An iconic part of comic history, Marvel‘s Stan Lee co-created some of the most enduring characters in pop culture – household names like Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men. However, not all Lee’s creations are as well known as Galactus or Doctor Doom – several of his Marvel heroes and villains are severely underrated, with even superhero fans not realizing how much potential these characters hold.
Here are the 10 most underrated characters co-created by Stan Lee – for this list, we’ve kept it to superheroes and supervillains, ignoring the many iconic supporting characters that Lee worked on, like J. Jonah Jameson and Willie Lumpkin. It’s worth noting that in Marvel Comics, characters are often defined as much by the writers and artists who come later as those who debut the characters, and in some cases Lee planted a seed that flourished for someone else – but all these blooms deserve to be seen regardless.
Some of Lee’s past collaborators – including the legendary Jack Kirby – have accused Lee of exaggerating his contributions to many of the comics bearing his name. Nevertheless, the characters below are all legally recognized as having been co-created by Stan Lee.
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10
The Enforcers: Montana, Fancy Dan and the Ox
First Appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #10 by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko
For a huge, interconnected universe like Marvel, creators need all kinds of villains to work with, from towering alien powerhouses like Thanos down to… well… the Enforcers. The Enforcers are gangland goons operating in New York, first employed by the masked crimelord known as the Big Man. Each has a specific skill – Fancy Dan’s judo, Montana’s lasso skills, Ox’s incredible strength – but stop short of being superhuman. In many ways, the Enforcers are Marvel’s missing link between regular criminals and supervillains – they have codenames, special skills, and eye-catching designs, but ultimately they’re just three guys who love crime.
What makes the Enforcers so underrated is how they’ve been characterized over time. Lee and Ditko introduced them with clear identities and gimmicks, and their nature as basement-level opponents mean they’ve been beaten by a lot of Marvel heroes. Later creators built on this bedrock, turning the Enforcers into a compelling three-person team who have been working the New York streets for years, earning a reputation as reliable henchmen in a world of costumed maniacs.
Check out: Ultimate Spider-Man #8–12. Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley’s modern reboot of the Spider-Man mythos perfectly understands how to use the Enforcers – the ultimate gangland enforcers who are terrifying to regular people but a mild workout for a neophyte Spidey.
9
The Gladiator, aka Melvin Potter
First Appeared in Daredevil #18 by Stan Lee & John Romita
Gladiator is easily Daredevil’s most underrated villain – a mentally ill costume designer who is overpowered by his alternate persona as the deadly Gladiator. Incredibly strong and durable with viscerally terrifying circular blades on his gauntlets, the Gladiator is an imposing physical threat, but also an innocent who doesn’t deserve a life of recurring violence and punishment. Since being introduced, many Marvel stories have focused on how Gladiator is used and preyed on by New York’s criminal element, forced to battle the heroes he long ago befriended.
Melvin Potter appeared in Netflix’s Daredevil, played by Matt Gerald, though he doesn’t adopt the Gladiator persona.
Check out: Daredevil #226 by Frank Miller, Denny O’Neil and David Mazzucchelli. Gladiator is forced to hunt down Daredevil after his social worker Betsy Beatty is kidnapped.
Mad Thinker would be the anti-Reed Richards… if Doctor Doom didn’t exist.
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8
The Beetle, aka Mach I–X, aka Abner Jenkins
First Appeared in Strange Tales #123 by Stan Lee & Carl Burgos
Introduced as an enemy to the Human Torch, the Beetle isn’t that interesting as a villain (though his suction-cup fingers are a disturbing visual), but how he’s evolved in the decades since makes him fascinating. Abner Jenkins is a former villain who sought out redemption as a member of the Thunderbolts, becoming Mach-1. Abner has worked hard at becoming a hero, constantly updating and redesigning his armor (he’s currently on his tenth suit as Mach-X.)
One of the joys of Marvel Comics is watching stories like this play out over years and decades, with Abner going from sincere villain to complicated antihero to trusted hero. Other Beetles have sprung up since Abner rejected the identity, most notably Janice Lincoln – the daughter of New York supervillain Tombstone.
Check out: Thunderbolts Volume 1, launched by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley. Abner Jenkins tries to start a new life, first by pretending to be a hero then by truly becoming one.
