The best villains of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Marvel’s final film from the Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, was met with universal acclaim when it hit theaters this month. The film excelled in storytelling, character arcs, and tone. But its standout quality was the performance of Tenoch Huerta as the primary antagonist Namor. The Mexican essayed complexities of the character with aplomb and is regarded as one of the best villains of the MCU. So for today’s List hai toh hit hai podcast we are counting down the best villains in Marvel films and TV shows who are part of the MCU.

8. Erik Killmonger (Black Panther)

The Black Panther franchise are probably the only films to have produced two excellent villains in a cinematic universe that has a minor dearth of compelling villains. Erik Killmonger, the cousin of T’Challa, is an unforgiving and relentless individual who is willing to go to any lengths to fight for the principles he believes in. While his warped ideals can never be accepted, his reasons for villainy are for reasonable causes. Moreover, Michael B. Jordan essays the complexities of the character to perfection.

7. Scarlet Witch (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness)

Elisabeth Olsen's portrayal of the Scarlet Witch is a fan-favourite, mainly because she has fought alongside the Avengers. In fact, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she was a member of the Avengers. However, fans of the X-Men comic books will be well aware that Wanda Maximoff aka Scarlet Witch has always been a morally grey character and most importantly one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel universe. Director Sam Raimi explored this facet of the character in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, as Wanda reaches her fullest potential as she reigns terror across the multiverse.

6. Arthur Harrow (Moon Knight)

Moon Knight may not be the most popular character from the Marvel lore nor did the character fare well in terms of popularity after the standalone Disney+ series premiered this year. But that does not reflect the show’s quality, as it is one the best Marvel TV shows ever created thanks to its fresh take on the character and outstanding performances by its lead stars Oscar Issac and Ethan Hawke. While Issac steals the limelight in multiple roles in the series, Hawke holds his own as the villainous Arthur Harrow. Hawke plays the eerie and mysterious cult leader Harrow effortlessly and adds more depth to the character.

5. Namor (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)

The newest addition to Marvel’s ‘rogues gallery’ is the King of the underwater Talocan Kingdom, Namor. While there could be arguments that Namor’s actions are justifiable to an extent, killing innocents for the supposed greater good is a rhetoric often used by tyrants. And for this reason alone Tenoch Huerta’s version of the character definitely deserves a spot on this list. Like a few others on this list, Namor’s motives are not driven purely by greed nor does he embody Machiavellianism.

4. Thanos (Avengers: Infinity War)

In many ways, Thanos is the ultimate MCU villain. If the cinematic universe were a video game Thanos would be the final boss fight – highly intelligent, merciless, and overwhelmingly powerful. Essayed, by the brilliant Josh Brolin, Thanos single-handedly wiped out half the life forms of the universe, albeit temporarily after the Avengers go back in time to stop the Mad Titan from executing his twisted plans for the universe.

3. Green Goblin (Spider-Man: No Way Home)

Not many actors could’ve topped the sinister version of Norman Osborn aka Green Goblin played by Willem Dafoe in Sam Raimi’s groundbreaking 2002 film, Spider-Man. And that version of the character was not technically part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But with the introduction of the multiverse in the MCU, Dafoe’s version of the character made a triumphant return in the 2021 film, Spider-Man: No Way Home. And it was only fitting that the only actor who could do a better version of the Green Goblin than Dafoe was Dafoe himself.

2. Wilson Fisk (Daredevil)

The best film or TV show produced by the MCU is arguably the Daredevil TV series originally created by Netflix. If Christoper Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy is the gold standard of superhero films then Daredevil is the gold standard of superhero TV shows. And Vincent D'Onofrio’s riveting performance as the mob boss Wilson ‘The Kingpin’ Fisk is one of the reasons why the series is highly revered. The deeply complex villain is more than a formidable foe for Daredevil both intellectually and physically.

1. Kilgrave (Jessica Jones)

Seasons two and three of the former Netflix Marvel series Jessica Jones were never able to capture the brilliance of the first, and this is primarily because David Tenant’s version of Kilgrave did not return after season one. It is a testament to Tenant’s performance and how well the character was written. Tenant essays a bone-chilling villain as Kilgrave who has the power to mind-control anyone. And he is without a doubt the best villain Marvel has produced on screen.

Well that's the OTTplay List hai toh hit hai episode for today, until the next one its your host Nikhil signing out.

Aaj kya dekhoge OTTplay se poocho

• Written by Ryan Gomez