Ranking All The MCU Villains From Worst To Best

[Lantern Venom]

So, why wasn't the Skull as successful ? Clearly Weaving has the acting chops and experience to put in a world class villain performance. However, the Skulls dialogue and role in the story are pretty pedestrian. Plan a) make a super weapon and take over the world, plan b) blow stuff up.

The character was not well written or characterized - and really doesn't have a lot of presence within the film. In that way he's very similar to Malekith, Ronan and Kaecilius a forgettable bad guy with generic motives and little personality - he's evil because his plan is evil...

Sure, they had to let Cap own the film but there had to be a better way to write his nemesis.

I note that Skull still has no votes in the poll. Unsurprising.

I've never bought into the idea that Red Skull was a failure as a character. Different characters have different narrative functions, and Skull's purpose was to contrast the effects of the Erskine serum on the psyche of an empathetic man vs that of a narcissistic murderer. The serum augmented Schmidt's self-absorption to the level where he wasn't content to be high-ranking Nazi. His goals were no longer about Hitler's ideology or winning WW2, but his own self-importance. This made him ugly, inside and out, to the point where he would dispatch even those closest to him without a second thought. He was the coldest end of the villainous spectrum and that worked since he was meant to be the opposite of the MCU's most hopeful and pure hero.

 

[Batmannerism]

I've never bought into the idea that Red Skull was a failure as a character. Different characters have different narrative functions, and Skull's purpose was to contrast the effects of the Erskine serum on the psyche of an empathetic man vs that of a narcissistic murderer. The serum augmented Schmidt's self-absorption to the level where he wasn't content to be high-ranking Nazi. His goals were no longer about Hitler's ideology or winning WW2, but his own self-importance. This made him ugly, inside and out, to the point where he would dispatch even those closest to him without a second thought. He was the coldest end of the villainous spectrum and that worked since he was meant to be the opposite of the MCU's most hopeful and pure hero.

Sure, his narrative as a villain makes sense but has anyone rated that character ( I mean specifically the Skull from Cap TFA, not the comic books) as a particularly memorable villain ? The poll suggests that nobody does, or at least nobody on this thread.

Following your comparison between Cap and Skull as serum recipients in a similar manner the Joker exists as an opposite to Batman, who is obsessed with justice, order and punishment - the Joker is only concerned with perversity, chaos and cares nothing for consequences.

That's a great character concept but that isn't enough to make him a successful character in a live action film - that takes a skilled actor backed by a creative team who give him interesting stuff to do and say - which is why he was such a highly successful character in Batman '89 and of course TDK, but in Suicide Squad not so much.

As a character concept the Red Skull works, and being a high ranking Nazi is part of that. However, I suggest to you that the creative team dropped the ball in Cap TFA, which is why the MCU Red Skull is such a forgettable generically evil character. IMHO He's actually more memorable as a cgi cameo character in Infinity War and Endgame.

 

[Charzhin0]

1) the prosthetics/mask were not great. His appearance simply wasn't scary, just kind of cartoonish. What might have made more sense would be to have him wear a mask, consistent with the Hydra symbol.

I thought his prosthethic make up was pretty good and for me was certianly menacing and scary, can't really see how you can describe this as cartoonish.

The character was not well written or characterized - and really doesn't have a lot of presence within the film. In that way he's very similar to Malekith, Ronan and Kaecilius a forgettable bad guy with generic motives and little personality - he's evil because his plan is evil...

I can agree to that but I felt Red Skull was overall a bigger and more equal threat to Cap, than Kaecilius was to Strange or Ronan to Quill or Malekith to Thor.

 

[Batmannerism]

I thought his prosthethic make up was pretty good and for me was certianly menacing and scary, can't really see how you can describe this as cartoonish.

I can agree to that but I felt Red Skull was overall a bigger and more equal threat to Cap, than Kaecilius was to Strange or Ronan to Quill or Malekith to Thor.

We must agree to disagree on all points.

To me the bright red colour and rubber-like texture of the Skull mask reminded me of Jim Carrey's prosthetics in The Mask ( except red rather than green). Perhaps something that looked a little more like skin might have worked e.g Zoe Saldana or Dave Bautista's prosthetics or make up from GOTG.

As for who's the bigger threat....

Kaecillius had Dr Strange on the run pretty much throughout the film ( except when he used the magic bondage gear on him). He was pretty boring as a villain but the only way to beat him was a supreme act of cleverness i.e. to make a deal with Dormammu - so IMHO he was a pretty big threat.

Ronan nearly blew up a planet, effortlessly overpowered Drax, tanked direct hits from the BFG and was only defeated by a desparate act by Quill - which would have been certain death, if not for the power of friendship. Again, a pretty big threat

Malekith.....well he was pretty lame. Kurse, different story.

