10 Most Misunderstood MCU Villains

THE UCM is known for its incredibly varied and complex array of villains, some of them completely misunderstood. Not all supervillains are simple agents of chaos, and it's harder to find examples similar to DC's Joker in the MCU. Their complexities are what make the MCU's villains so revered and even loved by Marvel fans, as some can steal the spotlight from their on-screen foes in a much more favorable light.

That's not to say there aren't MCU villains who are purely evil. It's difficult to misinterpret the motives of villains like Red Skull and General Dreykov, for example, who remain among the MCU's most hated villains for good reason. Still, even those villains with ultra-violent motives and methods are a little easier to understand if considered from a certain point of view. On the other hand, there are some villains who, despite stopping at nothing to thwart the plans of the MCU's beloved heroes, can barely be considered villains.

10

Ghost is just a villain in the MCU

Ava Starr acts out of desperation

Ava Starr is among the MCU's most tragic villains who was the victim of a tragic quantum accident that also killed her parents, only to later fall victim to the whims of S.H.I.E.L.D., who wasted no time in weaponizing her consequent transformation abilities. Unfortunately, this admittedly very powerful ability causes Ava great agony and portends a slow and painful death. Ghost's most heinous acts include inflicting one of the MCU's most gruesome deaths, multiple robberies, and putting the lives of characters like Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne at risk in their efforts to find a cure.

Right off the bat, Ghost is hardly the MCU's most intimidating villain. She is acting purely out of self-preservation and a desire to alleviate the pain she suffers.. Ghost's lethal methods are easier to understand when one considers how tortured she is by her involuntary shapeshifting abilities, driving her to act out of desperation.

9

Even Thanos fought with his own plan

Thanos' goals are impartial and reluctant

Thanos is arguably the MCU's most iconic villain and a prime example of how creative license can be exercised correctly in the MCU. Although the result was the same, Marvel Studios chose to have Thanos uses the Infinity Stones to dispassionately save half the universe from the other half rather than a selfish desire to woo Lady Death. The impact of his success still lingers and awakened the feeling in the universe that he was right all along. The empirical results also vindicated his murderous plan, as Gamora's home planet supposedly prospered after he killed half the population.

What makes Thanos even easier to understand, however, is the fact he was so reluctant to carry out this plan. After being emotionally scarred by the destruction of his home world due to scarcity, Thanos decided he must do the unthinkable to prevent others from falling to the same fate. His reluctance was perfectly illustrated by his statement to the Avengers in Avengers: Infinity War​​​​​​, stating: "The hardest choices require the strongest wills." Ultimately, Thanos doesn't like killing innocents.

8

Hela's What If Origin story adds a lot more dimension to her MCU villain story

Hela never had the same opportunity as her brother

Hela is the Asgardian Goddess of Death whose debut in Thor: Ragnarok was as memorable as it was cataclysmic after necessitating the destruction of Asgard through his murderous tyranny. Despite proving to be one of the MCU's most dangerous villains, Hela played so much that she was brought back And if...? season 2, episode 2 as the protagonist. Her arc in this episode sees her embody the personality she debuted in Thor: Ragnarokonly to learn humility and virtues by undergoing the same penance as her unborn brother, Thor, after Odin banished her to Midgard.

And if...? elaborates on an aspect of Hela's characterization that Thor: Ragnarok merely suggested. Specifically, it becomes obvious that Hela's intentional personification as a descendant of the conquest was a direct result of Odin's influence and his desire to shape Hela as he saw fit. In this context, it is easier to understand how Hela of Earth-616 continued her primary missive as assigned by Odin, given she never had the chance to redeem herself among humanityand instead was condemned to languish and boil in the depths of Hel.

7

Lady Death barely makes sense as a villain

Death is simply a force of nature

Aubrey Plaza's Rio Vidal is positioned as the MCU's latest live-action villain after being introduced in Agatha all the time. Their antagonism was one of many hints at Rio's true identity, although it was not officially revealed until episode 7. Just one episode later, Rio delivers an ultimatum to Agatha that results in the series' climactic final battle between her, Agatha, and Wiccan, stating that one of them must die because Billy Maximoff violated the natural order inhabiting the body of William Kaplan, who supposedly died in a car accident.

The point is that Rio is right. Aubrey Plaza plays the role with aplomb as Death happily toys with Agatha and Billy knowing she is immune to their best efforts, but her positioning as the villain of these final scenes undermines the fact that Death is right in balancing the scales. Agatha all the time deftly navigates the reason for death and its importance in the cycle of life, ostensibly proving Rio's point that death cannot be avoided without consequences.

6

Ultron was only doing what he was programmed to do

He learned that there can be no peace as long as humanity prospers

Ultron is one of the MCU's most hated villains for a reason. Avengers: Age of Ultron explored the age-old trope of artificial intelligence orchestrating the downfall of humanity with Ultron as the main antagonist, an AI developed by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner and powered by the Mind Stone. After receiving the directive to ensure "peace in our time", Ultron took seconds to survey the breadth of human history and decide that without humanity's extinction there could be no peace..

Ultron's murderous missive, therefore, was a mistake on Tony and Bruce's part. Although Ultron conveys a certain level of emotional intelligence, their dispassionate intention to exterminate all humans was a logical step that should have been foreseen by two of the most brilliant minds on the planet. Even giving Tony and Bruce the benefit of the doubt (the Mind Stone was tampered with by Strucker, for example), Ultron was only doing what he was programmed to do, which is a difficult motivation to argue with.

