Throughout the timeline of the MCU, the audience has been introduced to several villains, each of which was developed with different background stories and values. Although they were narrated as the bad guys with evil intentions, there are actually some villains that catch our attention from the main heroic characters.
With their own stories behind their evil plans and their own charms, some antagonists made such a great impression on the audience, even bigger than that of the superheroes. And some MCU villains actually did that.
Therefore, we sometimes cannot resist loving these MCU villains more than the superheroes because of their own charisma. Here are the best 12 MCU characters that are too good to be villains!
#1 Thanos - Avengers: Infinity War & Avengers: Endgame
When it comes to
Marvel antagonists, Thanos is undoubtedly one of the most well-known villains for his formidable finger snap. This villain thought what he was doing was for the best of the universe. Although the Avengers teamed up to defeat him, Thanos was still able to bring chaos to the entire MCU.
#2 Loki - Thor, The Avengers
Given the title God of Mischief, Loki is one of the MCU roles with the most complicated characteristics. Coping with his loneliness and complexities, Loki constantly shifts between good and evil, making him an interesting character in the MCU.
#3 Xu Wenwu - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Wenwu is a special MCU villain who received empathy from the audience for the struggles he went through. He tried to live a normal life with his family before turning back to the evil to bring back his beloved wife.
#4 Mysterio - Spider-man: Far From Home
Mysterio and his teammates geniusly tricked the whole world into thinking that he is a superhero, therefore receiving recognition from the public. Even though he was eventually defeated by Spider-Man, the fact that he was able to fool the world is still really mind-blowing.
#5 Killmonger - Black Panther
Michael B. Jordan did a marvelous job at bringing life to Killmonger - a fantastic villain with a tragic background story. Being abandoned in America, he worked hard to join the Navy SEALs and trained to be a skillful yet ruthless fighter, embarking on his plan of completing his late father's goal.
#6 Hela - Thor: Ragnarok
Hela is given the title The Asgardian Goddess of Death, proving how deadly she is. Hela was once the greatest threat to the enter MCU when she destroyed Thor's hammer and took over Asgard while Thor and Loki had to conquer Asgard to take her down.
#7 Ego - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2
First appearing as Peter Quill's loving father, Ego turned out to be an extremely dangerous guy. He later became an egotistical monster who deny all values of ordinary life.
#8 Kingpin - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Of all the villains in the Spider-Verse, Kingpin is considered one of the most nuanced ones. So as to find new versions of his dead wife and son, he planned to get access to alternate universes by using a collider, his formidable power, and redundant resource.
#9 Doctor Octopus - Spider-Man 2
Making his first appearance as a kind-hearted scientist living happily with his beloved significant other, Doctor Octopus failed an experiment that changed his whole life. Losing his job and his true love, he started to lose control of himself and turned evil. What makes this villain specially and emotionally attached to the audience is that he sacrificed himself to save New York - a courageous and unforgettable act of him.
#10 Vulture - Spider-Man: Homecoming
Every human being is willing to do everything in order to make ends meet, and so was Adrian Toomes aka Vulture. Losing his job as a construction worker, he chose to sell alien weapons to support and help his family survive.
#11 Magneto - X-Men franchise
Magneto is an exceptional villain whose life story is deeply associated with world history and society. Originally a prisoner captured by the Nazis in Auschwitz, he suffered from great racial prejudice during World War II, which eventually led him to the idea of overruling humanity. The story of Magneto once again calls out the real-life issues of discrimination.
#12 Green Goblin - Spider-Man
Unlike other Spider-Man villains who came from the background where lower-class people were wronged by society, Norman Osborn was already part of the high class, but unfortunately lost himself to his dark half, just like Doctor Octopus.