Marvel Movie villains are almost as important as their heroic enemies, with some of the best being female characters. The modern age of Marvel movies is replete with iconic villains from Marvel Comics, though the first female arch-villain would not debut until 2017. That villain in particular would prove why it should never have taken so long for female villains to take center stage, though there are thankfully plenty of stand-out examples of secondary villains in the preceding years.
Marvel has a pretty good track record when it comes to portraying its female rogues’ gallery, even if there should be more of them. While they number far fewer than their male counterparts, the mark many formidable female nemeses have left on the Marvel movie landscape warrants just as much recognition. The powerful Marvel villains on this list, meanwhile, pose a good argument for why there should be plenty more.
10. Lady Deathstrike Didn’t Need To Say A Word To
Portrayed By Kelly Hu In X2 (2003)
William Stryker’s bodyguard, Yuriko Oyama, was a fleeting highlight of X2, whose hauntingly memorable character design flouted the fact that she boasted such little screen time. Lady Deathstrike underwent similar experiments to Logan before Stryker injected her with Mind Control Serum, turning her into his personal bodyguard throughout the movie. This led to a direct run-in with Wolverine in one of the most memorable fight scenes in superhero movie history.
This fight scene, along with the fact that Deathstrike’s adamantium finger-claws did all the talking, is largely what made Lady Deathstrike such an outstanding villain. Her appearance incites a visceral reaction, and the fact that she could capably stand up to Wolverine in an exceptionally cringe-inducing brawl shows how formidable she is. Even her death lingers as one of the most gruesome to befall a Marvel villain, with the image of liquid adamantium leaking from her skull being one of the most traumatizing images in superhero movies.
Lady Deathstrike is confirmed to be making a return in Deadpool & Wolverine in July after being spotted in recent trailer footage alongside other mutants from Fox’s X-Men franchise.
9. Viper Is Formidably Spine-Chilling
Portrayed By Svetlana Khodchenkova In The Wolverine (2013)
Unlike the mind-controlled Deathstrike, Ophelia Sarkissian boasts more depth to her character. Her impressive power set is bolstered by her proficiency in biochemistry, for which she is hired as a personal oncologist to Ichirō Yashida rather than as a bodyguard solely. She is also responsible for putting Wolverine in far greater jeopardy after successfully shutting down his healing factor, adding to her strengths. What makes Viper such a stand-out villain, however, is her unique power set.
The mutant Viper is like the Spider-Woman of snakes, boasting snake-like dexterity, the ability to spit venom, and shed her skin to recover. The latter power is what bestows Viper with one of her most memorable moments as she tears a top layer of scaly skin from her body to expose unharmed skin beneath. Viper was unfortunately killed off in The Wolverine before she could be given the extra screen time she deserved.
8. Proxima Midnight Posed A Significant Threat To Earth’s Mightiest Heroes
Portrayed By Carrie Coon And Monique Ganderton In Avengers: Infinity War (2018) And Avengers: Endgame (2019)
The Black Order proved to be a genuine threat to the Avengers throughout the Infinity Saga’s climax, with Proxima Midnight even giving Wanda Maximoff – one of the MCU’s most powerful heroes – a run for her money as she and Corvus Glaive attacked Vision. Her proficiency in hand-to-hand combat with a particularly lethal spear in hand makes for some compelling action sequences as she tussles with various Avengers throughout the movie. In the end, her gruesome death at the hands of Scarlet Witch during the Battle of Wakanda also provided one of its more brilliant moments.
Midnight’s character design is also an example of Marvel using its creative license when depicting live-action comic book characters correctly. Her horned head and pale orange eyes make her look demonic, removing all questions about her villainy. While Proxima Midnight was consigned to being a minor villain in the end, she and the Black Order were far more than simple fodder.
7. Ghost Is A Tragic Villain With A Compelling Plight
Portrayed By Hannah John-Kamen In Ant-Man And The Wasp (2018)
Ava Starr is a prime example of Marvel’s litany of sympathetic villains, with her run-in with Ant-Man and his cohorts being sparked by her fight for survival rather than some nefarious design. After exposure to the Quantum Realm, Ghost’s molecular structure becomes imbalanced, slowly heralding her death. Ghost is more nuanced than most super-powered villains, largely because her power to become intangible is unwanted and terminal, making her goal to steal Hank Pym’s tech for her survival hard to repudiate.
Ghost’s abilities come with a host of memorable moments that include causing one of the MCU’s most gruesome deaths as she crushes Agent Stoltz’s heart in his chest. Ultimately, Ghost would be cured and sent on a path of redemption for her unscrupulous methods as she goes into hiding with Bill Foster. Her desperate measures will eventually land her in the lineup for the Thunderbolts, a team comprising similarly morally gray villains and antiheroes.
6. Dar-Benn Is Excellently Portrayed
Portrayed By Zawe Ashton In the Marvels (2023)
Dar-Benn is the latest MCU villain to join the ranks of those whose motives are kind of justified. The arch-villain of The Marvels is a Kree leader dealing with the fallout of Captain Marvel’s decimation of the Supreme Intelligence on Hala in a retaliatory mission to take vital resources from other planets and replenish Hala’s own, ending with the power of Earth’s Sun. With the help of a Quantum Band, her plan comes dangerously close to fruition before she succumbs to the insurmountable power of two Quantum Bands, bringing about her own demise.
