Darkest Heart: The Comic Book Villains
Why yes, I have been planning to do this site for what, only a year and a half now? I've decided to toss out perfectionism in the interests of actually getting this site up at some point.
Lifetime Feature Fanfic:
Luthor's Gift by Elliott S! MagginThis one is a major coup, folks, and I'm fanatically grateful to Mr. Maggin for giving me permission to link to his story. Elliott S! Maggin's portrayal of Lex Luthor in his novels Last Son of Krypton and Miracle Monday was single-handedly responsible for my Luthor obsession in childhood. Since the standardization of canon has forced out Mr. Maggin's vision of a complex, tormented Luthor in favor of John Byrne's vision of a guy who might as well be Marvel's Kingpin and seems to have the complexity of a donut, I've pretty much lost all interest in Superman canon. But this story is an unpublished (anywhere but the web) original tale featuring Mr. Maggin's version of Luthor, the version I loved as a 12-year-old and who contributed strongly to my lifelong villains obsession, and his complex relationship with Superman. The hyperlink on Mr. Maggin's name goes to his home page. If you enjoy this story, write to DC and ask them to allow Mr. Maggin to bring his Superman novels back into print or post them on his web page.
August 2000 Feature Fanfic:
Vertigo: No Way Up by KielleA classic. One of the first Marauder stories and one of the best, dealing with Vertigo's attempts to free herself from Sinister.
X-Men Villains:
Magneto
Magneto is my current favorite character, let alone favorite villain, and I host a site dedicated to him, so it only makes sense that I'd be able to come up with a ton of high-quality stories featuring him. In fact my major difficulty was pruning the list! This is by no means a complete collection of Magneto fanfic, or even necessarily all the stuff I think is really good; this is more a collection of Magneto fanfic that I consider particularly good, leaning more toward stories where he is portrayed as a complex mixture of good and evil and less stories that whitewash him or treat him as wholly villainous.
Body And Soul: The Body Snatcher by Alara Rogers. Adult. Series. Unfinished.
A series by me, rated adult for rape, violence, and mature themes. Not erotica, not by any means. Magneto is captured by a serial killer who steals his body. Powerless, he must use all his wits, as well as survival skills he thought left behind in Auschwitz, to stay alive. But the final cost of freedom may be more than he's willing to pay...
Genetic Superiority, World Domination, and A Double Chocolate Mocha Latte to Go, Please by Matt Nute. .
Magneto has invited Wanda and Pietro to a family reunion... at Starbucks. Humor.
One of my all-time favorite stories, ever, let alone a tale of my favorite character Magneto. A brilliant exploration of Magneto in the depths of his insanity.
Habits: By Alara Rogers.
Occurs between UXM #196 and 199. With the rest of the X-Men out of the house, Kitty decides to investigate Magneto's chambers for anything suspicious, and encounters the dread danger of... rye bread.
Magneto's Cold by Lori McDonald.
Magneto has a cold. Humor.
Midnight Sun by Tilman Stieve. Archived by Alykat at Down-Home Charm. Adult.
Tilman's "between panels" expansion of the Savage Land arc in UXM #269, 274 and 275. Contains reasonably graphic m/f sex. Prequel to the "Tales of the Twilight Menshevik" series.
Rogue 1/2: The Scent of a Mutant: By Jaelle and Orla. Archived by Jaelle and Orla at Insane Musings.
In battle with Magneto and his Acolytes, Rogue accidentally falls into a pool at Jusenkyo. Sort of a Ranma 1/2 crossover. Humor.
Through The Valley of the Shadow: By Darqstar. Archived by Alara Rogers at Shifting Sands.
A tale from the days when Magneto was headmaster of Xavier's School. Magneto and Wolverine discover a mutant being held captive in her parents' basement, and rescue her. That's when the real problems begin...
Transatlantic Crossing: by Dr. Benway. Archived by Luba Kmetyk at Fonts of Wisdom.
