Warning: this article contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
An early criticism of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was that it had a “villain problem.” While the heroes were praised for their multi-movie arcs, critics decried the franchise’s use of one-and-done villains without enough room to be fleshed out as sympathetic or even interesting characters.
Now that Phase Four is well underway, that villain problem seems to be a thing of the past. The latest wave of Marvel movies and TV shows has brought a bunch of unforgettable villains, including both newcomers like Agatha Harkness and familiar faces like Doc Ock.
Updated on November 17th, 2022 by Ben Sherlock: The final big-screen installment in Phase Four of the MCU, Black Panther movie’s unforgettable villain, Erik Killmonger. But in of characterization, where does Namor rank alongside other recent Phase Four villains like Titania, Arthur Harrow, and Gorr the God Butcher?
The Lizard
Rhys Ifans reprised his role as the Lizard from the first Spider-Man: No Way Home. Unfortunately, he was the same one-note character from the original movie.
Naturally, with so many returning villains, No Way Home was going to sideline some of them, and the Lizard ended up getting that treatment. He’s barely utilized throughout the movie. He’s mainly used for gags involving other characters realizing he can talk.
Dreykov
In Black Widow, Ray Winstone’s Dreykov is introduced as the villainous head of the Red Room program. He’s a classic example of an underdeveloped MCU villain.
There are a few trailer-friendly soundbites to indicate that he’s evil, but what he represents makes him a better villain than his actual characterization.
The Sandman
Thomas Haden Church’s returning Sandman is another familiar No Way Home villain who gets sidelined so that the others can shine.
This reprisal keeps the thing that originally made the Sandman sympathetic – his love for his daughter – but it reduces that characteristic to a few generic one-liners.
Najma
Disney+’s Ms. Marvel series is more of a high school dramedy than a superhero actioner, so it’s not as focused on the fight between good and evil as other MCU stories. The real villain in Ms. Marvel is the painful awkwardness of the teen experience. The actual antagonists are one of the show’s weaknesses.
Kamala doesn’t develop a tangible hero-villain dynamic with any of the series’ bad guys. Najma is the main villain of the show, but she dies abruptly and has nothing to do with any of the climactic spectacle, so she doesn’t leave much of an impression.
Taskmaster
Dreykov is the main villain of Black Widow, but he doesn’t present much of a physical threat. That courtesy goes to the side villain, Taskmaster, operating on his orders. Her ability to mimic the fighting styles of the top Avengers is a neat idea, but she’s a pretty one-dimensional character overall.
Despite having some awesome action sequences, the MCU’s Taskmaster is barely developed. Her personal vendetta against Nat is an interesting turn, but it’s hardly fleshed out. Instead, her identity is brushed past as a gimmicky twist. Overall, Taskmaster is a generic villain with a generic motivation.
Verussa Bloodstone
Marvel Studios’ creepy Halloween special Werewolf By Night doesn’t have a conventional hero; most of its characters are straightforward villains and the others are ambiguous antiheroes. The story revolves around a band of monster hunters being sent into a spooky maze full of traps. But when the titular werewolf is captured and caged, the true villain of the special reveals herself.
Verussa Bloodstone is the sinister leader of a cult dedicated to the occult. Harriet Sansom Harris played the part with the same demonic flair and pure evil that she brought to Frasier Crane’s agent Bebe.
Ikaris
Richard Madden’s Eternals character Ikaris is introduced as not only a hero, but the leader of the heroes. Then, around the turn of the third act, he’s shockingly revealed to be the villain.
The “evil Superman” trope is starting to get tired after Invincible, but Madden’s charms and the ensuing rug-pull make this a fun twist on the concept.
Razor Fist
Florian Munteanu appears in a ing role in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings as Razor Fist, one of the titular crime syndicate’s most ruthless assassins.
Razor Fist first shows up during the movie’s iconic bus fight and every subsequent appearance is unforgettable. With a machete for an arm, Razor Fist is like a classic Bond movie henchman.
Electro
The Electro seen in No Way Home is a vast improvement over his initial portrayal in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. His baffling blue-skinned design has been scrapped in favor of more comics-accurate yellow bolts of electricity.
And more importantly, he’s characterized as a hammier, more confident villain, which made much better use of Jamie Foxx’s charisma, screen presence, and comedic talents.
Infinity Ultron
For the most part, What If...? is a straightforward anthology series with unconnected episodes, but the season finale pulled them all together with the assembly of the Guardians of the Multiverse. The Watcher assembles this team in order to stop “Infinity Ultron” from destroying the spacetime continuum.
Infinity Ultron is sort of a hybrid villain: Ultron powered by the Infinity Stones. He combines the strengths and abilities of arguably the MCU’s two most powerful villains. Sadly, there wasn’t enough time to fully flesh him out in What If...?’s half-hour episodes.
