From Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor to Inter Galactic Forces – Guardians of the Galaxy, there are a number of mighty heroes in the MCU and also some great MCU Villains. However, it’s rarely one of them to save the day, it’s because they simply come up against a collection of equally powerful villains.
The success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe not only relies on the great superheroes but also on the memorable MCU Villains. In the year 2022, we saw some remarkably stronger MCU Villains in MCU Phase 4 like Gorr the God Butcher, Namor, and Scarlet Witch.
But while some of them may be more entertaining than others, there can only be one villain who is deemed the most powerful of them all.
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The power of MCU Villains can take many forms, from their otherwordly and cosmic abilities to the intelligence and strategic mind that allows them to execute their plans. From the lackluster to the truly threatening, the MCU always has interesting villains, but some of them are more powerful than others.
46. Kro (Eternals)
Kro’s role was being played by Bill Skarsgard (who played the role of Pennywise the Clown in the IT movie series) seemed to be the perfect choice for an MCU villain. This makes his completely bland and pointless villain in Eternals even more crushing.
Just imagine how bad a villain Kro is when I couldn’t even remember his name, and here’s why it is very hard for me as well as MCU fans to remember him.
Kro is overshadowed by Ikaris, who became the real villain in the third act. Secondly, Kro appears about halfway through the movie, becoming the most intelligent Deviant after absorbing the abilities of some other Eternals.
Having a character that can mimic the abilities of those it’s killed might sound interesting, but ultimately Kro doesn’t get to do anything in the story, besides showing up out of nowhere for the final fight and getting easily defeated by Thena. We cannot say that Kro is not a powerful threat to the world or the Eternals, but one of the weakest MCU villains till now.
45. Todd Phelps (She-Hulk)
Todd Phelps is one of the weakest MCU Villains till now, Todd Phelps appeared in She-Hulk, but with the more comedic approach of She-Hulk, it is not surprising that the show fails to deliver a truly menacing villain. In fact, for much of the series, Todd Phelps comes off as just a gross, entitles rich boy.
It is not until the finale episode that Todd is revealed to be the head of Intelligencia, a group of internet trollers who hack Jennifer Walter’s personal phone. This was a despicable act done by them, the fact that Todd is simply arrested off-screen shows how little power he actually had.
44. Sadie Deever (Ms. Marvel)
Sadie Deever the antagonist who appeared in Ms. Marvel, is also one of the weakest MCU Villains till now. Although when the Ms. Marvel series began it was not easy to identify the main villain. Sadie Deever is an agent working with Damage Control who seeks to bring down Ms. Marvel.
Her reckless and unfair practices make her easy to dislike but her motivations are never really clear. She just seems incompetent at her job and gets the anti-climatic end of simply being fired over the phone.
43. Najma (Ms.Marvel)
Marvel’s latest trend of giving their villains a bit more sympathy, and Ms.Marvel is the best example of that. Najma’s early motivation was just to return to her home. She and other Clandestine want to return to their own dimension, and they’ve reached a point where they will do anything to do that.
In terms of evil acts, Najma had done quite a few. She murdered Ms. Marvel great grandmother, abandoned her own son Kamran in prison, and was still willing to create a gateway to her dimension with full knowledge that it will destroy the Earth.
These are all terrible acts, but Najma’s screen presence is lacking and unmemorable, and her last-minute redemption doesn’t feel earned or satisfying given her actions curse Kamran with powers and cause even more havoc after her death. Although she did some evil acts, she is still one of the weakest MCU villains now.
42. Ivan Vanko/Whiplash (Iron Man 2)
Ivan Vanko aka. Whiplash made his first appearance in Iron Man 2. Ivan Vanko’s childhood was ruined due to his father’s affiliation with Stark Family, which drove him to take revenge on Tony Stark. Vanko’s work with mechanics and technology rivals Tony’s. Ivan Vanko even created his own suit of armor and army of drones.
However, while Vanko succeeds in showing the world that Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) is not invincible, he doesn’t achieve much more than that. After he builds his own 2nd suit, in the final against Vanko takes Tony (aka Iron Man) and James Rhodes (War Machine) takes a few minutes to defeat him. He was also of the weakest MCU Villains against Iron Man.
41. Obadiah Stane (Iron Man)
Obadiah Stane was the first MCU Villain who made his first appearance in Iron Man, Stane makes his mark, even if he pales in comparison to some of those who followed him. He has been an intelligent MCU villain till now, he pretended to be Tony Stark’s ally who was plotting on keeping Stark out of the picture.
