For my first article in a long time I've decided to rank the MCU movie villains from worst to best. Next year we’ll finally meet Thanos but in the meantime I wanted to share my opinion of the previous MCU baddies. (Obviously I can't say anything about Black Panther’s Killmonger.) I've only included one villain from each movie, ie. the villain that fights the hero(es) in the end. This is only my opinion and I know that most people won't agree. (Thor: Ragnarok SPOILERS ahead!)
16. Mandarin/Killian (Iron Man 3)
Iron Man 3 is my least favorite MCU film. I liked the first half but then we had the ‘Manderin twist’. For me it completely ruined the movie. Turning the brilliant Ben Kingsley into an idiot and a fraud was a waste. Guy Pearce was great but Killian is no Mandarin so he stills gets the bottom spot.
15. Abomination (The Incredible Hulk
Tim Roth was great as Emil Blonsky but in the end the Abomination was a bit of a letdown. I loved the design and hope that he returns at some point as part of the Masters of Evil.
14. Whiplash (Iron Man 2)
Mickey Rourke’s Whiplash was great to begin with when he attacked Tony at the racetrack. Sadly he turns into another guy-in-metal-suit by the end of the movie.
13. Malekith (Thor: The Dark World)
Christopher Eccleston’s evil dark elf controls an Infinity stone with ease and posses a major threat to Thor and company as well as the rest of the universe. He also causes the death of Frigga, the mother of Thor and Loki. It took the combined efforts of Thor and Loki to take him down.
12. Iron Monger (Iron Man)
The first MCU villain is also the best Iron Man movie foe. Jeff Bridges makes a good evil business man and the bald look suits him. It's too bad the Iron Monger didn't get more time to shine.
11. Dormammu (Doctor Strange)
You could argue that Kaecilius is the villain of the movie but Dormammu is the one who fights Strange face-to-giant-face in the end. Even though he spends most of the movie behind the scenes he is still responsible for Kaecilius’ actions. He’s extremely powerful and Strange needed an Infinity stone to trick him. Hopefully he'll return in full body in a sequel.
10. Red Skull (Captain America: The First Avenger)
Hugo Wearing’s Red Skull is pretty accurate to the comics – evil, smart, cunning and disfigured. Since the Tesseract transported him somewhere at the end of the movie he might show up again most likely in Infinity War or its sequel. However if Weaving won't be willing to reprise the role it might be best to let him go. Maybe the Avengers could come across his dead body somewhere in space.
9. Winter Soldier & Alexander Pierce (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
Since Bucky is brainwashed I've included both him and Pierce. You can't to wrong with Robert Redford and while Pierce might not seem very threatening to begin with he soon proves to be one of the biggest foes in the MCU to date. He organizes the fall of SHIELD and rise of HYDRA by playing a double game for years and probably ordered the deaths of Tony’s parents too. Sebastian Stan does an equally job as the tormented brainwashed assassin who goes on to steal the show in Civil War.
8. Ego (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2)
Probably the most personal enemy in the MCU. When it was revealed that Ego would be Quill's father I thought it was odd but the casting of Kurt Russell made it a great match. The story of him fathering children all over the universe and then killing them when they didn't possess the power he sought was chilling and interesting. That and giving Peter's mother cancer makes him one of coldest and evil villains in the Marvel movies. (He’s also by far the biggest.)
7. Ronan (Guardians of the Galaxy)
Ronan didn't really get that much to do, probably because the movie needed to introduce all five members of the Guardians. But I still really liked Lee Pace’s take on the Kree accuser. He handles both an Infinity stone and Thanos without fear and fights for the honor of his people. It's too bad that he was killed of and won't get the chance to become a more heroic character like his comic book counterpart.
6. Vulture (Spider-Man: Homecoming)
I didn't like Homecoming all that much but one thing I did like was Michael Keaton’s Vulture. While I’m not a fan of how they turned him into Liz’ dad it did work for the movie. He’s just an ordinary guy who wants to provide for his family, not someone who tries to take over the world. His respect for Peter by the end of the film was something new and refreshing for an MCU villain.
