TheMarvel Cinematic Universehas done a great job with major villains from the comics and obscure foes, with some of them rising to a level of their own, striking fear into the hearts of some of the franchise’s best heroes. Sadly, many of theMCU’s best villainshave come and gone. The franchise does have a problem ofkilling evil characters in their first appearance, which is something Marvel has continuously received criticism for.
However, that does not mean that the MCU does not know how to handle villains well. From Thanos to Loki and more,Marvel has focused on several different types of villains, with some being fully evil while others are more complex than that. TheMCU’s upcoming movieswill introduce some exciting villains, like Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom, and they could learn a lesson from the villains in the franchise who made even heroes fear them.
10Cassandra Nova
Appeared In Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
First up is the main villain of theMCU’s only movie in 2024,Deadpool & Wolverine. Cassandra Nova thrived on manipulation and scare tactics. She knew very well how powerful she was — asCharles Xavier’s twin sister, she possessed many abilities — and had no problem killing whoever was needed to further her agenda. Cassandra Nova ruled the Void through fear, and that spread to the Resistance.
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While heroes like X-23, Blade, Gambit, and Elektra fought against the villain, they were scared of her.That fear was very clearly shown by Chris Evans' Johnny Storm. After Deadpool revealed to Cassandra all the insults the Human Torch had called her, the hero immediately tried to play it off and desperately convince Cassandra that he would never do it. He feared for his life, which was proven correct as Cassandra Nova stripped Johnny of his skin in a brutal fashion.
9Ultron
Appeared In Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)
Ultron was the second main villain the Avengers faced. Interestingly, Ultron was created by two members of the Avengers, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man faced the dilemma of how to protect the world duringIron Man 3, which led to the idea of Ultron’s creation. As the A.I. went rogue and unleashed death on the world, Tony and Bruce were guilt-ridden.
After seemingly dying in his MCU debut,James Spader’s Ultron will reportedly return in 2026’s Vision serieson Disney+.
The heroes had to make peace with the fact that they unleashed that abomination into the world.Ultron’s plans led to the destruction of Sokovia, an event that sent shockwaves across the globe and would later lead to the Avengers disbanding due to the Sokovia Accords. Many heroes who signed the documents did so out of fear that a similar situation could happen, which is why Tony agreed with them after his role in creating Ultron.
8Thanos
Appeared In Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019) & More
Thanos is easily one of the MCU’s most frightening villains. The character served asthe main antagonist of the Infinity Saga, killing half of the universe. Every superhero and citizen in the MCU feared Thanos. That was shown time and again as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes took on the Mad Titans inAvengers: Infinity WarandAvengers: Endgame. However, three specific characters perfectly showcase how frightening Thanos is.
The first is Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk. After taking a beating from Thanos — without the use of the Infinity Stones — at the start ofAvengers: Infinity War,the Hulk did not come out again because of his fear of Thanos. The other two characters are Thanos' daughters. Gamora was afraid to be alone with her father, which ended with her death in Vormir, and Nebula feared Thanos for his years of experimenting on her.
7Ego
Appeared In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
When it comes to bad fathers in the MCU, Thanos faces fierce competition from Ego. Kurt Russell’s Marvel character is another one who is feared across the galaxy. Pretending to be a good guy to Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord,Ego is really a living planetthat only wants to make other planets extensions of himself. Ego is responsible for one of the most chilling reveals in the MCU.
The character was responsible forgiving Peter Quill’s mother the cancer that would lead to her death. Upon learning of this, Star-Lord is instantly heartbroken and understands the true nature of his evil father, fearing what his plans entail for him and his friends. Ego looked to be the most frightening villain in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise due to his cruel plans. However, the team’s third movie debuted someone worse.
6Vulture
Appeared In Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Casting a former Batman actor to play an MCU villainwas a genius choice. The DC hero is well-known for using fear to fight criminals in the dark corners of Gotham City. As such, casting someone with that expertise as an MCU villain led to one of the most frightening foes in the franchise. Michael Keaton’s Vulture did not even need his suit to do it.
