Some of Marvel’s most powerful and exciting villains have been introduced in the Multiverse Saga of theMarvel Cinematic Universe. Every good superhero story needs to have a formidable supervillain, and some of the best comic book villains in history have debuted during the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. This is set to continue with thevillains of Marvel Studios' upcoming projects, which will debut the likes of Galactus, Doctor Doom, Muse, Red Hulk and Lilith, among others, in the MCU, fleshing out the Multiverse Saga even further.
Marvel Studios' upcoming projects, particularlyCaptain America: Brave New World, Daredevil: Born Again, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, BladeandAvengers: Doomsday, are expected to include some of theMCU’s most formidable supervillains. These characters will oppose many of Marvel’s most iconic heroes, whose inclusions in the MCU’s Phase 5 are very exciting. While the future looks bright,the recent history of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga has also included some of the best Marvel villains of all time, including Kingpin, Agatha Harkness, Kang the Conqueror and more.
10Wilson Fisk’s Kingpin
Hawkeye (2021) & Echo (2024)
Vincent D’Onofrio first appeared asWilson Fisk in Netflix’sDaredevilseries, officially dubbing himself Kingpin in season 2 of the Defenders Saga series. D’Onofrio has since reprised the role in the MCU’sHawkeyeandEchoshows, providing just a glimpse at his upgraded power and influence ahead of his more-pivotal role in 2025’sDaredevil: Born Again.Kingpin hasn’t yet shown off the full extent of his power in the MCU’s primary continuity, though his battle with Kate Bishop inHawkeyedid tease a newfound strengththat was never seen in Netflix’s Defenders Saga.
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Daredevil: Born Again
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Kingpin survived being shot by an arrow, hit by a car and being caught in the midst of an explosion inHawkeye’sfinale, andEchorevealed that he even survived being shot in the eye by Maya Lopez, with only a superficial injury. This sets up Wilson Fisk as one of the most powerful street-level villains in the MCU, and one of the most exciting characters to make himself known in the Multiverse Saga.EchoteasedKingpin’s evolution into the Mayor of New York, which hints at even more destructive and manipulative Kingpin storylines in the MCU’s future.
9Gravik
Secret Invasion (2023)
Although 2023’sSecret Invasionseries quickly became one of the MCU’s lowest-rated projects, it had many redeeming qualities, one of which beingKingsley Ben-Adir’s villainous Skrull commander, Gravik. While he previously worked alongside Nick Fury as one of the SHIELD Director’s Skrull operatives, Gravik soon turned his back on his mentor when he realized that Fury and Carol Danvers were not searching for a new home for the Skrull residing on Earth.Gravik attempted to claim Earth for the Skrull by inciting World War III, and he came remarkably close to succeeding.
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Gravik’s role inSecret Invasionshowed the potential of introducing an extraterrestrial villain living on Earth, which is a terrifying prospect since there are many alien beings living on Earth, including over a million Skrull.Gravik’s evolution into the Super Skrull arguably stripped his character of anything interesting, and ultimately culminated in his death at the hands of fellowSuper Skrull, G’iah. However, Gravik was still an intriguing and complex villain for the MCU’s Multiverse Saga; it’s just a shame Marvel didn’t stick the landing.
8Gorr The God Butcher
Thor: Love & Thunder (2022)
Similarly toSecret Invasion, 2022’sThor: Love and Thunderdidn’t fare as well as Marvel had hoped. However, yet again, the project’s villain was astounding, with Christian Bale delivering a powerful performance as Gorr, a being who renounced the gods of the MCU after claiming the Necrosword following his daughter’s death.Gorr the God Butcher was truly terrifying, unhinged and sinister, thoughthere was some criticism about the fact that Gorr didn’t get enough screen-time and development inLove and Thunder, and was killed off at the end of the Phase 4 movie.
Thor: Love and Thunderwas not Christian Bale’s first foray into a superhero franchise, as he previously portrayed Bruce Wayne’s Batman in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, comprising 2005’sBatman Begins, 2008’sThe Dark Knightand 2012’sThe Dark Knight Rises.
