Whiplash

This version of Whiplash debuted in a dedicated miniseries pitting the character directly against Iron Man, establishing a technologically dangerous adversary capable of challenging Marvel's armored Avenger from the first issue.

Few villains get the marquee treatment right out of the gate, but Whiplash burst onto the Modern Age Marvel scene in 2010 with a self-titled showdown series against Iron Man himself — a debut co-crafted by Marc Guggenheim, Brannon Braga, and Philippe Briones that immediately signaled this was a threat worth taking seriously. Over a run stretching into the mid-2020s, Whiplash has carved out a niche in Marvel's darker corners, turning up in the morally murky world of Devil's Reign and its Villains for Hire tie-in alongside heavy hitters like Spider-Man, Captain America, and the formidable Taskmaster. Nineteen catalog appearances may sound lean, but the quality of the company kept — and the prestige of that debut mini-series — speaks to a character with real staying power in the modern Marvel villain landscape. If you're tracking the evolution of Iron Man's rogues' gallery through the 21st century, Whiplash belongs on your pull list.