Anyway, the Red Skull disintegrated himself, not the most satisfying way for the hero to win ( and nowhere near as good as Cap's final showdown in his next 2 movies).

Everyone 's entitled to their opinion - so again, agree to disagree.

 

[Bayne]

Sure, his narrative as a villain makes sense but has anyone rated that character ( I mean specifically the Skull from Cap TFA, not the comic books) as a particularly memorable villain ? The poll suggests that nobody does, or at least nobody on this thread.

The poll on this thread only allows you to vote for one character. The fact that Skull isn't anyone's favorite villain doesn't mean no one in this thread found him particularly memorable (which I, for one, did).

 

[Batmannerism]

The poll on this thread only allows you to vote for one character. The fact that Skull isn't anyone's favorite villain doesn't mean no one in this thread found him particularly memorable (which I, for one, did).

That' s fair to say.

 

[Lantern Venom]

Sure, his narrative as a villain makes sense but has anyone rated that character ( I mean specifically the Skull from Cap TFA, not the comic books) as a particularly memorable villain ? The poll suggests that nobody does, or at least nobody on this thread.

Following your comparison between Cap and Skull as serum recipients in a similar manner the Joker exists as an opposite to Batman, who is obsessed with justice, order and punishment - the Joker is only concerned with perversity, chaos and cares nothing for consequences.

That's a great character concept but that isn't enough to make him a successful character in a live action film - that takes a skilled actor backed by a creative team who give him interesting stuff to do and say - which is why he was such a highly successful character in Batman '89 and of course TDK, but in Suicide Squad not so much.

As a character concept the Red Skull works, and being a high ranking Nazi is part of that. However, I suggest to you that the creative team dropped the ball in Cap TFA, which is why the MCU Red Skull is such a forgettable generically evil character. IMHO He's actually more memorable as a cgi cameo character in Infinity War and Endgame.

I'll agree in part there. Joker is a character who is memorable because of his methodology and style, not his motivation. While there are exceptions, like the Killing Joke, the more that Joker's actions are rationalized and explained, the less effective the character becomes. Part of the reason that he is so unsettling as a villain is because he's so mysterious.

One aspect that Red Skull shares with Joker is that he's visually jarring. Joker works on the coulrophobia embedded in so many people's psyches. Red Skull looks like someone with his skin peeled off, and that's why the scene with the Schmidt mask being torn away is so memorable. There's something visceral about the Red Skull that captures our attention. I'd agree fully that the 1990 Captain America movie botched this, since Skull looked like a bloody boogar, but TFA hit its target with him. A high-ranking Nazi character is instantly deplorable, but Skull is a character with an extra layer of hubris and creepiness. That's what sets him apart.

 

[Batmannerism]

I'll agree in part there. Joker is a character who is memorable because of his methodology and style, not his motivation. While there are exceptions, like the Killing Joke, the more that Joker's actions are rationalized and explained, the less effective the character becomes. Part of the reason that he is so unsettling as a villain is because he's so mysterious.

One aspect that Red Skull shares with Joker is that he's visually jarring. Joker works on the coulrophobia embedded in so many people's psyches. Red Skull looks like someone with his skin peeled off, and that's why the scene with the Schmidt mask being torn away is so memorable. There's something visceral about the Red Skull that captures our attention. I'd agree fully that the 1990 Captain America movie botched this, since Skull looked like a bloody boogar, but TFA hit its target with him. A high-ranking Nazi character is instantly deplorable, but Skull is a character with an extra layer of hubris and creepiness. That's what sets him apart.

Well, we must agree to disagree on the execution because in TFA, when Skull unmasked I wanted to laugh. The colour is just ridiculous - even cgi would have been better ( the technology was available, think Harvey Dent in TDK).

That, and the fact that I struggle to remember anything the Skull said, and I only watched the film a couple of months ago. The MCU 's top villains have lines that stick with me ( I'm thinking Thanos, Loki and Hela ).

That's why I rate the MCU character below the level of Kaecillius and Malekith ( and I actually remember some of their lines). I found the characterization boring and the makeup unintentionally hilarious.

But hey, to each their own. On an tangential note I'm going to go over to the DC threads and remind people what a great job Mark Strong did as Sinestro.

 

[Bayne]

Well, we must agree to disagree on the execution because in TFA, when Skull unmasked I wanted to laugh. The colour is just ridiculous - even cgi would have been better ( the technology was available, think Harvey Dent in TDK).

That, and the fact that I struggle to remember anything the Skull said, and I only watched the film a couple of months ago. The MCU 's top villains have lines that stick with me ( I'm thinking Thanos, Loki and Hela ).

That's why I rate the MCU character below the level of Kaecillius and Malekith ( and I actually remember some of their lines). I found the characterization boring and the makeup unintentionally hilarious.

