The Marvel Cinematic Universe has featured many important Marvel villains, but the franchise’s handling of some of these characters leaves much to be desired. Though the movies of the MCU primarily focus on the franchise’s many heroes, no superhero story would be complete with an appropriately powerful antagonist. Adapting the villains of Marvel Comics to the big screen has helped contribute to the success of the MCU, with the franchise having brought many such characters to life in live-action.
The more important a villain is to the MCU’s wider story, the more important it is for Marvel to get the adaptation right, as there is additional scrutiny on such major antagonists. Although the franchise has largely succeeded in making its villains appropriately evil, complex, or powerful, there are actually many flaws that pop all along the MCU’s movie timeline. With that in mind, here are 10 harsh realities of the MCU’s biggest Marvel villains.
10. Thanos’ Plan Never Made Sense
The Logistics Of The Mad Titan’s Snap Rendered It Pointless
Despite early teases being more in line with his comic book motivations of courting Lady Death, Thanos’ entire MCU plan was ultimately focused on solving a crisis of resources. The driving force behind the Mad Titan’s idea to collect the Infinity Stones and use them to wipe out half of all life in the universe stemmed from a desire to better the chances of survival for the remaining half. However, Thanos’ plan really made very little sense.
Many major resources typically stem from other living things. Thanos’ Snap should theoretically halve the food supply, too, making resources twice as scarce to match the smaller population. There are other conceptual flaws in Thanos’ plan, making his Snap seem especially ill-advised, and indicating that it may have been better for the MCU to stick to his original comic book motivations instead.
9. Age Of Ultron Made Its Villain Non-Comic-Accurate
Ultron Was Beaten Too Easily
Many of the MCU’s greatest innovations have stemmed from disregarding the source material. Moving away from Marvel’s pre-established stories allows the franchise to offer shocking and emotional moments, as well as keeping those well-versed in Marvel lore guessing. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always bode as well when it comes to specific characters, as it subtly rewrites their story in a way that undermines their apparent power level.
Ultron is a prime example of how non-comic-accuracy can make a terrifying villain seem generic. The rogue AI initially created by Tony Stark who becomes intent on wiping out humanity is an excellent villain, but his tenure in the franchise is unnecessarily short-lived. In the comics, Ultron is one of the most adaptable beings in the Marvel Universe, and his unlikely MCU death after just a single appearance makes Ultron one of the franchise’s least comic-accurate villains.
8. Kang Isn’t A True Villain
The Multiverse Presents A Unique Narrative Challenge
A major flaw with introducing the Multiverse Saga’s big bad stems from the very nature of the character, and it’s unlikely the franchise will ever be able to resolve the issue. After establishing Kang as a major antagonist in Phases 4 and 5, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s post-credits scene introduced the Council of Kangs. The countless Kang variants massing to discuss the threat of another Time War implies that the number of powerful variants is itself one of the key ways that Kang poses a threat to the Multiverse.
There’s an obvious problem with such an idea, though: all Kang variants cannot possibly be evil. The Council of Kangs is itself gathered out of concern regarding Kang the Conqueror, and other non-villainous variants such as Victor Timely would help tip the balance against the villain. The comics also contain decidedly heroic variants such as Iron Lad, and so the apparent threat of Kang’s endlessly dangerous counterparts simply doesn’t make full sense.
7. Thanos’ Soul Stone “Sacrifice” Was Never Shocking
Thanos Had Already Been Established As A Horrific Father
Thanos is undoubtedly one of the MCU’s most powerful villains, as demonstrated by his ability to harness the collected power of the Infinity Stones. One of the key factors in his strength is his steadfast conviction, allowing him to overcome obstacles that would stop practically any other character. Perhaps the best example of this comes when Thanos is forced to sacrifice his beloved adopted daughter Gamora in order to obtain the Soul Stone.
Thanos’ unapologetic sacrifice of Gamora was considered by many to be a shocking moment. From a character perspective, however, it was actually somewhat predictable. Considering Thanos’ MCU backstory had already explained how he’d emotionally tortured both daughters and repeatedly physically altered Nebula in order to make her stronger, it’s hardly surprising that he could treat a loved one as a simple means to an end, especially when it came to securing his ultimate goal.
6. Wanda Only Became A Villain Because The Avengers Failed Her
The Avengers Could Have Prevented Wanda’s Villain Turn
Wanda Maximoff’s MCU story was filled with twists and turns. First introduced as a villain with ties to Hydra, Wanda soon defected and joined the Avengers, helping to fight Thanos during the events of Infinity War. After losing Vision, Wanda’s grief saw her create a magical illusion for herself in which she had a perfect family. Later, she lost them, too. This directly led her to play the villain in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ cast, but her Scarlet Witch turn could have been avoided.