Ironically, it is when Stane gets his own suit of armor, he becomes less impressive. After equipping his armor suit he seems to lose all his intelligence and tactics that he had before and goes on a wild rampage. He also proved that he doesn’t understand these suits as Tony does, which also makes him one of the weakest MCU villains till now.
40. Darren Cross/ Yellow Jacket (Ant-Man)
Darren Cross is also one of the corporate MCU villains, he made his first appearance in Ant-Man which is more effective as a threat when wearing his tailored suit than he is wearing a yellow super suit which is also called the yellow jacket. Darren Cross proves that he is just as intelligent as Hank Pym, he was successful in creating the Pym Particles.
Darren was also to prevent the heist of his super suit, staying one step ahead of the heroes. But just like Obadiah Stane, when he becomes Yellowjacket, he seems to lose his mind. Darren’s yellowjacket suit was powerful, but he wasn’t that much of a fighter like Ant-Man.
39. Ghost (Ant-Man and the Wasp)
Ghost aka Ava Starr is quite a complicated MCU villains as she has impressive powers but wants nothing to do with them. She has the unique ability to phase through matter makes her very tricky to fight and allows her to be quite deadly as she can simply phase through enemies and stop their hearts.
However, Ghost’s full potential isn’t really realized because her abilities leave her in constant pain, meaning she is more interested in getting rid of them than seeing the full scope of what she can do.
38. Adrian Toomes/ The Vulture (Spider-Man: Homecoming)
Vulture is one of Spider-Man’s oldest villains, but in Spider-Man: Homecoming Vulture gets a very different approach. He is something of a blue-collar bad guy who steals alien weapons and modifies them to high teach weapons and sells them to the highest bidder.
As a criminal, he is fairly capable, especially with his alien tech intimidating flying suit. However, without his suit, he is also just an ordinary guy underneath those wings. He is also quite reluctant to actually kill anyone. He came out to be one of my favorite MCU Villains till now and for Marvel fans.
37. Wilson Fisk/ King Pin (Hawkeye/Daredevil)
Vincent D’ Onforio’s take on the character is seen as one of the best versions of King Pin in Daredevil so fans were excited to see him return in the final episode of Hawkeye. However, he certainly differs quite a bit from the one we saw in the Daredevil series, not appearing as competent or deadly as before.
While King Pin seems to get some increased strength this time around, he is still beaten by young Kate Bishop. He also appears much more low-level, not running the city as he once did due to the Blip (Thanos Snap). But he still is one of the fan’s favorite MCU Villains.
36. John Walker (Falcon and the Winter Soldier)
It is interesting that the next person who took up the mantle of Captain America turned out to be something of a villain. While there are some of you who will argue that John Walker is not the true villain in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the way he tarnishes his title after his partner’s death he kills the man who killed his partner with Captain America’s Shield, so that makes him strong contender.
Even before taking the super-soldier serum, John Walker was an exceptional soldier and he only become stronger later on. However, his rage seems to cloud his mind at times making him more vulnerable and less impressive than Steve Rogers.
35. Dreykov (Black Widow)
Dreykov is one of those kinds of MCU villains who would rather have others do his dirty work than he himself. He is quite effective at this, crafting the Red Room and brainwashing girls like Natasha Romanoff into becoming his personal assassins.
However, the power Dreykov wields over those girls seems to have given him such a dangerous ego. But due to his arrogance, he reveals his secret plan to Natasha without realizing he just walked into her trap, and the whole Red Room is easily destroyed.
34. Karli Morgenthau (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier)
Karli Morgenthau was a big believer in the infamous movement that “Thanos was right” since she and Flag smashers think the Avengers made a great mistake in undoing the ‘The Blip(Thanos Snap which wiped 50 percent of all living creatures)’.
Karli and her group of radicals believe the world is now overpopulated and less fortunate families are now displaced because of reversing Thanos’s Snap. She and her members took a sample of super-soldier serum and she now has the same abilities as Steve Rogers (Captain America).
Karli Morgantheau is a nice twist and the best sympathetic MCU villains till now an archetype that Marvel has gone fond of her in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Her believable motivations and pure intentions make the audience think she’s going to break the good and redeem herself, but by proving Zemo was right, she went too far and used violent methods doing more harm than good.
