12 Villains Whom Marvel Superheroes Would Say 'Please' While Confronting
Superheroes without a compelling weakness aren't very intriguing - just look at the DCEU's ongoing efforts to convince someone, anybody, to care about Superman. We know that every character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, no matter how powerful, has at least one discernible flaw, yet not every Avenger's flaw has been displayed, let alone exploited, onscreen.
Even when up against their universe's most powerful villains, the MCU's heroes almost always triumph. The evil guys always lose, no matter how ruthless the supervillain is, how hell-bent on vengeance they are, or how convoluted their plots for global dominance are. Maybe their problem isn't so much a lack of firepower as a lack of matches. The Avengers aren't invincible, and the MCU is plenty of villains that may make life difficult for them in a battle. Perhaps the baddies could have had their day if they had switched alliances.
And that's just good ol' Scott Lang fooling about, trying not to damage anyone badly. Consider who could have done it if they had the same qualities plus a deadly instinct. Consider the case of Yellowjacket.
In his thirst for dominance, Darren Cross had no qualms about murdering lives, and he'd be especially keen to eliminate a business competitor in Stark. All he'd have to do is shrink tiny enough to slip inside the Iron Man or War Machine armors, and he'd be free to lay bombs, discharge poisonous gas, or just shoot the vulnerable heroes within.
Before they could engage any fire suppressants, Stark and Rhodes may be incapacitated or worse - and if the war occurred before the Civil War, they wouldn't have thought to incorporate any extra fortifications against small saboteurs attacking from within.
Enter Kevin Thompson, also known as Kilgrave and the Purple Man. His pheromonal abilities allow him to command people with compelling verbal instructions, making grit and resolve irrelevant. If Kilgrave told Cap to quit, Cap would do it without hesitation. Telling him to throw his shield into the sea, rush into traffic, or even violate the American flag is the same.
The Purple Man has no boundaries regarding what he can force Rogers or Wilson to do, and he's not one for moral issues.
Carl Creel, dubbed "the Absorbing Man" for his ability to absorb things, wouldn't even have to raise it. Because of his elemental mimicry, all he'd have to do is touch the hammer to transfer all of its attributes into his own body, including the aforementioned "power of Thor," one has to suppose.
So, at most, a Mjolnir-flavored Absorbing Man is on par with Thor in terms of strength, and the fact that he'd be formed entirely of magical Uru metal from head to toe would likely push Creel over the top in any physical fight.
The Absorbing Man has dabbled with heroism in both the comics and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., only to revert to villainy in the end. Perhaps it's for the best that the Mjolnir of the normal MCU timeline was destroyed before Creel could touch it.
The majority, but not all.
A spidey sense is only as good as its user's understanding of reality. It would be pointless if a voyage to another, other reality - such as the Mirror Dimension - could break that grasp. Spider-Man defeated Mysterio by being able to distinguish between what is real and what isn't, but where does that leave him in an alternate realm where nothing is genuine and everything may become a threat?
Kaecilius - or any sorcerer with a nefarious purpose - might move Spider-Man to a dimension where his greatest talent didn't operate and couldn't defend him with a simple spell. That's not to mention the challenges of web-slinging in a continuously moving world, not to mention all the sharp shards of reality Parker wouldn't be able to see coming.
If it were the old, split-personality version of the character, Bruce Banner would be unable to transform from his regular self into a green giant until Avengers: Endgame.
That's where D'Spayre enters the picture. D'Spayre, born Andre Deschaine, grew into a tremendously strong conduit of both Darkforce and Lightforce, capable of inflicting unending anguish on others and then feeding off their bad emotions while they wallow. He plied his skills against youngsters on Cloak & Dagger rather than dealing with the MCU's heavier hitters.
If the villain turned his focus to the Jade Giant, Banner would have no particular protections against such a mystical power, and the Hulk, considering his history of being down on himself and reluctant to emerge, may be extremely sensitive to it.
It would be up to D'Spayre to decide what to do with the sad, non-Hulking Banner.
Surtur, the fiery lord of Muspelheim, is one opponent against whom Groot would have no protection. Surtur can create and manage flames so intense that they may endanger even Thor, while Groot is composed of wood. Any battle between Groot and Surtur would be brief, brutal, and ashy.
Surtur would smash most characters in the MCU if he was fully powered, but he'd have an especially easy day with Groot.