Benway's take on the first meeting of Magneto and Xavier.
Kid Dynamo: By Connie Hirsch. Archived by Luba Kmetyk at Fonts of Wisdom.
The classic New Mutants story, now available on the Web. Jessica Pierce, teenage telekinetic fireproof runaway, is rescued by Magneto and the New Mutants, and offered a place at the school. It would be a dream come true, except that Jessica hates Magneto and blames him for the death of her mother.
Shelter from the Storm by Sequoia Swennes. Adult.
In the original Dark Phoenix storyline, Jean was supposed to have her powers removed by the Shi'ar. A followup story would have had Magneto offering her her powers back in exchange for her joining him. She would have refused him, of course. What if she didn't? Contains m/f sex.
Obligation: By Indigo. Archived by Luba Kmetyk at Fonts of Wisdom.
Magneto acknowledges an obligation to a student he failed.
A Lampshade: By Poi Lass.
Magneto hunts down a Nazi.
Dancing Ashes: By Dannell Lites.
Similar theme to "A Lampshade", but handled differently. Magneto hunts down an old tormentor.
Magneto and Rogue observe a sunset over Genosha, and have very different opinions on what it symbolizes.
In Love And War by Alara Rogers.
BREAKUP CHALLENGE. Sort of. If Charles Xavier had been born a woman, how might things have gone differently between her and Magneto... and what would have been the consequences had things stayed the same?
At The Crossroads: By Alara Rogers. Archived by Alara Rogers at Shifting Sands. Added 8/20/2000!
Storm begs her lover to turn away from the path of blood.
X-Manson: By Dr. Benway. Archived by Luba Kmetyk at Fonts of Wisdom. Added 8/20/2000!
Violence, disturbing imagery. Charles Xavier was running the X-Men as a cult. Erik Lehnsherr is one of the people interviewed about his experiences with the horrors of Xavier's mansion. Also listed under Apocalypse.
Gnade Macht Frei: By Matt Nute. Archived by Alara Rogers at Alara's Happy-Happy Text Only Site. Added 8/20/2000!
In an alternate, DC-Marvel combined universe, Erik Lehnsherr finds that his old friend Charles has been taken over by the Shadow King. Part of the same series as "Cain vs. Abel, 1976."
Mystique
It's hard to find good stories for Mystique. Most of the tales about her revolve around her relationship to others-- her daughter Rogue, her sons Kurt Wagner and Graydon Creed, the men she's slept with... very few tales seem to deal with Mystique herself. The site I host dedicated to Mystique covers any story featuring Mystique, but here, I will only archive stories that are about Mystique, and don't just feature her as a secondary character for the sake of someone else's tale.
Happiness is a Warm Gun: By BelaLeBeau. Archived by Ro at Ro's Treasury. Temporarily missing.
Mystique and Belladonna in a conflict
A Time For Everything: By BelaLeBeau.
Four short vignettes, one of which features Mystique.
The Other Side: By Diamonde.
Mystique spends time with the legacy-ridden Pyro at Christmas.
Be Longing: By Samy Merchi..
A reunion of Mystique's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
Changing Faces: By Micaela.
The tragic tale of Raven Darkholme's childhood...
No Better Gift: By Micaela.
Raven gives up her son Graydon to what she hopes will be a better life.
A Year In The Life: By Tilman Stieve. Archived by Alykat at Down-Home Charm.
Valerie Cooper and Mystique develop a romantic relationship. Mature themes, but nothing explicit.
A Time For Family: By Elena Zovatto. Archived by Dannell Lites at !Magneto!.
Christmas is a time for Mystique to remember Irene...