Even though the new Captain America Sam Wilson tried his level best to see the reason but she didn’t understand this and ultimately Karli died for her cause, turning her into a symbol of change despite her pension for murder.
33. Malekith the Accused (Thor Dark World)
Malekith is the leader of the Dark Elves, Malekith is often regarded as one of the worst MCU villains, ironically Thor Dark World is also the worst MCU movie till now. Malekith got this reputation mostly due to his lack of motivation or interesting character development. However, as a threat, you cannot say that either.
Malekith’s plan to release the Aether and erase the entire universe is certainly high stakes, but he made really less effort to achieve it. As he is been tricked by Thor’s mom, Thor and Loki delivered Jane Foster (with Aether inside her), and a supervillain who is a threat to the universe is defeated by 2 scientists who outthink him.
32. Kaecilius (Doctor Strange)
Kaecilius is another fairly forgettable MCU villains as he is basically a minion of his master Dormammu. However, going to a dark path was a master of mystic arts, he is skilled and certainly knows what he is doing more than Doctor Strange.
He is a ruthless fighter and is being powered by Dormammu (Lord of the Dark Dimension) making him quite formidable. However, he was so influenced by Dormammu and his offerings, Kaecilius freed him, and he became the servant of Dormammu, which shows that he is actually not that intelligent.
31. Aldrich Killian (Iron Man 3)
When we saw Iron Man 3, we expected Ben Kingsley as the Mandarin (and could have made him one of the best MCU Villains) to be the main villain, but sadly it came out that Aldrich Killian was the main villain. Whether fans liked it or not but it was actually a great piece of deception on Killian’s part.
He is a lot hard to take seriously as a villain as the whole plot is covering up his failed Extremis operation, but the fact that he convinced the world that there was a terrorist on the loose shows he is much smarter than the average MCU Villains we have discussed till now, but his power didn’t help him much in the end fight.
30. Alexander Pierce (Captain America Winter Soldier)
Alexander Pierce is one of the political MCU villains till now. He feels like a man who is always in control. He was able to rise up to the top of the S.H.I.E.L.D. and was able to fool the master spy Nick Fury while secretly building the Hydra within it.
He is not a fighter, as Winter Soldier did all his dirty work. However, operating in plain sight and coming so close to fulfilling Redskull’s mission. However, his mission was taken down by a team of superheroes including Captain America, Black Widow, Nick Fury, Maria Hil, and Falcon.
29. Zemo (Captain America: Civil War)
There are a number of MCU Villains who think they are heroes including Helmut Zemo. This seemingly ordinary man has no superpower or allies. Yet he is one of the few MCU Villains who show off beating the Avengers.
Zemo is not much of a fighter but manipulates and plans his moves in order to have the heroes fight themselves. While he is being defeated easily by Black Panther, the damage he did has long-lasting effects.
28. Wenwu (Shan-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings)
Wenwu is the villain who inspired the legend of the Mandarin and already had high expectations coming to the MCU, but Wenwu didn’t disappoint. After finding the mystical and Mysterious Ten Rings centuries ago, by using these Ten Rings Wenwu was able to capture lands and defeat entire armies single-handedly.
However, by wielding the Ten Rings Wenwu was able to get inhuman abilities, but in the final fight, Shang Chi was able to master rings and even take it from his father. It is still debatable how powerful Wenwu would have been without those rings. Wenwu still is one of the most powerful MCU Villains in Phase 4.
27. Mysterio (Spider-Man: Far From Home)
Quentin Beck (aka Mysterio) was displeased former employed by Stark Enterprises who proved that strength of mind can sometimes do great damage than force. Mysterio got no superpowers, but still, he caused enough chaos to get Avenger’s attention.
Beck tricked Spider-Man to get a free pair of E.D.I.T.H. (Even Dead I AM The Hero) glasses (AI made by Tony Stark for Peter Parker), fitted with an AI system that allowed Beck to control tons of armed Stark drones and target them towards London. Mysterio’s master of illusions is another valuable tool on the battlefield. Although he died from a misfire of a Stark drone, he revealed Spider-Man’s real identity to the world. So although he didn’t have superpowers, he caused great damage to Peter and Stark Industries, and that’s what make him one of the most powerful MCU Villains till now.
26. Taskmaster (Black Widow)
The Black Widow movie was not able to have the same impact as some of the movies in earlier phases of the MCU. Although there were quite some amazing moments in the film, most of them involved Taskmaster (who could have been one of the greatest MCU Villains, just like he is in Marvel Comics). In the MCU taskmaster is a futuristic cyborg who was initially controlled by General Dreykov.
