Credit: Marvel StudiosHere are the worst villains in the MCU.
With a whopping 32 movies and nearly just as many television shows under its belt, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has no shortage of great superheroes: Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and T’Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), to name a few.
It’s also no stranger to villains. Some are good, some are ugly, and some are just plain bad. For every Loki (Tom Hiddleston), there’s a Kro (Bill Skarsgård). For every Wanda Maximoff/Scarlett Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), a Mary MacPherran/Titania (Jameela Jamil). For every Gorr (Christian Bale), a Malekith (Christopher Eccleston). You get the idea.
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For a long time, MCU villains were known for being two-dimensional and forgettable, at least until Josh Brolin’s Thanos came along in Avengers: Infinity War (2018). And though the post-Avengers: Endgame (2019) era has been disappointing, the MCU villains are now the least of everyone’s concerns. With that said, there are still a fair few stinkers in there.
Searching for the worst villains in the MCU is relatively easy, whatever Phase you find yourself in. What’s tricky is narrowing them down to a select few. You might disagree with our little collection of the worst MCU villains, but here they are.
1. Ivan Vanko/Whiplash — Iron Man 2
During the early days of the MCU, we only had two things to worry about: bad sequels and bad villains. Enter Iron Man 2 (2010), a film so bad it makes Iron Man 3 (2013) look pretty great. And its main villain, Ivan Vanko/Whiplash (Mickey Rourke), is very forgettable. Those laser whips are cool, as is the sequence in which he attacks Tony Stark/Iron Man on the race track, but Ivan’s pet parrot is far more memorable than his master. Ultimately, though, it’s Robert Downey Jr. who steals the show. Who else?
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2. Malekith — Thor: The Dark World
What’s more forgettable than a generic human villain? A generic non-human villain. Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) is a Dark Elf and the main villain of Thor: The Dark World (2013). This mostly serious outing now feels utterly alien in its own series, despite coming before comedic romps Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022). Now, where were we? Ah, yes, Malekith. See what we mean? Eccleston is a decent enough actor, but you wouldn’t even know he was there. What a waste.
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3. Kaecilius — Doctor Strange
Mads Mikkelsen is known for turning in memorable villains. His take on Hannibal “the Cannibal” Lecter in the television series Hannibal (2013) is bone-chilling, and he made a solid effort in replacing Johnny Depp as dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022). So why does his other dark wizard, Kaecilius, in Doctor Strange (2016) feel so generic? A stark contrast to the Scarlet Witch stealing the show as the MCU villain in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) indeed.
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4. Sonny Burch — Ant-Man and the Wasp
Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins) is the main antagonist in Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), although you probably forgot this film even existed, let alone this MCU villain. Goggins is hardly a forgettable actor, though — his villain in Tomb Raider (2018) is pretty sinister, and he’s excellent in Predators (2010). But the Ant-Man sequel gives him very little to do (no pun intended). With that said, he’s still a lot better than the villain in the third film. Even Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) isn’t enough to save this sequel from total obscurity.
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5. Kro — Eternals
Does anyone remember the film Eternals (2021)? Packed to the brim with A-list celebrities like Salma Hayek (Ajak) and Angelina Jolie (Thena)? Nope, didn’t think so. Thank goodness one of its main villains steals the show, though. Right? The CG-generated Kro is easily one of the worst villains in the MCU. Bland, forgettable, artificial. Who knew he was voiced by IT/Pennywise the Clown actor Bill Skarsgård? Why even cast him? He’s hardly the biggest problem with Eternals, but he is indicative of how bland and unimaginative it all is.
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6. Agatha Harkness — WandaVision
WandaVision (2021) got off to a pretty solid start with its super-satirical episodes that were each inspired by iconic US sitcoms such as Bewitched (1964) and The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961). Beyond that, the show descends into a formulaic and generic MCU outing, with an MCU villain so forced and gimmicky it only serves to make Wanda look even more complex and morally ambiguous than she already is. Kathryn Hahn is an incredibly talented actress, but the whole “Agatha All Along” stuff is pure cringe.
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7. Kang — Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Speaking of forced, no performance in the MCU is as forced as Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror. Fans praised his performance as a Kang “variant” in the Marvel Disney+ show Loki (2021), despite the fact he came off as extremely try-hard. His turn in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), easily one of the worst MCU films, is just as challenging to watch, and the intensity of his performance is so very desperate. Or maybe Josh Brolin’s Thanos raised the bar impossibly high for future MCU villains.
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8. Mary MacPherran/Titania — She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022) has its defenders, but most agree it’s the worst thing to have happened to the MCU. Everything from the so-called plot to the so-called performances is a complete trainwreck, and the ending in which Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany) “climbs out” of the show and onto the Disney+ menu… Yikes.
But what about its main villain? Technically speaking, it doesn’t have one, but Mary MacPherran/Titania (Jameela Jamil) will have to do. She shows up a few times to throw down with Jennifer Walters, but her MCU villain is about as convincing as She-Hulk’s VFX. Here’s to hoping Jameela Jamil’s Titania doesn’t return. The same goes for Tatiana.
Earlier this year, Jameela Jamil said she was interested in becoming a villain in the Star Wars franchise. There’s probably a bigger chance of seeing the actress pop up in the faraway galaxy than seeing her back in the MCU anytime soon, as She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Season 2 doesn’t look like it’s ever going to happen. Phew.
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Will any of these MCU villains ever return to the fold? Yes, but only two of them (as far as we know). Agatha Harkness will be back in her own Disney+ show, Agatha: Coven of Chaos (2024), while Kang is set to return for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). Whether or not Jonathan Majors will reprise his role remains to be seen, as the actor is currently under investigation for domestic assault.
There are several new MCU films on the horizon that will form the remainder of Phase Five and beyond. They include The Marvels (2023), Deadpool 3 (2024), Captain America: Brave New World (2024), Thunderbolts (2024), Blade (2025), Fantastic Four (2025), Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Upcoming MCU television shows set to stream on Disney+ over the next couple of years are Loki Season 2 (2023), Echo (2023), What If…? Season 2 (TBA), Ironheart (2024), Agatha: Coven of Chaos, and Daredevil: Born Again (2024).
What are your thoughts on this ranking? Do you think these are some of the worst villains in the MCU, or are some of them your favorites? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!