Whether it be the original Ant-Man Hank Pym or Scott Lang, since his 1962 debut in Tales To Astonish No. 27, Ant-Man has had a wide range of antagonists ranging from the intimidating and powerful all the way to the absolutely ridiculous. There are horrifying villains such as Ultron, who could wipe out entire planets with a single program, or on the opposite spectrum, characters that seem absurd.

Updated on October 26th, 2022 by Jordan Iacobucci:

Ant-Man has once again become one of the most important Marvel heroes in the world, as his character will be among the first Avengers to battle the villainous Kang the Conqueror in the upcoming MCU film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. As Marvel fans prepare to see their favorite miniature hero battle one of the MCU's greatest villains, many of the superhero's most important comic book baddies deserve commendation too.

14 Radioactive Man

Radioactive Man is a career criminal who receives his powers by purposely exposing himself to various types of radiation to induce superpowers and become a living weapon. After joining the Masters Of Evil, Radioactive Man is defeated by Hank Pym, who quickly proves that the villain isn't really much of a threat.

Power-wise, Radioactive Man is not that impressive, only being able to temporarily increase his power by absorbing radiation fails to impress others within the Marvel Universe. The one thing that is really terrifying about Radioactive Man is that he spreads radiation everywhere he goes.

13 Egghead

Dr. Elihas Starr, once a government scientist caught smuggling blueprints, has no real superpowers; like Iron Man, he relies on high-tech machines. After being pulled from prison by a well-financed crime lord and dubbed Egghead by the public, Dr. Elihas Starr is tasked with making weapons meant to defeat Ant-Man, Hank Pym.

He made his debut as a rogue for Ant-Man in Tales To Astonish #38. Overall, he is not very intimidating and is more a henchman than a real threat to Ant-Man. Elihas absolutely is an intelligent character that has worked with some of the biggest Marvel villains around; however, even with what he's supposed to be good at, he fails miserably. There's no real true sense of danger if he is one of the featured antagonists.

12 Scarlet Beetle

A common beetle transformed by atomic experimentation, the Scarlet Beetle gained the ability to think for itself and command other insects. Debuting in Tales to Astonish #39 1963, the Scarlet Beetle exposed itself to Pym's growth gas and transformed to human size, stealing Pym Particles. This foe uses its insect-controlling capabilities to wreak havoc but really isn't a top threat.

Of course, a sentient insect is terrifying, but the character has become dated and almost campy in its design. There are insect-related villains that are cool, but Scarlet Beetle feels more like a monster of the week type character than a villain with a lingering presence within the Marvel universe.

11 Whirlwind

Whirlwind is the name of two supervillains who have frequently tangled with Ant-Man at various times in Marvel Comics. The character typically possesses the power to spin rapidly, thereby manipulating the air currents around him.

While Whirlwind certainly could be a menacing supervillain, he never seems able to get the upper hand over his nemesis. His clunky battle armor and reliance on gadgets typically get in the way of his ultimate plans, making him a rather forgettable villain with an unremarkable design.

10 Equinox

Equinox, otherwise known as Terrance Sorenson, is a character with the handy ability to harness the powers of both fire and ice from his body after developing a biological mutation caused by an experiment gone wrong. Though the character underwent somewhat of a redemption arc following the Civil War comic book storyline, he couldn't help but return to villainy after the 50 States Initiative was disbanded.

Despite being a relatively low-grade supervillain, Equinox's power set is actually quite impressive, as he possesses the abilities of much more powerful beings, specifically those of the Human Torch and Iceman. However, Terrance's childish ambitions often get in the way of his becoming a truly memorable supervillain.

9 Power Broker

There is not much information about the second Power Broker, but he is the head of a global corporation and invests in the app that allows people to hire any supervillain listed in the app. To prove how good it is, the Power Broker hires Whirlwind to kill Darren Cross's archenemy Ant-Man.

While he may not have the massive powers of, say Ultron, or other Ant-Man villains, resources and money can certainly go far. The Power Broker can be more intimidating than others like Egghead, but just like Egghead, the Power Broker doesn't have much in the means of his own powers. Multiple times characters he's hired to kill Ant-Man, or other superheroes, never seem to get the job done.

8 Darren Cross

Also known as the villain Yellowjacket, Darren Cross is a villain to Scott Lang's Ant-Man. The head of a successful corporation that gives other companies a run for their money, Darren Cross was diagnosed with a heart condition due to overworking himself. Going under a procedure to get a pacemaker put in, the pacemaker enhanced his body to give him superhuman capabilities.

