25 Monsters Who Are Marvel Superheroes
Celebrating Marvel’s dual legacies of monsters and superheroes—including Werewolf by Night, Frankenstein’s monster, Blade, She-Hulk, Godzilla, Morbius, Venom, and more!
Originally posted October 22, 2021
For decades now, the bread-and-butter of Marvel Comics has been superheroes: Spider-Man, Iron Man, Black Widow, Captain Marvel, what have you. What we call the “Marvel Age” kicked off in the early 1960s with the debut of the Fantastic Four. But in the earlier days of the publisher, when it actually went by the name of Timely and then Atlas, they hit on all other types of genres—including romance, westerns…and monsters.
In fact, series like Journey into Mystery, Strange Tales, Tales of Suspense, and Tales to Astonish—all of which would later feature now-familiar Marvel characters like Thor, Doctor Strange, and Nick Fury—revolved around different monsters. They included giant aliens, kaiju, experiments-gone-awry, and others.
With that kind of history, it’s only natural that Marvel would have characters that were both monsters and superheroes. Take a look at the list below—with further details on Werewolf by Night, She-Hulk, Venom, Morbius the Living Vampire, Blade, Frankenstein’s Monster, Godzilla, and more…
RELATED: Superheroes Who Were on TV First
1/ Frankenstein’s Monster
Mary Shelley’s timeless character has proven over the decades to be a flexible creation that resonates with audiences in so many different ways. The Frankenstein’s Monster was introduced into the Marvel Comics world in the 1950s (in its pre-Marvel days), before receiving his own short-lived Marvel comic book series in the 1970s. The comic book series began with a faithful adaptation of Shelley's original novel, before showing how the Monster came to be in the modern Marvel Comics world. He has since made numerous appearances over the years, and has teamed up with Spider-Man, She-Hulk, Howard the Duck, Man-Thing, and N'Kantu the Living Mummy, among others.
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2/ Blade
The MCU’s vampire hunter Blade is a human-vampire hybrid who first appeared in the comic book The Tomb of Dracula #10 (July 1973). Created by writer Marv Wolfman and penciller Gene Colan, Blade (Eric Brooks) is devoted to ridding the world of all vampires. He has been portrayed in film (by Wesley Snipes) and television (by Sticky Fingaz). Marvel Studios' Blade movie starring Mahershala Ali reportedly starts filming 2022.
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3/ Morbius the Living Vampire
Morbius started out as biochemist Michael Morbius, who was imbued with vampire traits after a failed biochemical experiment intended to cure his rare blood disease. Created by writer Roy Thomas and designed by penciler Gil Kane, he first appeared as a Spider-Man villain in The Amazing Spider-Man #101 (Oct. 1971). In the 2022 Sony film, Jared Leto stars as Morbius.
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4/ Venom
Venom was introduced in Spider-Man comics as a living alien costume. An anti-hero who's an on-again, off-again good guy / bad guy, the character is a sentient alien symbiote with a liquid-like form that survives by bonding with a host. The “living alien costume” debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #252 (May 1984), with a full first appearance as Venom in Amazing Spider-Man #300 (May 1988). Venom got its own film in 2018, as part of the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters. Venom stars Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock / Venom. The sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, came out 2021.
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Download your free booklet DRACULA VS. to discover that time he…bumped into that SUPERHERO, was pestered by that FUNNY ANIMAL, was humiliated by those CIVIL SERVANTS, and more! Includes links to video clips!
05/ The Hulk
The Hulk is a green-skinned, muscular humanoid possessing, well, incredible strength. A Marvel Comics superhero (well, sometimes an anti-hero), The Hulk was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, first appearing in the comics in 1962’s The Incredible Hulk #1. In a Jekyll-and-Hyde scenario, his alter ego is Bruce Banner, a physically weak, socially withdrawn, and emotionally reserved physicist. At certain times—most often caused by stress or anger—Banner transforms into the Hulk. Over the years, the Hulk has demonstrated differing levels of intelligence and even malevolence.
On TV, Bill Bixby and bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno portrayed Banner and the Hulk, respectively, on the classic 1978-1982 series The Incredible Hulk. On the big screen—when the Hulk could be portrayed by CGI motion capture technology—Hulk (2003) starred Eric Bana as Dr. Bruce Banner. The Hulk joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe with The Incredible Hulk (2008), with Edward Norton portraying Bruce Banner, and Lou Ferrigno providing the voice of the Hulk.