Sinister
Nathaniel Essex, aka Mr. Sinister, is one of the few characters who I think was vastly improved when his creator, Chris Claremont, left the X-Books. The majority of Claremont's characterizations were superior to what came after them, but Claremont's vision of Sinister was rather uninspired, and didn't really distinguish him from any other megalomaniac. It was Peter Milligan's take on the character, which transformed him into a modern-day Faust, that sparked my interest in this character. Sinister appears in fanfic a great deal, but rather rarely as anything approaching a sympathetic character... and a lot of the ones that portray him sympathetically also whitewash him. Stories I list here are ones that are well-written and also walk the narrow line between whitewashing Sinister and treating him as a mere evil cipher.
An Essex Family Christmas: By Redhawk.
Nathaniel Essex celebrates Christmas in the 19th century.
Loneliness and the Sinister Soul: By Matt Nute.
Sinister discovers, amidst other important experiments, that Raspberry Jello does not have a sense of humor. Humor.
A Test Of Power: By DR. Archived by Alykat at Down-Home Charm. Added 8/20/2000!
Many mutants across the globe are drawn into a power struggle between Sinister and Apocalypse.
Conversation Between Two Gentlemen - Henry Mulgrew (1858): By Dex. Archived by queenB at The Itty Bitty Archives. Added 8/20/2000!
Nathaniel Essex and a friend converse in 1858.
The Marauders
One of the most popular villain teams in fandom. There's a wide variety of really good stories featuring the Marauders.
In The Light Of The Glimmering Scalpel: By Falstaff. Archived by Kielle at Blood In The Gutter.
What happens when Sinister loses his cool?
Something I Can Never Have: By Ramiel. Archived by Kielle at Blood In The Gutter.
Scalphunter falls in love with Arclight...
Vertigo: No Way Up: By Kielle. Archived by Kielle at Blood In The Gutter.
A classic. One of the first Marauder stories and one of the best, dealing with Vertigo's attempts to free herself from Sinister.
Unholy Alliance: By Kaleidopy. Archived by Kielle at Blood In The Gutter.
In a world where there are no mutants, the Marauders are still hell-raisers.
You Hate: By Matt Nute. Archived by Kielle at Blood In The Gutter.
Scrambler gets an offer to come back to the Marauders for one last mission.
Demons: By Janine Peterson. Archived by Kielle at Blood In The Gutter.
A
very dark tale about Gambit and the Marauders.Prizm's Diary: By Doc Nuke. Archived by Kielle at Blood In The Gutter.
Dark humor about the most breakable Marauder.
Young Marauders In Love: By Indigo. Archived by Kielle at Blood In The Gutter.
What happens when Marauders fall in love?
Apocalypse
There's actually relatively little fanfic that's sympathetic to Apocalypse. I'll be expanding this list as I find more stuff.
The Riddle of Steel: By Alicia McKenzie. Archived by Alicia McKenzie at The Dayspring Archives.
Apocalypse speaks of his relationship with his enemy Cable.
The Chosen People: By Dyce.
An AOA story in which an emissary from Egypt comes to pay tribute to En Sabah Nur.
X-Manson: By Dr. Benway. Archived by Luba Kmetyk at Fonts of Wisdom. Added 8/20/2000!
Violence, disturbing imagery. Charles Xavier was running the X-Men as a cult. En Sabah Nur is the leader of the UN. Also listed under Magneto.
Guess Who's Coming To Dinner: By Persephone. Added 8/20/2000!
Part of Alicia McKenzie's "Shadowlands" series. A kinder, gentler version of En Sabah Nur shows up at the Oasis. Can Cable refrain from killing him? Has a serious plot but is mildly humorous throughout.
Stryfe
There's also not a whole lot of fic that's sympathetic to Stryfe, although the list is growing.
Two Princes: By Alicia McKenzie. Archived by Alicia McKenzie at The Dayspring Archives.
After the defeat of Apocalypse in the future and the departure of Slym and Redd, Nathan Dayspring decides to take his clone Stryfe under his care.
Two Princes: Island In A Sea of Sand: By Alicia McKenzie. Added 8/20/2000!
Sequel to "Two Princes". Stryfe is injured and cannot figure out why Nate is trying to save him.
