The Marvel Cinematic Universe has obviously told the stories of some incredible, mighty and amazing heroes over the past 14 years. However, a big part of the reason those stories are so great, is the unforgettable villains against whom they have been pitted.
Ranking all of those villains is a pretty daunting task, so I figured we could take a look at what I consider to be the top 10. This is a very difficult list to… assemble, but I did my best. There are just so many great baddies to choose from, so narrowing the list down to 10 was a challenge in and of itself. Ranking them after that was even harder. So, here are my top 10 MCU villains.
10. Agatha Harkness
I’ll be honest, I surprised myself with this one. However, being memorable is definitely a quality you want in a great villain and I challenge you to get “Agatha All Along” out of your head now. We’re going to remember Agatha for a very long time, not just because of the catchy tune but also her role in the show. Kathryn Hahn was great and the nosey neighbor was hilarious and lovable throughout most of WandaVision until she stabbed us all in the back with the reveal that her plan was always to steal Wanda’s powers. Plus, she killed Sparky, and that’s not ok.
9. Alexander Pierce
Speaking of villains who were revealed with a twist, Alexander Pierce was the leader of Hydra as it grew within S.H.I.E.L.D. Played brilliantly by Robert Redford, Pierce is was that hands-off, calculating villain that you don’t often find in superhero movies. Tricking Nick Fury and Captain America and mentally manipulating Bucky for so many years make him one of the top villains in the MCU. And, for the record, it helps that he is the antagonist of the MCU’s best film.
8. Mysterio
Another “twist” of a villain, this was one of the worst-kept secrets in MCU history but Mysterio was still a lot of fun. Jake Gyllenhaal was fantastic, first playing the friend and mentor to Peter Parker and eventually as the sinister villain. Mysterio was a character I had questions about for a long time in terms of how they would adapt him for the big screen. I think they nailed it, using technology to explain his illusions.
7. Zemo
Even as I am writing this right now, I still want to move Zemo higher up this list. There are just too many great villains ahead of him. Zemo was the highlight of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and he was really just a supporting character in that series. He was also chill-inducing in Captain America: Civil War, in which he was another one of those hands-off villains while also managing to be very relatable. Daniel Bruhl has been fantastic and I hope we get to see a lot more of him in the MCU. Especially his dance moves.
6. Red Skull
There have been few thorns in the side of our heroes as prevalent as Hydra, so the guy who started it all has to be high on this list. One of the most iconic Marvel villains throughout the history of comics was perfectly executed on the big screen by Hugo Weaving. The only downside to this character is that it appears we’ve seen the last of him, given that he was left as the keeper of the Soul Stone. Then again, the existence of the multiverse means anything is possible.
5. Hela
The goddess of death had to make this list. Thor had been built up as one of the true heavy hitters in the MCU leading up to Ragnarok, which then opened with him making short work of Surtur. So to see his sister return and, within seconds, catch and destroy Mjolnir, was a very powerful scene. Cate Blanchett was, of course, fantastic not only creating a compelling character but also accomplishing the seemingly impossible task of becoming a believable challenge for Chris Hemsworth’s Thor.
4. Killmonger
There may not be a more relatable villain that Killmonger. Black Panther was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture for a lot of reasons, but Michael B. Jordan’s performance was certainly one of them. He was such a compelling character because you understood his motivations but watch as he goes about his mission all wrong. He actually plays as big a role in the character development of T’Challa as any other character in the film.
3. Green Goblin
Sometimes a villain is great because they make you hate them. If there’s a villain we all hate more right now than Norman Osborn, I don’t know who it is. Willem Dafoe’s reprisal of his character from 20 years ago was somehow leaps and bounds better than the original. Plus Spider-Man: No Way Home quickly did away with that Power Rangers-esque look for the villain from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man and gave us a much more comic-accurate look. And we are never going to forget Aunt May’s death, nor will we forgive to Goblin for causing it.
2. Loki
Look, not many villains prove to be so popular that they eventually get to be the hero of their own series. And even before that, Loki was the primary antagonist of both Thor and The Avengers and had big roles to play in both Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok. So we have had more time to get to know Loki than most characters in the MCU. Tom Hiddleston has become one of the most popular actors in the world and he has done the same for the character.
1. Thanos
I don’t think there was ever any doubt. The guy wiped out half of all life in the universe. More importantly, he gave us an ending unlike anything we had ever seen – by making the heroes lose. Josh Brolin brought the character to life in an amazing way and Marvel did one of the biggest comic arcs of all-time justice by giving Thanos two movies to really shine. Thanos will go down as one of the greatest villains not only in the MCU but cinematic history in general. And the thing that puts him over the top is the fact his reasoning is sound. You may not agree with his mission, but it’s logical. He may not be relatable, with his god-like power, but you can absolutely see where he’s coming from and that makes him a compelling villain.
What do you think of these rankings of the MCU’s villains? Be sure to check back for more rankings like this in the future.