The Marvel Cinematic Universe has no shortage of villains. Some of these figures are just everyday people like Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) in “Iron Man 2” or Dreykov (Ray Winstone) in “Black Widow.” They are Earthbound human beings who get their power through money and influence rather than superpowers, but then there is the bevy of foes across the various movies and TV shows in this saga who have way more going on than normal human beings. Some of them aren’t even human beings at all. Although they range from purple aliens to immortal crime lords, these are the most powerful villains in the MCU — the ones who can wipe out heroes and even whole planets without blinking. They’re appropriately grandiose threats for the over-the-top superheroes who populate this universe.
The Most Powerful MCU Villains Ranked
Marvel Studios
BY DOUGLAS LAMAN AND MAX MARRINER/UPDATED: DEC. 20, 2022 1:52 PM EST
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has no shortage of villains. Some of these figures are just everyday people like Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) in “Iron Man 2” or Dreykov (Ray Winstone) in “Black Widow.” They are Earthbound human beings who get their power through money and influence rather than superpowers, but then there is the bevy of foes across the various movies and TV shows in this saga who have way more going on than normal human beings. Some of them aren’t even human beings at all. Although they range from purple aliens to immortal crime lords, these are the most powerful villains in the MCU — the ones who can wipe out heroes and even whole planets without blinking. They’re appropriately grandiose threats for the over-the-top superheroes who populate this universe.
Ranking the most powerful MCU foes certainly isn’t easy, especially since their goals and personalities vary so greatly. It can feel weird trying to rate them against one another. However, it’s also a fulfilling exercise that allows viewers to appreciate the various ways tension has been generated across these movies as well as the devastatingly imposing adversaries the superheroes have foiled over the years. The MCU isn’t wanting for villains, and it’s certainly not lacking in villains whose power will linger in your memory long after the credits have rolled.
5. Arishem
The Eternals can live for centuries and have powers that can move mountains, but even they have to answer to a higher power. These superheroes work for the Celestial lifeform Arishem, a gigantic being from the farthest reaches of the cosmos. Sersi (Gemma Chan) later finds out that Arishem created each of the Eternals. She and her cohorts are all synthetic lifeforms designed to wipe out planets to help birth new Celestials. Arishem wipes these horrific acts from the memories of Sersi and her comrades once their jobs are finished.
Before “Eternals,” the might of the Celestials was seen in films like “Guardians of the Galaxy.” However, the terrifying presence of Arishem in “Eternals” makes the imposing nature of the Celestials even more apparent. This nature is crystallized in the closing scene of “Eternals,” in which Arishem towers over Earth while confronting a handful of surviving Eternals that have defied his orders. In the large pantheon of enormously powerful cosmic foes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Arishem looms large.
4. Ego
Arishem isn’t the only prominent Celestial in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There’s also Ego (Kurt Russell), the father of Peter Quill (Chris Pratt). This figure is an all-powerful creature that has created a planet around himself. This domicile appears to be friendly on the surface but contains plenty of skeletons from the past (literally) within. Ego is also prone to lengthy boasts about how he’s capable of creating life and has been to countless planets across the galaxy. Always yearning to expand his reach even further, Ego has tremendous power at his disposal and isn’t afraid to slaughter those who stand in his way.
Just the fact that Ego crafted an entire planet (one that occasionally bears his face) should provide an indicator of just how powerful this Celestial truly is. The staggering number of corpses he’s left behind, including Quill’s mother, also offers up a chilling reminder of how Ego isn’t interested in using his magnificent powers to improve the cosmos. His ability to regenerate his human form no matter how many times it’s blasted out of existence further solidifies Ego as a threat like no other.
3. Scarlet Witch
In the final moments of her last non-violent confrontation with Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” Wanda Maximoff gives the Sorcerer Supreme an ultimatum: If he does not hand over America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) by sundown, he and anyone who protects her will not face the wrath of Maximoff. Instead, they will be confronted by the full might of the Scarlet Witch. Maximoff constantly uses her magical powers to destroy anyone who gets in her way and to inhabit the bodies of other versions of herself in alternate dimensions.
2. Thanos
For many of his earliest Marvel Cinematic Universe appearances, it seemed like all Thanos did was sit around in a big golden chair. “Avengers: Infinity War” and its opening scene established Thanos as a threat to be taken very seriously. At the beginning of “Avengers: Infinity War,” Thanos and his loyal Black Order minions wipe out a ship of Asgardians. The purple menace proceeds to clutch Thor by his hair to get Loki to reveal where an Infinity Stone is. After tossing the God of Thunder around like a ragdoll, Thanos then engages Hulk in a fight, a duel he manages to win despite the green giant’s considerable strength.
Thanos wields his incredible might, enhanced by the powers of the various Infinity Stones he scores, to make life miserable for the superheroes. This reaches its apex at the end of “Infinity War” when Thanos technically loses once Wanda Maximoff sacrifices Vision. In the wake of this seemingly definitive defeat, Thanos uses the Time Stone to reverse time and beat Maximoff. It’s not just that Thanos is physically imposing and can take on the likes of Thor and Hulk in a fight, he’s also dangerously clever, using the Infinity Stones to his advantag
1. Wenwu
As “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” opens, viewers are treated to a prologue set centuries earlier in which Wenwu (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) uses ten magical rings to destroy his enemies. Though the origin of these rings is shrouded in mystery, the way Wenwu uses them to devastate anyone unfortunate enough to cross his path is legendary. With the rings by his side, this crime lord expands his empire beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. Wenwu reaps many benefits from the rings, including his ability to live for centuries without aging.
Even when Wenwu is unwittingly manipulated by monstrous forces, his power remains evident. Who else but Wenwu would have the strength to shatter a barrier that keeps an army of flying monsters enclosed? Wenwu’s cunning intellect, a trait entirely divorced from the powers of the Ten Rings, makes him even more of a threat. Tony Leung Chiu-wai conveys an unmistakable aura of authority. His work grabs your attention, even when Wenwu is just talking at a dinner table. Wenwu may not be a god or hail from the stars like other Marvel Cinematic Universe baddies, but his lengthy legacy of destruction makes him the most powerful adversary in the saga.
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