It’s almost uncertain now whether we will see Taskmaster in upcoming movies may we get a closer look at the character’s personality and motivation now that she’s once again in control of her own destiny remains the same.
Whatever happens though, there’s no doubt whatsoever about her raw strength and incredible combat skills, the latter of which is built around her ability to mimic perfectly her opponent’s move.
25. Green Goblin (Spider-Man No Way Home)
Spider-Man has fought some of the coolest and strongest MCU Villains around who often have scientific backgrounds, and Spider-Man No Way Home features from the cream of the crop. With villains like Doc Ock, Lizard, Sand Man, and Electro as convenient distractions, Green Goblin is able to sneak past everyone, relatively unnoticed, and effectively gains the upper hand on not just one, but 3 Spider-Man and also Doctor Strange.
When Norman Osborn loses a mental battle with his dark side, his unsympathetic alter ego gets to come out and play, equipped with his nearly impenetrable armor, glorious Goblin Glider, superman abilities, and malicious intent.
Green Goblin’s strategic intelligence is just as dangerous, while his manipulation tactics and regeneration capabilities are top-notch.
24. Winter Soldier (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
I know a lot of you must be thinking about how Winter Soldier (aka Bucky Barnes) could be considered a Villain although he changed after Captain America Civil War.
Winter Soldier is one of the best enhanced brainwashed assassin MCU villains. This Super Soldier Serum replicant made by Hydra has a well of capabilities almost as deep as Captain America, although technically still in the experimental phase of development. The genetically enhanced Winter Soldier draws even more power from his bulletproof cybernetic arm.
Before becoming Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes was a trained soldier and highly capable on the battlefield, skills which are enhanced even further by his augmented body, which also ages slower than a regular human. He also has rapid healing often comes in handy while his speed and stamina allow him to outmaneuver even the Black Panther.
23. Red Skull (Captain America: The First Avenger)
Red Skull was the first person to take the Super Soldier Serum, Red Skull showed the benefits and fallbacks of it. He certainly benefits from the super-strength, showing himself to be a match in a fight with Captain America.
It also seems to inflate his ambition as Red Skull establishes Hydra as a superpower that plans to conquer the world, including the Nazis he works for. However, once Captain America joins the war, Red Skull suffers one military defeat after another.
22. Arthur Harrow (Moon Knight)
The cult leader Arthur Harrow is a devout servant of the almighty devourer of souls, the goddess Ammit, who he believes will purge the world of unnecessary evil as soon as she is set free. Dr. Victoria Grail and Moon Knight do not share the “good” doctor’s sentiments, although he is just one of many villains on Marc Spector’s overwhelming agenda.
Much like some of the strongest MCU Villains, Arthur Harrow does not have any superpowers, but that doesn’t mean he should not be feared. A genius intellect with immortal intentions is potent enough to incapacitate the world if given the chance.
Fortunately, Arthur Harrow did get some upgrades for his MCU debut and is able to channel Ammit’s magic, along with a mystical staff and nifty, highly judgemental tattoo to boot.
21. Agatha Harkness (Wanda Vision)
The launch of Disney+ has allowed the creative minds behind the MCU to take a somewhat different approach to the way that it introduces new heroes and villains. Rather than having to rush them out to the center of the stage right away, the long-form nature of episodic television provides opportunities for slow-burning scenarios instead: as evidenced by WandaVision.
Agatha Harkness’s eventual reveal came not only as a shock but also at the perfect moment in the show’s sparkling solitary season. When all is said and done, Agatha ends up being more of a foil for Wanda than a true villain, helping both her and the audience to realize just how powerful she is.
Nonetheless, the Salem Witch Trial survivor is immensely powerful and will no doubt demonstrate this further when her recent spin-off series is released.
20. Ebony Maw (Avengers Infinity War, Avengers Endgame)
Both movies had to juggle so many characters, that Ebony Maw’s screen time in both movies was limited. However, his antics, on Earth showed that he was a powerful being.
Fighting against Doctor Strange, he barely broke a sweat as he used his telekinetic abilities to incapacitate the Sorcerer Supreme. In fact, he barely landed a blow on the Black Order member. The only thing that stopped him in his quest to get the Time Stone was Spider-Man’s quick thinking and knowledge of James Cameron’s movie Aliens, that’s how Tony used it through Ebony Maw in outer space and defeated him.