7
The Mad Thinker
First Appeared in Fantastic Four #15 by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
The Mad Thinker is one of the best villain concepts in Marvel Comics, painfully squandered over the years with relatively few appearances. An enemy of the Fantastic Four, the Mad Thinker is a supergenius on the level of Reed Richards. Described as having a brain like an organic computer, the Mad Thinker is capable of near-impossible levels of calculation and recall. However, unlike Reed Richards, he lacks any creative impulses, meaning that while he can masterfully apply existing science, he can’t invent or create. Even Doctor Doom respects the Mad Thinker’s intelligence, and the villain has such a grasp on natural law that he can effectively predict the future.
Mad Thinker is so underexplored, fans only learned his name in 2016, when Doctor Doom called him ‘Julius’ while trying to recruit him.
The Mad Thinker uses various gadgets and inventions – most famously his Awesome Android, which can copy the powers of superhumans in its vicinity. Sadly, his basic design has likely held him back, as has competing against more iconic Fantastic Four villains like Doctor Doom as Reed Richards’ dark opposite.
Check out: Jonathan Hickman and Barry Kitson’s FF Volume 1. When the Fantastic Four need to defeat an evil alt-universe Reed Richards, they summon their greatest enemies for a consult. The Mad Thinker can’t help but thrill at the challenge put before him.
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6
Karnak Mander-Azur
First Appeared in Fantastic Four #45 by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
The Inhumans may be out of favor since their 2017 TV show crashed and burned, but they’ve long had some of the most creative, unique powers in Marvel Comics. Even in that context, Karnak is special, with the ability to sense and exploit the weakness in any target. Faced with a concrete block, Karnak can find the fault line that can be used to break it, and faced with a compelling argument, he senses the thread to pull that will unravel it.
It was originally stated that Karnak was the one Inhuman who was never subjected to the ceremony that gives the species superpowers, since his brother Triton’s transformation was so extreme. This made his ability the result of intense study, and turned him into a fascinating curio – the ultimate warrior born of a society where everyone else has superpowers. Later stories have implied that Karnak’s intense training unlocked his superhuman potential, and since his 2013 death and rebirth, he’s been treated as a superhuman.
Karnak exemplifies Stan Lee’s greatest talent as a writer – a character who essentially acts as a logic puzzle, challenging creators to find new ways to use and challenge his powers. It doesn’t happen often, but when creators rise to that challenge, the results are impressive.
Check out: Warren Ellis and Gerardo Zaffino gave Karnak his first and only solo series in Karnak: The Flaw in All Things, though it’s not seen as a classic for the character. Instead, check out his appearances in Marvel’s War of Kings event, where he’s a key soldier in the cosmic Shi’ar vs Inhuman conflict. 2013’s Inhumanity also offers a dark but creative take on Karnak’s abilities.
Given Steve Rogers’ inspiring, iconic nature, pitting him against a devilish manipulator leads to some truly satisfying moments.
5
Doctor Faustus, aka Johann Fennhoff
First Appeared in Captain America #107 by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
A frequent ally of Hydra, Doctor Faustus is a genius psychiatrist who has mastered the art of hypnosis. While he’s an imposing figure who owns a variety of gadgets, Faustus is scariest when he’s working behind the scenes, turning allies into enemies. Indeed, it’s because of Faustus that Captain America was shot in 2007’s ‘The Death of Captain America.’ Given Steve Rogers’ inspiring, iconic nature, pitting him against a devilish manipulator leads to some truly satisfying moments.
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As with the Mad Thinker, Faustus’ design doesn’t quite lend itself to becoming an iconic supervillain, but his callousness and disdain for others makes him an impressive foil for heroes including Captain America and Black Panther. In many ways, Faustus is the opposite of the traditional supervillain – deadliest when no-one even knows he’s there.
Check out: Captain America Volume 5 #30–42, from Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting. In the aftermath of Steve Rogers’ death, Bucky Barnes takes up the Captain America mantle. Red Skull and Doctor Faustus attempt to turn key allies against him and unpick Bucky’s faith in his new identity.
4
Gray Gargoyle, aka Paul Duval
First Appeared in Journey Into Mystery #107 by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
It takes a lot for a mortal to stand a chance against Thor, but the Gray Gargoyle’s immense strength and super-durable skin do the job. Gray Gargoyle is able to turn organic matter to stone for an hour at a time, and recently got as close to killing Thor as any supervillain ever has. The Gray Gargoyle deserves to be up there with the Avengers’ best villains, though strangely is more focused on theft than more ambitious crimes. Paul Duval may be a single modernized redesign away from the A-list.
