Every Marvel Villain Ranked From God-Awful To God-Tier

Praying that Thanos can *snap* half of these away.

The MCU has a lot of movies now — some are really good, and some are Thor: The Dark World. We’ve now been introduced to a wide spectrum of villains, and for every Loki, there is an Ivan Vanko waiting for his bird.

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These villains can really make or break the movie they’re in. I’ve decided to include the main villains for each movie — so sorry, no room for you, Children of Thanos.

31. Malekith in Thor: The Dark World

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Where do I begin? Actually, let’s just not. I don’t even remember what he wants because he is the least memorable of the villains around. The film as a whole didn’t help, but I don’t ever want to see his face or great hair again.  

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30. The Mandarin in Iron Man 3

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

I mean, he’s not technically a villain but he masquerades as one for half a film. He’s only here because of the immense levels of disappointment we all felt when he was revealed to be Trevor Slattery. Thank you Shang-Chi, for helping to sort that out. He is pretty funny though.

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29. Abomination in The Incredible Hulk

Universal Pictures

The Abomination is a really fitting name for this villain and it nicely extends to the film. Tim Roth is predictably good, but Abomination is just there to give something for Hulk to hit. We recently saw him come back in Shang-Chi, but the damage has already been done.  

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28. Whiplash in Iron Man 2

Paramount Pictures

Walking around like an electrified Indiana Jones, Whiplash is pretty bad by MCU standards. It’s a shame really because he only really wanted something quite simple. Bird.

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27. Dormammu in Dr Strange

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

In the comics, he’s amazing—the film not so much. He’s just really forgettable, but he does look quite cool. Like an LSD trip. Ultimately, all you’ll remember from him is the way Dr Strange kept saying his name.

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26. Kaecilius in Dr Strange

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Mads Mikkelsen very nearly played Malekith in Thor: The Dark World, but luckily dodged a bullet. Unfortunately, he didn’t dodge this one because Kaecilius is another boring MCU villain. There just isn’t much about him and ultimately we don’t really care what happens to him. He is helped by some good fight scenes and his brilliant use of eye-makeup.  

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25. Ronan the Accuser in Guardians of the Galaxy

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Very similar to the guy above him, Ronan is bland, although his backstory is better than those of the previous names mentioned. If more time was spent on Ronan’s story he might have been worth watching. But... it wasn’t. The film is still good and he is used well to contrast against the eccentric Guardians. He should probably learn to dance, though.

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24. Aldrich Killian in Iron Man 3

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The guy pulling the strings in Iron Man 3 was really underwhelming. His motivation is fairly solid, but he’s like a caricature of bad — and a poor one at that. Once he randomly started breathing fire, that’s when I started to think "What is going on here?"

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23. Taskmaster in Black Widow

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Technically the secondary villain in this film but the most watchable. Watching Taskmaster mimic the fighting styles of Captain America, Bucky, and other Avengers was one of the best parts of the film. The identity reveal at the end wasn’t that shocking, but overall a decent villain.

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22. Dreykov in Black Widow

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The primary villain of the film, Dreykov kidnaps orphans, turning them into killing machines. Ray Winstone plays him well and in terms of villains, he’s sinister and darker than most, but he is ultimately unmemorable. I did like his accent, though.

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21. Yellowjacket in Ant-Man

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Yellowjacket is basically Obadiah Stane reborn, it’s not a character that you’ll remember apart from that final fight scene, which is admittedly good. Corey Stoll does wonders with what he’s given but it’s kind of the epitome of forgettable — I didn’t even know his real name until moments ago. I bet you don't either.

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20. Yon-Rogg in Captain Marvel

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

When I heard that Jude Law would be in the MCU, I was impressed. It’s good casting for the film and it largely works. The ‘’good guys who turn out to be bad guys’’ is an MCU favourite and I think it’s a fairly decent portrayal here. I also love the way Captain Marvel just straight up finishes him off. Poetic.

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19. Arishem the Judge in Eternals

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

I can’t seem to fully decide whether I like this villain or not — is he even really a villain? He is by far one of the most powerful around in the MCU and TBH he’s pretty bland. We might see more of him later, but he just looks like the red-light district.

18. Alexander Pierce in Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The fact that it’s Robert Redford on screen here massively helps his case. The film is also very good and Pierce plays his part in that. He’s more understated than other villains here but it works.  

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17. The Grandmaster in Thor Ragnarok

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The Grandmaster certainly isn’t forgettable and really manages to make use of his limited screen time. Jeff Goldblum is brilliant in this role and it’s a character I hope to see return in future MCU films.

16. Ulysses Klaue in Avengers: Age of Ultron

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

He’s been a secondary villain in both Age of Ultron and Black Panther, but his actions have been vital to the events in recent films. He’s also strangely likable and really funny — I like him more than most of the characters in the MCU. Ultimately though, he hasn’t been the main bad guy, so he can’t really go much higher than this in the ranking.  