For his time serving with the Avengers, Banner was played by Mark Ruffalo. Ruffalo played Banner in The Avengers (2012), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Ruffalo made cameo appearances as Banner in Iron Man 3 (2013) and Captain Marvel (2019). He also returned as Banner/Hulk to hang out with his cousin in the Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. The Banner and Hulk characters have also showed up a lot in Marvel cartoon series.
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06/ She-Hulk
She-Hulk is the cousin of the Hulk. When unassuming lawyer Jennifer Walters transforms into her alter-ego, she becomes a green-skinned Amazonian powerhouse. Over the course of her career, she has generally been in control of her “monster” side although, comics being comics, she has on occasion lost control. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in The Savage She-Hulk #1 (1980).
Over the years since then, her various comics series included comedic looks at her role as a super-powered woman who wants to work and wants to party. These stories have been written by the likes of John Byrne (whose run in Sensational She-Hulk saw Jennifer breaking the fourth wall, talking to the readers and arguing with the book’s editors), Dan Slott, Peter David, Charles Soule, and Rainbow Rowell.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, She-Hulk debuted onscreen in her legal sitcom She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Developed by Jessica Gao, Disney+’s She-Hulk stars Tatiana Maslany, Mark Ruffalo, Tim Roth, Ginger Gonzaga, and Renée Elise Goldsberry. The first season also included Jameela Jamil, Megan Thee Stallion, Benedict Wong, Patty Guggenheim, and Charlie Cox. Discover some surprising facts about She-Hulk here.
Find She-Hulk comics on Amazon:
Savage She-Hulk Omnibus (1980-1982 series)
Further reading:
07/ Man-Wolf
Man-Wolf has a bit of a complicated story, so buckle up: The son of Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson, astronaut John Jonah Jameson III has been known as Colonel Jupiter, the Man-Wolf and the Stargod. Ex-husband of She-Hulk, and a friend of Peter Parker, Jameson was transformed into a werewolf—Man-Wolf—by the Godstone, a ruby he found on the moon. Through a series of circumstances, he is now Stargod, which means he (sometimes) has his intellect in his Man-Wolf form. He first appeared as John Jameson in Amazing Spider-Man #1 (1963), created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. His Man-Wolf persona was created by writer Gerry Conway and editor Roy Thomas in the 1970s. While there haven’t been any announcements about an appearance in the She-Hulk series, might that still be a possibility?
08/ Man-Thing
Man-Thing is a lumbering, empathic swamp monster in the Florida Everglades. The Man-Thing is a former scientist transformed into a creature composed of vegetable matter through a combination of super-soldier serum, magical energy, and swamp mutagens. Though the creature has lost its human intellect, it often becomes an accidental hero as it stumbles across various horror and crime scenarios. Created by writers Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway and artist Gray Morrow, the character first appeared in Savage Tales #1 (1971), and went on to be featured in various titles and in his own series, including Adventure into Fear, which introduced the character Howard the Duck. Conan Stevens portrayed the character in the 2005 film Man-Thing.
Further reading:
09/ Beta Ray Bill
Beta Ray Bill is an alien that's been granted the powers of Thor. Created by writer/artist Walt Simonson in The Mighty Thor #337 (1983), he was introduced as a threat based on his appearance--so the twist was that he was worthy to lift Thor's hammer, Mjolnir. After a fight for possession of the weapon, the alien warrior was granted a war hammer of his own, named Stormbreaker. On screen, Beta Ray Bill was almost in Thor: Ragnarok, though he ultimately didn’t appear. So we’re still waiting for his MCU debut…
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10/ Groot
Groot started out in comics as a monstrous tree-like alien that wanted to experiment on humans. Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby as a monster-of-the-month for Tales to Astonish #13 (1960), the character was repurposed as a hero in 2006 for the comic book crossover Annihilation: Conquest. Groot went on to join the Guardians of the Galaxy. Voiced by Vin Diesel on screen, Groot had appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame Game. He will return in Thor 4: Love and Thunder, and Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3.
11/ Manphibian
Manphibian is an alien that resembles the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Created by Marv Wolfman, Tony Isabella, Dave Cockrum, and Sam Grainger, Manphibian debuted in Legion of Monsters #1 (1975). Over the years, he has teamed with the Living Mummy, Red Hulk, Werewolf by Night, S.H.I.E.L.D., Howling Commandos, Legion of Monsters, Avengers of Supernatural, and S.T.A.K.E.