19. Yon Rogg (Captain Marvel)
Captain’s Marvel greatest foe is expected to instigate more chaos again in The Marvels (releasing in November 2023) because Yon Rogg clearly didn’t get his fill of death and destruction the first time. Commanding the formidable forces and teaming up with Ronan the Accuser from time to time, this tyrant is hellbent on mass genocide while extending the Empire’s reach.
Yon-Rogg (aka Magnetron) values the Kree above all else, channeling Hitler in his attempt to “purify” the realm. Carol Danvers is supposed to be his greatest project yet, seeing as the pair are virtually on par with power levels; however, she is being particularly stubborn about joining the cause.
His Life Force consumption, superhuman strength, Gravitational Manipulation, and other tricks hidden up his sleeves are deemed inefficient in overpowering Captain Marvel, but it seems he has not yet given up hope.
18. Ronan the Accuser (Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel)
Ronan the Accuser spent much of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 with Power Stone in his possession. Thus it’s difficult to determine his strength without. Yet this fight he had with Drax the Destroyer on Knowhere shows he was a beast before the cosmic boost.
During the brawl, the Guardian wanted vengeance for the death of this family. However, Ronan beat him down down, without really trying. Drax, on the other hand, gave it all but couldn’t do any damage.
17. Kurse (Thor Dark World)
As Thor: The Dark World is generally considered among the worst movies MCU movies, many people forget about the Kurse. He was the powerhouse of Malekith’s army, thanks to the Kursed stone that heavily enhanced his abilities.
So much so that he was too strong for even the mighty Thor. Kurse put a beating on the son of Odin, which only ended when Loki intervened. The Avengers might’ve done better had he been able to get a hold of his hammer, but Kurse battled the thing away – an impressive feat in and of itself.
16. Abomination (The Incredible Hulk)
Despite being the first MCU movie, The Incredible Hulk introduced a villain who was among the strongest the series has ever seen. The Creature was Abomination and perhaps due to the timing of the movie’s release, this movie rarely gets credit or the respect it deserves.
The giant brute boasted similar power to the Hulk and matched the green monster blow for blow. There were even moments during their battle in Harlem when he seemed to be too much for the hero. Abomination might’ve eventually lost the fight, however, he still managed to dust himself off in time to cause some trouble for She-Hulk.
15. Ikaris (Eternals)
One of the best twists in Phase 4 of the MCU is the revelation that Ikaris is the Villain. It makes it only a heartbreaking betrayal with other heroes, but also a difficult one as Ikaris is one of the strongest members of Eternals.
He is able to take on several of his cosmic companions at once with his super strength, ability to fly, and eye beams. He is like the Superman of the MCU but sadly he is not very heroic. Yet his remorse is seemingly what brings him down in the end.
14. Ultron (Avengers Age of Ultron)
Since WandaVision, fans have come to appreciate Avengers Age of Ultron more than ever. Yet, something that could never be disappointing and that could never be questioned about the movie is the might of its villain. Ultron was an ever-improving machine who altered his form throughout the story.
With his almost impressive upgrade, he was too much for Individual Avengers. Even Thor was able to defeat him alone, as he needed assistance from Iron Man and Vision to finally get the upper hand on the menacing antagonist.
13. Adam Warlock (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 and Vol 3)
MCU fans may have only got a glimpse of Adam Warlock in a telltale and end credit scene and a teaser trailer, but it is quite evident that Ayeesha’s secret weapon should not be underestimated. Technically Golden Gal himself.
Adam Warlock is very epitome of perfection, right down to his DNA, and while his MCU origin story differs greatly from that of the comics, it is safe to assume his powers will still be similar to the source material (the Soul Gem element, although there is something suspicious embedded in his forehead).
Adam Warlock’s comic counterpart can manipulate metaphysical quantum energy, with his Orb Eternity in tow, he can spy on numerous realms from afar. Apart from time traveling, Adam could be considered Doctor Strange’s counterpart in terms of power and energy.
12. Namor (Black Panther Wakanda Forever)
Namor is the newest villain, he is already the greatest MCU villains till now. An immediate enemy to the rest of the world would be a potential ally to the Wakandians. the charming K’uk’ulkan could quite easily classify himself as a Demi-God of sorts: think Hermes merged with Poseidon ruling a Vibranium-fueled Atlantis, with a deep-rooted hatred for humanity.