Temperature is one of the few factors influencing even the Quantum Realm. Everything, including molecules, atoms, and Ant-Men, slows down as it gets cold. Lang would be frozen without ever having to witness Laufey, Loki's father and the commander of the Frost Giants, who was last seen dying in Thor.
He could simply utilize his inherent Frost Giant skills to reduce the temperature around him to absolute zero, and if Ant-Man happened to be there, he'd be frozen along with all the atoms and tardigrades.
And, if Laufey had his way, Ant-Man would be trapped in the subatomic ice like a little Captain America for all time.
Gravity is one thing Vibranium can't absorb because it isn't a kind of energy. In his panther costume, the Black Panther can't float around freely, and he wouldn't be able to defend himself against an attacker capable of manipulating gravity. Graviton's specialty was controlling gravity, as his name hinted.
Glenn Talbot, a former Hulk peripheral character and regular Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Foe was changed into Graviton after a fortuitous contact with Gravitonium, making him one of the MCU's most powerful creatures.
Graviton's grasp on reality weakened after he attempted to stop Thanos on his own, and he became so desperate for more Gravitonium that he placed the whole world in danger. If Black Panther had known about this at the time, he would probably have confronted Graviton and ended up as a Vibranium pancake due to his actions.
Murdock has learned to shut out much of the background noise over time. But what if he was greeted with a sound that was so loud that he couldn't ignore it? Perhaps a loud blast from Ulysses Klaue's high-tech sonic cannon, a gadget capable of creating soundwaves powerful enough to knock the Black Panther out. Even regular eardrums would be blown out, and Daredevil's eardrums are anything from ordinary.
A sound-pounding from Klaue would not only overwhelm Daredevil's super-senses to the point of ineffectiveness, but it would also batter his excessively sensitive ears enough to render the Devil of Hell's Kitchen completely incapacitated.
Daredevil has always managed to overcome this limitation in the comics, as Klaue is a creature composed entirely of sound, but he also has comic book science on his side. Murdock would probably simply crawl on the floor in misery if he were back on the terrible streets of Netflix.
As a result, the only type of villain who might endanger Wanda Maximoff could take advantage of her trust to approach her and strike her lethally before Wanda could react.
The Inhuman Jiaying has been there and done that.
Thanks to her Inhuman capacity to take the lifeforce of others into her own body, Jiaying (no last name) lasted decades past her usual lifetime.
So long as no one else got in the way, all she had to do was touch someone, and they were pretty much done for. Consider how Jiaying used her daughter, S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Daisy Johnson, to create trust and then breach it in the most inexcusable way conceivable. In comparison, fooling the exceedingly naive Scarlet Witch into lowering her guard would be child's play.
Throughout it all, spectators have yet to see her have even a scratch or a stray hair out of place. But, sooner or later, Captain Marvel will have to deal with someone who is genuinely capable of posing a threat to her.
Hela appears to be the greatest bet of all the villains that have blighted the MCU thus far. Hela annihilated the entire Asgardian population without breaking a sweat, even though the Asgardians are perhaps the most powerful race in the cosmos. She is more powerful than Thor, having broken Mjolnir with her own hands and annihilated the whole ob squadron of Valkyrie ages ago.
Captain Marvel is tougher than Thor, but not by much, and Hela would be able to give her a good scrap at the very least. There's also Hela's capacity to summon infinite waves of all-black dark energy swords to consider because Danvers can still bleed - maybe a lot if she annoys Hela.
Luke Cage is bulletproof, but he's also bulletproof against everything. His skin is impenetrable, which means that nothing - at least nothing substantial - can pierce it. That still leaves Cage vulnerable to the intangible, abundant in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Ghost, for example, can slip past even the most advanced defenses. Thus, nothing prevents her from phasing her hand straight into Cage's internal organs. Because they aren't unbreakable, all she'd have to do is poke a hole in his heart to kill Cage. Of course, Ava Starr has switched sides by the conclusion of Ant-Man and the Wasp, but Luke hasn't.
Even when up against their universe's most powerful villains, the MCU's heroes almost always triumph. The evil guys always lose, no matter how ruthless the supervillain is, how hell-bent on vengeance they are, or how convoluted their plots for global dominance are. Maybe their problem isn't so much a lack of firepower as a lack of matches. The Avengers aren't invincible, and the MCU is plenty of villains that may make life difficult for them in a battle. Perhaps the baddies could have had their day if they had switched alliances.