12/ The Living Mummy
N'Kantu the Living Mummy debuted in Supernatural Thrillers #5 (1973), created by Steve Gerber and Rich Buckler. He is an adventurer, wanderer, and agent of the Egyptian god of death and rebirth, Anubis. Beneath the Living Mummy’s encompassing bandages lurks the heart of a cunning warrior and masterful tactician, as well as a thoughtful prince to his people. The priest’s potion gifts him with stunning strength and stamina, but his long centuries in the tomb rob N’Kantu of his former agility and speed. Fortunately, this loss is compensated by granite-like skin, resistance to drugs and disease, and near-immortality. Over the years of walking through the Marvel Comics universe, The Living Mummy has encountered the likes of Fantastic Four member Ben Grimm AKA The Thing, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Howling Commandos, the Bloodstones, Doctor Druid’s Shock Troop, and Captain America. As a member of the Legion of Monsters, he fought beside Morbius, the Living Vampire, Werewolf by Night, Manphibian, and Man-Thing.
Further reading:
13/ Devil Dinosaur
Devil Dinosaur is a red Tyrannosaurus-like dinosaur. Created by Jack Kirby in Devil Dinosaur #1 (1978), Devil Dinosaur is introduced with his ape-like friend, Moon-Boy.
In 2016, Devil Dinosaur was again given his own ongoing series: Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, where he teamed with Lunella Lafayette, a 9-year-old prodigy from modern times.
The comic that introduced Moon Girl, of course, inspired the TV show (which I love). And with a slightly different setup than the comic series, the TV show has now inspired its own comics version…
Find Devil Dinosaur comics on Amazon:
Devil Dinosaur by Jack Kirby: The Complete Collection (original comics series before introduction of Moon Girl)
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (2015-2019 comic book series)
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: Wreck and Roll! (based on the TV show)
Further reading:
14/ Nightcrawler
The child of the mutant terrorist Mystique and the demonic-looking mutant Azazel, Kurt Wagner was found raised by the witch Margali Szardos and lived a happy childhood—in spite of his devilish appearance. He performed as a trapeze artist in the carnival where his adoptive family worked. When a mob decided to hunt Kurt, he was rescued by Professor Charles Xavier, who invited Kurt to join the X-Men as Nightcrawler. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, he debuted in the 1975 comic book Giant-Size X-Men #1.
15/ Franken-Castle (Punisher)
Created as a gritty, street-level vigilante by Gerry Conway, John Romita Sr., and Ross Andru for Amazing Spider-Man #129 (1974), the Punisher has had his share of extra-normal transformations over the course of his war on crime. These include serving as a literal Angel of Vengeance, to rampaging against myths and monsters across the Ten Realms, to rising from the dead as the stitched-together “Franken-Castle.”
16/ Ghost Rider
A Spirit of Vengeance, the mantle of the Ghost Rider has been used by several hosts, including Johnny Blaze, Danny Ketch, Alejandra Jones, and Robbie Reyes. The Johnny Blaze incarnation of Ghost Rider was portrayed by Nicolas Cage in two films, Ghost Rider, and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. On television, the Robbie Reyes version, played by actor Gabriel Luna, was a recurring character on Agents of Shield.
17/ Spider-Man’s / Supaidaman’s giant robot Leopardon
The giant robot Leopardon debuted in Toei Company's 1978 Japanese live-action tokusatsu television series loosely based on Spider-Man. While Toei's version of Spider-Man wore the familiar costume, everything else was different—including the fact that this Spider-Man piloted a giant robot named Leopardon. Fun fact: This was the show that invented the concept, later adopted by Toei's Super Sentai franchise. This incarnation of Spider-Man joined the Marvel Comics greater universe during comic book events Spider-Verse and Spider-Geddon, alongside other alternate universe versions of Spider-Man. As such, he is expected to take part in Sony's next Into the Spider-Verse movie. How about showing up in, dare we ask, the MCU? One can hope.
18/ Red Ronin
A giant mecha built by S.H.I.E.L.D. and created by Doug Moench and Herb Trimpe for Marvel’s comic book series Godzilla, King of the Monsters, Red Ronin went on to face other Marvel characters such as the Avengers and Wolverine.
19/ Shogun Warriors
Marvel Comics’ Shogun Warriors comic was based on a line of toys robots or mecha. Over 20 issues (published 1979-1980), the Shogun Warriors were created by the Followers of the Light. Humans brought from across the world operated the massive robots to battle the forces of evil.