But hey, to each their own. On an tangential note I'm going to go over to the DC threads and remind people what a great job Mark Strong did as Sinestro.

Mark Strong was one of the best parts of Green Lantern, one of the best parts of Kick Ass and from what I've heard (though I haven't seen it yet) one of the best parts of Shazam.

Someday it will just be Mark Strong playing every villain in every comic book movie, and I'll be ok with that.

 

[Batmannerism]

Mark Strong was one of the best parts of Green Lantern, one of the best parts of Kick Ass and from what I've heard (though I haven't seen it yet) one of the best parts of Shazam.

Someday it will just be Mark Strong playing every villain in every comic book movie, and I'll be ok with that.

Mark Strong would also have been a much more sinister and less annoying Lex Luthor than Eisenberg - he was such an obvious choice that they didn't pick him. His character in Shazam is very one note, but Strong is so good playing bad guys that he makes the character entertainingly nasty.

 

[jolldan]

Mark Strong was one of the best parts of Green Lantern, one of the best parts of Kick Ass and from what I've heard (though I haven't seen it yet) one of the best parts of Shazam.

Someday it will just be Mark Strong playing every villain in every comic book movie, and I'll be ok with that.

Id say he's also as good as RDJ in Sherlock Holmes and arguably stole the show in the second Kingsman movie. Dude's a gem.

 

[coreymb16]

1. Killmonger
2. Winter Soldier(from CA2 if that counts)
3. Loki
4. Thanos
5. Vulture

 

[Lantern Venom]

Well, we must agree to disagree on the execution because in TFA, when Skull unmasked I wanted to laugh. The colour is just ridiculous - even cgi would have been better ( the technology was available, think Harvey Dent in TDK).

That, and the fact that I struggle to remember anything the Skull said, and I only watched the film a couple of months ago. The MCU 's top villains have lines that stick with me ( I'm thinking Thanos, Loki and Hela ).

But hey, to each their own. On an tangential note I'm going to go over to the DC threads and remind people what a great job Mark Strong did as Sinestro.

Yes, we'll just have to disagree there since I thought Skull's look was perfect. I even liked the loosening of the Schmidt mask that showed glimpses of the red around the eyes prior to the big reveal.

With Skull, I can instantly recall not only is appearance, but the calculating way that he moved, and the confident way that he spoke. TFA got all of the little details about him correct. I often contrast this with a similar type of villain, "Zemo" from Civil War, who was robbed of everything that makes him memorable in the comics. Hopefully the new Falcon/WS series corrects some of that.

 

[spider-neil]

Thanos is obviously the best but a close second for me was Killmonger. It's not often I sympathize with the villain but with Killmonger I certainly did. I felt his rage and his sadness. Often times I think the villains are just plain dumb.

 

[Appfanincaaland]

Everyone knows, but refuses to admit, the MCU's best villian is Tony Stark.

 

[jolldan]

I really hope Taskmaster doesn't get killed off in Black Widow's movie reckon he could make for a pretty cool recurring villain.

 

[Kargo Warrior]

Villains i love

1) Zemo
2) Thanos
3) Loki (Thor 1)
4) Vulture

Villains i like

5) Killmonger
6) Mysterio
7) Hella
8) Red Skull
9) Dormammu

Villains i'm indifferent to

10) Iron Monger
11) Ronan
12) Pierce
13) Abomination
14) Ego
15) Yellow Jacket

Villains i dislike:

16) Whiplash
17) Ultron
18) Justin Hammer
19) Malekith
20) Aldridge Killian

 

[Batmannerism]

Villains i love

1) Zemo
2) Thanos
3) Loki (Thor 1)
4) Vulture

Villains i like

5) Killmonger
6) Mysterio
7) Hella
8) Red Skull
9) Dormammu

Villains i'm indifferent to

10) Iron Monger
11) Ronan
12) Pierce
13) Abomination
14) Ego
15) Yellow Jacket

Villains i dislike:

16) Whiplash
17) Ultron
18) Justin Hammer
19) Malekith
20) Aldridge Killian

Very much with you on Zemo being one of the best villains - here's a guy who has to wait in line to board a plane, just like everyone else ( probably flies economy class ) but nearly got Iron Man and Cap to kill each other and effectively broke up the Avengers.

 

[Bach]

Villains i love

1) Zemo
2) Thanos
3) Loki (Thor 1)
4) Vulture

Villains i like

5) Killmonger
6) Mysterio
7) Hella
8) Red Skull
9) Dormammu

Villains i'm indifferent to

10) Iron Monger
11) Ronan
12) Pierce
13) Abomination
14) Ego
15) Yellow Jacket

Villains i dislike:

16) Whiplash
17) Ultron
18) Justin Hammer
19) Malekith
20) Aldridge Killian

Good list. The villains are the botton are mostly victim of lack of character development, which is a shame. You'd expect more character from a dude who holds grudge against Tony's father.

