Let’s be real: Marvel’s villains were not, for many years, the studio’s greatest strength. For each scene-stealing Loki, three generic villains were just there so the hero had someone to throw punches at during the climactic final act. But when Marvel does get a villain right? They totally get it right. From complicated antiheroes to crazy masterminds to men and women whose intentions make us squirm because they’re not wrong per se, the MCU has presented us with some all-time great villains. So, in good fan tradition, here are the 10 greatest MCU villains, counted down in reverse order, according to their impact, depth, and that all-elusive “love to hate them” factor.
10. Ultron
Ultron had all the right elements: James Spader’s menacing voice, a twisted concept of “peace,” and enough strength to destroy human existence. Although his scheme in Age of Ultron reduced to “drop a city on people,” his existence left an indelible impact, including the Sokovia Accords, the creation of Vision, and even a broken Avengers unit. Ultron may have been vanquished, but his darkness still haunts.
9. Mysterio (Quentin Beck)
Jake Gyllenhaal infused Quentin Beck with style and danger as the resentful former Stark staffer with a toolbox of deceptions. Manipulative, charming, and theatrical to the very end, Mysterio inflicted a lasting scar by turning Peter Parker’s life inside out. That game-changing cliffhanger at the end of Far From Home? MCU gold, pure and simple.
8. Hela
Cate Blanchett’s Hela didn’t step into Thor: Ragnarok; she strode in. She destroyed Mjolnir in a matter of seconds and decimated Asgard’s forces with horror-inducing ease, and she was the goddess of death with designer flair to match. Hela showed that Marvel baddies could be as deadly as they were dazzling.
7. The Winter Soldier (Bucky Barnes)
Bucky’s stint as the Winter Soldier provided us with one of Marvel’s most sadistic yet frightening villains. Cold, effective, and merciless, he pushed Steve Rogers to his emotional limit. What makes him unique, however, is that under the brainwashing lies still a shattered best friend trying to break through.
6. Vulture (Adrian Toomes)
Michael Keaton made Adrian Toomes into the MCU’s most realistic and terrifying villain. A blue-collar laborer-turned-criminal kingpin, Vulture was driven not by conquest but by necessity. That auto chase scene with Peter Parker? Still one of the franchise’s most unsettling moments.
5. Loki
The god of trickery is Marvel’s first scene-stealer. Whether plotting to take over Earth, pretending to be dead, or wreaking havoc for kicks, Loki has stayed endlessly engaging. Due to Tom Hiddleston’s charm, he transitioned from bad guy to reluctant hero and back again–firmly establishing himself as one of Marvel’s favorite characters.
4. Helmut Zemo
No superpowers. No armor. Just a broken man with a plan, and he succeeded. In Civil War, Zemo didn’t battle the Avengers; he fractured them from the inside out. Fueled by sorrow and vengeance, he became one of the MCU’s greatest villains simply by outwitting Earth’s mightiest heroes.
3. Honorable Mentions: Green Goblin, Namor & Wanda Maximoff
Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin in No Way Home is madcap perfection, foreboding, tragic, and indelible. Namor added regal gravitas and conflicted motivation to Wakanda Forever, walking the thin line between villain and guardian. And Wanda, shattered by loss, went completely Scarlet Witch in Multiverse of Madness, frightening us even as we sympathized with her.
2. Killmonger (Erik Stevens)
Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger isn’t merely one of Marvel’s greatest villains; he’s one of its greatest characters, period. His agony, his anger, and his vision for Wakanda make him a villain you nearly find yourself rooting against. Merciless yet relatable, he is everything a great villain should be.
1. Thanos
The Mad Titan was the ultimate reward of Marvel’s long game, and he did not disappoint. Unlike most of them, Thanos prevailed, and in doing so, became an instant pop culture icon. He was more than brute strength; he was a philosopher with a chilling conviction that he was protecting the universe. And when he snapped half of all life out of the universe, he gave us one of the greatest moments of superhero cinema history.
It’s not about flashy abilities or sweet suits. The greatest Marvel villains stick around because they’re multidimensional, driven, and fleshed out by iconic performances. Some, such as Loki and Zemo, operate through brains. Some, such as Thanos and Hela, overwhelm through brute force. And some, such as Killmonger and Wanda, leave us wondering where exactly the villain/victim line is drawn. Marvel has its fair share of stinkers (sorry, Malekith), but when they do manage, the bad guys become every bit as legendary as the heroes they oppose.