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Spider-Man: Homecoming’s car interrogation scene had Adrian Toomes threaten Tom Holland’s Peter Parker as tension built. Using only his intellect and the facts he knew about Peter Parker and Spider-Man, the Vulture connected the dots andfigured out that Peter was Spider-Man. Holland’s Marvel hero has faced his fair share of frightening villains, but Vulture’s car interrogation instantly made him one of the franchise’s most remarkable and menacing foes.
5Green Goblin
Appeared In Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
After Michael Keaton’s Vulture, another villain managed to strike fear into Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. 2021’sSpider-Man: No Way Homehas become one of the biggest superhero movies of all time. The filmbrought back famous villains from Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man franchises. In doing so, Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin was chosen to serve as the MCU movie’s main villain, and it was the perfect choice.
Due to the choice of not having him wear a helmet this time around,Dafoe could freely emote as Green Goblinto the camera. It worked wonders, as the villain delighted himself in his evil schemes, taunting Tom Holland’s Spider-Man and killing Aunt May. The scene that showed how Peter feared Green Goblin happened in Happy Hogan’s apartment, as Spider-Man’s Spider-Sense went off, and Peter scrambled in fear until realizing Norman Osborn’s Green Goblin side had taken over again. Peter knew what he could do.
4The High Evolutionary
Appeared In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
Following Ego would be a hard task for any villain, but writer/director James Gunn came up with an even more sadistic character in the form of the High Evolutionary.Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3was all about how frightening the villain is. The character spreads terror across the cosmos, and when it comes to the Marvel team,Rocket Raccoon feared the villain from a young age. For the High Evolutionary, it was always about creating the perfect species and a utopia with him at the center.
To do that, the villain experimented and killed countless beings. Taken from his home very young, Rocket Raccoon would grow until he was a teenager suffering many horrors at the hands of the High Evolutionary. There are many moments that clearly show Rocket’s fear of the villain, butthe most heartbreaking is when baby Rocket is picked up by the villainfrom a group of other raccoons, and he is completely terrified.
3Kang The Conqueror
Appeared In Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania & Variants in Loki (2021-2023)
Kang the Conqueror might not be used by the MCU anymore afterJonathan Majors was fired. However, the character and his variants played a key role in the Multiverse Saga. Despite his disappointing ending, Kang and variants like He Who Remains and others were propped up by Disney+‘sLoki. The TV series, alongsideAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, did a good job of showing how frightening Kang and his variants were.
In the third Ant-Man movie, Scott Lang fears that Kang will kill his daughter, Cassie, and agrees to help the villain out of fear.
Upon learning of what was coming, Loki made it his life’s work to alert others and prepare to save the multiverse from Kang. There are multiple scenes whereTom Hiddleston’s character and others are completely terrifiedjust by hearing about the character. In the third Ant-Man movie, Scott Lang fears that Kang will kill his daughter, Cassie, and agrees to help the villain out of fear.
2Scarlet Witch
Appeared In Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022), WandaVision (2021) & More
Elizabeth Olsen plays one of the MCU’s most complex characters. Wanda Maximoff was a villain in her first appearance. Then, she became a hero and a member of the Avengers before reverting to a villain after the heartbreaking events in Westview.Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessgave the Scarlet Witch her biggest villain role, and the character showed that with her powers and determination, Wanda is one of Marvel’s most frightening villains.
The MCU movie saw the Scarlet Witch commit multiversal carnage. On her path across different universes, she struck fear into the hearts of many heroes. Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange had to fight the fear of what she could do and that Wanda had been lost forever.America Chavez was also terrified of the Scarlet Witch, who wanted to steal her multiverse-hopping powers, which would kill her.
1Lady Death
Appeared In Agatha All Along (2024)
Finally, Aubrey Plaza’s Rio Vidal turned out to be Lady Death. The moment wasone of the biggest reveals in the MCU, making her character’s actions throughoutAgatha All Alongmake sense in retrospect. Plaza’s MCU character is one of the most powerful in the franchise, and in the series, Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness and others were scared of what she could do after it was revealed that Rio Vidal was Lady Death.
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Besides her actions and displays of power inAgatha All Along, there is one main reason why Aubrey Plaza’s MCU character ends the list.Lady Death is the personification of death itself. Every living being is destined to die — or at least most are in the MCU — and so everyone fears death on a certain level. As such, Aubrey Plaza’s Lady Death might be the most frightening antagonist in theMCU.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