Gorr’s wielding of the Necrosword gave him the power to kill the gods of the MCU, and he came very close to eradicating them all by wishing for their extinction at the Altar of Eternity. Instead, Thor convincedGorr to ask Eternity to resurrect his daughter, Love, whom Thor then adopted. This ending for Gorr felt rushed, as he should have been a much more threatening and long-running foe. Nevertheless,Christian Bale was a stand-out addition to the MCU, so it would be great to see him return somehowbefore the Multiverse Saga comes to a conclusion.
7Verussa Bloodstone
Werewolf By Night (2022)
The widow of the late Ulysses Bloodstone was an incredible addition to the Multiverse Saga in theMCU’s first Special Presentation, 2022’sWerewolf by Night. Following Ulysses' death, Verussa Bloodstone became the leader of his cabal of monster hunters, and was tasked with finding a new owner for the famed Bloodstone. The Bloodstone, a gem capable of harming monsters of any description, would be gifted to the hunter who could kill Man-Thing, butJack Russell disrupted the hunt, and Man-Thing eventually killed Verussa, allowing her estranged step-daughter to claim the Bloodstone.
Verussa Bloodstone was portrayed by Harriet Sansom Harris inWerewolf by Night.
Verussa Bloodstone was sadistic and charismatic, enjoying her husband’s theatrics, and relishing in the performative nature of monster hunting and its traditions.She was a brilliant villain to introduce inWerewolf by Night, and it would be great to see her backstory explored, or at least to feel her legacy with Elsa Bloodstone’s return to the MCU. She was the last monster hunter standing, so she certainly proved her salt, but this didn’t save her against Man-Thing, who has been speculated to return in theMCU’s possible Midnight Sons-focused project.
6Xu Wenwu
Shang-Chi & The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021)
It only took Marvel Studios 13 years, but 2021’sShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsfinally introduced thereal Mandarin to the MCUin the form of Tony Leung’s Xu Wenwu. Although he didn’t actually go by the Mandarin moniker,Wenwu was the owner of ten powerful and mystical bracelets which gifted him incredible abilities, including superior strength and an elongated lifespan. He used his power and influence to form the Ten Rings and spread this organization across the globe, becoming one of the most significant villains in the MCU.
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Despite his worldwide reach, Xu Wenwu was still killed off in his debut MCU project. He passed his ten bracelets on to his son, Shang-Chi, who will use the rings for good rather than conquest and subjugation.It’s a shame that Wenwu has already been removed from the MCU, as there was a huge amount of potential when bringing the real Mandarin into live-action, long afterIron Man 3introduced the fake. Wenwu was a remarkable villain, expertly portrayed by Leung, and he will be sorely missed inMarvel Studios' futureShang-Chimovies.
5Agatha Harkness
WandaVision (2021) & Agatha All Along (2024)
Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness is one of the most exciting characters introduced in the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, most notably because she is both a mentor to some iconic heroes and a steadfast villain. This complex dynamic has been put on full display inWandaVisionand its spinoff,Agatha All Along, which has developedAgatha Harkness' history in the MCUmassively in only a short time.Even though she tried to steal Wanda Maximoff’s power inWandaVision, Agatha Harkness also supported the emerging Scarlet Witchand gave her a valuable walk down memory lane.
Agatha Harkness was introduced as nosy neighbor, Agnes, in the Scarlet Witch’s Hex around Westview, New Jersey, inWandaVision, but revealed herself to be the original Salem witch, Agatha Harkness, inWandaVisionepisode 7, “Breaking the Fourth Wall.”
Agatha All Alongreplaced the Scarlet Witch with her son, the reincarnated Billy Maximoff, who joined Agatha Harkness and a new coven on the Witches' Road. It was revealed that Agatha had created the legend of the Witches' Road to lure witches into her trap to steal their power and their lives, thoughBilly Maximoff’s Wiccaninadvertently used his reality-warping power to make the Road a reality.Agatha never shied away from being a villain, but may have moved into more of a mentorship role following her sacrifice and return as a ghost, creating exciting opportunities for the MCU’s future.
4Wanda Maximoff’s Scarlet Witch
WandaVision (2021) & Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022)
Agatha Harkness was not the only witch who became a villain in the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, as Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch also took a descent into darkness in Phase 4.WandaVisionsaw Wanda Maximoff take the entire town of Westview, New Jersey, hostage, inadvertently erecting a Hex of radiation around the town, borne from her grief, that trapped everybody inside in ever-changing sitcom-style scenarios. Wanda eventually learned the error of her ways, but her acquisition of theDarkhold, the Book of the Damned, meant that her corruption was only just beginning.