The king of Talokan can control the seas with just a thought and flood entire cities with ease, while his siren-inspired kin lure their foes to a watery death with their ethereal voices.
Namor barely needs to rely on weaponry during battle, as his sharp reflexes and superhuman speed is almost unmatched while his wing feet grant him added range and a potent unpredictability factor.
He draws power directly from oxygen, be it aqueous or vapor but a water source is preferred, theoretically giving him an unlimited supply of energy reserves. Talakonil has created an extensive range of hybrid-based ammunition that explodes with an instant tsunami or slices their foes to Smith’s interests.
11. Hela (Thor Ragnarok)
Thor and Loki’s sister, only needed a single movie to prove her immense strength. Initially, she did so by easily destroying Mjolnir to pieces. Then she went to Asgard and quickly eliminated the Warriors Three before slaughtering most of the Einherjar.
Plus a flashback showed that she wiped out all the Valkyries. Thor’s power-up towards the end of Ragnarok helped him against Hela, yet he still couldn’t defeat the villain. Surtur was the only one who caused Ragnarok and could defeat Hela.
10. Gorr the God Butcher (Thor Love and Thunder)
Despite having a great intimidating name, Gorr the God Butcher is one of the most undergod MCU villains, a family man who takes up the mission of killing all gods. Armed with Necrosword, Gorr gains abilities to live in the shadows and create shadow creatures on his own.
He is seen to have slaughtered many powerful gods with his abilities and he fought Thor, Mighty Thor, and Valkyrie in the shadow world, in the end, he fought against Thor and Mighty Thor. To defeat Gorr Thor has to use his human side to ensure he doesn’t achieve his mission.
9. Surtur (Thor Ragnarok)
At the beginning of Thor: Ragnarok, Surtur didn’t seem overly fearsome. After all, the God of Thunder got the better of him in their brawl. Yet, that wasn’t the full-power version of the monster, as viewers would later discover to devastating effect.
Surtur’s true might was unleashed near the end of the movie when his crown was reunited with the Eternal Flame. Once that happened, he impressively managed to kill Hela in one blow. What’s more, Hulk could barely damage him, as Surtur swatted the green hero away like a fly. Although he didn’t have that much screen time in Thor Ragnarok whatever time he got on screen he truly showed that he is one of the strongest MCU villains till now.
8. Loki (Thor and Avengers)
Loki the stepbrother of Thor and God of Mischief in the first Thor Movie, Loki used his manipulation techniques to let the Jotunheim army attack Asgard, making Thor believe that he is not allowed to return to Asgard and Odin is dead because of him and send the Destroyer to kill Thor, he also used his magic to go into Odin’s Sleep.
Loki was the first MCU Villain who was deemed strong enough to take on all the Avengers. The God of Mischief is strong enough to fight the likes of Iron Man and Captain America, but he is also able to outsmart the heroes and draw them into the trap.
Loki used his intimidation techniques to steal the Tesseract from S.H.I.E.L.D., killed Phil Coulson, and was able to trap Thor in the cell, he used the Tesseract to open the portal and lead the Chitauri Army to Earth.
7. Erik Killmonger (Black Panther)
Many fans see Killmonger as one of the most superior MCU villains till now, and that could factor in how he is able to be so effective. His determination and planning are like a superpower even if he is just a human soldier.
Killmonger was able to trick Klaue into finding his way to Wakanda and was able to beat T’Challa in combat for the throne and become the new king of Wakanda. Even having the best technology available to them, Wakanda was not ready for an enemy like Killmonger.
6. Ego (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2)
Unlike many MCU villains, Ego was a traditional fighter, he was a Celestial who could control energy and matter. He is a living planet that is able to create life and take new forms with ease while also duplicating himself across the universe in an attempt to take it over.
Apart from his son Quill – who shared some of the same abilities – the heroes stood no chance against his might. It didn’t help that Ego’s only weakness was in the core of the planet he created, he does seem surprisingly vulnerable as a simple bomb was planted by Groot at his core and killed him, even if it is not easy to accomplish that.
5. Kang the Conqueror (Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania)
Although a version of Kang the Conqueror also features in the Loki series, He Who Remains is not quite as fearsome as the big bad in the Quantumania storyline. Kang is the de-factor Master of Fate and self-declared Master of Time, capable of tinkering with the very essence of life, rewriting destiny while disregarding the concept of the natural order.
