ringer has a whole arsenal of powers at his disposal even being able to summon up the armor and weapons of the people he turns into.
Likelihood to Return - ?/10 (For all we know the Dead Ringer could be appearing regularly as the characters we all thought dead but then mysteriously come back to life.)
A mystical being from another dimension who uses the anguished souls killed by his followers to arrive in this dimension. Once free he has became a feared mob boss whose goal was to feed on the death and terror spread by his followers.
Likelihood to Return - 5/10 (With his old foe Ghost Rider joining the 'Murderbolts' Deathwatch might reappear. Since Deathwatch has minions we may also see the return of Hag, Ogre and Snowblind as well)
Death Adder is one of my favorite villains mostly because he's creepy as hell and venomous to a point. The original Death Adder died again recently but we were briefly treated to a second one during Thunderbolts and the Secret Invasion.
Likelihood to Return - 4/10 (Death Adder is among the coolest and creepiest members of the Serpent Society and it's a good bet that he or another version will return...unless it's the Dead Ringer playing games of course.)
An armored for of the Super Friends (Firestar, Iceman and Spiderman) Facade's armor was built for peaceful purposes but ended up being used for evil by an unknown madman
Likelihood to Return - ?/10 (There are some crazy theories about Facade, mostly that he is actually Norman Osborne. If that is the case then he shouldn't be on the list since he is well known as a villain.
Part of a mercenary group called the Death Squad (also containing Smokescreen, Rocket Launcher, Airborne and <snicker> Boobytrap) this team were old Iron Man foes what actually beat the flying brick house two (out of two) times and were only caught because on their ally Nitro's stupidity. I guess that shows that idiocy is rewarded more then professionalism in Marvel Comics.
Likelihood to Return - 1/10 (Unfortunately the Death Squad have not reappeared since Nitro blew <pun intended> their chance to kill Iron Man. It's a shame they could be interesting and deadly enemies for a wide range of Marvel Heroes)
Firefly was a small time Nova foe who built an incendiary suit to help him fly and shoot fire. His first outing saw him try and destroy a power station but after that his career went downhill being taken out once by a fire extinguisher.
Likelihood to Return - 2/10 (With Nova becoming more popular it's possible that Firefly will get a reprieve from mediocrity. Comparison with the DC Firefly may be a problem however so maybe a change in name could help Firefly's case as well.)
Modified by Alistair Smythe to help get revenge on Jamerson, Paula Crane was one of the few named members of the Army of Insects.
Likelihood to Return - 1/10 (Smythe is dead and Paula's fate is unknown at current. I can't imagine Otto/Spider Man paying someone like her much attention since his focus is on more well established Spider Foes.)
One of Spider Woman's 'more well known' foes, Flying Tiger is a skilled assassin whose main appearances were as a member of the Masters of Evil. He even made comment that he was alive in WWII, whatever the case his ariel combat abilities were enough to keep both Spider Woman and MACH I on their toes in multiple entanglments
Likelihood to Return - 3/10 (Did return briefly to harass Ant Man before being squashed, revealed to be alive and incarcerated in the Raft. As one of Spider Woman's better known original rouges he could reappear again as an enemy in the Secret Avengers)
Silver Sable's divorced husband. The Foreigner has no powers yet his skill and fitness made him a deadly foe. Despite being a hired gun he proved himself by hunting and killing Ned Leeds during his time as the Hobgoblin
Likelihood to Return - 1/10 (His main reason for returning, Silver Sable, is dead. Of all the characters listed on the list I feel his chances are the lowest of all)
Not a single villain but rather a husband and wife team of contract killers. Originally a Speedball foe/foes, this pair were the only members of his original rouge gallery to be seen anywhere else.
Likelihood to Return - 1/10 (If they were going to be seen it would have been when Speedball was calling himself Penance. With all the contract killers in the Marvel Universe these two are seriously outclassed by virtually everyone)
A former HYDRA engineer, Jackhammer was a section head like Moonstone and Fixer. Unlike them he was mostly forgotten even if his weaponry (utilised by several HYDRA figures) wasn't. Ran with a crew called the Power Tools for a while and worked with Jack O'Lanturn for RAID.