The Yellowjacket makes for a good baddie because of the trope of the villainous businessman. Not only does Darren Cross have superpowers due to his mechanical heart, but he has access to money and weapons. He's a formidable rogue that could pose a threat to any Marvel character.

7 Vespa

In Ant-Man II #1 2020, Vespa was a humanoid-shaped villain composed of mutated hornets with a hive mind. Created by Swarm, Vespa decided that he must die because of his human mind, so she and two other of Swarm's creations set out to murder him. Ant-Man steps in to offer Swarm protection, battling against Vespa.

Vespa makes for such a good villain not only because the idea of mutated creatures such as her is absolutely terrifying, but also because of the fact she's completely void of human consciousness, making her a terrible threat to anyone unfortunate enough to cross her path.

6 The Skrulls

The Skrulls are a race of shapeshifting aliens who have tangled with nearly every Marvel hero at some point or another. While primarily antagonists to the Fantastic Four and certain Kree-based superheroes, the Skrulls become a worldwide threat during the Secret Invasion, wherein they kidnap Hank Pym and replace him with an imposter.

The Skrulls completely upended Hank Pym's life, holding him captive for several years while they defrauded his name with a series of imposters that served their own sinister purpose. Ultimately, Hank's doppelganger would even become the face of the Skrull invasion, as the aliens used his good name to ease civilians' concerns regarding their new overlords.

5 Black Ant

Revealed in Secret Avengers #24 in 2012 to be a life model decoy of the third Ant-Man, Eric O'Grady, Black Ant posed as a member of the Avengers team until he turned on them. With powers similar to that of Ant-Man and all the strengths that come with being an LMD, Black Ant is a force to be reckoned with.

Rogues with similar powers as the hero always make for an interesting combination. Not only does it make the fight more even, but there's also a lot more conflict within the story. With Black Ant, there's also the emotional impact of a friend turned traitor.

4 Jocasta

First appearing in Avengers #162 1977, Jocasta is also known as "The Bride of Ultron." Ultron was looking to make himself a bride, so he kidnapped his creator Hank Pym's wife, Janet Van Dyne, transferring Janet's mind into Jocasta's shell.

She's an interesting character because she's first built to be an enemy to the Avengers and Hank Pym. However, due to The Wasp's mind in her shell, she ultimately betrays him and helps the team destroy Ultron. She is later revived by Ultron, using what was left of The Wasp's mind; he programmed her to be completely loyal to him, but even then, Janet's mind was just too powerful, and she betrayed him again.

While Jocasta may not be a villain for long, her presence is impactful. Just like Black Ant, there is an emotional element to Jocasta because not only is Janet a team member, but she's also Hank Pym's wife. So it makes the fights against Jocasta very dark in nature for Ant-Man because if they do not find a way to stop her, Hank also runs the chance of losing Janet.

3 Taskmaster

Taskmaster is an infamous Marvel baddie who has crossed paths with most superheroes in his world at one point or another. He has the uncanny skill to copy the power sets of others, which makes him more and more formidable with each appearance. Taskmaster has, on occasion, given Ant-Man himself trouble.

Throughout their comic book history, Ant-Man and Taskmaster have come to blows on several occasions, with the villain even performing the impossible by copying Ant-Man's signature shrinking ability. As a truly terrifying big bad, Taskmaster is one of the greatest enemies that Ant-Man, or any hero, has ever faced.

2 Ultron

Debuting in Avengers #54 and created by the original Ant-Man Hank Pym, Ultron rebelled against his maker, starting to upgrade himself and hypnotizing Hank Pym to think he never existed. Now a sentient being, Ultron would continue to evolve and grow into a bigger and bigger threat. There isn't a hero, Ant-Man included, that has not had to go up against Ultron in one of his many forms.

It is, of course, not uncommon for both Marvel villains and heroes to come back from the dead. But what is so cool about Ultron is that he is upgraded and changed every time he comes back. Each encounter with the android is different and unique, and it's not just the same story over and over again.

1 Doctor Doom

Doctor Doom is perhaps the greatest supervillain in the history of Marvel Comics. Though many associate the Latverian dictator with the likes of the Fantastic Four, he is a far wider-ranging rogue than that, and indeed threatens the entire Marvel Universe when at his most powerful, including Ant-Man. Doctor Doom has committed many atrocious acts in his long history, but one of the worst was undoubtedly murdering Cassie Lang in Avengers: The Children's Crusade #8.

His brutal murder of Cassie Lang makes Doctor Doom a very personal big bad for Scott Lang's Ant-Man, who will stop at nothing to bring to justice the man who killed his daughter. Effective, terrifying, and powerful, Doom is the greatest villain that any hero--including Ant-Man, has ever faced.

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