5. Ultron (Avengers: Age of Ultron)
At first I was bummed out that Tony would be creating Ultron (with help from Bruce) and not Hank Pym but in the end it worked for the movie. This Ultron does show a little more humanity than the comic book version – he makes jokes, gets upset and feels sad. His plan was actually really simple yet totally devastating for mankind. Not before or since has it taken the effort of so many to stop a villain. He’s also the only one to have killed an Avenger. (Both these things will probably change when Thanos arrives.)
4. Zemo (Captain America: Civil War)
When I learned that Daniel Brühl was cast as Zemo I was exited. I know him from both German and international movies. He remains the only villain to actually ‘win’. He executes his plan perfectly and manages to split the Avengers in two. I was disappointed that he didn't wear something similar to his comic book counterpart but then again it wouldn't have made sense in the story. Thankfully he didn't die in the movie so if might reappear somewhere down the line maybe leading the Masters of Evil.
3. Yellowjacket (Ant-Man)
Corey Stoll’s Yellowjacket might not be a ground breaking villain in terms of story or motivation but he more than makes us for that with charisma and design – another bad guy has yet to top Yellowjacket’s awesome design. The end fight between the microscopic adversaries is so inventive and entertaining and imo still the best final fight in the MCU.
2. Loki (Thor + The Avengers)
Loki has a certain advantage over the other villains as he is the only character to be the main antagonist more than once. Tom Hiddleston’s performance is superb and he manages to be evil, amusing, cunning and sometimes friendly at the same time. It'll be very interesting to find out whether he’ll stand with Thor and the Avengers or side with Thanos in Infinity War. Why did he take the Tesseract (which I assume he did)? For himself or for Thanos?
1. Hela (Thor: Ragnarok)
Cate Blanchett was an inspired choice for Hela. Most know her from the LotR and Hobbit movies where she's a benevolent character. Hela is the exact opposite. Ruthless, powerful and sometimes funny is the perfect combination for the first main female bad guy. Not even Thor, Loki and the Hulk could defeat her. Only by causing Ragnarok could she be stopped. My hope is that she didn't die and will return. Otherwise it would be a bit of a waste. She could stand in for Lady Death as the woman Thanos admires and loves above all else. It might be easier than explaining Death as a character in the films. If she doesn't come back in Infinity War I still hope she will at some point. If there's a fourth Thor movie it would be cool if he visited Hela’s underworld.
Villains for future movies
Here's a couple of villains I’m hoping will make an appearance at some point. I've excluded all Spider-Man foes - that's a list for another time.
In no particular order...
Amora the Enchantress – A major Thor enemy who hasn't even been mentioned yet (despite her sister appearing in Agents of SHIELD). She's almost as powerful as Loki but motivated by her love for Thor instead of jealousy and entitlement. She's often accompanied by Skurge but that's not possible after the events of Ragnarok. However she's more than capable of fighting for herself or as a member of the Masters of Evil.
Shuma-Gorath – Everyone who has played Capcom’s Marvel games knows this cosmic squid. In the comics he’s not only bigger but also far more powerful. He is based on the monsters in the stories by H. P. Lovecraft. He’s an ancient conqueror from another dimension and a perfect foe for Doctor Strange or the Avengers.
The real Mandarin – The real Mandarin was referenced in the ‘All Hail the King’ short. If he never appears it creates a little plot hole. He’s the most important Iron Man villain and has a wide array of powers through his ten magical rings. If Iron Man 4 was ever made the Mandarin would be the perfect foe. His magic powers would be a nice change for the typical tech based bad guys that Tony has faced in his solo movies. (The movie could also include an appearance from the ancient dragon Fin Fang Foom.)
Annihilus and Kang the Conqueror would also be awesome but that won't happen unless a deal is made over the rights.
That's all for now.
Thanks for reading.
Feel free to comment :)