20/ Godzilla
Godzilla spent a chunk of time in the Marvel Comics universe, thanks to a licensing agreement between Toho Studios and Marvel from 1977-1979. In the pages of the Godzilla comic book, the King of Monsters was an anti-hero in the vein of The Hulk. As such, over 24 issues he saved the world from an assortment of monsters (none of which were Toho monsters, but monsters created for this series), but also fought his share of Marvel superheroes. During his brief stay in the Marvel universe, Godzilla fought The Avengers (including Iron Man, Vision, Thor, Yellowjacket, and the Wasp), The Champions (Black Widow, Ghost Rider, Hercules, plus ex- X-men Angel and Iceman), and the Fantastic Four.
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Further reading:
21/ Werewolf by Night
The “Werewolf by Night” title belongs to more than one werewolf character—going back to the 1953 five-page short story "Werewolf by Night!" in Marvel Tales #116.
The title “Werewolf by Night” currently refers to two characters at Marvel Comics. The original version—which is who appears in the Disney+ special Werewolf By Night—is Jack Russell. He first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #2 (1972). According to the comics, Jack’s family has a history of lycanthropy, going all the way back to he 1700s. (We talk about the second version of the character here.)
Werewolf by Night made his onscreen debut on Disney+. Inspired by horror films of the 1930s and 1940s, the special follows a secret group of monster hunters who emerge from the shadows and compete to be the one who kills a dangerous monster. The special stars Gael García Bernal as Jack Russell / Werewolf by Night, with Laura Donnelly as Elsa Bloodstone and Harriet Sansom Harris as Verussa Bloodstone. It was directed by Michael Giacchino, and written by Heather Quinn and Peter Cameron.
Further reading:
The Fantastic Four
22/ Ben Grimm / The Thing
23/ Johnny Storm / The Human Torch
24/ Susan Richards / The Invisible Woman
25/ Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic
The original version of this list merely included Fantastic Four member Ben Grimm—also known as “The Thing.” After all, when someone looks at the members of the FF for the first time, the first reaction is to think, “Oh, look, one of them is a monster.” And after decades of the general audience getting used to this stuff, it’s easy to say that.
But I’ve recently discovered that they are all monsters. And how in many ways, the Fantastic Four led the way for so much of what we now appreciate about the Marvel Comics Universe…
In recent months I’ve started reading classic comic books, including the Fantastic Four comic book series starting with issue #1 and reading the whole series consecutively. At the same time, I’ve been reading books that explore the bigger picture—books like All of the Marvels: A Journey to the Ends of the Biggest Story Ever Told by Douglas Wolk, Slugfest: Inside the Epic, 50-year Battle between Marvel and DC by Reed Tucker, and Marvel Comics: The Untold Story by Sean Howe.
One of the surprising things I discovered about the history of Marvel Comics is how much the original creators—notably, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko—had spent the previous years working on comic book genres other than “super heroes.” So, when Lee and Kirby launched Fantastic Four (and Lee and Ditko soon launched Amazing Spider-Man), they actually mixed together several genres. Compared to costumed vigilantes at other comic book publishers, where you find examples that are more flat and interchangeable, the Marvel Comics results were striking and fresh.
The 1961 debut of Fantastic Four was a character-driven drama that featured a bickering family of monsters who reluctantly became heroes. And if you read those early issues in context, you can really see how they broke ground.
Struck by cosmic rays during a brief space flight, all four of them were transformed. One of them became a lumbering orange beast; one became a flaming man; one became an invisible woman (which is, literally, the title of a Universal Monsters movie); and the mad scientist among them became a freak that could stretch his body in all directions.
Early appearances showed how members of the general public would go crazy when they ran into them. (One scene found members of the public arguing over whether the FF members were simply urban legends.)
Over the years, the Fantastic Four have appeared in TV cartoons and big screen movies. The films include the 1994 Roger Corman-produced film that was never actually released—and has only been seen as a bootleg (it’s really weird); the 2005 film Fantastic Four and its 2007 sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer; and Fantastic Four (2015). For years, the film rights were held by Fox studios, dating back to Marvel Comics’ financial woes in the 1990s. When Disney studios bought Marvel, and later bought Fox, the film rights returned to Marvel—so it’s only a matter of time before the FF joins the MCU.
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Further reading:
Want more articles about monsters from comic books? Click on our Comics category, with Monster Complex articles about our favorite comic book characters showing up in all kinds of media!
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