Streaming the depths of the Quantum Realm itself, where he essentially reigns as king but Kang as the villain in the MCU is the worst thing after Thanos. For the most part, the Conqueror’s epic armor is the source of his powers, rendering him virtually invincible. So even though has seemingly incapacitated the mighty foe, the Avengers shouldn’t get too comfortable, because the Council of Kang is planning something dangerous.
4. High Evolutionary (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3)
Enemies like Killmonger and Namor have become almost as beloved as the heroes themselves. But sometimes, it’s nice to just have a villain who is deeply, unrepentantly evil, a villain who is nothing but pure awfulness who we want to see our heroes destroy.
That’s certainly the case with Chukwudi Iwuji’s The High Evolutionary, a man who believes himself a god, wants to create a new world in his image, and will even torture and experiment on adorable animals to make his plans come together. The High Evolutionary is a maniac, and while it’s great to have well-rounded MCU villains, sometimes, it’s just great to have someone who revels in evil.
High Evolutionary is also feared among his staff and the Sovereign, because of what punishment he can do to them if they fail him in the slightest, as he tortured Adam Warlock for talking back to him and warned Ayesha that he would destroy all of Sovereign should they fail. Due to his obsession with 89P13, High Evolutionary was also prone to outbursts of rage where he would scream and viciously attack anyone who angered him, this is shown when he remorselessly murders his crew in a rage attack after their betrayal.
3. Scarlet Witch (Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness)
Wanda Maximoff ranks as one of the best characters in the MCU. She is infinitely powerful, with so many interesting stories and plots around her. But when it comes to making her one of the most powerful MCU Villains? MCU really made the best.
Wanda Maximoff has spent her fair share of time dabbing with both good and evil, initially introduced as the villain in MCU at the end of Captain America Winter Soldier, things have come full circle after the WandaVision catastrophe.
After devoting all of WandaVision to developing Wanda’s character and devoting it to the story of her grief, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness erases it with a simple dark magic book.
The Dark Hold not corrupted Wanda, but it changes her character from a superhero to an evil witch, just like Agatha Harkness. Wanda was heartbroken and desperate to meet her boys, she did unthinkable things like manipulating reality, killing the guards of Kamar Taj, and killing all members(except Baron Mordo) of the Illuminati.
Much like the Dark Phoenix, the Scarlet Witch embodies the heroine’s worst characteristics, which, when combined with her incredible omnipotence, is a concoction for disaster. Wanda’s mind-bending manipulations, telekinesis, and vast magical abilities are difficult to count on the best of days; now imagine the effects rage has on her power levels; enemies simply drop like flies! That makes her the most powerful and scary MCU villains.
2. Thanos (Avengers Infinity War and Avengers Endgame)
Taking out Hulk and Thor in the first scene of Avengers: Infinity War was impressive, but he was just getting started with each Infinity Stone giving him more power. When Thanos had all the Infinity Stones in his possession, he was the most powerful individual in the MCU and the strongest among all the MCU villains.
But while wielding those powerful artifacts certainly helped, Thanos saw himself as a true hero and his determination was an asset as well. With a universe of heroes coming against him, Thanos was still able to win.
In Avengers Endgame Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man found this out when they took on the 2014 version of the Titan. While the three Avengers landed some blows, the villain laid them all out by the end of the fight. And there wasn’t a Gauntlet in sight.
After a series of epic battles, the remaining Avengers eventually gained the upper hand, although many paid the ultimate price in the end. Thanos achieved his goal of wiping out a large majority of the population and there seemed to be no hope in sight. However, he underestimates the power of a woman scorned, allowing Scarlet Witch to tip the balance in the heroes’ favor, while Iron Man gives Thanos a taste of his own medicine.
1. Dormammu (Doctor Strange)
Dormammu’s full capabilities have never been shown in the MCU, yet it’s clear that they’re pretty much infinite. The ruler of the Dark Dimension has the strength to take over worlds. And he would’ve done the same to Earth if it wasn’t for Doctor Strange.
Doctor Strange couldn’t overpower the villain, so he trapped him in an endless time loop instead. During it, the rogue easily killed the durable Doctor continuously until he got sick of doing so. If the trans-dimensional life form ever resurfaces (as suggested at the end of Doctor Strange, Multiverse of Madness), then all the galaxy’s heroes could be in grave trouble, which makes him the most powerful MCU villains till now and a bigger threat not to the universe also to the multiverse.
