Captain America’s First 10 Marvel Villains, Ranked By Power

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Not including his adventures with the Avengers, here are the first 10 villains Captain America fought in his own comic book stories, ranked by power.

10) Sando & Omar

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The story in Tales of Suspense #64 takes place in the past, when Captain America and Bucky Barnes agree to investigate a popular stage show where Omar and Sando predict the future using a crystal ball. However, the twist here is that Sando was the real villain, and he was forcing the helpless victim, Omar, to help him. There also wasn’t magic, as a projector was shooting the images into the ball. Along with Agent 13 (Betsy Ross), Cap stopped Sando after fighting off some Nazis to end the threat.

9) Bull

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Captain America fought several villains who were not powered at all early on as he made his way into Marvel Comics. In one comic book, he actually had to fight criminals during a prison escape. While that isn’t included in the countdown since it was just Cap stopping the breakout and none were actual singular villains, he did fight an organized group of criminals led by a man named Bull in Tales of Suspense #59. Bull was a mafia boss who thought killing Captain America would stop the Avengers, but things didn’t work out well. While he had high-tech weapons and a man in an armored suit, Cap had little trouble beating them.

8) Sumo

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In Tales of Suspense #61, Captain America travelled to Vietnam and launched a one-man attack on the Viet Cong troops. It turned out Cap went in to barter for the release of an American helicopter pilot. This led to Cap finding the pilot, Jim Baker, whose brother was a friend of Cap’s from World War II. The Viet Cong sends a giant named Sumo to attack Cap, and he is a match for the hero’s strength, but not for his skills, and Captain America easily wins the fight and escapes with Jim.

7) THEM

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THEM was a terrorist organization that Baron Strucker created in Hydra. This group ended up directing two other subsidiary organizations of Hydra: AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics) and the Secret Empire. However, while THEM ruled over AIM, the organization in no way has the same legacy as AIM. That said, THEM developed the Cosmic Cube, revived the Red Skull, and did so much more. They were deadly and dangerous, but only appeared in 10 total Marvel Comics and have been mostly forgotten over the years. Their first appearance was in Tales of Suspense #75, and Cap faced them in three different comics that year.

6) Nazis

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Captain America fought some interesting villains in his first couple of years, but he fought one group more than any other. Captain America fought the Nazis in eight different comics before he finally reached 10 total villains. This makes sense because Cap was a World War II hero, and he always fought Nazis to protect America from the fascist evil they spread. In some cases, the Nazis worked with Red Skull, and in other cases with AIM and THEM. However, in many of these issues, Captain America was just fighting armies of Nazis, both in flashbacks to World War II and in the modern day, where they remained a thorn in the side of freedom.

5) Heinrich Zemo

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While Baron Zemo today is Helmut Zemo, the original Captain America villain was actually Heinrich Zemo, who created the original Masters of Evil and was Helmut Zemo’s father. Known as the greatest scientist of the Third Reich, Heinrich Zemo was still trying to bring about the fascist rule of the Nazi Party using Hydra, which made him someone that Captain America had to face more than once. He and Cap only fought once early on in Cap’s original series, fighting in Tales of Suspense #60, but he ended up dying a short time later in Avengers #15.

4) Batroc

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Batroc the Leaper became well known to even non-comic book readers when he appeared in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. However, he has always been a Captain America villain and someone who put up the best fight of almost anyone against Cap. His first appearance in Marvel Comics was in Tales of Suspense #75, where he worked with THEM to fight Captain America. While not superpowered, he has near-superhuman athletic ability and has jumping skills better than even the best-trained Olympic athlete. He is also a master martial artist who has proven his skills against Iron Fist.

3) AIM

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While THEM and Hydra were the first terrorist organizations to show up to fight Captain America, AIM debuted in Tales of Suspense #79 and was Captain America’s main villain by issue #82. While working under THEM, it was AIM who ended up becoming a bigger deal over the years, appearing in well over 600 more comics than THEM. Things were not as organized at the start, but over the years, names like Scientist Supreme, MODOK, and more have led this group to become one of the most persistent thorns in the side of Captain America and Iron Man.

2) Super Adaptoid

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Super Adaptoid first showed up as a Captain America villain in Tales of Suspense #82, and this was one of the most dangerous villains the Avengers as a team ever faced. In his first fight against Cap, AIM created it using Unstable Molecules and added part of a Cosmic Cube into its design. This first appearance was not very impressive, as it infiltrated the Avengers’ mansion and drugged Captain America before posing as him. He lost to the Tumbler, and Cap revived enough to beat both. That said, Super Adaptoid became much more powerful over the years, able to mimic the appearance and powers of any hero, which makes him a strong match for anyone he battles.

1) Red Skull (Tales of Suspense #66, 67, 68, 74, 79, 80, 81)

Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics

Captain America fought the Red Skull early on in his own solo stories, and this proved to be his ultimate nemesis. Many of the stories included fights with Red Skull from World War II when new Cap issues retold older stories, and there was also a new Red Skull he had to fight in the present day. However, when THEM helped revive the original Red Skull from suspended animation, he became Cap’s new arch-enemy once again. Red Skull appeared in seven issues from Tales of Suspense #66-81, and no one gave Cap more problems than this World War II Nazi villain.

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