#ComicBytes: The most iconic rivalries in Marvel comics
Rivalries are a big part of the Marvel Universe. In fact, these form the basis of almost all stories in the franchise. Over the years, the tales of animosity between superheroes and supervillains have showcased entertaining takes on the classic 'good vs evil' ideological clashes, sibling rivalries, and more. In this article, we will focus on the most iconic rivalries in Marvel.
The conflict between Captain America and Red Skull is the oldest rivalry in Marvel Universe and has been the premise of almost all Captain America movies in MCU. This animosity between Steve Rogers and Johann Schmidt originates from ideological differences during World War II. What began as a representation of Allied and Axis forces has continued into never-ending battles between two super-powered individuals.
Reed Richards, Fantastic Four's Mister Fantastic meets fellow genius Victor Von Doom in university. Though they show mutual hostility toward each other, their powers and different ideologies take this enmity to a higher level. Basically, Doom wants to be the superior being and conquer the world, while Richards opposes everything Doom stands for. Interestingly, there are times when they team up for common causes.
The entire relationship between Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr is extremely complicated. Starting out as two mutants who respect each other as brothers, Professor X and Magneto are also each other's arch-nemesis. Both of them want the betterment of mutants that sometimes leads to collaborative efforts. However, Magneto often takes the violent route which always gets him into conflicts with Prof X.
When the Goblin formula drives Norman Osborn into insanity, he becomes the supervillain Green Goblin, who constantly fights Spider-Man. This starts the usual good-vs-evil story, but here is the catch. Norman is the father of Peter Parker's best friend Harry Osborn and knows Spider-Man's real identity, which he uses to attack everyone close to Peter. This leads to a violent rivalry between the two.
Asgard's Thor and Loki represent an extraordinary sibling rivalry. Long story short, Loki is constantly jealous of Thor and thus, always plots to destroy him. This has resulted in some legendary clashes between these Gods of Mischief and Thunder. Over the years, Loki has done violently evil things to Thor. However, their sibling relation often stops Thor from treating him like a villain.