Considering her Avengers teammates knew she was grieving after losing Vision, allowing her to go off alone despite knowing the dark potential of her powers was irresponsible. Had some of Wanda’s friends taken the time to support her, she likely wouldn’t have been put in the vulnerable position where Agatha was able to manipulate her. This would have prevented her from becoming the Darkhold-wielding Scarlet Witch, and ultimately could have prevented her death.
5. Kang’s MCU Story Got Off To A Bad Start
The Nature Of Kang’s Introduction Undermined His Impact
Having the first two appearances of a supposedly major villain end in death isn’t a great start. Though Kang was written to be a hugely powerful Multiverse threat, showing two characters with limited abilities stopping him in back-to-back appearances didn’t bode well for the character. It was a poor way to introduce a dangerous villain, as it seems to establish that he’s easily beaten.
4. Loki Was Only Ever A Placeholder Villain
Loki’s Major Villain Potential Was Immediately Ruined
Back in 2012 at the end of the MCU’s Phase 1, Loki was brought in to act as the villain responsible for the formation of the Avengers. The Avengers saw the God of Mischief attempt to enslave humanity using a Chitauri army, forcing six of Earth’s greatest heroes to step and fight him to protect the planet. Sadly, on reflection, it’s clear that Loki was never truly an Avengers-level threat.
Most of Loki’s might stemmed from his use of an Infinity Stone and the Chitauri army he borrowed from Thanos. It was then revealed that Thanos was the mastermind behind the attack anyway, and that Loki had simply been doing his bidding. This creates an unfortunate subtext that Loki was never the level of villain he appeared to be, but rather a placeholder until Marvel were ready to formally introduce Thanos to the franchise.
3. Marvel Admitted That They Wasted Ultron
The MCU’s Other Ultron Story Shows What Age Of Ultron Did Wrong
Avengers: Age of Ultron may have introduced the titular villainous AI to the MCU, but it also wasted him in emphatic fashion. This was clearly not the most accurate depiction of the character as he exists in the comics, but Marvel’s mistake actually gets worse. What If…? features a story depicting what could have happened if Ultron had survived as he should have, and the results confirm that Marvel made a mistake in killing him.
Ultron’s ability to adapt and grow makes him one of the most potentially powerful villains in the Marvel universe, and What If…? understands that perfectly. It shows Ultron gathering the Infinity Stones and becoming one of the most powerful beings in existence, directly confirming the heights the villain could have reached. As such, it becomes even clearer that Marvel wasted Ultron by killing him too soon, and they also appear to know it.
2. Too Much Of Thanos’ MCU Impact Was Undone
The MCU Erased Practically All Of The Lasting Effects Of Thanos’ Snap
Thanos’ role in the Infinity Saga was undeniably massive, with huge ramifications for the entire MCU. The villain’s Snap wiped out half of all life, with it taking the Avengers five years to bring everyone back. The ending of Avengers: Endgame marks the start of a new beginning for the franchise, but it also shows just how poorly the MCU handled the fallout from Thanos’ Snap.
Not only does the franchise reset almost every element of Thanos’ plan back to the way it was before, but it’s been repeatedly dismissive of its impact on the world. For example, slogans stating that “Thanos was right” and New Asgard’s ice-cream shop referencing the Snap seem incredibly insensitive, with even Marvel making light of its own tragedies. All this does is further undermine the impact Thanos’ actions had on the MCU, failing the villain retrospectively.
1. The MCU Doesn’t Know How To Handle Huge Cosmic Or Magical Villains
Marvel Keep Mishandling Potential Major Antagonists
The MCU has featured many antagonists, but there’s a common thread that runs through multiple characterizations. Some MCU villains are too powerful, and are changed in order to better exist in the franchise. The pattern of this has become increasingly transparent, and it spells out a rather unfortunate truth: Marvel isn’t sure how to depict its cosmic beings or magical entities in the MCU.
The likes of Dormammu, the Dweller-in-Darkness, Arishem the Judge, and even Ego the Living Planet have either been vanquished almost immediately or used all too sparingly. As each one is easily powerful enough to be an Avengers-level threat, it’s bizarre that they’ve played such comparatively minor roles in the franchise. It’s a rather telling indicator that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is avoiding some of its potentially powerful villains, marking yet another harsh truth for Marvel’s movies.