Likelihood to Return - (2/10) Jackhammer always struck me as a second class Avalanche. Know that 'Lanche' is dead Jackhammer may be seen moving into a similar role when Marvel Writers need to shake things up again.
A super fast swordsman who is a member of the Assassins Guild, Harvester proved to be a deadly foe, managing to sneak up on Kaine under his victim's belief that he was hearing the wind blowing.
Likelihood to Return - 2/10 (Maybe he could appear in the upcoming New Warriors series or as a foe for Gambitconsidering his history with the Guild's leader Belladonna)
Machinesmith has proven himself a deadly enemy against virtually everyone and managing to trick the X-Men into believing he was Magneto, Iron Man into believing he reformed and Captain America into destroying the Helicarrier. More of a behind the scenes villain.
Likelihood to Return - 6/10 (A behind the scenes kind of villain. His resume is quite impressive and his former alliance with the Red Skull could see him returning quite soon.)
Think Deadpool but psychotic. Wait what do you mean Wade is psychotic? Okay Madcap is an unbreakable, unkillable madman with mild psychic abilities caused by a chemical skill.
Likelihood to Return - 3/10 (A great Deadpool foe if they ever met again.)
A mercenary technopath who has the ability to transform her 'tech-pack' into anything she wants. Sounds familiar, that's because she's like Fixer but female. At one point the original was cloned alongside Rive although most of them were destroyed by Deapool and Cable.
Likelihood to Return - 2/10 (Yes she's higher then her buddy Rive mostly because the Fixer is trapped in time. Her tech-pack skills could make her a deadly opponent if given the time to develop, at least until Fixer is rescued.)
Any time now Marvel - You know you want to make a 'proper' Thunderbolts book again.
A ninja, former prisoner and foe to Colleen Wing, Makro is a member of the Hand. Aggressive and well versed in using the robotic arms fused onto her back Makro is a deadly and strong assassin who takes orders only from Lady Lotus
Likelihood to Return - 2/10 (May return as a Superior Douche Bag foe. We know Otto doesn't like sharing his tech as seen when he brutally beat-down Cardiac.)
All we have to fear...is this guy. Turns into whatever you fear and then enhances it, Monster was created when a drug dealer was exposed to a stupid amount of fear gas. Never appeared outside of Heroes for Hire.
Likelihood to Return - 2/10 (This guy has the potential to really shake things up. I mean fear is one enemy that can't be conquered. His presence in the dying days of the Heroes for Hire title is a negative but hopefully someone will realize what his potential really is)
A real mystery. Mysteria was a member of the Femizons and could control and create smokescreens. Apparently had a sister whose identity was used by one of the Scourge's of the Underworld.
Likelihood to Return - 1/10 (Lives up to her name. Unlike almost all the other villains on the list Mysteria isn't tied into any heroes rouges gallery. As such it's unlikely she'll be appearing soon in any title.
The Grim Reaper's Squeeze, Nekra is also the Mandrill's sister but unlike him retained her human form when her mutant powers kicked in. A skilled Necromancer Nekra has proven she would die for the Reaper, as proven when he killed her and then brought her back to life.
Likelihood to Return - 7/10 (With the Grim Reaper a constant threat to the Avengers and Wonderman's return to heroics it's a good bet Nekra won't be too far away)
Nightshade has it all; she's a bonafide genius, hand to hand combat specialist not to mention being easy on the eyes. Unfortunately despite being a skilled doctor she was self taught and was refused work leading to her becoming an enemy of Luke Cage.
Likelihood to Return - 4/10 (Nightshade is one (of two) Luke Cage foes that has managed to retain some kind of seriousness in the Modern Age (the other being Chemistro). It wouldn't suprise me to see Nightshade return especially since Superia her former employer's reappearance.