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2022’sDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesssaw the Scarlet Witch truly become a villain. In an effort to travel to a universe where her children were still alive, the Scarlet Witch hunted multiversal traveler America Chavez, using the Darkhold to enchant demons and dream-walk.The Scarlet Witch massacred Earth-838’s Illuminati and almost killed her own variant, showing off her almost incomprehensible power, and was only defeated by her own self-sacrifice. Many suspect theScarlet Witch will return to the MCUto seek redemption, though she may have tainted public perception of her for good.
3Kang The Conqueror & His Variants
Loki (2021-23) & Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
Perhaps the perfect villain to be set up as the primary antagonist of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga was Kang the Conqueror, a time traveler from Marvel Comics whose escapades throughout history created many different versions of himself. In the MCU, this equated to the debut of many multiversal variants of Kang, with several being introduced in theLokiseries andAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, setting the stage for the then-titledAvengers: The Kang Dynasty. Kang’s future in the MCU was thrown into jeopardy byJonathan Majors' 2023 arrest and conviction, however.
LokiSeason 1
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
2023
LokiSeason 2
Majors was found guilty of two misdemeanor counts of assault and harassment in December 2023, culminating in his immediate firing from Marvel Studios. Kang, frankly, posed little threat prior to this, anyway, asLoki, Sylvie, Ant-Man and the Wasp showed just how easily it would be to kill the villain, though the mysterious Council of Kangs seemed to pose a greater issue to the multiverse. Kang may have been officially replaced byRobert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom, set to appear in the now-titledAvengers: Doomsday, but the villain could be reinvented in the MCU’s future.
2The High Evolutionary
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
Despite only making one appearance in the MCU,Chukwudi Iwuji’s High Evolutionaryproved that he is one of the most sinister and terrifying beings in the franchise’s history. The High Evolutionary showed little care for the lives of others, toying with many living beings over decades, and even committing genocide on Counter-Earth without hesitation or remorse.Iwuji’s performance was incredible, one of the MCU’s strongest, and this only helped to elevate the impact and emotional punch of 2023’sGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, James Gunn’s final MCU movie.
In Marvel Comics, the High Evolutionary started out as the human Herbert Edgar Wyndham, who became interested in the work of Nathaniel Essex, a.k.a. X-Men villain Mister Sinister, in the 1930s, and went on to become an expert in genetic manipulation.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3proved that the High Evolutionary had a huge influence over the MCU, having created not only Rocket and his friends, but also the Sovereign, the Ani-Men and installations such as the Orgoscope.The High Evolutionary is one of the Multiverse Saga’s most exciting inclusions, particularly since he is connected to many other characters in Marvel Comics, including the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, and these links could be confirmed in the MCU’s future. TheHigh Evolutionary survivedGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, so it’s likely Marvel is not done with him yet.
1Cassandra Nova
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
Similarly to Chukwudi Iwuji as the High Evolutionary, Emma Corrin made their mark on the MCU with only one appearance asCassandra Nova in 2024’sDeadpool & Wolverine. Cassandra Nova is perhaps the most powerful and dangerous supervillain ever introduced to the MCU, asshe shares many abilities with Omega-level mutant Charles Xavier, her twin brother, but uses these powers for her own twisted purposes. InDeadpool & Wolverine, Cassandra Nova escapes the Void in the hopes of eradicating the entire multiverse using the TVA’s Time Ripper, and is only stopped by the combined might of Deadpool and Wolverine.
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Emma Corrin’s performance as Cassandra Nova was incredible, filling the villain with wit and personality while also proving that she is truly evil. It’s very possible that Cassandra Nova could return to the MCU, even after her apparent death inDeadpool & Wolverine, asMarvel Studios’X-Menrebootis set to reinvent the central mutant team and their supporting characters and notable villains. Cassandra Nova’s debut inDeadpool & Wolverinehas seriously increased the power status of the Multiverse Saga, and it’ll be hard for future villains in theMarvel Cinematic Universeto match her harrowing impact.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