Stryfe is bitter over being treated as if he's only powerful because he's the High Lord's protege. Warning: contains rape, not explicit but disturbing.
Second Sun: By Persephone. Added 8/20/2000!
Stryfe is also Scott Summers' son.
First Kiss: By Persephone. Added 8/20/2000!
In the middle of battle, Stryfe is rescued by an unknown young woman.
Ashes of Chaos: Break of Dawn: By Persephone and Jaya Mitai. Archived by Luba Kmetyk at Fonts of Wisdom. Added 8/20/2000!
After a battle, an injured Cable and an even more injured Stryfe are brought to Muir Island.
Other X-Men Villains
Hungry for Your Touch: By Amanda Sichter. Archived by Alykat at Down-Home Charm.
Does anyone remember that Rogue used to be a villain? Amanda Sichter does...
Daisho - Fire on Fire: By Redhawk.
Sunfire and the Silver Samurai have a battle in a dojo, with no powers.
A look inside the mind of a villain who rarely gets fics written about him.
Star Warts: By Fred Garber. Archived by Northlight at Inane and Nonsensical.
The Toad battles interstellar evil.
The Trial of Marrow: By Fred Garber.
Before she joined the X-Men, Marrow was a villain. In this fic, she needs to face up to what she did.
Father Knows Best: By Fred Garber.
Agent Henry Gyrich mourns his missing daughter..
Loyalty: By Sigil. Added 8/20/2000!
Exodus and Colossus share a moment of memories.
Tapestry of Fire: By Persephone. Added 8/20/2000!
Proteus returns home to Earth.
Other Sites To Visit
Alara's Now Rather Spiffy Magneto Site: This is my Magneto site, and not to be an egomaniac or anything, but it's sort of the largest and most complete Magneto site on the web. The biggest site I've built, currently.
Alara's Mystique Page: Not nearly as spiffy as the Magneto site, but I try to be pretty complete. Like all my Happy-Happy Text-Only Sites, it hasn't much in the way of graphics.
Blood In The Gutter: Kielle's excellent site featuring the Marauders.
Wildways: Another of Kielle's sites, this one dedicated to Spiral.
Marvel Universe (non-X) Villains:
Dr. Doom
Non Cogito, Non Ergo Sum: By Matt Nute.
A Doombot becomes sentient.
Thunderbolts
Cinderella Vindication: by Dark Mark. Archived by Jim Smith at The Thunderbolts Fan-Fic Archive.
A story of Screaming Mimi's wrestling days.
Sounding Board: by Mike Smith. Archived by Jim Smith at The Thunderbolts Fan-Fic Archive.
Songbird calls together everyone who was ever a Thunderbolt to figure out the team's new direction.
Other Marvel Villains
Normal Like You: By Larissa James. Archived by Kielle at The Wayside. Added 8/20/2000!
The Abomination seeks psychological help from Doc Samson.
What I Never Said: By Larissa James. Archived by Kielle at The Wayside. Added 8/20/2000!
Minor villain Whiplash tells his life story to his son.
DC Superheroes Villains:
The Joker
Decorating Tips From Hell: By Battman.
The Joker gives decorating tips to the Devil.
In The Land of Sane: By Kaylee.
The Joker explains sanity.
Other DC Villains
Lobotomy: by Dark Mark. Archived by DarkMark at DarkMark's Domain.
Lobo meets his match.
The Unfantastic, Uncool and Totally Credible Adventures of Bizarro: by Dark Mark. Archived by DarkMark at DarkMark's Domain.
The adventures of Bizarro, as told by himself.
Other Sites To Visit
Joker: In The Mouth of Madness: A Joker fanfic site.
Other Comics' Villains:
Ozymandias (Watchmen)
Look Upon My Works, Ye Mighty: by Dark Mark. Archived by DarkMark at DarkMark's Domain.
Ozymandias tries to deal with what he has done.