Since the dawn of the MCU, some of the franchise’s best assets have been the villains that go up against the heroes of this extraordinary universe. A good villain can make or break a film, and one of the most important aspects of making a great villain is finding someone perfect to portray them. Fortunately, the MCU has always had a very good batting average when it comes to casting, thanks toSarah Halley Finn, the primary casting director at Marvel Studios.
Whether a villain is played by an Oscar-winning actor likeChristian Baleor an unknown face to the general audience likeTenoch Huerta, a Marvel film often lives and dies with the villain at the center. Not to mention, plenty of villains in the MCU are the most memorable and favored in the series, primarily thanks to the performers bringing them to life.These are the best villainous casting choices in the MCU, to the point where these brilliant actors often stole the show from the hero.
10Daniel Brühl (Helmut Zemo)
Film Debut: ‘Captain America: Civil War’ (2016)
Most superhero film villains attempt to destroy their heroic adversaries through external means. Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl) succeeded by tearing them apart from the inside inCaptain America: Civil War. With his cunning and quick wit,Zemo took down the Avengers, dividing them down the middle with ease.Upon his return inThe Falcon in the Winter Soldier, it became clear that Zemo was a fan favorite, primarily thanks to Brühl’s unpreoccupied performance.
InCaptain America: Civil War,Brühl got to show off his depth as an actor through the pain felt by Zemo as audiences learned of the tragedy that drove him to have it out for the Avengers. OnceThe Falcon and the Winter Soldiercame around,Brühl was given the opportunity to continue developing Zemoand did so perfectly, cementing Zemo as a fan favorite villain for many.
Captain America: Civil War
9James Spader (Ultron)
Film Debut: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ (2015)
Ultron is one of the most important and iconic villains for the Avengers in the Marvel mythos, so there was a ton of pressure on Marvel Studios to do the character justice on the big screen. Also, one of the most difficult things about bringing a fully animated character to life is finding a performer who can bring life to said role through just their voice and motion capture work.
James Spaderstepped into the metal skeleton of Ultron inAvengers: Age of Ultron, creating a villain who is deadly and heartless while still bringing a sense of “humanity” to the robot. A big part comes from Spader’s ability to have a deep and threatening tone of voice and still bring a lighter performance with that. He made Ultron cold and calculating while still being able to have lighter moments with the likes of Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen).Age of Ultronis not the bestAvengersmovie, but Ultron is one of its greatest strengths, thanks largely to Spader’s wicked wit.
Avengers: Age of Ultron
8Jake Gyllenhaal (Quentin Beck/Mysterio)
Film Debut: ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ (2019)
Being a sequel to bothSpider-Man: HomecomingandAvengers: Endgame,Spider-Man: Far From Hometook Peter Parker (Tom Holland) for an emotional ride that tested him like never before.Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) spends most of the film posing as a friend and ally to Peter, only to later betray him and turn borderline psychotic as he attempts to become the world’s next Iron Man.
Jake Gyllenhaal’s ability to play both sides of Mysterio makes the villain all the more interestingto watch. Gyllenhaal needed to trick both Peter and the audience into thinking that his actions were for the right reasons. But when he turns evil and mentally snaps, Gyllenhaal’s performance is brought up to a whole new level. Not to mention, he brought one ofthe most impactful superhero post-credits scenesof all time to life.
Spider-Man: Far from Home
7Vincent D’Onofrio (Wilson Fisk(Kingpin)
Debut: ‘Daredevil’ (2015-2018)
Marvel and Netflix’sDaredevilseries is arguably one of the best pieces of superhero content in the last decade, and a huge factor in that is the exceptional performances fromCharlie CoxandVincent D’Onofrio. The ever-reliable yet still underrated D’Onofrio brings out the layers that make up the complex character that is Wilson Fisk, turning them into something better than they’d ever be just on script pages.
D’Onofrio captures Fisk’s menacing, calculating nature to the tee, crafting the definitive version of the character. It’s so abundantly clear thatD’Onofrio cares deeply about the character of Wilson Fisk,given how much he campaigned for therevival of theDaredevilseries after it was discontinued. Thankfully, the folks over at Marvel Studios decided to bring theDaredevilcharacters back into the fold through Disney+‘sHawkeye, where Fisk makes his big return as the big bad of the show.
