The Marvel Cinematic Universe has proven that a truly captivating story sometimes rests on the shoulders of its villains. For years, the focus has understandably been on the heroes, charting their origins, triumphs, and sacrifices. However, the most memorable enemies in Marvel Comics have depths that have only been superficially scratched on screen. These villains are frequently sidelined to a one-time confrontation before being cast aside for the next Big Bad. However, these characters have rich, complicated backstories—motivations driven by warped nobility, lasting trauma, or simply a deeply rooted belief that the end justifies the means. Giving them the spotlight would allow the audience to understand a perspective that isn’t from a hero, challenging where the line between good and evil stands.
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A dedicated feature film to any of the following 10 villains would finally dig into the complex, layered figures behind their evil plotting and scheming, transforming a simple “bad guy” into a tragic or terrifying legend worthy of their own mythology.
10) Ultron
The sentient AI was introduced as a global threat born from Tony Stark and Bruce Banner’s misplaced idealism, intended to bring “peace in our time.” While his initial outing was catastrophic to say the least, the film only scratched the surface of his ideological conflict and terrifying potential for evolution.
A dedicated film could explore Ultron’s comic book history more fully, diving into his relentless need to “improve” the human race through its destruction. It could focus on his ability to transfer his consciousness, turning him into a persistent threat across the digital world rather than a singular physical robot. A project focusing on Ultron would also be very timely, as debates surrounding the use and ethics of using AI are at an all-time high.
9) Thanos
While the Mad Titan achieved ultimate success in Avengers: Infinity War, his motivations were only glimpsed through brief flashbacks and monologues. His time on his home planet, Titan, and his original vision of universal balance are worthy of a detailed, sweeping space epic. His speech to Tony Stark on Titan implies that Thanos was once a respected member of Titan’s political structure until his genocidal suggestions led to his ostracization.
A movie focused on his early years could be a tragic character study, showing how his apocalyptic predictions were dismissed by his own people before they ultimately proved true. Exploring his personal journey to become the philosophical warlord obsessed with collecting the Infinity Stones would add a powerful, dark layer to his legend.
8) Killmonger
Erik Stevens, fueled by a desire for justice for the marginalized and a furious rejection of Wakanda’s isolationism, was arguably one of the most interesting and justifiable antagonists yet. His singular appearance in Black Panther left many fans wanting to see more of the journey that forged his radical beliefs.
A prequel could follow Killmonger’s covert career as a U.S. Navy SEAL and black-ops mercenary, detailing the missions and experiences that hardened his resolve and shaped his ideology of violent revolution. This would offer a gritty, grounded story in the vein of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, focused on the military and wartorn fires that forged Stevens into Killmonger.
7) Baron Zemo
Zemo is a particularly interesting villain, as he is a normal man from Sokova with no special powers or magic. He is simply a master strategist who successfully turned the world’s most powerful heroes against each other with nothing but grit and determination. His driving force is pure vengeance following the loss of his family after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron; a relatable motivation with devastating results for the superhero community.
A solo picture could be a Cold War-style espionage thriller, following Zemo’s career before his vengeance plot, as little is known about his work in the shadows before Captain America: Civil War. A backstory could show how he developed the skills that led him to disband the Avengers, but also focus on the family man who loved his wife and children so much that their deaths drove him to global terrorism.
6) Hela
As the original Goddess of Death and Odin’s firstborn, Hela’s backstory as the former leader of Asgard’s armies hints at a far grander, bloodier history for the Norse realm. Her singular appearance in Thor: Ragnarok meant her centuries-long reign of terror was mostly summarized in a single montage. Cate Blanchett’s portrayal of Hela was widely lauded, making a possible standalone story ripe for success.
A solo film would certainly be dark and inspired by Viking and Norse mythology, chronicling Hela’s time conquering the Nine Realms alongside her father, Odin, before his conscience evolved. It would also give more context to how the Valkyries operated before they were obliterated by Hela. A feature film centered around Heal would be a brutal, mythological war saga based on her unchecked ambition and the violent heritage of Asgard that Odin attempted to censor from their history.
