We're less than a month away from Phase 5 beginning, and with Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania set to put the spotlight on Kang the Conqueror, all eyes are on Jonathan Major when it comes to what he brings to the table as this big bad.
If Loki was any indication, we're in for a fun ride, especially as this is the first of many Kang Variants we're likely to meet in the coming years. However, looking back at Phase 4, Majors faces some stiff competition if he hopes to truly rival Thanos. Then again, there are also a few villains he could outshine by just showing up on set!
Yes, the first wave of stories in The Multiverse Saga was a mixed bag, as were their baddies. In this feature, we're singling out 5 of our favourites along with the three worst additions to the MCU who were, in all honesty, so bad that we never want to see them again.
To take a look through this feature, all you guys need to do is tap that "Next" button below!
5. The Kingpin
Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk only played a very minor role in Hawkeye, but c'mon, The Kingpin is back, baby! Not only did the Daredevil villain return in this Disney+ series, but he did so with a major power upgrade.
With Marvel Studios clearly unwilling to be beholden to creative decisions made by Marvel Television, D'Onofrio came back a little larger and considerably stronger, pulling a car door off its hinges with ease. We don't know if he's taken Power Broker's Super Soldier Serum or is just really strong, but Hawkeye nailed how this character should be portrayed on screen.
Daredevil: Born Again can't get here soon enough, and the fact even an Avenger, Clint Barton, is afraid of him says a lot about what a threat the MCU's Kingpin is.
4. Scarlet Witch
We know the decision to portray the Scarlet Witch in a villainous light was controversial, but we can surely all agree that Wanda Maximoff made for a terrifying threat in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
It's hard not to question Marvel Studios' decision to take the character from where we last saw her in WandaVision to this point, though the Darkhold corrupting her at least goes some way in better explaining this approach. Regardless of whether she was tearing apart the Illuminati or making Doctor Strange look like a chump, the Scarlet Witch was a great baddie.
Still, we eagerly anticipate her redemption arc. Taking Wanda down such a dark route was fun...the response from fans, however, suggests it's not something they want to see again.
3. Wenwu
It would be unfair to say we had low expectations for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, but considering the fact he's a relatively obscure character, none of us really knew what to expect from this one. Well, it proved to be one of Phase 4's best movies and introduced a villain, Wenwu, who ranks among the MCU's best.
While undeniably evil, the fact his mission was so relatable made Shang-Chi's father stand out from the crowd, and Wenwu was formidable enough to make us really worry for the master of martial arts.
A formidable fighter and someone powerful enough to make even the mightiest heroes quake in their boots, we only wish Tony Leung had been given the opportunity to square off with Iron Man before his demise in Avengers: Endgame.
2. Namor
By no means a full-fledged villain, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's Namor very much falls into the category of "antagonist" after taking aim at Shuri and Riri Williams.
Like Wenwu, a compelling origin story and understandable motivations meant it was easy to empathise with Talocan's ruler, even if his actions were often quite sinister. By the time all was said and done, he was defeated by the new Black Panther, but still plotting to bring war to the surface world when the opportunity arises.
We anticipate Namor being a major threat down the line, even if he toes the line between hero and villain in the coming years. A fascinating character brought to life perfectly by Tenoch Huerta, he deserves to place this highly.
1. Green Goblin
Spider-Man: No Way Home featured a lot of great villains, but Willem Dafoe blew them all out of the water with his return as the Green Goblin. A little more screentime would have been no bad thing (Norman ditched his mask far too quickly), but the actor made every second count.
Completely unhinged and legitimately frightening, the Goblin proved to be Spidey's toughest foe to date, dealing a killing blow to Peter's Aunt May and very nearly taking out everyone's favourite Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man, Tobey Maguire.
An absolute beast, the Goblin may have been a one-and-done villain after he was cured, but we're not remotely surprised this threequel confirmed the MCU doesn't have its own Norman because how could any other actor top what we saw here?
And now, the three villains we never want to see again...
3. Gorr The God Butcher
We wish we didn't have to say this, but the ball was dropped on Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder in a big way. Filmmaker Taika Waititi is more to blame for that than Christian Bale, with the former Batman not given the material he needed to really steal the show as this villain.
The actor brought some undeniably interesting ideas to the table, but so many of his scenes were cut, it felt like he was popping in and out of this movie as a bizarre caricature of sorts.
It's also hard not to take issue with how Gorr was portrayed visually, something Bale did have input on. Heading down the same alien route as his comic book counterpart would have been wiser, as this version simply looked like the Oscar winner in a lot of bad makeup!
2. Flag Smasher
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier was a good TV series, even if we remain unsure how necessary it was for Sam Wilson's decision to become Captain America to play out over six episodes.
Still, there was a lot to love along the way, including the introduction of U.S. Agent and some hard-hitting messages that really helped the show stand out. Unfortunately, we have nothing good to say about Flag Smasher or any of the boring, nondescript Super Soldiers who followed Erin Kellyman's Karli Morgenthau into battle.
The villain's motivations were okay, but Kellyman isn't a great actress, and Flag Smasher was utterly forgettable. Can you even remember how her story ended? Do you care? Simply put, this entire group was far too generic.
1. Najma
Ms. Marvel received rave reviews, and rightly so. While the changes to the comic books were understandably divisive, Iman Vellani was a highlight and the MCU now has a great new superhero.
Unfortunately, had critics got to see all six episodes in advance, we have a feeling that Rotten Tomatoes score would have been very different. The Clandestine were awful villains and, while many of you won't appreciate this, they'd be a better fit for a show like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. rather than a big budget MCU venture.
Najma was their leader, and had a personality that jumped all over the place. One minute, she deeply cared for her son, the next she didn't. Oh, and let's not forget how Najma went from wanting to befriend Kamala Khan to immediately trying to kill her thanks to a text message.