Bring on the Bad Guys: Origins of the Marvel Comics Villains

by Stan Lee

Now back in print and timed for its 50th anniversary—the landmark book Bring on the Bad Guys by Stan Lee!

Originally published in 1976, Bring on the Bad Guys was the follow-up to the hits Origins of Marvel Comics and Son of Origins of Marvel Comics. This book features the first appearances of characters who have dominated the pantheon of Marvel’s modern storytelling mythology—Doctor Doom, the Red Skull, Green Goblin, Dormammu, Abomination, Loki, and Mephistor—all hand-picked and introduced by the one and only Stan Lee, and serving as an essential showcase for writers and artists such as Stan himself, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Romita, and Marie Severin. Whether viewed as a historical artifact that launched an industry of presenting Marvel Comics to a broad audience of fans or a collection of the best in Bronze Age comics by many of the greatest creators to ever put pencil to paper, Bring on the Bad Guyss highlights both the lasting greatness of these iconic characters as well as the monumental contributions of the talented creators who launched an entire storytelling universe.

256 pages, Paperback

Published October 6, 2026

About the author

Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber) was an American writer, editor, creator of comic book superheroes, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.

With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.