4 Great Marvel Villains With Plans That Actually Don’t Make Much Sense

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Marvel comics distinguished themselves by introducing a sense of realism. While DC often explored fantastical and far-out science fiction, Marvel presented a world that felt closer to home, with heroes and villains who seemed more relatable. This grounded approach made the threats posed by Marvel villains feel more genuine and their schemes more believable. For example, Ultron’s goal to eliminate all life is terrifying, but his methods – simply using overwhelming force – are disturbingly logical. Similarly, villains like The Hood focused on practical, everyday motivations like profit and avoiding capture, and many X-Men antagonists mirrored real-world oppression in their tactics.

While many Marvel villains are compelling, some have plans that just don’t add up. Several popular villains have goals that are completely illogical or frankly, absurd. Here are four examples of Marvel villains whose schemes are truly ridiculous and don’t make much sense.

4) The Builders

Jonathan Hickman’s run on *Avengers* was fantastic, presenting threats unlike anything the team had ever encountered. The story gradually introduced the Builders, mysterious beings whose ultimate plan was revealed in the *Infinity* storyline. They aimed to wipe out galactic empires as they approached Earth, targeting our planet because of the Incursions – dimensional collisions that threatened reality. While destroying Earth would have stopped an Incursion, the Builders’ decision to attack *all* the other empires along the way didn’t quite add up. It would have been more logical to simply attack Earth directly, as those empires, often enemies of Earth’s heroes, likely wouldn’t have bothered to defend it. *Infinity* was an exciting story, but it felt a bit flawed upon closer inspection.

3) Kang the Conqueror

As a huge fan, I’ve always been fascinated by Kang the Conqueror. He’s definitely one of the Avengers’ biggest threats, and his story is just wild! He’s from a future where everything is *too* perfect – no challenges, no excitement. He hated it, so he turned to time travel to become a conqueror, building an empire across time and space, kind of like a futuristic Alexander the Great. He’s made it his mission to take down the Avengers, and honestly, he’s already wiped out countless versions of them throughout history. What I don’t get is, why doesn’t he just go back in time and eliminate the original Avengers before they even become heroes? He’s literally killed *everyone* in the Marvel universe at some point! It doesn’t make sense that he wouldn’t just finish the job with the Earth-616 Avengers when he’s already proven he can conquer anything. He has nothing left to prove, so why doesn’t he just destroy his biggest enemies and be done with it?

2) Red Skull

Red Skull is a committed Nazi who believes in the false idea of Aryan superiority. His entire character is built around this harmful ideology, which has been repeatedly proven wrong. The Nazis’ concept of an “Aryan race” is a fabrication – historically, Aryans were a Central Asian people, not the blonde-haired, blue-eyed stereotype. Moreover, any attempt to establish racial dominance has ultimately failed. Red Skull stubbornly clings to these discredited beliefs to justify his actions, but his plans are illogical because they are based on a flawed and disproven foundation. Promoting Nazi ideas or any form of racial supremacy is inherently senseless, both in fiction and reality, and Red Skull perfectly embodies this foolishness.

1) Apocalypse

The recent Krakoa era was largely positive for the X-Men, but it significantly damaged the character of Apocalypse. Traditionally, Apocalypse was portrayed as a strict Darwinist, believing only the strongest should survive, which made sense given his power and goals. However, the storylines involving Krakoa and *X of Swords* revealed a new backstory. It turns out Apocalypse once lived on Okkara, the land that would become Krakoa and Arakko. When Okkara was attacked by demonic forces from Amenth, Apocalypse and the other mutants fled to Otherworld with half of the continent, Arakko. Before leaving, Apocalypse’s wife, Genesis, made him promise to build an army strong enough to defend against Amenth’s eventual return. This retcon essentially made Apocalypse’s lifelong belief in survival of the fittest an act of selfless preparation. This is a problematic change because it doesn’t make sense that he wouldn’t share this vital information with others. Strength isn’t everything; a successful defense requires numbers and planning. In an attempt to add depth to the character, Apocalypse’s entire history as a villain has been undermined.

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2025-10-16 14:15