Good villains have names that match their intensity, intimidating whoever hears of them. Some Marvel villains may have a single name that seems to sum them up perfectly, but others have accumulated many over the years. However, not every name may stay because some are just too laughable to be taken seriously, as has been the case with a few Venom nicknames.
Some aliases may become more popular than their original name, like Spider-Man and Doc Ock. However, some villains continue collecting names that make them feel more threatening and ominous, like Loki or Kang the Conqueror. Gathering aliases seems to go hand-in-hand with Marvel stories, and the aliases amassed over time only fuel the legend of their villain.
10/10 Venom
Other Aliases: The Original Symbiote, V-Man
“The Original Symbiote” may have become one of the Marvel villains with strict honor codes, but this level of scrutiny doesn’t carry over into his aliases, as he’s had some of the worst ones. With as cool of a name as “Venom” is, it seems no name will truly live up to that standard, making all of them feel superfluous.
This is especially true given his nickname from the ’90s, “V-Man,” which has since fallen into obscurity for good reason. The struggle with Venom’s aliases sticking heightened the hilarity of Eddie Brock fighting Venom’s suggestion for them to be called “The Lethal Protector” in Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
9/10 Dormammu
Other Aliases: The Eater Of Souls, The Lord Of Chaos, The Lord Of Darkness
Dormammu may seem silly to some on the surface, but given the rest of his aliases, he has many names that reiterate his control of darkness in a way that is still sinister despite being overly direct. “The Eater of Souls,” “The Lord of Chaos,” and “The Lord of Darkness” aren’t bad by any means; they sound villainous.
Dormammu feels like a name that needed his aliases to be doing the work to increase the fear those who hear of him feel because of his name’s lack of clarity. Without Dormammu giving the same intensity and darkness as these other names, “The Dread One” needed to overcompensate for what his name couldn’t provide originally.
8/10 Baron Zemo
Other Aliases: Iron Cross, Citizen V, Phoenix
Baron Zemo has had his hand in many plots, especially with his involvement and leadership in the Masters of Evil and the Thunderbolts teams. Zemo has even created his fair share of villains through training or experimentation.
But one thing he can’t seem to establish is a name outside of Zemo that feels fitting for him. “Iron Cross,” “Citizen V,” and “Phoenix” just don’t have the same quality to them as Zemo. He only ever really needed one name because it summarized him better than anything else could. “Zemo” sounds like the man who gets things done much more than “Citizen V” ever could.
7/10 Thanos
Other Aliases: The Mad Titan, The Overmaster, The Outcast
Thanos is one of the most feared Marvel villains, which may be in part due to the mythos added to his name by each of his aliases. “The Mad Titan,” “The Overmaster,” and “The Outcast” all display different aspects of Thanos’ power in a meaningful way. However, there are so many names of his that perform this function.
Thanos didn’t require these aliases to be the threat to the Marvel universe he made himself out to be. As a villain who is proud to worship death whenever he’s not directly involved in dishing it out, Thanos has proven he’s to be taken seriously, but it’s difficult to say whether his aliases were necessary.
6/10 Kingpin
Other Aliases: Big Willy, Wilbur, The Brainwasher
Wilson Fisk is physically imposing in any space he’s in, given his stature, and with a name like Kingpin, there’s no way for him not to feel like he takes even more space. Fisk is intimidating whether or not he’s using the name “Kingpin” at the time.
Even when heroes try and make a joke of him by riffing off his name with “Big Willy” or “Wilbur,” he doesn’t become less intimidating. The Brainwasher makes his presence known no matter how small a hero tries to make him feel. Kingpin, no matter what he’s called, instills fear in others.
5/10 Kang The Conqueror
Other Aliases: The Master Of Time, Immortus, Scarlet Centurion
“The Master of Time,” “Immortus,” “Scarlet Centurion,” and “Rama-Tut” are just some of Kang the Conqueror’s names. For a being who has more access and resources to rule any universe he pleases whenever he feels, Kang has earned all of these names that have different audiences to intimidate.
Although some of Kang’s aliases may not have the same intensity as the character himself, it begs the question of whether Kang could do without some of his names. Perhaps he would have an even bigger reputation if people knew they were talking about the same villain of the universe.
4/10 Galactus
Other Aliases: Devourer Of Worlds, Ravager Of Worlds, Maker
Galactus is one of the Marvel villains who deserves a comeback, but one thing that can stay is his redundant aliases of “Devourer of Worlds,” “Eater of Worlds,” and “Ravager of Worlds.” One of his aliases essentially covers the other two, and “Devourer of Worlds” just seems to have some extra intangible quality that sets it apart from the others.
As much as Galactus consumes, he has one alias that refers to him as a creator. As “Maker,” Galactus manages to create something new in the absence of something old. Galactus has a quiet power to him, and having a litany of aliases wouldn’t feel right, but neither does having redundant ones.
3/10 Doctor Doom
Other Aliases: Baron Of Iron, Doctor Of All Dictators, President Metal Man
Given Doctor Doom’s many status changes depending on what level of power over the land he has at that moment, he’s been called plenty of things like “Baron of Iron” or “Doctor of All Dictators.” Thanks to Doom constantly being at odds against more witty heroes like Human Torch, he’s got a list of nicknames as long as his approved names outside of Doctor Doom.
Even his joking nicknames can’t help but reference his level of authority with things like “President Metal Man.” Doctor Doom is a simple name but it gets the job done, and adding all these other names for his failed experiences as a ruler feels like he could cut some aliases from the list.
2/10 Loki
Other Aliases: God Of Mischief, Trickster Of Asgard, Prince Of Evil
Loki has firmly established himself as one of the most popular Marvel villains with help from the MCU. Given his abilities as the “God of Mischief,” Loki goes by many names, each seeming to draw attention to his trickster status.
Whether he’s the “Trickster of Asgard,” the “Prince of Evil,” the “Maker of Mischief,” or when he referred to himself as “Satan” for a while, Loki can’t escape what he’s known for most. As much as he revels in his aliases, Loki also wants to be recognized for the powerhouse ruler he could be. With so many names reiterating his untrustworthiness, he’d have a hard time earning public trust.
1/10 Mephisto
Other Aliases: The Dark Lord Of All That Is Evil; Prince Of Deceivers, Darkness, Liars, Lies, & Devils
The Monarch of Evil, Mephisto, has more names than seemingly anyone else and each one reinforces his being evil in physical form. As “The Dark Lord of All That is Evil,” Mephisto may often be mistaken for Satan from the Bible. However, if he had fewer aliases, it might be simpler to identify Mephisto above other incarnations of evil.
As much as Mephisto dislikes being confused for anyone else, he seems to get close to encroaching on Loki’s territory at certain points as the “Prince of Deceivers, Darkness, Liars, Lies, and Devils.” Mephisto instills fear in everyone without fail, and each of his aliases only intensifies that feeling.
