Black Panther
TheMarvel Cinematic Universehas often been accuse of have a “ villain job . ” Its resister are rarely as well - rounded as its heroes , often talk in soundbites about their generic diabolic plan . But this is n’t a hard - and - fast rule ; there are stack of exceptions to this “ villain job , ” include a few great performances that predate the MCU .
From Josh Brolin ’s turn as Thanos to Michael B. Jordan ’s turn as Killmonger to Alfred Molina ’s turn as Doctor Octopus , some actors have brought material pity to their Marvel villain role .
Michael Keaton As The Vulture
With the role of the Vulture inSpider - Man : Homecoming , superhero - turn - supervillain Michael Keaton does a great line of playing a bad guy who does n’t see himself as the bad guy . As detailed in the prologue , Adrian Toomes got box out of his own industry by government - issue crimson taping , so he resorted to a life of crime to cater for his family .
Keaton deftly wield one of the MCU ’s tensest dialogue scenes as he drives his daughter to the homecoming saltation and slow forecast out that her particular date is Spider - Man .
Cate Blanchett As Hela
When Taika Waititi injected the God of Thunder ’s solo adventures with a good for you dot of humor inThor : Ragnarok , Chris Hemsworth had more sport with the part than ever before – and Hemsworth was n’t the only one have fun .
Cate Blanchett seized every opportunity to overact it up as a Greco-Roman Disney - style villain with the role ofThor ’s evil estranged sister , Hela , who escapes from Hell to destroy Asgard .
Willem Dafoe As The Green Goblin
In Sam Raimi ’s originalSpider - Mantrilogy , Willem Dafoe captured the Green Goblin ’s Jekyll - and - Hyde moral force perfectly . His Norman Osborn has delightfully creepy-crawly conversations with his darker one-half in the mirror .
When Dafoe ’s Goblin return inSpider - Man : No Way Home , managing director Jon Watts mercifully shattered the masque , allow Dafoe ’s expressive face to shine through and create much more scourge than the Power Rangers helmet ever could .
Tony Leung As Wenwu
Shang - Chi ’s alienated father Wenwu is one of many “ risky dad ” villains in the MCU , like Thanos , Ego , and the very first one , Obadiah Stane . Thanks to Tony Leung ’s nuanced portraiture , Wenwu is n’t a one - dimensional baddie ; he has plenty of profundity and ruth .
Leung plow the drawing card of an ancient terrorist organization into a astonishingly sympathetic figure . Wenwu does a hatful of dreadful things , but Leung arrive at it clear that it ’s all because he ’s win over himself that he can be reunite with his late wife .
Ian McKellen As Magneto
Long before the MCU come along , Ian McKellen take one of the Marvel universe ’s most iconic villains to life on the magnanimous filmdom . Fox’sX - Menseries always did a with child job of showing both English of Magneto ’s rivalry with Charles Xavier .
A lesser actor would play Magneto as a stock baddie , but McKellen bring actual authenticity to the annoyance of a Holocaust survivor fighting for his people ’s rights .
Tom Hiddleston As Loki
Tom Hiddleston has sinceevolved Loki into a more sympathetic antiheroahead of his heartbreaking death and the spin - off starring his former self , but in his first couplet of appearances , the trickster god was a straightforward forged guy .
Not only did Hiddleston catch Loki ’s smarmy smugness ; he also brought an underlying tragedy to his prospect with Chris Hemsworth as the brother whose approval he seeks .
Elizabeth Olsen As The Scarlet Witch
Wanda Maximoff has enjoyed a unwarranted journey throughout the MCU . After filling a supporting role as a B - tier Avenger in a few ensemble movies , Elizabeth Olsen lastly got a hazard to radiate inWandaVision . AlthoughWandaVision ’s finale turned Wanda back into a straightforward Heron , it teased her putrefaction via the Darkhold ’s malefic influence .
InDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness , Wanda is a full - brag villaingoing by the moniker “ Scarlet Witch . ” Olsen nails the cartoonish cold - heartedness of the sight - murdering Earth-616 Wanda , playing her as a hypercamp Sam Raimi horror villain , and gives an as compelling turn as her more traditionally likable Earth-838 counterpart .
Alfred Molina As Doctor Octopus
Alfred Molina convey the pitch - perfect blend of mustache - twirling villainy and genuine aroused depth to the use of Doctor Octopus inSpider - Man 2 . For year , it ’s been praised as one of the cracking supervillain carrying out of all time .
When he was draw into the MCU viathe multiversal insaneness ofNo Way Home , Molina ’s Doc Ock was able to achieve on-key redemption . He ’s cured by Tom Holland ’s Spidey and end up using his octo - superpower to help out in the final struggle .
Michael B. Jordan As Killmonger
Erik Killmonger withstand all the dogma of the MCU ’s “ villain problem . ” As the scorned long - lost full cousin of T’Challa , he has a palpable personal connexion to the zep . Like all the best villains , Killmonger ’s method are refutable , but his motivations are perfectly understandable .
Michael B. Jordan knock his performance out of the park . Killmonger is in truth sinister when he obliterate without compunction , but Jordan makes audiences manage about him in his touching terminal moment .
Josh Brolin As Thanos
After being teased in a few subplots and post - credits scenes , the huffy Titan in conclusion took middle stage inAvengers : Infinity War , and thanks to Josh Brolin ’s powerful performance , he did n’t disappoint .
Brolin had a huge vault to overcome with this role . Thanos is a boastful , bald , purple - bark alien with a silly - looking chin and Brolin had to get audiences to take him seriously – and , against all betting odds , he pulled it off . The thespian perfectly embodied Thanos ’ delusion of grandeur . He does n’t see himself as a villain , because he believes everything he does is in service of the majuscule commodity .
NEXT : Ranking Every Villain In The Avengers Movies
