Super Fiends: The 10 Greatest Supervillain Teams In Comic Books

9) Thunderbolts

Marvel’s Thunderbolts are an interesting twist on the supervillain team. Founded by Baron Zemo, the HYDRA leader recruited a group of villains to masquerade as heroes, believing that they could gain the public and S.H.I.E.L.D.’s trust and go on to achieve ultimate power. Eventually, however, the team grew to like being heroes and overthrew Zemo.

That’s not to say that they became goody-two-shoes, as the Thunderbolts are often portrayed as fugitives from the law or an ultra-violent anti-hero unit. Their central concept, though, is that they’re a team for villains wishing to redeem themselves. Some of the most famous members include Norman Osborn, Bullseye, Venom, Juggernaut and Crossbones.

In recent years, the team has become closer to a straight-up hero squad, as the roster has featured the likes of the Punisher, Luke Cage, the Winter Soldier and Deadpool. The most interesting version of the Thunderbolts, though, has to be when they straddled the line between hero and villain.