The Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s villains are not all equally despicable. While some adversaries are one-dimensional, others come across as remarkably sympathetic. Some toe the line between hero and villain, and more were the victims of tragic pasts that made them the way they are. Similarly to how no real-life human is born evil, no fictional character acts without motivation, thus all villains have backstories explaining how they strayed down dark paths. Still, certain MCU villains garner more compassion than others. The 10 most sympathetic MCU evildoers come from every corner of the franchise, with each possessing unique histories of trauma, misfortune, and grief.
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Killmonger
Michael B. Jordan’s Erik Killmonger served as the primary villain of 2018’s Black Panther. The former U.S. Navy SEAL defeated T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) in combat to become Wakanda’s new Black Panther and subsequently prepared to take up arms against the world for its unjust treatment of Black people across history. Although mass murder cannot be justified, it’s easy to see how Killmonger arrived at his decision. Born to Wakandan Prince Njobu (Sterling K. Brown) and an American mother, Killmonger became accustomed to injustice from a young age. His mother died in prison, and N’Jobu was killed by his own brother for planning to help Black Americans fight their oppressors. It’s no surprise that after having witnessed systemic racism go unchecked in his hometown of Oakland, California and around the world, Killmonger resolved to taking matters into his own hands.
Loki
Tom Hiddleston’s Loki remains one of the MCU’s most beloved villains thanks to his sarcastic personality and tendency to waver between good and evil deeds. The character’s debut in 2011’s Thor reveals that Loki’s biological father is Laufey, King of the Frost Giants (Colm Feore). Adopted by Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and Frigga (Rene Russo) and raised alongside their son Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Loki was looked down upon by his parents, who refused to see him as a true Asgardian.
Thus, the God of Mischief warrants some sympathy for turning on a people who never truly accepted him. Following his villainous acts in Thor, The Avengers, and Thor: The Dark World, Loki redeemed himself in the eyes of many by helping Thor and the Revengers defeat Hela (Cate Blanchett) in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, and later dying at the hands of Thanos (Josh Brolin) in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War.
Namor
The antagonist of 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was forged by unspeakable tragedy. The Talokanil leader Namor, portrayed by Tenoch Huerta, prioritized the protection of his people when they were confronted by U.S. forces. Namor understandably mistrusted surface people, give that his own were ruthlessly colonized and forced to migrate under water. The mutant’s only misstep was attacking Wakanda when it refused to help him wage war on the surface world, commanding the flood that killed Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and many others. Following his defeat at the hands of the Black Panther Shuri (Letitia Wright), Namor agreed to form a future alliance with Wakanda, foreshadowing his redemption arc in the MCU.
Karli Morgenthau
2021’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier introduced Erin Kellyman’s Karli Morgenthau as the series’ primary antagonist. The leader of the Flag Smashers used the Super Soldier serum to commit violent acts in support of returning the world’s conditions to the way they were before the Blip. Since half the universe came back to life, three years after Thanos’ Snap, those who remained were forgotten and left to struggle on their own. Thus, Karli and her cohorts sought to remedy their hardship through violent means. Karli’s flaw was believing that she could help people through terrorism, but she rightfully took issue with humanity’s strife in the post-Blip world. The character was a natural consequence of people in power’s refusal to tend to a populace’s declining quality of life.
Ava Starr/Ghost
Hannah John-Kamen’s Ava Starr aka Ghost made her MCU debut in 2017’s Ant-Man and the Wasp. Ghost initially takes on the role of a villain, but the film later discloses that Ava was a pawn of Bill Foster (Laurence Fishburn) and S.H.I.E.L.D., who took advantage of her abilities gained from a quantum energy accident during her childhood. The accident, which took the life of her parents, caused Ava immense suffering due to a lack of quantum energy.
Nearing death during the film’s events, Ava clashed with Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), who eventually helped her absorb the quantum energy needed to save her life. Ava’s chronic affliction combined with the exploitation of her suffering makes her one of the MCU’s most sympathetic villains. Ghost’s story hasn’t concluded, as the character will feature among a team of anti-heroes in the MCU’s upcoming Thunderbolts* movie.
Dar-Benn
The villain of 2023’s The Marvel doesn’t rank among the MCU’s more memorable foes, but Zawe Ashton’s Dar-Benn has a sympathetic backstory. After witnessing her home burn to the ground as a result of a long civil war, Der-Benn grew up to become a Kree revolutionary. Her disdain for Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) stems from the destruction inflicted by the hero on the planet Hala. Given the traumatic events of Dar-Benn’s childhood, one can understand why she attempted to harness the power of the Quantum Bands to restore her home using the resources of other planets.
