The Top 10 Supervillains & Superheroes That Can Shapeshift
Of all the abilities and powers in comic books, arguably none are as awesome as shapeshifting. I mean, being able to transform into anyone or anything you can think of would be amazing, wouldn’t it?
Now, of all the supervillains and superheroes who can shapeshift (and there are a lot of them), ten stand out above the rest. And here’s why. These ten either shapeshift in different ways, their ability to control the power is on another level, and most are really well-known. No matter the reason, they are the ten best. But who are they? Here are the top 10 supervillains and superheroes that can shapeshift.
List of top 10 supervillains and superheroes that can shapeshift:
10. Everyman
Everyman is a little different from the other supervillains and superheroes who can shapeshift on this list. Unlike most others who can change form after seeing what it is they want to become, Everyman can change form only after tasting that which he wishes to become.
Now, don’t misunderstand this to think that he must eat his enemies. No, instead, he must ingest a small portion of his intended target. This could be something as simple as a strand of hair or a flake of skin. Once he does this, his ability to shapeshift is so great that his genetic code will read just like his targets.
Disgusting? Yes.
Impressive? Yes.
9. Chameleon
The lesser-known of the half brothers (Kraven the Hunter being the more well-known), Dmitri Smerdyakov is a skilled impressionist who took his trade a little too far.
When we first met Chameleon, he wasn’t much more than the aforementioned impressionist. However, after ingesting a serum, Chameleon became one of Marvel’s greatest shapeshifters. Being a shapeshifter wasn’t enough for Chameleon. After mastering his shapeshifting, Chameleon developed a special set of clothes to wear that responded to his brain patterns. This meant that when he changed shape and size, so too do his clothes.
Although he isn’t as known as many of Spider-Man’s other enemies, he has fought alongside most of them.
8. Chameleon Boy
Coming from the planet Durla, Chameleon Boy has the inherent ability to shapeshift. Originally, however, he and his fellow Durlans weren’t born being able to do this.
Let me explain.
At a young age, Reep Daggle (Chameleon Boy) was caught in the middle of an outbreak that culminated in the Six Minute War. As a result of the war, nuclear radiation caused the Durlans to mutate and develop the ability to shapeshift. The shapeshifting did two things for the race. First, it ensured their survival as they were now able to hide in plain sight and second, it placed them firmly in this supervillains and superheroes who can shapeshift list.
7. Miss Martian
Miss Martian has a backstory as tragic as the Titanic. Miss Martian, M’gann M’orzz, is a White Martian who walks around posing as a Green Martian. She does this because of the ongoing war between the White and Green Martians. That is, to avoid conflict and not wanting to be associated with the more violent White Martians, Miss Martian hides her true identity.
Like Martian Manhunter, her shapeshifting can be used whenever she sees fit. Miss Martian is capable of taking on all forms, human, animal and monster alike, can stretch out her limbs, is able to alter the chemical composition of her body, create weapons out of her limbs, and become intangible when she needs to. If it sounds like she’s the immensely powerful female version of Martian Manhunter, it’s because she is.
6. Martian Manhunter
Many, myself included, look at Martian Manhunter as one of the most powerful comic book characters in history. He’s so powerful that he is capable of going toe-to-toe with Superman and waking away as the victor.
Of his many powers, very few are as impressive as his power to shapeshift. Martian Manhunter has such control over his shapeshifting that when he does it, he does it at the cellular level. This means that in addition to taking on another form, his own super strength is enhanced, his body’s density is increased or decreased depending on the situation, and his regeneration is sped up.
If you didn’t know he was one of the superheroes that can shapeshift, remember, he walks the Earth as J’onn J’onnz.
5. The Skrulls
No list of supervillains and superheroes that can shapeshift would be complete without the mention of the Skrulls.
The Skrulls first appeared back in 1962 on the pages of the Fantastic Four #2. At that time it was revealed that they were an alien race capable of mimicking any that they saw. Over time, their power of mimicry became so precise that they were able to successfully capture and replicate many of Earth’s superheroes. Nowhere was this more effective than the Secret Invasion story. The story saw the Skrulls infiltrate and almost take over the Earth. Secret Invasion might have worked had the Skrull posing as Elektra not been killed thereby alerting the heroes of their existence.
4. Copycat
Although you may not recognize the name, Copycat has appeared alongside Ryan Reynolds in the Deadpool movies. Different from the comics, in those movies, she is his girlfriend and played by Morena Baccarin.
Copycat is one of the most powerful shapeshifters in comics. Her power is so strong and precise that she is able to duplicate anyone down to the cellular level. Due to this, she not only replicates appearance, but she can also replicate power, abilities, and mental imprints. Most impressively, after replicating mental imprints, many of the world’s foremost telepaths can’t identify if they are looking at Copycat or the copied.
3. Morph
Although it may not seem obvious, Morph was one of the most popular X-Men characters in the 1990s. Many were introduced to Morph during the acclaimed X-Men The Animated Series run. In the first episode, Morph was the mutant the team had to leave behind after a Sentinel attack. As a result, he was captured and led to hate his former teammates. Although he remained a villain for a while, Morph eventually found his way and rejoined the X-Men.
Morph is one of the preeminent shapeshifters in Marvel. In addition to being able to change his form, Morph can also change his size and voice. Above these, he can also change into everyday items.
2. Beast Boy
Arguably the most famous of all DC’s superheroes that can shapeshift, Beast Boy’s ability to shapeshift is second to none. Different from other shapeshifters, Beast Boy almost always takes the form of animals. The drawback of this (if I can call it that) is that although he can become any animal around, the animals he becomes always retain his green skin.
As you can probably imagine, a man capable of becoming a lion, tiger, or dinosaur at any given moment might pose a huge threat to his enemies. And he does. The limit of Beast Boy’s power is only that of his imagination.
1. Mystique
The mere mention of the words supervillains and superheroes that can shapeshift should conjure up images of the blue-skinned Mystique.
Mystique first appeared in the pages of Ms. Marvel #16 back in 1978. Although initially, she was an enemy of Ms. Marvel, she reached fame as an enemy of the X-Men. Mystique is the adoptive mother of Rogue and the biological mother of both Nightcrawler and Graydon Creed. As a shapeshifter, she is capable of replicating anyone on the planet. This means that in one moment she could look like Kitty Pryde and in the next, Magneto.
And that’s it. The top 10 supervillains and superheroes that can shapeshift. What do you think? Who would make your supervillains and superheroes that can shapeshift list?
