It’s been a while since I’ve updated my Marvel villains roster but a lot has come out since then and after Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings I felt it was the perfect time to revisit this list. (Btw, I will be including some What If…? villains into this story as well because there are a couple that really stood out to me.) Okay, here we go.

30. Malekith

Malekith is still the worst MCU villain; the Dark Elf jibberish he speaks is ridiculous, and the entire design of the character is just not cool.

29. Karli Morgenthau

I wanted to like this character and while the writers tried to paint Karli in an empathetic light she and her scrappy band of Flag Smashers ultimately became some of my least favorite villains.

She brought nothing to this show and when she died I felt nothing.

28. Director Hayward

I think Director Hayward is undoubtedly the fandom’s most-hated villain and it’s easy to understand why. He is just so unbelievably dislikable and after seeing him manipulate the story about Wanda I disliked him even more!

27. Ghost

Part of the reason why I don’t watch Ant-Man and the Wasp anymore is because I don’t like Ghost. But when she does return in the future I’ll be happy to see her.

26. Ivan Vanko/Whiplash

“I want my bird” is the only thing that makes this character half-memorable.

25. Ronan the Accuser

While Guardians of the Galaxy will always be one of my favorite Marvel films Ronan is just…corny. And he’s even worse in Captain Marvel.

24. Abomination

Abomination is easily one of the franchise’s more forgettable villains but now that he’s made a surprising return in Shang-Chi and will play a role in She-Hulk, maybe he’ll become a character worth caring about.

23. Yon-Rogg

Sometimes it’s really easy to forget that Jude Law is in Marvel Studios but he is as the lackluster antagonist, Yon-Rogg. He didn’t die so it makes a lot of sense we’ll probably see him again in the future. I still don’t know if he’s a full-blown villain yet because of his admiration for Carol Danvers but…we’ll see.

22. Supreme Intelligence

While the Supreme Intelligence is supposed to be one of the most powerful and menacing villains in the Marvel universe its debut in Captain Marvel was largely underwhelming. Maybe the Supreme Intelligence will get its due in a future Marvel film.

21. Yellow Jacket

I’ve actually grown to like this villain. Yeah, he’s corny but he’s kind of hilarious and is the perfect antagonist for a film like Ant-Man. Plus, the suit is one of the coolest in the MCU.

20. The Mandarin

Before The Mandarin was revealed as a fraud he posed a legitimate threat to Iron Man and he was kind of legitimately scary as well.

I appreciated the twist of having Ben Kingsley play the Mandarin facade while Killian (Guy Pearce) was the actual villain but at the end of the day, he was still corny.

19. Evil Hank Pym

Honestly, I didn’t realize how terrifying the shrinking ability could be until you see someone use that power with devastating effect. He literally killed all of The Avengers in a matter of days and almost got away with it! Evil Hank Pym is not one to mess with.

18. Ego

Ego, Peter Quill’s dad/villain, was the perfect antagonist for the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 sequel. Unfortunately, the movie wasn’t that good so he wasn’t able to truly shine.

17. Ultron

I get that because Tony Stark made Ultron he was supposed to have a funnier personality but honestly, I just wish they had made Ultron scary like they tricked us into believing in the teaser trailer.

Because he’s so goofy he doesn’t really feel like a threat, making Age of Ultron a slightly underwhelming sequel.

16. Ravonna Renslayer

I loved Ravonna Renslayer. She was so ruthless! I mean, she practically killed her best friend. Wow, wow, wow. I can’t wait to see her again in Loki‘s second season.

15. Kaecilius

Kaecilius. I like saying his name aloud. He was one of the first villains in the MCU to have palpable reasons behind his evil plan. It made him more interesting and the purple disaster around his eyes makes him memorable enough.

14. Obadiah Stane

Obadiah Stane is forgettable but whenever I watch Iron Man I am always shocked at how ruthless he is. He was a pretty good villain, actually.

13. Red Skull

Captain America: The First Avenger has become one of my favorite Marvel movies and Red Skull’s a pretty worthy antagonist. His plan for world domination is expectedly cliché but the red skull makes him menacing enough. And Hugo Weaving is so perfect for the role.

12. Hela

Hela was the first major female villain to debut in the MCU and what makes her so special is how powerful she is. I love seeing her fight her opponents with such deadly ease. It’s too bad she’s dead because I would’ve loved to see more with her.

11. Secretary Pierce

I remember being SO surprised when I found out that Secretary Pierce was the true villain in The Winter Soldier. It was such a surprising twist in fact that for a while he was my favorite villain in the MCU. But, in the years since The Winter Soldier, there have been cooler antagonists (yay) that have shown up.

10. Agatha Harkness

Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness was spectacular. She was funny, intriguing, and her role in the last two episodes was just superb. I hope we get a chance to see Agatha again.

9. Zemo

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier made Zemo a relatable, hilarious maybe-villain and I loved that twist. Yes, he will most definitely still cause trouble for the heroes in the future but he’s cemented himself as a fan-favorite in the years to come.

8. The Vulture

Michael Keaton is a great actor so it’s no surprise that he’s one of my favorite villains in the MCU. Plus, “Hello Pedro” and “Good ol’ Spider-Man” are some of the best lines in the MCU.

7. Taskmaster

Taskmaster is so cool! All of the weapons, the outfit, and the connection with Black Widow was such a perfect plot twist. I don’t care what anyone says. Taskmaster is awesome!

6. Mysterio

The recent Marvel films have delivered some extraordinary antagonists to enjoy, Mysterio, of course, being one of them. I don’t think Far from Home would be as good as it was if Jake Gyllenhaal hadn’t done such a phenomenal job bringing the character to life in such a fun way.

Yes, I’m a Mysterio stan.

5. Doctor Strange Supreme

I already love Doctor Strange but an evil Doctor Strange?! Woo, he was delightfully terrifying. I’m going to need live-action Doctor Strange Supreme to show up in Multiverse of Madness. That would be pretty cool.

4. Loki

Even though Loki is currently my second favorite character in the MCU he’s my fourth favorite villain because there are a few antagonists that have been better villains than him. But Loki will always be the first great Marvel baddie.

3. Erik Killmonger

Black Panther wouldn’t have been as good as it was if it hadn’t been for Erik Killmonger. He brought an intensity to the film it desperately needed and he, quite frankly, stole the show. His storyline was complex and Michael B. Jordan’s performance as the antagonist was nearly Oscar-worthy.

I’m still holding out hope that he isn’t dead.

2. Wenwu

Honestly, if the next villain on this list wasn’t so legendary Wenwu would be my favorite villain hands down! He was so well-written that after a while, I didn’t even see him as a villain. His story made sense, his motivations made sense, and when the film concluded, he was undoubtedly the MVP of the movie.

Plus, when you get a phenomenal actor like Tony Leung to play a character, there’s a very good chance that character is going to be very memorable.

What a great character!

1. Thanos

Thanos lived up to the hype. Josh Brolin managed to inject so much feeling into this CGI genocidal megalomaniac that once again, I was able to understand his motivations even though it was terrifying.

Undoubtedly my favorite scenes with him aren’t when he’s beating our favorite heroes without barely a flinching. It’s the quieter moments like when he throws Gamora off of the cliff and he cries, or when he sees his daughter Gamora after snapping half of all of existence and his face just kind of crumbles knowing that he killed her. It’s those little tender things that make Thanos the best villain in the MCU.

Well, this is how I rank all thirty Marvel villains. Who are your top five Marvel villains? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

I thank you for reading and I hope you have a great day.