Foil / Marvel Universe

• In The Avengers, Iron Man and Captain America can be seen as foils to each other, especially in Civil War. Cap is a Depression-era, strong-willed, virtuous Cape embodying the eternal resilience of The American Dream, and Iron Man is a rich, neurotic, alcoholic genius constantly scrambling to cope with the flaws of democracy, the possibilities of Police Brutality, American abuses of power, and Corrupt Corporate Executives.
• Black Widow:
  • Elektra. Both are assassins and love interests to Matt Murdock. Both were also ballerinas. However, Black Widow is The Atoner while Elektra flips between being a hero and a villain depending on what she wants. Black Widow relies on conventional weaponry and spy gadgets while Elektra relies on ancient weaponry such as sais and katanas and her Supernatural Martial Arts. Even their looks are a contrast; Elektra has black hair and wears a red Leotard of Power while Natasha has red hair and wears a black Spy Catsuit.
  • Yelena Belova started out as one to Natasha. While Natasha was a Defector from Decadence, Yelena was patriotic to the point of blind devotion. Yelena was also younger and more emotional than the older and reserved Natasha.
• Carol Danvers aka Ms Marvel/Captain Marvel and Rogue are this generally along with Headbutting Heroes. Carol is from Boston and straight-laced, Rogue is from Mississippi and wild. Carol is primarily coloured and blonde, Rogue is green coloured and brunette. Carol has traditionally heroic powers that thanks to a retcon are natural while Rogue has a power that’s associated with villains stealing abilities from other people. Carol is abrasive and bold, Rogue besides some sass is more troubled and atoning. Ironically in modern comics their traits are swapped around, Rogue is generally long haired, sweet and unambiguously heroic like Carol usually is while Carol (especially in Civil War II) is short haired, butch and more flawed and cruel like Rogue once was.
• Captain America and Red Skull. One's a World War II hero and the symbol of the American Dream. The other is the ultimate Nazi. Though in some great irony Cap in appearance and strength fits the Ayran ideal that Red Skull idolises so greatly.
• Daredevil (2022) gives Daredevil an unexpected one in the form of U.S. Agent, Captain America's Anti-Hero counterpart. Daredevil calls Agent an authoritarian who uses fear to force people into submission, while he himself is known as the Man Without Fear. Both were Well Intentioned Extremists, but while Agent worked within the system and prioritized order above all else, Daredevil operated outside of it and his primary concern was helping others no matter the cost.
• Fantastic Four: Reed Richards and Doctor Doom. They have very similar personalities (bossy, arrogant, brilliant, fascinated by science, prone to Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness), with jealousy being the culprit for Doom's Face–Heel Turn-inspiring hatred for Reed. The fundamental difference between them is exemplified by their divergent reactions to their respective Greatest Failures.
• The Incredible Hulk: The Hulk and The Leader, as raw strength contrasting with enhanced intelligence. Also Hulk and Thunderbolt Ross.
• She-Hulk Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk To her cousin Bruce Banner/The Hulk.
  • Bruce is rarely the one in control of his Hulk form, which is more often than not being used by one of his many, many split personalities. Jennifer is almost always in control of her She-Hulk form.
  • Bruce wants more than anything to be normal. Jennifer has in the past done whatever it takes to remain She-Hulk permanently.
  • Hulk represents everything Bruce represses about himself. She-Hulk is everything that Jennifer ever wanted to let out.
• Black Bolt and Maximus. After Maximus's Heel–Face Turn, Vulcan filled the void during War of Kings.
• Iron Man and Mandarin: Being opposites on the Tech vs Magic scale. Additionally, where Tony is the ultimate futurist and is firmly ensconced within capitalism, The Mandarin is a feudalist who longs for a return to the past.
• The Mighty Thor: Thor and Loki — again, one is boisterous and honorable Flying Brick, the other is a malicious trickster.
• Runaways and Young Avengers:
  • They were the two primary teenage teams of Marvel in the '00s. Outside the fact that they're both powered crimefighters in the teenage range filled with a wide assortment of power types and origins, they contrast each other greatly. The Runaways did not jump at the call, they were shoved, on the other hand, the Young Avengers all became superheroes with the full intent and desire to be. Runaways eschew many of the tropes associated with the genre, as in they don't have costumes or codenames (their attempts to adopt them fell flat). In contrast, the Young Avengers are a much more traditional superhero team complete with costumes and codenames. Runaways always had more females than males, while the Young Avengers (being the more traditional team) always had more males than females, adhering to Two Girls to a Team. Runaways have a villainous lineage involving their parents and trying to atone for their sins. For comparison, the Young Avengers take on heroic legacies. Runaways were based in Los Angeles, Young Avengers were based in New York City.