1. Iron Man And War Machine Would Vs. Yellowjacket
Source: Marvel Studio
And that's just good ol' Scott Lang fooling about, trying not to damage anyone badly. Consider who could have done it if they had the same qualities plus a deadly instinct. Consider the case of Yellowjacket.
In his thirst for dominance, Darren Cross had no qualms about murdering lives, and he'd be especially keen to eliminate a business competitor in Stark. All he'd have to do is shrink tiny enough to slip inside the Iron Man or War Machine armors, and he'd be free to lay bombs, discharge poisonous gas, or just shoot the vulnerable heroes within.
Before they could engage any fire suppressants, Stark and Rhodes may be incapacitated or worse - and if the war occurred before the Civil War, they wouldn't have thought to incorporate any extra fortifications against small saboteurs attacking from within.
2. Captain America Vs. The Purple Man
Source: Marvel Studio
Enter Kevin Thompson, also known as Kilgrave and the Purple Man. His pheromonal abilities allow him to command people with compelling verbal instructions, making grit and resolve irrelevant. If Kilgrave told Cap to quit, Cap would do it without hesitation. Telling him to throw his shield into the sea, rush into traffic, or even violate the American flag is the same.
The Purple Man has no boundaries regarding what he can force Rogers or Wilson to do, and he's not one for moral issues.
3. Thor Vs. Absorbing Man
Source: Marvel Studio
Carl Creel, dubbed "the Absorbing Man" for his ability to absorb things, wouldn't even have to raise it. Because of his elemental mimicry, all he'd have to do is touch the hammer to transfer all of its attributes into his own body, including the aforementioned "power of Thor," one has to suppose.
So, at most, a Mjolnir-flavored Absorbing Man is on par with Thor in terms of strength, and the fact that he'd be formed entirely of magical Uru metal from head to toe would likely push Creel over the top in any physical fight.
The Absorbing Man has dabbled with heroism in both the comics and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., only to revert to villainy in the end. Perhaps it's for the best that the Mjolnir of the normal MCU timeline was destroyed before Creel could touch it.
4. Kaecilius Vs. Spider-Man
Source: Marvel Studio
The majority, but not all.
A spidey sense is only as good as its user's understanding of reality. It would be pointless if a voyage to another, other reality - such as the Mirror Dimension - could break that grasp. Spider-Man defeated Mysterio by being able to distinguish between what is real and what isn't, but where does that leave him in an alternate realm where nothing is genuine and everything may become a threat?
Kaecilius - or any sorcerer with a nefarious purpose - might move Spider-Man to a dimension where his greatest talent didn't operate and couldn't defend him with a simple spell. That's not to mention the challenges of web-slinging in a continuously moving world, not to mention all the sharp shards of reality Parker wouldn't be able to see coming.
5. D’Spayre Vs. The Hulk
Source: Marvel Studio
If it were the old, split-personality version of the character, Bruce Banner would be unable to transform from his regular self into a green giant until Avengers: Endgame.
That's where D'Spayre enters the picture. D'Spayre, born Andre Deschaine, grew into a tremendously strong conduit of both Darkforce and Lightforce, capable of inflicting unending anguish on others and then feeding off their bad emotions while they wallow. He plied his skills against youngsters on Cloak & Dagger rather than dealing with the MCU's heavier hitters.
If the villain turned his focus to the Jade Giant, Banner would have no particular protections against such a mystical power, and the Hulk, considering his history of being down on himself and reluctant to emerge, may be extremely sensitive to it.
It would be up to D'Spayre to decide what to do with the sad, non-Hulking Banner.
6. Groot Vs. Surtur
Source: Marvel Studio
Surtur, the fiery lord of Muspelheim, is one opponent against whom Groot would have no protection. Surtur can create and manage flames so intense that they may endanger even Thor, while Groot is composed of wood. Any battle between Groot and Surtur would be brief, brutal, and ashy.
Surtur would smash most characters in the MCU if he was fully powered, but he'd have an especially easy day with Groot.
