5 Avengers Villains Who Would Be a Nightmare for the Justice League

The Justice League is, without a doubt, the biggest superhero team in DC. The League represents the ultimate pinnacle of heroism, uniting DC’s greatest and most inspiring heroes under one umbrella to protect the world like nobody else can. They are the world’s number one line of defense against all manner of threats, from common warmongers to aliens set on conquering the entire universe. Everyone the multiverse over knows that they can trust the Justice League to fight for what’s right, no matter what kind of monster they go up against. They definitely boast a wide variety of villains, from Darkseid to the Key, all of whom offer a variety of horrific challenges.

That doesn’t mean that the Justice League can’t add more villains to its roster. Their Marvel Universe counterparts, the Avengers, have their own mighty roster of villains, which would be amazing challenges for DC’s top heroes to go up against. Today, we’re looking at five of the Avengers’ villains who each bring something unique to their fights, and would bounce off the Justice League perfectly. Some of these are massive threats who could push the Justice League beyond their limits, and some are people who can outwit the world’s greatest heroes. With all that said, let’s judge some potential Justice League villains.

5) Ultron

Ultron is the ultimate robot in Marvel, and the ultimate regret of the occasionally mad scientist, Hank Pym. Ultron’s defining feature is, without a doubt, his undying hatred of living things. His only goal is revenge against life itself, hoping to replace all organic life with robots like himself, and to achieve that goal, he is endlessly evolving. He already boasts an adamantium body and strength that lets him trade blows with heavy hitters like Thor. That’s not even mentioning his energy blasts, which can rip through just about anything, and his ability to mass-produce new iterations and clones of himself.

Ultron would be a fantastic villain for the Justice League because, while they have a fair number of robotic and robot-aligned enemies, Ultron could easily use them as stepping stones to further his evolution. Imagine a world where Ultron absorbs the technology of T. O. Morrow, Professor Ivo, and Brainiac? He could forge himself into the ultimate robotic beast of hatred. He would also have a unique relationship with Red Tornado, both similar to and different than his connection to Vision, as Red Tornado wasn’t based on a human like Vision, making him more like Ultron.

4) Count Nefaria

Count Nefaria might not be the Avengers’ most famous villain, but he is certainly one of their strongest. He was the subject of the same experiments that created Wonder Man, meaning that Count Nefaria is a totally ionic being. Since he’s made of ionic energy, his strength is virtually limitless, letting him completely overcome enemies like the Red Hulk, and even match the original Green Behemoth in some cases. On top of his undeniable power, he’s also an ionic vampire, able to drain the energy from others and turn them into his thralls. As if all of that wasn’t enough, he’s an incalculably rich mad scientist, too.

There are few villains who mix cunning and raw power together as well as Count Nefaria. He’s not quite as dangerous as someone like Lex Luthor, but combining anywhere near that level of intellect with the power to crush mountains like they were made of tinfoil makes him incalculably dangerous. This would be a perfect challenge to the Justice League, able to challenge the upper echelon of power like Green Lantern and Superman on the physical side, while also forcing the less powerful, more brains-focused heroes like Batman to use all of their faculties.

3) Korvac

Korvac is, without a doubt, one of the strongest foes that the Avengers have ever faced. He is a cyborg from the future who sold out his people for a cushier slave job to their alien overlords, but the guilt drove him to return to the past and fix the universe his own way. He’s nearly done that several times after absorbing the Power Cosmic from Galactus’s ship, transforming him into a Cosmic Entity that could rival the Planet Eater himself. Korvac could do everything from turn back time to alter reality on a molecular level, making him akin to a god. In fact, the Avengers have never overpowered him, instead always either draining his strength or convincing him to give up.

Pitting the Justice League against a villain they likely couldn’t overcome with brute force is always interesting, but Korvac especially is great because he’s so close to being sympathetic. He genuinely wants to undo his mistakes, but his own lust for power and his lack of foresight and responsibility blind him to how to make that a reality. No group is better suited to connect with that and help Korvac overcome his worst impulses than the Justice League. Superman and Wonder Woman are two of the most compassionate people in any universe, and Batman could even relate to wanting to undo the past. This connection and power disparity is perfect for all kinds of emotional, heart-wrenching stories.

2) Baron Zemo

We’ve talked about some of the Avengers’ strongest foes, but now let’s focus on one of their most nefarious. Zemo is the son of one of Captain America’s archenemies from WWII, continuing the family tradition of attempting to take over the world. He’s one of the Avengers’ smartest, most maniacal opponents. He’s more than willing to work in the shadows and lay the foundations of plans for years, best shown when he had other villains pretend to be a superhero team, the Thunderbolts, to fill the void after the Avengers died, just so he could conquer the world.

The Justice League has their fair share of brainy villains, from Lex Luthor to Prometheus, but they can always use another one. Zemo stands out from the crowd because he is, for lack of a better term, utterly insane. He’s a villainous mastermind who buys his own hype and revels in evil and death, wanting more than to be as heinous as possible. It’s so over the top that it’s hilarious. He brings an infectious zeal to his villainy that a lot of other supervillains lack, and seeing that clash against the old-school, endlessly hopeful heroics of the Justice League would be amazing.

1) Kang the Conqueror

Kang is one of the Avengers’ biggest and most dangerous villains. He hails from the 31st Century and is one of the smartest people who will ever live. He used that nearly unmatched intellect to conquer his future, and has set his sights on doing the same to all of time and space. Unfortunately for him, he has never been able to overcome the might of the Age of Heroes, as they’ve always stood in his way. Kang can lay plans for centuries in advance and attempt to wipe his enemies off the map before they’re even born, but no matter what, he can’t ever truly conquer everything, even with the vast array of alternate versions of him that exist.

Kang is one of the most interesting villains to battle the Justice League because he hails from the same time period as the Legion of Super-Heroes, who represent how the heroes of today will impact and improve the world well into tomorrow. Kang’s very existence could create a massive storyline where there is a war for the future, culminating in Kang trying to wipe out the League before they inspire the future, and the Legion trying to save them. Any battle with Kang has such inherent stakes and drama that it’s almost uncanny, but it would be genuinely amazing, I’m sure.

The Avengers have plenty of awesome villains at their disposal, and many of them would be great picks for the Justice League. Which Marvel villains do you think would be the number one monster you’d love to see battle the JL? Let us know in the comments below!