5

Mysterio was right to feel vengeful

Quentin Beck was exploited by Tony Stark

Quentin Beck was introduced as a master manipulator whose proficiency with illusions allowed him to position himself as the world's next Iron Man and ultimately bring down Spider-Man and his reputation. Your motivations depend on bitterness he feels toward his former employer, Tony Stark, who stole credit for the technology he developed and subsequently fired him. Calling himself Mysterio, Beck attempts to replace Iron Man and gain access to his technology as a means of revenge. Ultimately, this culminates in Mysterio fighting Stark's true successor, Spider-Man.

It's easier to dislike Beck because he antagonizes one of the MCU's most likable and righteous heroes. However, Spider-Man's particular affinity for Tony Stark ignores how poorly his mentor treated Beckwho is arguably justified in trying to recover his own inventions and reputation. Although Mysterio's motivations come from an unhealthy place, he and his embittered group of Tony Stark's former employees never receive the appropriate payoff, forcing them to understandably take matters into their own hands.

4

He Who Remains Tried to Stop Untold Suffering

He was also avoiding raids

He Who Remains was the first variant of the former Multiverse Saga arch-villain, Kang the Conqueror. In fact, before Loki At the end of Season 1, he was the only variant that Earth-616 had to worry about, as he was the mastermind behind the systematic pruning of entire timelines to preserve the only Sacred Timeline where no variants Kang could appear. His desire to prevent the existence of Kang variants came at a high price, however, as free will was ostensibly removed from the inhabitants of the Sacred Timeline as a consequence.

Slicing entire timelines into the void seems particularly heinous, but there's a reason his motivations caused a rift between Loki and Sylvie. It's hard to argue against the desire of the one who remains to avoid multiversal warfareand his banishment of trillions into the void was arguably necessary to avoid even worse suffering. This notion is even more justified in the middle of the Multiverse Saga, as the incursions are now an imminent threat that could destroy all of reality, which seems like a worse situation than keeping just one Sacred Timeline going.

3

The Celestials are administrators of life

Their portrayal as villains belies their true motivations

The Celestials have been a looming presence since Phase 2 of the MCU, where one of their first appearances in Guardians of the Galaxy portrayed Eson the Seeker destroying a planet with the Power Stone. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 then introduced Ego as a Celestial, the film's arch-villain attempting to proliferate across the cosmos at the cost of countless lives. Eternals then revealed how the Celestials multiplied using planets as incubators, with their subsequent "Emergency"causing the death of the planet's inhabitants. All these factors paint a very poor picture of cosmic beings..

However, Eternals also investigated the Celestials' main motive: to proliferate life throughout the universe. In truth, the Celestials are almost polar opposites to the villains most determined to global and cosmic destruction. These primordial gods are responsible for the creation of life, the limits of which they expand as they proliferate. Ego is a notable exception, while Eson the Seeker's motives remain unclear, but Celestial Prime Arishem and his ilk are largely motivated by managing life rather than destroying it. The near destruction of the Earth in Eternals simply ​​​​​​makes it easy to ignore this directive.

2

Thaddeus Ross is trying to protect his country

Thunderbolt Ross recognizes the danger posed by superheroes

Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross was one of the first villains introduced to the MCU. He debuted in 2008 The Incredible Hulk as the main foil of the titular Jade Giant before helping create Emile Blonsky's Abomination. Thunderbolt Ross would then reappear in Captain America: Civil War as the intentional bearer of bad news, bringing the Sokovia Accords to the Avengers' attention and inadvertently causing the titular feud between its members. Ross is also set to co-star Captain America: Brave New World when he finally succumbs to the Red Hulk persona while performing the duties of President of the USA.

Thaddeus Ross is an outspoken military man whose dogged pursuit of Hulk and other enhanced individuals makes him a de facto antagonist. However, it is difficult to argue against his motivations, as he was one of the first to find and recognize the serious threat that Hulk poses to the US and the worldwhich would also translate to the Avengers and other super-powered individuals. Although Thaddeus Ross is an abrasive and generally unpleasant character, he is acting out of a noble quest to protect his country and its citizens.

1

Scarlet Witch deserved better

Wanda's Tragic Arc Needs a Happier Ending

After succumbing to the infernal influence of the Darkhold, Wanda becomes the Scarlet Witch and the main villain of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, causing the deaths of several Earth-838 sorcerers and Illuminati (among others). As she scours the multiverse in search of a world where she can be with her children through Dreamwalking, she finally recognizes the error of her ways. She then resolves to destroy the Darkhold and herself, causing Darkhold Castle to collapse around her, blatantly flouting the prophecy that she would rule or destroy the cosmos.

Wanda Maximoff UCM arc is mired in tragedy from start to finish. Over the course of her appearances, Wanda loses everything she has ever loved or cared about, forcing her to act in desperation when the opportunity to see her children again is granted by the corrupting Darkhold. Despite the Darkhold's influence being the root cause of her most evil acts in the film, Wanda is able to resist and put an end to her terrorization of the multiverse. Ultimately, though, Wanda deserves more than a tragic ending to a tragic arc and a proper chance at redemption.

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