Famous Villains from Silver Age Marvel Comic Books

Those collectors and comic fans that look for Silver Age Marvel comic books are almost as impressed with the famous Marvel villains as they are with the superheroes. Many of the artists and creators from that era would be surprised to find out how collectible and popular their creations are with the world today. The collectors understand this as they seek to preserve comics that are printed on paper that was meant to be discarded after a single reading.

During the Silver Age of comic books, Marvel comics appealed to a new body of readers as their characters caught the imaginations of teenagers and college-age students; however, comics were not considered to be mainstream art or literature and their readers, numerous as they may have been, were typified as asocial geeks. Today, superhero characters are nearly ubiquitous. Movies based on characters from Silver Age Marvel comic books, like this summer’s The Amazing Spider-Man and The Avengers, have revitalized the movie theater industry, which was on the decline in the face of the growth of popularity for video games.

Famous Marvel villains reflect the problems of dysfunctional characters in real life. Perhaps Spider-Man’s greatest foe, the Green Goblin has the superpowers to give Spider-Man a run for his money, but in his real identity represents corporate greed and desperation. As a father, he respects Spider-Man’s Peter Parker, but emotionally abuses his own son, driving him to substance abuse.

As the Fantastic Four’s premier villain, Dr. Doom represents the power and unknowable evil that festers behind the wall of the former communist countries of Europe.

Magneto of X-Men fame was born from the atrocities of a Nazi concentration camp, then outcast because of his religion and culture, later outcast because of his mutant abilities. Although a reader may not sympathize with Magneto’s actions, one can certainly understand the feeling of being an outcast and the desire to strike out to avoid becoming a victim.

These are just some of the many interesting and complex Marvel villains that can be discovered from Silver Age Marvel comic books. Come to Cosmic Comics! where you can #getyourfix with an excellent selection of back-issue Silver Age Marvel comic books for sale.