The fact that Dar-Benn, a Kree without any superpowers to speak of, successfully maneuvered her way into victory over one of the MCU’s most powerful heroes is worthy of huge respect. Zawe Ashton’s portrayal of Dar-Benn, meanwhile, as a zealous yet sympathetic warrior hellbent on the survival of her homeworld at any cost is also worthy of praise. Despite The Marvels failing to receive the attention it deserved, Dar-Benn should be remembered as an exceptionally shrewd Marvel villain inevitably undone by her own hubris rather than a super-powered superior.
5. Ayesha Is A Hilarious And Lovable Secondary Villain
Portrayed By Elizabeth Debicki In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) And Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
Ayesha makes a lasting first impression as the ruler of the Sovereign thanks in no small part to her striking character design, boasting an all-gold color scheme indicative of her haughty persona. Her run-in with the Guardians is mostly out of retribution for a perceived slight against the Sovereign’s pride, which would culminate in her humiliation at the hands of the infinitely more villainous High Evolutionary. In fact, Ayesha is a secondary villain in both her big screen appearances, but she is no less noteworthy than either arch-villain.
The Guardians trilogy are some of the MCU’s funniest offerings, and Elizabeth Debicki’s portrayal of a jumped-up queen who believes wholeheartedly in her race’s superiority lends itself to this humor perfectly. As a recurring villain, she ultimately becomes one of the MCU’s most sympathetic as she is belittled and eventually killed by the Sovereign’s creator. Though she never posed any significant threat to the Guardians, she left a lasting impression as one of their most memorable adversaries.
4. Nebula Made An Indelible Mark On The MCU From The Jump
Portrayed By Karen Gillan In Various MCU Movies
Nebula is now one of the MCU’s central heroes, but began her long career in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy as a villain. Here, she would be a repeated thorn in the side of the Guardians as they attempt to keep the Power Stone out of Ronan the Accuser’s hands. She does, however, stop short of swearing unquestioned allegiance to any one figure, proving to be exceptionally resourceful in the pursuit of her own goals.
Nebula is another villain who is done justice by the actor that plays them, with Karen Gillan receiving widespread acclaim for her seething yet naive portrayal of Nebula. This led to plenty of hilarious and heartfelt moments throughout the MCU, especially alongside Tony Stark on Titan. She almost immediately warrants the benefit of the doubt as her torturous upbringing at the hands of Thanos goes some way to excusing her murderous pursuit of her sister before she is convinced to fight alongside the Guardians in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, enlisting their help in her single-minded pursuit of revenge.
3. Mystique Is One Of X-Men’s Most Enchanting Features
Portrayed By Rebecca Romijn In Fox’s X-Men Franchise
Raven Darkhölme made her dynamic debut in Fox’s X-Men franchise in a scene that perfectly encapsulated the sympathetic plight of Magneto’s Brotherhood and her formidable power set. Mystique’s falling in with the bad crowd was out of self-preservation and the welcome acceptance offered by Magneto and his team. This would culminate in a fate for Mystique tantamount to death as her mutant abilities – which are among the most powerful of the mutants – are inadvertently “cured” in X-Men: The Last Stand, leading to her being brutally abandoned by Magneto.
Mystique, like Ayesha, has one of the most striking character designs in Marvel movie history, with the practical makeup taking more than six hours to apply – though it at least paid dividends. Rebecca Romjin’s portrayal of the decidedly villainous Mystique preceded Jennifer Lawrence’s more virtuous portrayal but was arguably the better casting choice in spite of the incomparable levels of star power. Though she had few lines in her “true” form, Romjin’s lithe and bewitching characterization is one of the best and most faithful portrayals of a comic book character in cinematic history.
2. Scarlet Witch Has The Most Tragic Villain Arc
Portrayed By Elizabeth Olsen In Various
Scarlet Witch is arguably the most tragic character in the whole of the MCU. Her tenure began and ended as a villain, though she became one of the most valuable additions to the Avengers in the intervening period. Both villainous arcs were spurred by loss, something which would become synonymous with Wanda Maximoff during her MCU career. By the time she seemingly dies at the end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, she has lost her parents, brother, partner, and children, making her villainous and Darkhold-imbued swansong all the more understandable.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was truly where Scarlet Witch came into her own as a true-blue (or red) villain. This was largely helped by Sam Raimi’s proficiency with horror, leaning into the occultist nature of the movie’s two stars, and Elizabeth Olsen’s heartbreaking performance as a desperate yet corrupted Scarlet Witch. This was Scarlet Witch at her most powerful, putting the erstwhile Sorcerer Supreme through his paces as he dealt with a villain capable of wiping the floor with another universe’s most powerful superheroes.
1. Hela Was The True Star Of The Show
Portrayed By Cate Blanchette In Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Hela exploded onto the scene in Thor: Ragnarok with a shocking demonstration of her power, leading to the effortless destruction of Mjolnir, one of the MCU’s most powerful weapons. She would go on to seize control of Asgard by force, laying waste with little effort to any resistance before ultimately falling to fate itself (and Surtur’s giant sword). Her arrival in the wake of Odin’s death would spur Thor to reach new heights in his character growth as he fully embraced his role as Asgard’s leader with some excruciating and selfless decisions.
Hela was Marvel’s first female arch-villain nine years after the franchise debuted.
Hela’s time on screen, however, was all too short, with everything from her snide and self-assured stage presence to her iconic character design leaving a permanent legacy of how Marvel villains should be done. Hela isn’t just the best female villain in the MCU, but one of the best villains overall. It is highly unlikely that Hela will reappear in the future given the apparent nature of her fate, but her contribution to one of the MCU‘s best movies should remain self-contained regardless.