7. Laufey Vs. Ant-Man
Source: Marvel Studio
Temperature is one of the few factors influencing even the Quantum Realm. Everything, including molecules, atoms, and Ant-Men, slows down as it gets cold. Lang would be frozen without ever having to witness Laufey, Loki's father and the commander of the Frost Giants, who was last seen dying in Thor.
He could simply utilize his inherent Frost Giant skills to reduce the temperature around him to absolute zero, and if Ant-Man happened to be there, he'd be frozen along with all the atoms and tardigrades.
And, if Laufey had his way, Ant-Man would be trapped in the subatomic ice like a little Captain America for all time.
8. Black Panther Vs. Glenn Talbot
Source: Marvel Studio
Gravity is one thing Vibranium can't absorb because it isn't a kind of energy. In his panther costume, the Black Panther can't float around freely, and he wouldn't be able to defend himself against an attacker capable of manipulating gravity. Graviton's specialty was controlling gravity, as his name hinted.
Glenn Talbot, a former Hulk peripheral character and regular Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Foe was changed into Graviton after a fortuitous contact with Gravitonium, making him one of the MCU's most powerful creatures.
Graviton's grasp on reality weakened after he attempted to stop Thanos on his own, and he became so desperate for more Gravitonium that he placed the whole world in danger. If Black Panther had known about this at the time, he would probably have confronted Graviton and ended up as a Vibranium pancake due to his actions.
9. Daredevil Vs. Ulysses Klaue
Source: Marvel Studio
Murdock has learned to shut out much of the background noise over time. But what if he was greeted with a sound that was so loud that he couldn't ignore it? Perhaps a loud blast from Ulysses Klaue's high-tech sonic cannon, a gadget capable of creating soundwaves powerful enough to knock the Black Panther out. Even regular eardrums would be blown out, and Daredevil's eardrums are anything from ordinary.
A sound-pounding from Klaue would not only overwhelm Daredevil's super-senses to the point of ineffectiveness, but it would also batter his excessively sensitive ears enough to render the Devil of Hell's Kitchen completely incapacitated.
Daredevil has always managed to overcome this limitation in the comics, as Klaue is a creature composed entirely of sound, but he also has comic book science on his side. Murdock would probably simply crawl on the floor in misery if he were back on the terrible streets of Netflix.
10. Jiaying Vs. Scarlet Witch
Source: Marvel Studio
As a result, the only type of villain who might endanger Wanda Maximoff could take advantage of her trust to approach her and strike her lethally before Wanda could react.
The Inhuman Jiaying has been there and done that.
Thanks to her Inhuman capacity to take the lifeforce of others into her own body, Jiaying (no last name) lasted decades past her usual lifetime.
So long as no one else got in the way, all she had to do was touch someone, and they were pretty much done for. Consider how Jiaying used her daughter, S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Daisy Johnson, to create trust and then breach it in the most inexcusable way conceivable. In comparison, fooling the exceedingly naive Scarlet Witch into lowering her guard would be child's play.
11. Hela Vs. Captain Marvel
Source: Marvel Studio
Throughout it all, spectators have yet to see her have even a scratch or a stray hair out of place. But, sooner or later, Captain Marvel will have to deal with someone who is genuinely capable of posing a threat to her.
Hela appears to be the greatest bet of all the villains that have blighted the MCU thus far. Hela annihilated the entire Asgardian population without breaking a sweat, even though the Asgardians are perhaps the most powerful race in the cosmos. She is more powerful than Thor, having broken Mjolnir with her own hands and annihilated the whole ob squadron of Valkyrie ages ago.
Captain Marvel is tougher than Thor, but not by much, and Hela would be able to give her a good scrap at the very least. There's also Hela's capacity to summon infinite waves of all-black dark energy swords to consider because Danvers can still bleed - maybe a lot if she annoys Hela.
12. Ghost Vs. Luke Cage
Source: Marvel Studio
Luke Cage is bulletproof, but he's also bulletproof against everything. His skin is impenetrable, which means that nothing - at least nothing substantial - can pierce it. That still leaves Cage vulnerable to the intangible, abundant in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Ghost, for example, can slip past even the most advanced defenses. Thus, nothing prevents her from phasing her hand straight into Cage's internal organs. Because they aren't unbreakable, all she'd have to do is poke a hole in his heart to kill Cage. Of course, Ava Starr has switched sides by the conclusion of Ant-Man and the Wasp, but Luke hasn't.
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