Swarm

Fritz von Meyer, a Nazi scientist and beekeeper, was dissolved into a swarm of mutant killer bees yet survived as a consciousness inhabiting and controlling the colony — a skeletal figure composed entirely of bees who menaces heroes as one of Marvel's most bizarre villains.

Few villains make an entrance quite like Swarm did in The Champions #14 in 1977, a Bronze Age debut courtesy of the wickedly inventive team of Bill Mantlo and John Byrne. This unsettling Marvel creation has haunted the pages of titles ranging from The Champions to Punisher War Journal to Mighty Avengers, crossing paths over the decades with heavyweights like Spider-Man, Captain America, Hercules, and the Wasp — a rogues'-gallery résumé that speaks to a villain capable of troubling Marvel's very best. With two collector-recognized key issues to their name and a presence in the catalog stretching all the way to 2020, Swarm is a Bronze Age original with genuine staying power — the kind of creepy, memorable antagonist that reminds you why that era of Marvel storytelling was so gloriously weird and bold.