Deadliest Marvel Super Villain Crime Lords:
Sometimes, it is best to use your wits and cunning to get to the top. Sometimes, it is all that matters. The Superheroes of the Marvel Universe – the Avengers aka the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes may have Gods and Monsters in their ranks. But they still do not have what it takes to take out these guys, who are absolute behemoths of the criminal world.
1. Lord Shingen
Lord Shingen has ties to one of the greatest and most powerful criminal organizations in the Marvel Universe (and in real life) – the Yakuza. Shingen Harada is the head of the Yashida Clan, a family that has ties to the Japanese Emperor himself. He is also a very successful businessman and has used his business acumen to amass great wealth. Lord Shingen once manipulated Wolverine into working for him as his personal hit-man. He is the father of Mariko Yashida, the romantic interest of Wolverine. Lord Shingen has come toe to toe with Wolverine several times and has managed to escape every time. His connections to several powerful organizations all over the globe make him an extremely formidable foe.
2. Hammer Head
The story of Hammer Head is weird and saddening. Nobody knows Hammer Head’s real name including HammerHead him-self. Hammer Head had always dreamed of becoming a gangster and escaping a life of poverty he was cursed with growing up in New York City. He was once found beaten to an inch of his life by Jonas Harrow. Harrow was a surgeon and he decided to save his life by replacing his cracked skull with a steel alloy. Hammer Head woke up and had permanent amnesia. The only thing he remembered was an Al Capone poster and that was when he decided to fully embrace a life of crime, considering this moment as life-giving him a clean slate to start his journey afresh.
3. Hob-Goblin
The person who would be one day known as the Hob-Goblin was once known by another supervillain name – Jack O Lantern. His real name is Jason Macendale. He has had the military experience when he was part of the elite Marines and he even has experience in espionage when he had a stint in the CIA as a deep undercover operative working behind enemy lines. Macendale returns to America and adopts the Jack O Lantern persona for making some quick change. He soon ousts Ned Leeds as the Hob Goblin and takes over the mantle. Using his experience in the CIA, Macendale uses proven psychological tactics and his powerful criminal network to make Spiderman’s life a living hell.
4. Geoffrey Wilder
Geoffrey Wilder and his wife Catherine Wilder are members of the Pride, a secret organization that controls the world. The Wilders were once measly thieves that were kidnapped by an ancient group of giants called the Gibborim and given an option – they could either live their life as petty burglars or become something greater. Geoffrey Wilder became the ‘Thief’ of the Pride. He controls all the criminal proceedings that happen all over the world or has a part to play in it. Geoffrey Wilder was powerful and had a lot of connections. He is the Crime King of Los Angeles.
5. The Kingpin
The Kingpin once commanded so much power that even the government was forced to acknowledge his rein and sought his help and expertise to take down other criminals. The Kingpin controls the entire city of New York and they say that whatever happens in the city is either Kingpin’s doing or he has knowledge about it. He first appeared in 1967 as a minor villain but the fans loved Wilson Fisk so much that Wilson Fisk was brought back, this time as a Daredevil villain. The Kingpin believes in working in the shadows and never let his true self be seen by anybody other than his most trusted allies. The Kingpin has also become the new Mayor of New York City, making him untouchable to the superheroes.
6. Viper
Viper was an orphan named Ophelia Sarkissian. She lived her life as a street urchin and had to beg for food. She and her group of orphan friends were recruited by Kraken, a Hydra operative. Viper trained in the art of assassination and became a force to be reckoned with. Her one side of the face is damaged beyond repair and she hides it using her long green hair. Viper has also partnered with the assassin Seraph and they once rescued Wolverine in Madripoor. Years later, Viper, now Madame Hydra, collected that debt and Wolverine was forced into an arranged marriage to her as her bid to take over the country.
7. Count Nefaria
Count Nefaria is a Crime Lord that does not just rely on money and a cunning mind to defeat his foes. He actually has superpowers of his own and he could battle Thor to a standstill. Luchino Nefaria believes in conventional values and is pretty old school in his ways. He is the head of the Maggia, the world’s most powerful criminal organization. Nefaria is also a patron of science and he has hired several scientists involved in high tech research to work for him. As a benefit of being a Patron, Nefaria was gifted the powers of Power Man, the Whirl Wind, and Power Man. And he is ten times more powerful than each of the individual superheroes. His body is now made of pure energy and he can never age.
8. Ma Gnucci
The Gnucci crime family was once the most powerful force in the area of Organized Crime. They commanded wealth, clout and resources, not even the Kingpin could dream of. Ma Gnucci, short for Isabella Gnucci, is the head of the Gnucci family. The Punisher got into loggerheads with her when he killed all four of Ma Gnucci’s sons. A pissed Ma Gnucci sent hit-men after hit-men to take Frank Castle out. After a certain point of time, even the Punisher got so scared with Ma Gnucci being able to predict his moves that he had to personally go after her. He fed her to the polar bears and Ma Gnucci became multiple amputees. Even after that, she decided to come after him so the Punisher kicked her into the flames of a Burning House.
9. Silver Mane
Silver Mane started his life in the criminal business as a lowly mob enforcer working for the Maggia – an international criminal organization. His real name is Silvio Manfredi and ever since he was a kid, he has been involved in criminal activities. He is also the leader and the chief of the Manfredi Crime Family, one amongst the few families that had actively engaged in anti-social and illegal acts since time immemorial. Silver Man’s network runs throughout North America and Europe and he has powerful contacts in the highest of authorities in major political and economic hubs across the planet. Silver Man rose to power after he started operations in smuggling an illicit drug that jump-started mutant powers, leading to the emergence of superheroes like Cloak and Dagger. He has even faced off against the Kingpin and is now currently a Cyborg.
10. The Owl
Leland Owlsley was once a very successful business magnate who used his skills in the Stock Market to reap billions in cash. After earning so much money even when the rest of the market was going through economic downturns, the IRS started investigations into Owlsley’s operations and uncovered rampart cases of tax fraud, money laundering, and insider trading. Owlsley lost his empire but soon bounced back, now becoming a Crime Lord. Owsley still has several billion in cash stashed away in safe havens all over the globe, where even the IRS cannot reach. He regularly fights the Kingpin for the control of New York and has experimented on himself to increase his lifespan. The Owl now wears an armored suit to compensate for the paralysis his legs suffered due to his bodily modifications.
