10 Times Marvel Heroes Needed to Be Stopped

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Marvel superheroes aren’t always flawless. Characters like Hulk and Wolverine sometimes struggle to control themselves, though Wolverine usually manages it. Hulk often relies on his friends to intervene. It’s not just heroes fueled by anger who’ve needed help regaining control; even traditionally heroic figures like Captain America and Spider-Man have occasionally needed others to step in when they were losing control.

Whether losing themselves to anger or falling under someone else’s influence, here’s a look at instances where Marvel heroes needed to be restrained.

10) Spider-Man

Venom and the alien symbiotes first appeared in Marvel Comics during the original *Secret Wars* storyline, when Spider-Man gained a new black suit. It wasn’t until *Amazing Spider-Man* #252 that the suit was revealed to be a living symbiote. Initially, Spider-Man (Peter Parker) believed it was just a special costume he could mentally control. However, the symbiote secretly controlled his body at night, fighting crime with greater force. Once Spider-Man discovered the alien was in control, he needed help from friends like Reed Richards to remove it. This process ultimately led to the creation of Venom, who became one of Spider-Man’s greatest foes.

9) Hank Pym

Hank Pym was a founding hero in Marvel Comics, first known as Ant-Man. As he struggled with mental health, his character evolved, and he adopted different identities like Giant-Man and Yellow Jacket – keeping his transformations secret even from his teammate, The Wasp. Feeling the need to prove himself to the Avengers, he devised a plan to create robotic enemies he could defeat. However, the scheme backfired, leading to a court-martial and imprisonment. It was during this time in jail that Hank began his journey towards redemption.

8) Angel

Angel was an early member of the X-Men, but often seen as one of the team’s less powerful heroes. His main ability was simply flying, thanks to his wings. He later joined groups like the Champions of Los Angeles, the Defenders, and X-Factor. A terrible event occurred while he was with X-Factor: during an attack known as the Mutant Massacre, he lost his wings when a deceptive enemy, Cameron Hodge, convinced him they were diseased and needed to be removed. It seemed like Angel had given up on life, but he was actually saved by Apocalypse, who transformed him into Archangel, a powerful being with metallic, razor-sharp wings. It took a dramatic act – Iceman pretending to die by Archangel’s hand – to finally break Apocalypse’s control over him.

7) Professor X (Onslaught)

When Professor X mentally shut down Magneto, believing he was beyond redemption, it unintentionally created a powerful new entity fueled by both men’s negative emotions. This being, called Onslaught, resided within Professor X in a dormant state, awakening when Xavier became overly stressed. Nate Grey inadvertently triggered its release, and Onslaught quickly took control of Xavier, pushing the X-Men towards a more aggressive approach towards humanity. Believing both mutants and humans were inherently evil, Onslaught launched a plan for total extermination. It ultimately took a combined effort from the Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and the Hulk – and significant sacrifices – to finally defeat him.

6) Daredevil (Shadowland)

Daredevil is incredibly self-critical and holds himself to an impossibly high standard – he once even turned himself in for manslaughter after a villain died in a fight. But a turning point came when he became involved with the criminal organization known as the Hand, a story arc called *Shadowland*. After reluctantly partnering with Kingpin to defeat the Hand, Matt Murdock ended up taking control of it. This, combined with Norman Osborn’s control of the government, led Daredevil to take extreme measures to control crime, putting him in conflict with other heroes. He even killed Bullseye, though it was later revealed he was being manipulated by a demonic force possessing his body. Ultimately, it took the intervention of Shang-Chi, who used a powerful chi attack to exorcise the entity, to help Daredevil begin to atone for his actions.

5) Scarlet Witch (Avengers Disassembled)

Scarlet Witch has struggled with losing control more than most Marvel heroes. It first happened when an evil entity named Chthon and a dangerous book called the Darkhold influenced her while she was on Wundagore Mountain, forcing the Avengers to rescue her. She lost control again in the “Darker Than Scarlet” storyline, after the governments of the world destroyed her husband, Vision. When she tried to restore him, she fell into a trap and was manipulated by Master Pandemonium. But her most devastating breakdown occurred when she realized her children weren’t actually real. Filled with fury, she attacked her teammates during the *Avengers Disassembled* event, killing Agatha Harkness, Hawkeye, Ant-Man (Scott Lang), and Jack of Hearts. Despite the Avengers’ efforts, they couldn’t stop her, and Doctor Strange was forced to put her in a coma. Magneto and Professor X arrived, promising to help, but ultimately failed, which led to the events of *House of M*.

4) Cyclops (Avengers Vs X-Men)

The conflict between the Avengers and the X-Men started with the return of the powerful Phoenix Force to Earth. Both teams believed the Phoenix would possess Hope Summers, but they disagreed on how to handle it – the Avengers wanted to contain her, while the X-Men wanted to allow the merge. Wolverine even wanted to kill her. Ultimately, the Phoenix Force didn’t choose Hope, but instead bonded with five others: Namor, Emma Frost, Colossus, Magik, and Cyclops. They intended to use its power for good, but the Avengers feared the Phoenix would corrupt them and relentlessly tried to take it away. The conflict escalated until Cyclops killed Professor X, crossing a point of no return. He was eventually defeated, losing the Phoenix Force and becoming a tragic figure, seen as a martyr by the mutant community.

3) Captain America (Secret Empire)

The story of Captain America becoming a Hydra agent is famously confusing. It wasn’t the original Steve Rogers (from Earth-616) who was secretly working for Hydra, but a version raised in a different reality (Earth-61311) by a powerful, living Cosmic Cube named Kobik. This alternate Steve Rogers took the place of the real Captain America on Earth-616, deceiving his friends and establishing a fascist, Hydra-controlled government. Many heroes were initially fooled, but ultimately, Captain America’s closest allies – Sam Wilson, Winter Soldier, and Ant-Man – worked together to restore the original Captain America by accessing the Cosmic Cube. The original Cap then defeated his impostor, freeing America from Hydra’s control.

2) Jean Grey

Jean Grey was one of the first members of the X-Men, and her powers grew immensely when she encountered the Phoenix Force during a space mission. After being manipulated by the Hellfire Club, she lost control and destroyed a star, tragically killing millions of people on a dependent planet. This led to a conflict with the Shi’ar Empire, who put her on trial, forcing the X-Men to fight to protect her. Realizing the Phoenix Force would continue to cause destruction, Jean sacrificed herself to save her team. Later stories revealed that the being who caused the destruction wasn’t actually Jean, but the Phoenix Force remained linked to her, meaning she always required careful monitoring to prevent future disasters.

1) Hulk (World War Hulk)

Worldbreaker Hulk is considered one of the Hulk’s most formidable forms. This transformation occurred after the events of *Planet Hulk*, triggered by a terrorist attack that killed his pregnant wife and friends. Believing the Illuminati were responsible for both the attack and his exile from Earth, he returned seeking revenge, initiating *World War Hulk*. Fueled by intense rage, he easily defeated many of Earth’s strongest heroes, like Black Bolt, Iron Man, and Reed Richards. He even fought the Sentry to a draw. Despite the combined efforts of all of Earth’s mightiest heroes, no one could stop him. Ultimately, it took the Hulk himself to calm down and end his destructive rampage.

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2025-09-15 05:11