In the ever expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe, heroes often face off against villains who are the worst of the worst. However, the best stories offer more than a simple clash of good and evil; it demands villains with layers, whose motivations make audiences question what is right and what is wrong on a deeply human level. While some may argue that characters like Thanos had a point to his actions, the most memorable villains are often those whose actions, however destructive, come from a place of pain, perceived injustice, or even a twisted sense of love. These are not merely monsters that can be written off as “bad guys,” but tragic figures whose motives we can understand, even if we don’t agree with them.
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These 7 characters have backstories that add a complex emotional weight to their actions, making us question where the line between hero and villain truly lies.
7. Loki
The God of Mischief’s journey is one of constant betrayal and a desperate yearning for belonging. Raised in the shadow of his brother Thor, Loki’s discovery of his Frost Giant heritage shattered his sense of identity, creating a deep resentment against the Asgardian family he believed had lied to him. His actions were a reaction to being an outsider; a trickster seeking validation.
Loki’s villainy stemmed from a loneliness and a feeling of not being seen or loved by his family for who he was. His schemes, from invading Earth to overthrowing Asgard, were misguided attempts to prove his worth and earn the respect he so desperately craved, making him tragically misunderstood.
6. Gorr the God Butcher
Driven to madness by the death of his daughter and the indifference of the gods he once worshipped, Gorr’s crusade against other gods was born from unimaginable grief. He witnessed firsthand the cruelty of the gods, who offered no comfort in his darkest time. His mission to slaughter them was an act of vengeance against a universe that he felt had wronged him.
Gorr’s suffering over the loss of his daughter is painful for the audience as well, making his hatred for the gods understandable, even if his methods are monstrous. When viewed in the context of his backstory, defined by the tragic loss of his child and his loss of faith, Gorr can be seen as a sympathetic figure; a man pushed to the brink by the indifference of the very gods he was taught to honor.
5. Agatha Harkness
Agatha’s history is one of untold power and self-isolation. A witch who saw her coven turn against her for mastering a magic they feared, she has lived for centuries as a survivor in a world that has forgotten the old ways. Her obsession with Wanda’s powers was not just for her own gain but a genuine curiosity about a magic she had never seen before.
Agatha’s actions in Westview, however, are not what makes her a sympathetic figure. It is the events of Agatha All Along that reveal her true backstory that changes everything about her. Agatha was a mother to Nicholas Scratch, who was supposed to die before he was even born. However, Death granted Agatha six more years with her son before having to collect Nicholas’ soul, as her job required. Agatha’s heartwrenching pain at losing her son set her down at road of revenge and power in a twisted way to protect her heart.
4. Zemo
Sokovia’s destruction and the loss of his family at the hands of the battle between the Avengers and Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron created a singular, powerful motive for Zemo: to dismantle the very idea of superheroes. He saw them not as saviors, but as catalysts for destruction and a corrupting influence that brought nothing but devastation to his home. His methodical plan was a quiet, well-laid, and cold act of revenge.
Zemo’s brilliant and calculated plan to turn the heroes against each other in Captain America: Civil War was driven by wanting both revenge and justice for his family. He saw himself as a necessary evil, exposing the hypocrisy of those who claimed to protect the world while destroying lives in the process. His motivation was personal and heartbreaking, making him a villain whose methods were undoubtedly immoral, but whose pain is understandable.
3. Wanda Maximoff
Wanda’s descent into villainy in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a direct result of a life filled with nothing but pain from losing everyone she ever loved. From the death of her parents when she was a child, to the tragic loss of her twin brother, and most recently, her Vision and her children, Wanda’s life has been defined by nothing but grief. Her actions in Westview were a desperate, magical denial of reality; an subconscious coping mechanism gone catastrophically wrong.
After losing Vision and her twins—Billy and Tommy—when she brought down the Hex around Westview, Wanda’s grief completely consumed her. The Darkhold, which she took from Agatha Harkness, corrupted her by promising her a way to reunite with her children and live out the life she was denied. Her actions in Mulitverse of Madness were born from a mother’s pain and a desire to be with her family, making her one of the most tragic figures in the entire MCU.
2. Bob (Void/Sentry)
Bob Reynolds is not so much a villain as a tragic Jekyll and Hyde figure, with the unhinged Sentry persona and the Void—a manifestation of his severe mental illness. Experimented on during the “Sentry Project” under the direction of Valentina Allegra de Fontaineto (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), Bob was among other test subjects meant to be the world’s greatest hero. However, none of the others survived the experimentations and even Bob himself did not even know he was a successful result of Valetina’s project, as his memories were lost.
When Bob’s power utlimately showed itself, it was so intense that it fractured his already fragile psyche, creating a dark counterpart known as the Void that he constantly fights to contain. The Void’s actions are a result of Bob’s struggle within his own mind. He is a man haunted by his own power and his past traumas— a hero trapped in an endless cycle of reliving his worst memories. His villainy does not stem from evil intent, but is a sickness and a part of him that he can never truly escape, making his story one of the saddest in the MCU.
1. The Winter Soldier
Bucky Barnes was a victim long before he was a “villain.” Captured, tortured, and brainwashed by HYDRA, his actions as the Winter Soldier were not his own. He was a weapon forced to commit terrible acts against his will—a puppet on a string with no memory of his past or control over his future.
The tragic reality of the Winter Soldier is that he was a man robbed of his agency and identity. Bucky’s entire character arc is a desperate and painful struggle to reclaim his mind and atone for the crimes he was forced to commit as the Winter Soldier. Bucky’s story is a heartbreaking testament to survival and the long road to recovery, making him the most sympathetic “villain” of all.
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