A female wrestler who was fitted with seismic boots to cause shockwaves. An enemy to many heroes (most notably her former ally Songbird) Poundcakes has slimmed down since her first appearance where she looked almost obese. May also be a lesbian.
Likelihood to Return - (2/10) With a name change she could make a triumphant return. Recently appeared alongside Letha, Lascivious and a new Screaming Mimi as the Grapplers to torment their reformed teammate Songbird.
Protocide has had it rough. Foe to Captain America, Super Soldier Alumnus and a totally retconned origin story have all pushed him away from the lime light. Originally an unstable test subject of Erskin's Super Solider Formula Protocide was used to get the mixture right for his long time rival Captain America. This was later removed since Marvel didn't want anyone using the formula before Steve Rogers.
Likelihood to Return - (2/10) As an AIM agent Protocide could reappear in Secret Avengers. Marvel kind of owes this guy a decent appearance since they screwed him over and made all the stuff he'd done moot.
Q is for...The Quatermaster was a former employee of Danny Rand and Roxxon Oil. As the image suggests he was involved in building the Scorpion's Original Battle Armor
Likelihood to Return - 1/10 (Unlikely since Roxxon hasn't been seen as too villainous recently although who knows what the energy conglomerate is up too...)
Described as a paramilitary cadre of scavengers, looters and thieves the Rat Pack proved to be competent and deadly foes when cornered. It's unlikely they have been disbanded what with all the carnage that occurs in New York alone.
Likelihood to Return - 1/10 (Despite said carnage the Rat Pack haven't reappeared. Also a newer group using the same name has appeared since Thunderbolts #1 and had a more powerful line up then the simple numbered henchman of the original)
Mercenary Swordswoman and (along with Makeshift) the only member on this list that I didn't know before making it. Rive is a product of the 90s and was a foe of Deadpool and Cable. Her main feat was being killed in the same issue by the following characters; Deadpool, Asp, Cable, The Cat, Black Mamba and Diamondback.
Likelihood to Return - 1/10 (There are at least four 'Rive' clones running around unless Deadpool got fed up and killed them again. Unlikely to return now that Deadpool is so popular)
A Serpent Society member (well duh) with superhuman strength and steel balls that upon impact wrapped his foes in metal cables. Somewhat redeemed when Nomad talked him out of a life of crime but considering the U-Turns a lot of redeemed villains are making at the moment we may see him working for the bad guys again.
Likelihood to Return - (1/10) The only person I don't want to see return as a villain. I love Rock Python and reckon he could have been Thunderbolts material. Hopefully Marvel will respect his last appearance and keep him on the straight and narrow.
Believe it on not this man in a jacket is an Asgardian. An enemy of Wolverine and a partner to Bloodscream, Roughouse for some reason left Asgard to live (and make a profit) on Midgard. Shown as little more then dumb muscle Roughouse's godly durability and strength makes him a deadly foe to even the most experienced fighters.
Likelihood to Return - 4/10 (Roughouse and Bloodscream occur now and then, usually in Mandipoor. As soon as Wolverine or someone else needing to fit a strong henchman arrives in the city state we will likely see Roughouse again)
The new Sidewinder, a business genius with the ability to teleport himself and others. The original was at best a fair weathered villian who helped his foes as much as he worked against them.
Likelihood to Return - 5/10 (With the Serpent Society reformed there is a fair chance that we will see this version of Sidewinder working with Cobra and the others)
Martial artist and all round bad-girl, Snapdragon was Superia's right hand woman and a foe of Diamondback. An elite assassin she crossed blades with Moon Knight recently after seemingly returning from the dead.
Likelihood to Return - 4/10 (With Superia's recent appearances it is possible Snapdragon may pick up a contract with her. Then again the Snapdragon we have seen recently may just be the Dead Ringer again...who incidentally will also be making this list)
Another Luke Cage Rouge, this time armed with a Spear Gun (pretty pointless when hunting a man with unbreakable skin) and trident. A good marksmen (Boomerang good) he went into villainy to avenge his brother before becoming a bad guy permanently.