  • This is highlighted in the Civil War event, where the two crossed over for the first time. While both were opposed to the Superhuman Registration Act, they entered and ended the war in different ways. The Young Avengers, based in New York, were in the epicenter of the conflict and were acutely aware of the act from the beginning, and in fact were captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. while fighting against it, but rescued by Captain America and recruited into the Secret Avengers. Whereas the Runaways, based in Los Angeles, had comparatively few superhumans and were far away from the resistance, unable to make their presence felt, and it was only when S.H.I.E.L.D. were deployed to LA to capture West Coast superhumans did they take action. Upon meeting each other, it was a rocky start as the Young Avengers wanted to help and recruit the other to the Anti-Reg side, but the Runaways distrusted them, leading to a clash of egos (the Runaways weren't exactly fond of the Young Avengers beforehand, either). In the end, they were able to work together and parted on amicable terms. However, the Runaways decided they wanted no part in the conflict afterwards and became neutral, whereas the Young Avengers stayed as part of the war until the very end.
• Silver Surfer and Mephisto. One is pretty much the personification of the devil, and hates the other just because he's so damn good.
• Spider-Man:
  • Spider-Man/Peter Parker and Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, where the foil occurs in their completely different characters and social status.
    • Also applies to Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus after Octavius spent some time acting as the 'superior Spider-Man' while in Peter Parker's body, as Octavius finally chose to sacrifice his existence to restore Peter when he accepted that he bragged about his own superiority to conceal hi awareness of his own flaws while Peter accepted his responsibility quietly to take on what burdens he could.
  • Rounding out the trio of Spidey's big three villains is Venom Eddie Brock. They bear the same power set, even through similar circumstances, but they have different upbringings: Peter was raised by his aunt and uncle after his parents' deaths, while Eddie only had his father to try and earn even basic respect from. Both fight criminals as well, though while Spider-Man believes in Comes Great Responsibility and holds a Thou Shalt Not Kill code, Venom blatantly ignores said responsibilities and prides in lethal force, killing even basic muggers in a delusional belief in justice. Lastly, Spider-Man is vividly colored, with Venom being Deliberately Monochrome.
  • The Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows: Annie has one in Normie Osborn pre-time skip. Where she grew up with both her powers in a loving family that includes a retired Superhero, Normie spent the first years of his life with his father Harry Osborn as the Green Goblin and his mother becoming an Evil Matriarch after Harry died saving Peter once. And where Annie grew up naturally developing her powers, Normie's been giving himself small doses of the goblin formula. Overall, Annie was a happy child, while Normie was a Creepy Child fueled by revenge.
• Reed Richards and Victor Van Damme from Ultimate Fantastic Four both share a similar backstory, suffering at the hands of abusive fathers, pouring all their energy into science at a young age. Unlike Victor, however, Reed had a loving mother and younger sister, as well as a best friend in the form of Ben Grimm, which kept his life from being a living hell. Ultimate Mystery and Ultimate Doom shows us that even a loving mother, sister and best friend isn't enough to keep Reed from going over the deep end to the point where the heroes are wondering if he's just Doom II.
• X-Men and all anti-mutant organizations. Charles Xavier and Magneto, as well. Former friends with similar goals (acceptance for mutants), but vastly different philosophies and methodologies (helping humanity and proving their worth in the process vs. warring against humanity and overthrowing or exterminating them).
  • The Morlocks are also this. One of the biggest complaints their leader Callisto has about the X-Men is that they are mostly made up of super powerful, attractive people who live in a mansion, while the Morlocks are deformed, freakish people living in sewers whose mutations physically limit them.
  • James "Logan" Howlett and Scott Summers have always had a relationship like this, though it goes deeper than it might appear at first glance. Wolverine is a scruffy loner who wears his rage on his sleeve, Cyclops is a clean-cut leader known for his stoic personality and his deeply repressed self-doubt; Wolverine is a skilled hand-to-hand brawler with brute strength on his side, Cyclops is a cold strategist with a long-range laser cannon built into his eyes; Wolverine is a veteran soldier and former mercenary who was Walking the Earth for years before he met the X-Men, Cyclops grew up at the Xavier Institute through his awkward adolescent years; Wolverine remains aloof from the team, Cyclops sees them as his only true family; Wolverine turns out to have a surprisingly idealistic heart under his gruff exterior, Cyclops turns out to be surprisingly manipulative and calculating under his respectable exterior.