And Ultron... what a missed opportunity.

 

[Iceman]

Hela and Thanos are by far my favourites.

 

[Kargo Warrior]

Very much with you on Zemo being one of the best villains - here's a guy who has to wait in line to board a plane, just like everyone else ( probably flies economy class ) but nearly got Iron Man and Cap to kill each other and effectively broke up the Avengers.

What i loved about him is that even though he's firmly dedicated to his revenge mission, he kills only when it's absolutely necessary so he can continue his plan. In the first scene with the Russian Hydra colonel in Cleveland, he tells him that he doesn't need to die, he would only be dying for his pride. He tells him that giving him the info would not only save his life but also the lives of others that he would be forced to kill as he switches into Plan B.

Even at the end, he's remorseful about killing T'Challa's father and apologizes to him.

He literally throws one punch the entire film (knocking out the colonel after faking the car accident) and he did more damage to the Avengers than every villain except Thanos.

I'm both incredibly excited and cautious about his comeback in ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier''. On one hand, i can't wait to see him back, but on the other i'm afraid that his complexity would be gone if he becomes a villain/terrorist because the plot demands it. I dread that he gets the Loki treatment from a complex villain in Thor 1 to a moustache twirling World conquering simpleton in the The Avengers.

 

[Duran Man]

1. Thanos
2. Loki
3. Ultron
4. Killmonger
5. Zemo
6. Alexander Pierce
7. Winter Soldier
8. Mysterio
9.Hela
10. Vulture
11. Ego
12. Obidiah Stane
13. Red Skull
14. Ulysses Klaue
15. Raza
16. Justin Hammer
17. Aldrich Killian
18. Darren Cross/Yellowjacket
19. Kaecillius
20. Emil Blonsky/Abomination
21. Laufey
22. Whiplash
23. Ronan the Accuser
24. Malakeith
25. Yon-Rogg

 

[metaphysician]

I think what makes Zemo work is how thoroughly broken he clearly is. Most villains with that kind of role ( like Killmonger ) are driven by rage, with that rage typically blotting out reason and empathy to various levels, thus leading to villainy. Zemo? He barely seems to feel anger at all, his overriding motivation is *despair*. His quest for vengeance isn't a fire burning up his life, its the one keystone focus he uses to keep himself getting up day after day rather than just putting a gun to his own head. And to make matters worse, he's aware of it.

Is Zemo noble? No, he's a former Hydra affiliate whose family was killed largely as a side effect of crap Hydra was involved in, who decides to blame the heroes for not being able to save them as a way to avoid being consumed by guilt over his own involvement. Zemo isn't noble. . . but he is understandable and sympathetic. And also *terrifying*, because that same cold, mechanical understanding of his own motives and emotions is his tool he uses to manipulate others.

 

[Lantern Venom]

I think what makes Zemo work is how thoroughly broken he clearly is. Most villains with that kind of role ( like Killmonger ) are driven by rage, with that rage typically blotting out reason and empathy to various levels, thus leading to villainy. Zemo? He barely seems to feel anger at all, his overriding motivation is *despair*.

I still think Sokovia Joe's motivation is clichéd and Bruhl's delivery was dry.I was hoping for an updated, condensed Zemo story (something along the lines of the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes version), but I just rolled my eyes with what we got, especially the attempted suicide at the end.

All that being said, Bruhl just posted a sneak peak at the Zemo mask for the upcoming series. Hopefully, that means Marvel is going to fix the character with a change in philosophy, a memorable fighting style, Adhesive X, and hopefully a disfiguration.

 

[Kargo Warrior]

I think what makes Zemo work is how thoroughly broken he clearly is. Most villains with that kind of role ( like Killmonger ) are driven by rage, with that rage typically blotting out reason and empathy to various levels, thus leading to villainy. Zemo? He barely seems to feel anger at all, his overriding motivation is *despair*. His quest for vengeance isn't a fire burning up his life, its the one keystone focus he uses to keep himself getting up day after day rather than just putting a gun to his own head. And to make matters worse, he's aware of it.

Is Zemo noble? No, he's a former Hydra affiliate whose family was killed largely as a side effect of crap Hydra was involved in, who decides to blame the heroes for not being able to save them as a way to avoid being consumed by guilt over his own involvement. Zemo isn't noble. . . but he is understandable and sympathetic. And also *terrifying*, because that same cold, mechanical understanding of his own motives and emotions is his tool he uses to manipulate others.

What in the World?

Zemo in Civil War has nothing to do with Hydra. He's a Sokovian special forces colonel. The only ''connection'' he has with Hydra is deciphering their leaked files.

"HYDRA deserves its place on the ash heap, so your death would not bother me...''

Nothing in the underlined text makes sense. His guilt over his own involvement?