5) Green Goblin
Norman Osborn is Spider-Man’s arch-nemesis, representing the corruption of power and intellect. Willem Dafoe’s portrayal of the Green Goblin is considered a classic since his first appearance in Spiderman (2002) alongside Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker. Spider-Man: No Way Home brought Dafoe’s Osborn into the main MCU, much to the thrill of longtime fans of all iterations of Spider-Man films since 2002. The films have focused heavily on his transformation into an unhinged killer, but the political and corporate greed that feed his ego and fractured psyche have the potential to be explored outside of a hero vs. villain fight.
A movie could be a tense corporate thriller centered on Oscorp and Norman’s desperate struggle to stay ahead of his rivals while maintaining his public image. It could delve into his abusive nature, his strained relationship with his son, Harry, and the brilliant, unstable mind before it fully succumbed to the Goblin persona. Given the fact that the MCU plays fast and loose with timelines and multiverses, the potential setting for a Green Goblin-centered film is endless.
4) Agatha Harkness
Agatha Harkness is an ancient, powerful witch from the late 1600s with a cynical view of magic and an inherent sense of superiority stemming from centuries of killing and stealing other witches’ powers to fuel her own. Her time has been spent revealing the true nature of chaos magic to the MCU in WandaVision by telling Wanda she was the prophesied Scarlet Witch, and in Agatha All Along, revealing Billy Maximoff’s true nature as Wanda’s son who weilds untold chaos magic as well.
A film centering around Agatha could explore her centuries of existence in a way that Agatha All Along touched on, starting from her Salem Witch Trials-era coven and following her journey through history, particularly detailing her relationship with Death/Rio(Aubrey Plaza). Practically nothing is known about the romance between Rio and Agatha, other than the fact that the two were in love at some point, until Rio sadly had to take Agatha’s son, Nicholas. Based on the showrunner’s public comments that Agatha and Rio lived together for a long time and that Rio is actually Nicholas’ father, Agatha’s personal life deserves further exploration.
3) Red Skull
Johann Schmidt, the founder of Hydra, is a figure of pure, terrifying fascist ideology. His origin story as an intellectual prodigy aligning himself with the Nazi party and his obsession with mythology and the occult are themes that could support a deep, historical saga centered on the rise of a super-villain.
A film could explore the early days of Hydra as a shadowy branch of the Nazi war machine, documenting how Schmidt became Dr. Erskine’s first test subject and his subsequent descent into madness and his relentless pursuit of ancient power. Such a story would provide a dark, period-piece counterpoint to Captain America’s journey, showing how the desire for absolute control consumes a soul.
2) Loki
The God of Mischief is a fan-favorite who has starred in his own acclaimed series on Disney+, yet a film exploring the origins of his inborn nature as the God of Mischief and his complex relationship with his Asgardian family and heritage remains an untapped opportunity. His constant struggle with his identity as an adopted Frost Giant deserves a cinematic treatment (plus, fans can never seem to get enough Loki).
A film could focus on his early jealousy of Thor, long before the Thor films or The Avengers. Canonically, it has been confirmed that Loki’s mother, Frigga, taught him magic and had a close relationship with Loki while Odin doted over Thor. A story showing how Loki and Frigga’s relationship shaped Loki’s magic and his failed attempts to earn Odin’s approval would set the stage for deep internal conflict over his destiny as a trickster.
1) The Winter Soldier
As a brainwashed assassin and one of the most dangerous living weapons ever created, the Winter Soldier’s time in the shadows as a villain is a goldmine for a gritty, brutal action film. His seventy years as Hydra’s asset, completing black ops missions across the globe, offer a perfect framework for a dedicated and dark spy thriller.
The movie could even take a non-linear path, showing a series of his most famous covert missions/assassinations and detailing the horrors of his forced service and the constant mind-wipes. It would be a tragic, hard-R story focused entirely on the guilt and dehumanization of Bucky Barnes while he was a mindless killer and not Bucky Barnes.
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