7 Times Marvel Heroes Teamed Up With the Villains (And Saved the Day)

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It’s common to see heroes team up in comics, usually against a shared enemy. Sometimes they’re established heroes who join forces, and other times it’s a first-time pairing where they learn to cooperate. But occasionally, something even more unexpected happens: heroes and villains must work together when facing a threat too big for either side to handle alone. These unlikely alliances offer villains a chance to do something positive and force heroes to step outside their usual boundaries.

The Marvel universe is full of surprising team-ups between heroes and villains, often resulting in powerful and emotional stories. These alliances have formed for all sorts of reasons, from personal conflicts and protecting family, to massive battles with global consequences. These collaborations make for compelling narratives, and we’ve highlighted seven of the best.

7) Loki and Thor (“The Surtur Saga”)

Though often enemies, brothers Thor and Loki had to work together to save the world from destruction. This event, known as “The Surtur Saga,” involved a battle against the fire demon Surtur, who threatened to conquer Asgard and trigger Ragnarok. Facing total loss – including Asgard itself and their father, Odin – Loki joined forces with Thor to defeat Surtur. They were successful, but the victory came at a great price: Odin gave his life in the battle.

Loki and Thor have a history of teaming up, most notably during the Siege event where Loki ultimately saved Thor at the cost of his own life. While Loki’s become more of a complex, heroic figure than a straightforward villain recently, their collaboration to prevent Ragnarok remains one of their most iconic moments.

6) Daredevil and Kingpin (Inferno)

Daredevil and Kingpin, despite being enemies, both deeply care about New York City. When supervillains begin destroying Hell’s Kitchen and isolate it to prevent heroes from intervening, Daredevil takes on the challenge. He receives help from Typhoid Mary, who distracts the villain Rhino, and surprisingly, Kingpin joins the fight as well. Ultimately, they team up to defeat the villains and save the neighborhood.

The interesting thing about this partnership is that Daredevil and Kingpin are still enemies, even while they’re trying to protect Hell’s Kitchen. Kingpin insists he’s not assisting Daredevil, only looking out for the city itself. Despite their ongoing conflict, it’s a compelling example of rivals temporarily uniting for the greater good.

5) X-Men and Factor Three (X-Men #39)

As a huge X-Men fan, I’ve seen them work with their enemies plenty of times – Magneto switching sides is practically a series tradition! But one team-up always stands out to me as a truly unexpected alliance: when the X-Men actually joined forces with Factor Three to prevent a full-blown nuclear war. It really felt like a classic ‘heroes and villains uniting against a greater threat’ situation.

In the 1960s, a mutant group called Factor Three boldly claimed mutants should become a major world power, alongside the U.S. and the Soviet Union. However, their true leader, the Mutant Master, secretly planned to start a nuclear war and destroy humanity. The X-Men discovered this plot and joined forces with some members of Factor Three to defeat the Mutant Master and prevent global catastrophe.

4) Spider-Man and Venom

Spider-Man and Venom are usually enemies. Their conflict started when Venom tried to bond with Spider-Man, but Peter Parker rejected it. Despite their rivalry, they both oppose the dangerous Carnage symbiote. They’ve occasionally teamed up in comic books to fight Carnage, most famously during the “Maximum Carnage” event. This storyline brought Spider-Man, Venom, and several other heroes like Captain America, Black Cat, and Iron Fist together to stop Carnage’s rampage.

In 2019, Spider-Man and Venom joined forces again in Absolute Carnage to stop Cletus Kasady. They’ve also teamed up in stories like “Venomized.” As we’ve seen, these collaborations happen fairly often, and they’re always enjoyable.

3) Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom (Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment)

Even villains sometimes need help with selfless acts, especially when loved ones are involved. Doctor Doom, one of Marvel’s most powerful magic users, found himself in this position after losing a magical duel with Doctor Strange for the title of Sorcerer Supreme. As part of the agreement, Strange was obligated to grant Doom a single favor. This request wasn’t about power or conquest; it was deeply personal. Years before becoming Doctor Doom, his mother, Cynthia, made a deal with the devil, Mephisto, trading her soul for the power to protect her people. When she died, Mephisto claimed her soul. Every year, Doom attempted to free her, but he always failed.

When Doctor Doom understood he couldn’t handle a situation alone, he called upon Doctor Strange, creating a debt of gratitude. Together, they devised a plan that tricked Cynthia into showing her true, kind nature, which ultimately freed her and allowed her to pass on peacefully. Thanks to Doctor Strange, Doom was able to save his mother, and the story ends with a surprisingly heartwarming moment for a tale centered around Doctor Doom.

2) Thanos, Adam Warlock, and the Avengers (Infinity War)

As a huge Marvel fan, I remember The Infinite Gauntlet storyline so well! Thanos was definitely the big bad, right? And then, surprisingly, in Infinity War, he ended up working with the heroes! Well, the story behind that is pretty interesting. It turns out Adam Warlock has this dark side, called Magus, and Magus came back with a plan. He started collecting these powerful Cosmic Cubes, and honestly, it would have been a disaster if he’d succeeded. That’s why Thanos actually teamed up with Adam and the good guys – they all had to stop Magus together!

Thanos, being Thanos, always has a hidden agenda. While he needed to be defeated after Magus, there was a brief period where he actually worked with the heroes to resolve a crisis. That’s just how comic books can be – unexpected alliances and twists!

1) Captain America and Red Skull (“Operation: Rebirth”)

It seems like Captain America once found himself in the difficult position of needing to work with a Nazi to stop another one. After losing the serum that gave him his powers, Steve Rogers didn’t actually die. Instead, he received a blood transfusion from Red Skull, regaining his strength. Red Skull had a hidden reason for this: he’d trapped Hitler inside a powerful cosmic cube. A group of new Nazis wanted to release Hitler, which would ruin Red Skull’s plans. So, he reluctantly needed Captain America’s help to prevent Hitler from escaping and taking over the world.

The story has a lot of twists and turns, and unsurprisingly, Captain America’s alliance with Red Skull creates significant consequences. However, it’s a compelling look at a hero and villain working together to solve a problem, particularly one where the lines between right and wrong are blurred.

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2025-10-23 16:12