The Marvel Cinematic Universe has brought to life some of Marvel Comic's bravest and boldest heroes from many eras and pathos, but a hero is only as good as their villain. From the films to the TV series, let's go over some of the greatest villains to spin out of these marvelous pieces of comic book media! Keep in mind this list is to determine the best villains from Marvel's films and shows despite any prior history in the comics, this list also precedes "Captain America: Civil War". Now, on with The Panel Biter's Top 5 MCU Villains.
5. Grant Ward
Starting small, we have one of the many intriguing characters of Marvel's "Agents of Shield" TV series. Season One introduced us to Agent Grant Ward, second in combat next Agent Natasha Romanoff and one of the select members of Agent Phil Coulson's team. When the series started off, Ward was your typical stoic protagonist who was eyed to hook up with the show's lead female character Skye. He was a great fighter, an excellent agent and a loyal friend. Or was he? After "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" it was revealed that the evil organization of Hydra had been inside Shield's ranks since its conception. All of a sudden, Shield was compromised by trusted agents. And Ward was one of them. Ward's origin of being an abusive sibling, killing his own parents and volunteering to be a double agent for Hydra was revealed and the copy-and-paste hero was replaced by a morally complex villain. Currently, Ward is rebuilding Hydra and planning to kill Phil Coulson. Ward is the perfect example of Hydra's effect on the MCU, that the deceit of these villains runs deeper than anyone expected. And now that he's loose from the lies he created, Ward is free to be a humorous and entertaining pain in the ass for The Agents of Shield.
4. Ultron
While "Avengers: Two and a Half Hours of Ultron" didn't live up to the hype, one of the film's achievements was the main villain, Ultron. Sure, his conception was a bit choppy and his goals were a bit typical, but Ultron oddly enough was oozing with character. For a robot that's pretty impressive. Being the creation of Tony Stark explains this villain's attitude and obsession with his own vision (pun) as his brainwaves were most likely based off of Stark's. It honestly makes more sense for Iron Man to create Ultron when you consider that in the comics Hank Pym/Ant-Man created tools to talk to ants and alter his size, but Iron Man created armors and robots. Regardless of the changes, Ultron was very human in his mannerisms and personality. He was simply a case of a good idea going too far and the effect he had on The Avengers and the MCU as a whole will no doubt shake the genre of superhero films. I mean, he dropped a city.
3. Mr. Hyde
Another entree from "Agents of Shield" comes in the form of Calvin Zabo (formally Calvin Johnson) the MCU version of Mr. Hyde. Calvin was a doctor who fell in love with an Inhuman who became tortured in an attempt to replicate her healing powers. Calvin put his wife back together piece by piece, but was unable to save his Inhuman daughter from being abducted by Shield agents. This daughter eventually became Agent Skye and when Calvin appeared in Season Two the complexity ball got rolling. See, what makes Calvin an amazing villain is that he isn't evil, he's desperate. Desperate to get his daughter back-to get his family back-no matter how many people have to suffer. Calvin was even convinced to kill innocent people and make deals with Hydra by his wife, who had a grudge against both Shield and Hydra. Calvin had been creating enhancement serums for years to give himself powers like his wife and daughter, and when he used an extra boost in the serum towards the end of the second season he became a horrific monster, much like the traditional Mr. Hyde. The pinnacle moment for the character was his last interaction with Coulson, who had pinned him to a wall with a car. Coulson being the guy who's been a better father to Skye than Calvin could be made their dialog heart-wrenching to watch. Luckily for Calvin, Tahiti is a magical place.
2. Aldrich Killian
The Astonishing Seth (gasp) is going to hate me for this, but I loved the way "Iron Man 3" handled The Mandarine. Specifically the plan of Aldrich Killian-a business owner who was cold shouldered by Tony Stark years prior-was engaging, ingenious and acted on the fears of the American public. Since the first Iron Man film, Killian has been pulling strings and allowing Stark's enemies to get their hands on weapons, he established the "Ten Rings" as his personal terrorist organization, than he used an actor named Trevor Slattery to create "The Mandarine". This persona was the physical representation of terrorism, a shadowy and racially ambiguous monster who abused the American public's jingoism. Using this false icon to draw attention away from himself, Killian used technology called Extremis to create super-powered soldiers that could tip the balance of warfare. Please, anyone who hated The Mandarine in this film, consider this: This is a guy who gathered US soldiers and turned them into suicide bombers to create acts of terrorism in America under the guise of an Osama Bin Laden-type character. Asian stereotypes and magic rings can kiss my ass, that is a brilliant idea for a villain. Its brilliant because it takes action on a topic people aren't comfortable talking about, not only is this villain endorsing terrorism, but home-grown terrorism. Complex or not I find the lengths this character is willing to go to be incredible. And if the idea of a yellow-fear Mandarine not being in this universe makes you cry, "All Hail The King" leaves a tease that will probably surprise you.
1. The Kingpin
This guy. This freaking guy. This guy is the best villain in the MCU. Not because he can shoot lasers or he has a cool costume, but because he has the type of power people fear, because he can get to people others can't, because he is too real. Wilson Fisk was a kid who grew up in Hell's Kitchen, he was a fat, pasty coward with an abusive father. He witnessed his dad beat kids bloody and force him to keep kicking them. Wilson was constantly teased by his dad when his father wasn't trying to force his ideals of "dog eat dog world" on his son. One night, his dad told him to sit down and stare a wall while he-the father-beat Wilson's mother mercilessly. Wilson had snapped. He impaled his father's skull with a hammer over and over, yelling "keep kicking him". Than, Wilson and his mother chopped the father to pieces and got rid of the body. Years later, Wilson returned to New York and built a company with a criminal empire behind it. Wilson became The Kingpin of Crime, he had his grip on everyone in the city. Everyone but a blind lawyer, of course. All of this is on full display in Marvel's Netflix series "Daredevil" and Kingpin measures up to the title character. The design of this character is a joy to watch as you have no idea what he'll do next. He is just as likely to grit his teeth and keep professional as he is to tear your head off with a car door. The frail structure of the character represents a scared boy in the body of a monster, trying to be something he can be proud of. His origin paints a picture of why he is what he is, and along with feeling sympathetic you'll find yourself on his side now and again. A good villain can't just be a villain. The Kingpin is a victim with the power to stop being a victim. That is what makes him the more interesting, most deadly and most impressive villain in The Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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