Check out: Invincible Iron Man #504–508, by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca. This Fear Itself tie-in makes Gray Gargoyle genuinely scary, as his powers turn everyone in Paris into stone. Iron Man must take down the villain while knowing that every ‘statue’ broken by their fight is another life lost.
3
Mastermind, aka Jason Wyngarde
First Appeared in X-Men #4 by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
The most often forgotten member of Magneto’s original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Jason Wyngarde can create elaborate illusions that are impossible to discern from reality. Mastermind is a truly grimy character, establishing the path that Jessica Jones’ Purple Man would later walk – a sleazy manipulator who degrades the hero’s faith in their own perception of reality. Mastermind has messed with everyone from the X-Men to the Sentry, convincing Marvel’s most powerful hero to erase himself from human memory.
Mastermind’s powers are another Stan Lee ‘logic puzzle’ – a villain who can totally fool your senses, removing your ability to trust the world around you. In a world with increasingly powerful heroes, Mastermind has only become more dangerous, attempting to harness major players like the Phoenix for his own ends.
Check out: In Hellions #9–11, Machiavellian supervillains Mastermind, Mister Sinister and Arcade compete against each other for control over a mutant cloning farm. It’s dark fun to see each supersmart villain attempt to maintain the upper hand when Mastermind’s powers mean they can’t trust anything around them.
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2
Count Nefaria
First Appeared in Avengers #13 by Stan Lee and Don Heck
Likely the Avengers’ most underrated villain, Count Luchino Nefaria is an incredibly powerful superhuman whose immense wealth and scientific genius make him a direct threat to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, even when he’s working alone. Given ionic powers by Baron Zemo, Nefaria is essentially an evil Superman, but with added energy powers that make him effectively immortal.
Sadly, Stan Lee can’t claim credit for any of that. Lee and Don Heck debuted Count Nefaria as a genius strategist working with the Mafia-esque Maggia, initially fighting the Avengers using high-tech gadgets installed in his weaponized castle. Nefaria only gained his powers in Avengers #164 by Jim Shooter and John Byrne. Despite his lack of fame, Nefaria is one of the most powerful individuals in Avengers lore, and the team have repeatedly struggled to defeat him even working together.
Count Nefaria is the father of Iron Man villain Madame Masque, and has funded some of his daughter’s criminal enterprises.
Count Nefaria’s strengths as a character are in how his aristocratic arrogance is complemented by his godlike powers and wealth. In his best stories, the Avengers all but gulp when his name is mentioned, since there’s no angle of attack he doesn’t have covered. Nefaria could throw them into space, debut a new element that depowers them, or order a mass crime spree that brings New York to its knees. Nefaria is Doctor Doom without the irony, and sometimes that’s a good thing.
Check out: The Avengers/Thunderbolts crossover ‘The Nefaria Protocols,’ beginning in Avengers Volume 3 #31. From Kurt Busiek, George Pérez, Fabian Nicieza and Mark Bagley, the story showcases why Count Nefaria is a bear the Avengers would prefer not to poke.
1
Mangog
First Appeared in Thor #154 by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
One of Marvel’s most powerful and intimidating villains, Mangog was initially depicted as a being forged from the combined hatred of “a billion billion beings” who were slaughtered by Odin. Later stories suggest that Mangog is the universe’s anti-god mechanism, unleashed against those who break the core rules of Marvel godhood. Mangog is impossibly strong and vicious, drawing his incredible might from his nature as a supernatural embodiment of rage. Mangog is more like a natural disaster than a supervillain, causing constant destruction until someone steps in to stop him.
Thanks in part to the unique character design of Jack Kirby, Mangog exemplifies the concept of a monster ferocious enough that even the gods should be afraid. Mangog isn’t just another threat – he’s an immediate emergency that has even the gods panicking whenever he’s sighted, as well as embodying the theme of Thor answering for his father’s crimes.
Check out: Mangog’s battle with the War Thor in Thor #701, from Jason Aaron and James Harren. Harren’s uber-kinetic art captures god vs monster like few comics ever have, perfectly communicating the idea of Mangog as a monster who can beat the gods themselves to death.
Those are Stan Lee‘s 10 most underrated Marvel characters… at least according to us – let us know who else should appear on this list in the comments below, as well as recommending the best comics starring the characters above.
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Stan Lee
- Birthdate
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December 28, 1922
- Birthplace
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New York, New York, USA
- Professions
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Writer, Editor, Publisher, Producer, Actor