6Tenoch Huerta (Namor)
Film Debut: ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ (2022)
Namor (Tenoch Huerta) and the civilization of Atlantis (or Talokan inBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever) are a huge part of the Marvel universe in most iterations of the canon, so their arrival in the MCU was almost inevitable. What makes Namor a difficult character to bring to life is the fact that he’s not a standard villain but more of an anti-hero.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forevermakes it a point to note how terrible a lot of the things Namor does are while also emphasizing that he is doing what he does for the good of his people. It takes a lot of skill to also do that as an actor, which is exactly what Tenoch Huerta had to do when approaching the role of Namor. The Mexican actorcaptures Namor’s anger, frustration, and ambition, using him to mirror Shuri’s (Letitia Wright) feelings and turning him into one of Marvel’s most fascinating foes.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Watch on Disney+
5Tony Leung Chiu-wai (Xu Wenwu)
Film Debut: ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ (2021)
It’s no secret that a plethora of fans were very disappointed by the truth behind the identity of the Mandarin showcased inIron Man 3. Fans waited for quite some time for the appearance of the real Mandarin in the MCU, especially after Marvel Studios teased his existence in the One-Shot,Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King.
Fortunately, audiences would get exactly what they were looking for in 2021 whenShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsshowed the real Mandarin (Tony Leung Chiu-wai). For a character this anticipated and revered by fans, Marvel Studios needed an actor of similar stature to bring him to life, which made Tony Leung Chiu-wai perfect for the role, given his resume and sheer legendary reputation as an actor.Leung brought his amazing ability to create sympathetic villainous characters, finally doing the iconic Mandarin justice.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
4Christian Bale (Gorr the God Butcher)
Film Debut: ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ (2022)
After his incredibly successful tenure as Batman inThe Dark Knighttrilogy, audiences everywhere were begging to see the former Caped Crusader join the Marvel universe. After another Batman actor,Michael Keaton, made his debut in the MCU asa villain forTom Holland’s Spider-Man, fans had even more hope. Everyone was delighted when it was announced thatChristian Balewould be joining the MCU as therecently introduced villain Gorr the God Butcher, one of Thor’s deadliest foes.
It’s a testament to Bale’s acting abilities that he could be one of the few saving graces of such a rough-around-the-edges film asThor: Love and Thunder. Many believe that Bale’s abilities were wasted inThor: Love and Thunder, given the fact that they’ll never get to see him again after the events of the film. Even in a film as light-hearted as the fourth Thor installment is,Bale brings such a sheer sense of fear and despair, even when not on screen.
Thor: Love and Thunder
3Michael B. Jordan (Erik Killmonger)
Film Debut: ‘Black Panther’ (2018)
Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) is easily one of the best villains in the MCU. Alongside the stellar writing that developed his persona and fleshed out his motives,the primary reason for his status among Marvel’s baddies is the groundbreaking performance byMichael B. Jordan.
Jordan delivers one of the most complex and thoughtful performances in the Marvel universe. One of the things thatmakes Killmonger so special is the pain beneath all the anger and gravitas he displaysthroughout the entire film. Jordan exhibits that pain beautifully,allowing audiences to see the cracks beneath his mask without negating the character’s villainy. His portrayal is raw and painful, turningBlack Pantherfrom a simple comic book adaptation into asuperhero movie with genuine political issuesto address.
Black Panther
2Tom Hiddleston (Loki Odinson)
Film Debut: ‘Thor’ (2011)
If there’s a fan-favorite MCU villain, and honestly, MCU character in general, it’s Loki Odinson (Tom Hiddleston). From his first appearance inThorall the way to his Disney+ series,Loki, Loki has captured the hearts of audiences all across the globe with his charm, charisma and depth, brought to life by the one and only Tom Hiddleston.
One ofthe most engaging aspects of Loki is his sheer growth throughout his 13-year MCU tenure, to the point where he arguably became more beloved than his Avenger sibling.Tom Hiddleston might be the MCU’s most versatile performer, becoming a household name because of his performance as the Norse hero. His talent for bringing out such sly charisma while showing the heartbreak of feeling like he doesn’t belong on the flip of a switch is the primary reason why Loki is such a popular character now.
1Josh Brolin (Thanos)
Film Debut: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (2014)
Ever since his appearance in the ominous post-credits scene in 2012’sMarvel’s The Avengers, the MCU had been building up to the gigantic threat that is the mad titan himself, Thanos (Josh Brolin). In every appearance since then,his presence only grew stronger and more threatening, which truly began with the introduction ofJosh Brolinas Thanos inGuardians of the Galaxy.
It’s no secret that Thanos is not only the best villain in the MCU but one of the best superhero film villains of all time. Thanos, while still having a well-written backstory, could have easily just become another CGI villain who wants to win the day.But it’sthanks to Brolin that Thanos has such an intense presenceon screen. With his deep voice, incredible stature in motion capture and sheer gravitas, Brolin brings one of the best performances in any superhero film there is.