Likelihood to Return - 2/10 (Like all of Luke Cage's Foes deadly against anyone other then the man with unbreakable skin. Good marksmen always appear and with Boomerang seemingly moving up in the world there might just be an opening available soon...)
An employee of Roxxon Energy, Sunturion gained his powers from microwave energy. An ally and enemy to Iron Man (it was the armored Avenger who shot down the satellite that created Sunturion) this armored powerhouse could manipulate energy, matter and could teleport anywhere on (and off) Earth. Seemingly forgotten alongside everyone else who worked for Roxxon by most Marvel writers.
Likelihood to Return - 3/10 (I really though Sunturion would come back and maybe have something to do with Sun Girl. Even though I was wrong about that I still don't think the sun has set on Roxxon's shining star)
Chronologically Supercharger was the first costumed foe Spiderman fought. An individual who hated costume crime the Supercharger was blackmailed into costume to deal with Spiderman before later becoming a member of the Masters of Evil
Likelihood to Return - 1/10 (Who does he remind you of? That said with Electro now in the big leagues they may be space for a new electrical powered enforcer in the New York Underworld)
Man Nova had some weird foes. Tailhook was a vigilante rather then a villain who targeted rapists within the US Armed Forces. Armed with a Whip and a Crossbow she fought Nova once.
Likelihood to Return - 2/10 (Nova, thanks to Ultimate Spider Man <shudder> is becoming popular. While I can't see Tailhook coming back as a villain it's possible she may reappear as an ally, supporting character or <shudder> lover of whoever is wearing that bucket on his head at present.
A mutant and member of the White Queen's Hellions, Tarot had the ability to predict future events and create protective avatars from tarot cards. Killed twice Tarot has reappeared as a Magik and Gen X Foe before disappearing again.
Likelihood to Return - 1/10 (Tarot has died twice and even the writers weren't sure if the figure who came back was the real version. When fighting Magik, the ruler of Limbo used her Soul Sword on Tarot something that suggests that Tarot's powers were more then just genetic and could be magic. This may explain her ability to reincarnate or it might just have been the Dead Ringer again.)
A HYDRA agent whose body was taken over by nasty parasites to form a hive being. Able to manipulate whole armies with his powers it was the Hive who resurrected Viper and put that weird octopus thing on her head.
Likelihood to Return - (2/10) Unlike most of the others (Machinesmith, Nightshade and Sidewinder) The Hive is more of a big bad rather then a henchman. Blown up in Secret Warriors by Nick Fury but considering who it works for and the shown ability to revive the dead I don't believe the Hive is deceased.
A guy who can turn anything he sees into an instant memory? A great power except soon people start to realize that you are the ideal snitch. A Moonknight Foe (if that can be the correct word for it?) The Profile like Machinesmith (See Above) fits in as more of a behind the scenes kind of guy.
Likelihood to Return - 4/10 (Call me crazy but as soon as Moon Knight returns so will this guy. Last seen working for the Kingpin in the Shadowland event so could possibly appear in other 'Street Level Heros' Titles)
Man Marvel seem to like vilifying the US armed forces. Mitchell Tanner was a GI who was betrayed by the army and had Omnium grafted to his skin by Dr Noah Burnstien. Driven mad by mistrust Warhawk went rouge and became an enemy to Iron Fist and Luke Cage.
Likelihood to Return - (2/10) A man whose hide is thick enough to partially block Wolverines claws and deflect bullets. I'm surprised he hasn't been used more considering how popular Weapon X has become.
The gang leader of the Dragon Lords and a deadly enemy of Spiderman with the ability to breath fire and toxic smoke out of his mask. A tactical genius, the original was killed by the Hood although sightings of a second individual are confirmed.
Likelihood to Return - 2/10 (With Otto in the Driving Seat it's unlikely we'll see White Dragon soon due to the series focusing on 'big super crime' rather then gang related stuff)
