Yeah, I know. There’s been a flood of criticism surrounding the villains of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Really, the MCU as a whole has had its fair share of naysayers. But, they seem to have taken notice, as Marvel villains are starting to get better and better. If you’re like me, you love a good bad guy, so let’s consider this a case study in the most fun aspect of the modern super hero movie: the villain.
The only real ground rule here: I didn’t count Dormammu. He just hasn’t been featured enough. I was incredibly pleased with how they handled him in the first installment of Doctor Strange – a tough property to pull off to begin with – but he hasn’t done enough yet to warrant serious consideration. That could change in the future.
Let’s kick this off by talking about the absolute worst of the worst.
The Absolute Worst
Malekith was incredibly disappointing in Thor: The Dark World. The second installment of the Thor saga was hindered by the dull presence of this boring villain. James Spader brought a lot of potential to Ultron, but he was not the threat to The Avengers the character was in the comics. By the end of The Avengers: Age of Ultron, the character was a joke. As bad as they were, nothing was as bad as Iron Man 3’s Mandarin – easily the worst villain in the entirety of this franchise.
Meh
Arnim Zola could have been so much more, and while we’re discussing Captain America villains, Hugo Weaving’s Red Skull disappointed as well. Both could have been iconic roles, but were painted into a typical villain corner. I remember liking Ant Man’s Yellowjacket, but honestly, the role didn’t do enough to stand out in the grand scheme of the MCU. Kaecilius was an alright foil for Doctor Strange, but as the heading of this section would suggest, “meh.” Do we even count Shocker from Spiderman: Homecoming here?? *shrugs*
Iron Monger, or Obadiah Stane, from Iron Man was serviceable at the time, but has the disadvantage of being the first villain in this series. They’ve gotten a lot bigger, badder, and better since then. Nebula was a strong villain in the Guardians of the Galaxy saga, but was rather one-dimensional – motivated solely by anger and the promise of vengeance. Finally, man – shout out to Crossbones. He could’ve been a cool bad guy, but wasn’t really featured. He’d make the list if not for his limited role Captain America: Civil War.
A lot of people hated the Black Order, or Children of Thanos, from Avengers: Infinity War, but I actually didn’t mind them. I know they’re incredibly powerful beings in the comics, and the crew made them look like glorified henchmen in IW. But, hey – the Avengers needed some wins to make them look credible and they got those by taking out the Black Order.
Also, after Ant-Man and the Wasp, keep an eye on Sonny Burch. That dude is comin’ with something.
Bumped from the List
Ivan Vanko – Some blend of Whiplash and Crimson Dynamo from the comics, Mickey Rourke’s portrayal of Vanko in Iron Man 2 was nothing short of excellent. He came across as a legitimate threat to Tony Stark and looked cool doing it. “He killed my bird.”
Justin Hammer – I can’t put this any simpler….how can anyone deny the pure charisma of Sam Rockwell?
Yondu – Is Yondu bad? Is he good? I think the time he spent as an antagonist in Guardians of the Galaxy warrants his spot on the list. He’d definitely be higher if he was more of a pure villain. But, like a lot of the characters in GOTG, Yondu operates somewhere in the gray area between good and evil. Still, a damn cool bad guy when he’s playing one.
Ulysses Klaue – People don’t realize it, but Andy Serkis’ Klaw has been kicking around in the MCU since Avengers: Age of Ultron. That’s some real longevity for a baddy in this universe. Klaw has been an electric, behind-the-scenes agent of chaos. Especially for the Black Panther.
Abomination – Of all of the “monster” types, Abomination from The Incredible Hulk is the gold standard. He’s intimidating, destructive, and terrifying – the perfect opponent for Hulk.
The Top 10
10. Aldrich Killian – Guy Pearce was phenomenal as Aldrich Killian in Iron Man 3. At one point, Killian was a disabled scientist, but that damn Extremis virus sure is something else, huh? It turned him into a super-charged evil doer capable of bringing down Iron Man.
9. Baron Zemo – Unlike a lot of the MCU villains, Zemo didn’t possess extraordinary super powers. Instead, he used his keen intellect to worm his way into resurrecting the Winter Soldier in Captain America: Civil War. I doubt his involvement in the MCU is over with.
8. Ego – It’s early, sure, but Kurt Russell’s Ego is instantly one of the best villains in the MCU. The only Celestial we’ve actually encountered, Ego is incredibly powerful. But, it’s his smooth charm, wit, and poetic explanation of Looking Glass’ hit “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” that is most mesmerizing.
7. Ronan the Accuser – The primary antagonist in Guardians of the Galaxy was the prototypical maniacal villain. There was something about Ronan that felt classic and original. Plus, the dude held a damn Infinity Stone without immediately exploding.
6. Ghost – It feels weird to even put Ghost on this list. Ant-Man and the Wasp was such a rich standalone story with so many ancillary plot lines, that it wasn’t as simple as ‘hero vs. villain.’ I think it’s fair to argue that Sonny Burch is the only true villain in this movie. Ghost actually comes away looking sympathetic in the end, but since she’s still technically an antagonist for most of the film, she has to count, right? Plus, she’s an outright badass.
5. Winter Soldier – I know he’s a hero now, but man – when he made his debut in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, he was a lethal weapon. A highly skilled combatant and elite assassin, what made him fascinating was his complete detachment from self. There was a clear divide between Bucky Barnes and The Winter Soldier, but it was completely out of his hands.
4. Thanos – Josh Brolin is simply fantastic as Thanos, but there’s still just a bit too much “comic book” in him for him to compete with the top three on this list. As far as a threat to the Avengers, yeah – he’s #1. But, as far as being a rich, deep character, we just haven’t seen that out of him. We’ll see.
3. Erik Killmonger – Don’t call me a hater. I loved Killmonger. I just wish we got a little more time with him. That’s why I’m not willing to call him the greatest MCU villain yet like other people are. But, Michael B. Jordan was great in the role, and the character had real potential staying power. Had – oops..sorry, spoiler alert.
2. Vulture – Michael Keaton’s Vulture is the most relatable villain in MCU history. Plain and simple, Spiderman: Homecoming told the story of a guy who had been burned, and was taking back what was rightfully his. Thing is, you could totally see reason in his motives. Marvel has never had a more grounded-in-reality villain who wasn’t just bad for the sake of being bad.
1. Loki – Is there really any other option at this spot? Tom Hiddleston’s portrayal of the Asgardian God of Mischief (official title, I believe) is spot on. He’s calm, cool, and cunning, and has become just as much of a staple of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as The Avengers themselves. He is the quintessential Marvel villain.
Disagree with my list? Hit me up in the comment section, nerds.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
Buy our shirt. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Listen on SoundCloud. Watch on YouTube. Shop our store on Redbubble.