Gorr the God Butcher
Despite a lack of significant screen time in 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder, Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher was an imposing villain. The film opens with a scene depicting Gorr’s origin as a killer of gods following the death of his daughter, showing how one deity’s snobbish rejection of a starving and grieving Gorr compelled him to slay the god using the Necrosword. Gorr subsequently embarks on a quest to vanquish all gods, and he appears justified in doing so. Even though Gorr’s kidnapping of Asgardian children was horrific, his rampage against greedy and uncaring gods could be viewed as a form of justice.
Agatha Harkness
Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness began her MCU tenure in 2021’s WandaVision, serving as the main antagonist opposite Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff. Initially posing as Wanda’s nosy Westview neighbor Agnes, the character is later revealed to be the centuries-old witch seeking to absorb the Scarlet Witch’s power. WandaVision and Agatha All Along unveil portions of Agatha’s traumatic past in the 17th century, disclosing that she was shunned and set to be executed by her mother and coven for practicing dark magic. Those close to Agatha notably refused to help her control her unique abilities, so instead of allowing them to burn her at the stake, a teenage Agatha killed her entire coven by siphoning their powers.
Making matters even more heartbreaking, Agatha’s son, Nicholas Scratch, nearly died during birth, but was granted more time by the magic-wielder’s lover Death aka Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza). He perished suddenly one night, plunging Agatha into an abysmal state of mourning, as she lost both Nicky and Rio — who Agatha could not forgive for taking his soul. Snarky, charismatic, and incredibly likable for a villain, Agatha attracts sympathy in spite of her evil ways — a testament to her complexity as an MCU character. She may have used her doomed child as a ploy to murder innocent women, however, Agatha’s experience as an outcast and grieving mother resonates with audiences far and wide.
Maya Lopez/Echo
Hardship upon hardship defines the journey of Maya Lopez a.k.a. Echo in the MCU. Played by Alaqua Cox in the Disney+ shows Hawkeye and Echo, Maya became the Tracksuit Mafia’s leader following the loss of her mother in a car accident, and later, the murder of her father by Ronin. Operating under the guidance of notorious power player Wilson Fisk a.k.a. Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio), Maya committed various crimes in his name. At Hawkeye’s climax, she turned against Fisk by shooting him and subsequently returned to her hometown in Oklahoma, where she reconnected with family members and reckoned with her past. More of an anti-hero than a straight-up villain, Maya boasts an uncanny ability to overcome adversity, even though her morals aren’t always clear. Her resilience strikes a chord with MCU fans, making her far from a detestable foe.
Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch
Alternating from hero to villain and something in between throughout her fascinating MCU arc, Wanda Maximoff arguably stands as the franchise’s most sympathetic character. Wanda’s misfortune began as a child when Tony Stark-licensed bombs ravaged her home of Sokovia, killing both of her parents. Radicalized by the event, Wanda and her brother Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) joined HYDRA, whose experiments on the twins granted Pietro super speed and Wanda telekinesis and energy manipulation powers from the Mind Stone. After supporting Ultron (James Spader) in opposition to Stark a.k.a. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and the Avengers, Wanda and Pietro defected to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: Age of Ultron after learning of the robot’s true intentions. Pietro tragically died while protecting Sokovian civilians from Ultron’s forces. Falling in love with Vision (Paul Bettany) helped Wanda heal, but hardship struck yet again when she killed him to prevent Thanos from taking the Mind Stone implanted in his head in Avengers: Infinity War.
Unfortunately, Wanda’s trauma prompted her to inflict pain upon others in WandaVision when she imprisoned the town of Westview under a spell, resurrecting Vision and creating their children Billy and Tommy in the sitcom-inspired reality. Eventually taking down her Hex, Wanda took possession of the Darkhold. The Book of the Damned’s dark magic compelled Wanda to scour the multiverse for her kids and eliminate anyone who stood in her path in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Once again, Wanda accepted accountability, as after sacrificing her family for Westview’s freedom, she brought Mount Wundagore down on herself to end the Darkhold’s influence for the rest of time.
Repeatedly used and often demonized by outside entities for her incalculable power, Wanda has endured an unimaginable amount of torment. Grief is a universal experience, and resorting to violence for one’s children is a cause many can empathize with. As exhibited by other villains, ostracization wreaks havoc on one’s sense of self, and Wanda has found herself without support on multiple occasions. Wanda’s understandable motivations do not entirely justify harming innocent people, however, she has proven capable of recognizing her faults. If the past indicates the future, Wanda appears slated for another redemption narrative in her next MCU chapter.
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