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15. Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Nebula has flitted between villain and anti-hero throughout her time, but she was first introduced as a villain of sorts. She is integral to everything that goes on and arguably has one of the best arcs. I don’t personally like her that much — she’s like a moody teenager most of the time.

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14. Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The comic book Ultron is amazing, MCU Ultron doesn’t really live up to that. Despite that, he’s still compelling. Ultron has some good one-liners and his warped motive serves the film well. I could have done without his monologues but you can definitely see the villains are starting to get better now.

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13. Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Maybe a controversial position but I really think Justin Hammer was a very good character to introduce into the MCU. He was probably the only shining light in Iron Man 2 because Sam Rockwell played him perfectly. His on-screen chemistry with Tony Stark was also brilliant and I think he’s one of the most underrated villains.

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12. Ego in Guardians of the Galaxy

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

When you’ve got someone like Kurt Russell playing your villain, you know it’s going to be good. I’m not overly fond of the film but Ego is easily one of the best we’ve had so far. He’s literally a planet. Called Ego.  

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11. Obadiah Stane in Iron Man

Paramount Pictures

This human-looking Thanos was a perfectly good villain in a brilliant film. Jeff Bridges is irresistibly good at being bad and he is genuinely frightening in Iron Man. The mentor-turned villain trope returns and is probably executed in the cleanest way. The less said about the final fight scene and that suit, the better. Also, this scene now makes me laugh an abnormal amount.

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10. Red Skull in Captain America: The First Avenger

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

He’s really the epitome of evil and he looks the part, too. The Red Skull is the perfect foil to Captain America because he is terrifying and utterly joyless. I don’t even want to look at his face, if I’m honest. He has since reappeared in Avengers: Infinity War, but he’s been a solid MCU villain.  

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9. Helmut Zemo in Captain America: Civil War

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

His screen-time is brief but his impact is massive. Zemo doesn’t have any powers or abilities but his motive is as strong as anyone else's in the MCU. His plan actually works and is kinda well considered. In this film, the Avengers come off as the bad guys, and Zemo highlights this brilliantly. He’s also probably the only person who can beat Star-Lord in a dance-off.  

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8. Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far from Home

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Jake Gyllenhaal plays Mysterio amazingly, managing to play both the good and bad guy equally well. He has good reason to hate Stark and even reveals Spider-Man’s identity. I partially hoped that Mysterio might end up being a hero, but knew he wouldn’t. J. Jonah Jameson would disagree though, because he’s the "greatest superhero of all time."

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7. Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

I certainly didn’t think that the Vulture would have been one of my favourite villains, but Michael Keaton managed to change that. He just plays evil so well here and creates tension any time he is on screen. Plus he’s part of the best reveal in any MCU film.

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6. The Winter Soldier in Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The Winter Soldier is a really good villain. His backstory is solid and his connection to Steve Rogers makes us really invest in him more than usual. The fact that he killed Tony Stark’s parents is every kind of awkward. I just like that he has a vibranium arm. Christmas wish list sort of thing.  

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5. Hela in Thor: Ragnarok

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

She breaks Mjolnir, can conjure knives, has a pet wolf, and looks amazing doing everything. Hela even makes Loki look tame and she just oozes evil. Every second she’s on screen, she dominates and it’s a shame we won’t be seeing her again. That family is not normal.   

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4. Xu Wenwu in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

I absolutely love this villain and I think his motivations for evil are just heartbreaking. The fact that he is mourning the loss of his wife and hoping to reunite with her is something we can sympathise with. We just don’t get that with most MCU villains — I struggle to care about most of them. Don’t get me wrong, Wenwu is a terrible father, but Tony Leung is stupidly good in this role. A rarity in the MCU.  

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3. Killmonger in Black Panther

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Killmonger is an ever rarer villain in the MCU. One that you find yourself agreeing with. I even started to wonder if I wanted the Black Panther to come back. His methods are villainous, but his message resonates with you. I’m sure many of you would consider putting him first.

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2. Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Once we saw Thanos flatten the Hulk, we all knew that he was serious. He then wiped out half the universe with a snap of his fingers and then retired and made soup. What a lovely man.

Jokes aside, his motives don’t really hold up to scrutiny but he’s the villain we all expected him to be and more. It’s going to be hard to live up to him and I look forward to seeing what the MCU has in store for us. He’s certainly one of the best, but the best is…

1. Loki in Thor

Paramount Pictures

Of course, it was always going to be Loki. He is everything we want in a villain and the only good thing in the Thor movies. He is charismatic, even when killing people we like, but most importantly we care about him. I think I actually like him more than most of the Avengers — and I bet you do, too.

Credit to Tom Hiddleston for playing him with such passion and developing his character into what we see today. He’s compelling and by far the best the MCU has given us so far.

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Do you agree with this order? Who would you have at number one?