The Marvel Cinematic Universe struggled to deliver on the villain front in its early days. Of course, the focus was on the heroes like Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man, who all needed to prove that they had what it took to lead a franchise. Marvel’s Trinity passed their test with flying colors, which opened the door for the good people at Marvel Studios to spend more time fleshing out the bad guys. Helmut Zemo, a Sokovian resident with no superpowers, is able to tear apart Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in Captain America: Civil War, and Erik Killmonger takes the throne of Wakanda despite not having access to the country’s advanced technology.
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Cases like Zemo and Killmonger are more of the exception than the rule, though. In most cases, the MCU throws villains with formidable power sets at its heroes and sees what happens. Unfortunately, a good chunk of them don’t get the exposure that they deserve. Here are seven god-tier MCU villains Marvel hasn’t used enough.
7) Abomination
Bruce Banner wants nothing more than to live a quiet life at the start of The Incredible Hulk, but Thunderbolt Ross pushes all the right buttons and unleashes the Hulk. Emil Blonsky joins Ross’ crusade, and after taking a nasty beating, decides he needs to even the playing field by injecting himself with some of Banner’s blood, turning him into the Abomination.
Abomination comes out of the gates swinging by pushing the Hulk to the edge. However, after that moment, the villains end up on the back burner, making nothing but brief cameos in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Maybe Savage Hulk’s arrival in Spider-Man: Brand New Day will kick Blonsky into gear.
6) Surtur
Thor leaves Earth behind at the start of the third solo movie to seek out information about the Infinity Stones. A giant flaming monster named Surtur gets in his way briefly, but the God of Thunder makes quick work of him. When Surtur returns at the end of Thor: Ragnarok, though, he hits a different gear, tearing Asgard apart as part of the titular prophecy.
Laying waste to Thor’s home hasn’t been enough to secure Surtur a future in the MCU. His whereabouts are currently unknown, and unless Thor gets another solo movie, it feels like there’s little chance that the MCU picks up his trail. It’s a real shame because the character is more than just an instrument of destruction in the comics.
5) Arishem the Judge
The Celestials have been part of the MCU since the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, with the Collector explaining that they have a connection to the Infinity Stones. Eternals takes things a step further by revealing that the titular beings have been pulling the strings on Earth for thousands of years, preparing the planet for the arrival of Tiamut.
Arishem, the main Celestial, watches his Eternals like a hawk, and when they step out of line, he’s ready to pass judgment. There appear to be no limits to Arishem’s power, but he’s unlikely to ever get another chance to flex his muscles. Marvel Studios isn’t developing an Eternals sequel, and there’s no other natural spot for him to appear.
4) Death
Death follows the MCU like a shadow. Whether it’s a hero giving their life or a villain meeting their end, it’s hard for any character to stick around for the long haul. The one behind all the tragedy is Death herself, who formally introduces herself in Agatha All Along while chasing down the titular witch.
With the cat out of the bag, it’s hard to understand why Death isn’t showing up frequently. It’s not like characters have stopped dropping dead in recent days. The MCU might be waiting for a big moment to have her return, such as in Avengers: Doomsday, which is sure to have a serious kill count.
3) Ikaris
When the Eternals learn the truth of their mission, they push back against their creator. Well, most of them do; Ikaris is a company man, so he picks a fight with his old friends. After some soul-searching, he flies into the sun, which shouldn’t be enough to kill him.
Marvel Zombies reveals that Ikaris has remarkable durability, being able to participate in a years-long duel with an undead Captain Marvel. If he’s done with his warm vacation in the Sacred Timeline, he could offer a hand to all the living heroes in their upcoming fight with Doctor Doom. The MCU just has to stop being afraid of touching anything Eternals-related.
2) Dormammu
Doctor Strange dives into the deep end in his first solo movie, going up against Kaecilius, a pawn for the rules of the Dark Dimension, Dormammu. Once Kaecilius dies for the cause, the titular sorcerer has to face off against the big kahuna himself, and it works out in his favor. The Time Stone allows Strange to teach the villain a lesson about patience, which, of course, is a virtue.
Getting bested by a rookie wouldn’t sit well with most, but Dormammu seems not to be bothered by it. He has yet to attack again, and another villain, Mephisto, is throwing verbal jabs in his direction. If Dormammu doesn’t get back on the horse soon, it’s going to be difficult to continue to consider him “god-tier” any longer.
1) Red Skull
Steve Rogers doesn’t like bullies, and Johann Schmidt is one of the franchise’s biggest. After getting the Super-Soldier Serum, the newly dubbed Captain America beats his rival, sending him packing through a wormhole. What the hero doesn’t realize, though, is that the Red Skull isn’t done making an impact.
Becoming the protector of Vormir, Red Skull is the only thing standing between Thanos and the Soul Stone. He offers another deal to Hawkeye and Black Widow, but what becomes of him after that is a mystery. Since Avengers: Infinity War makes it clear that Red Skull is on a different path, it would be nice to know what that looks like and what he’s capable of now.
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Image courtesy of Stage 6 Films -
Image courtesy of Lucasfilm.
