7 Incredibly Powerful MCU Villains Introduced in MCU TV Series

You’d think Marvel Studios would be afraid to debut some of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most dangerous villains in the franchise’s TV shows, but this isn’t true at all. Marvel branched out into producing long-form TV series, released on the Disney+ streaming platform, following the conclusion of the Infinity Saga in 2019. Disney promoted a period of growth for Marvel, which, while contributing to poorer working conditions, tighter deadlines, and a focus on quantity over quality, allowed the MCU to expand massively, and allowed many more characters to be introduced.

While some remarkable new heroes have debuted in recent TV shows, Marvel has also taken the opportunity to introduce some of the MCU’s most formidable supervillains on the small-screen. There have also been a number of disappointing antagonists, including the Clandestine, the Flag Smashers, and the Tracksuit Mafia, but others will be remembered as some o the MCU’s best. These villains will surely continue to pose a threat as the franchise develops with a new focus on quality over quantity – it would be great to see any of them return.

7) He Who Remains

Loki was one of the MCU’s first TV shows, giving Tom Hiddleston his first solo project as the titular God of Mischief – the version of Loki who escaped with the Tesseract in Avengers: Endgame. His redemption arc brought him face-to-face with He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), a variant of Kang who won the Multiversal War and established the Time Variance Authority to ensure the stability of the Sacred Timeline. He Who Remains’ influence on the MCU was unmatched, though he was swiftly and easily killed by Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), and his threat has now amounted to very little.

6) Kevin Thompson’s Kilgrave

Marvel Studios confirmed that the Defenders Saga, which originally aired on Netflix between 2015 and 2019, is canon to the MCU in early 2024. This brought some iconic characters from the Marvel Television shows into the MCU’s official timeline, including the sinister manipulator and mind-controller Kilgrave (David Tennant). Tennant’s performance as this haunting villain was bone-chilling, as Kilgrave’s psychopathy combined with his ability to make anyone do anything he wants at will make him one of the MCU’s most terrifying antagonists. Despite his demise at the end of Jessica Jones season 1, some still hope that Kilgrave will somehow return.

5) Intelligencia

The version of the Intelligencia introduced in 2022’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was somewhat embarrassing, especially since it fell under the leadership of Todd Phelps (Jon Bass), who briefly became the HulkKing. In Marvel Comics, Intelligencia is a secret society of supervillains comprising the likes of the Leader, MODOK, Klaw, and Doctor Doom, among others. The debut of Intelligencia in the MCU’s Phase 4 opens the door for this influential and dangerous organization to be adapted faithfully. After Intelligencia managed to steal Jennifer Walters’ She-Hulk’s (Tatiana Maslany) blood, there may be no limit to the evil they could exact.

4) Agatha Harkness

Kathryn Hahn first appeared in 2021’s WandaVision as Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision’s (Paul Bettany) nosy neighbor in the idyllic Westview, New Jersey, community, Agnes. She was soon revealed to actually be the formidable and power-hungry Salem witch Agatha Harkness, however, transforming the mentor from Marvel Comics into much more of a tentative foe in the MCU. After trying to steal the power of the Scarlet Witch, Agatha embarked on her own solo adventure in 2024’s Agatha All Along, and has subsequently become one of the MCU’s most popular and powerful new characters.

3) Wilson Fisk’s Kingpin

Few supervillains have become as prominent in Marvel’s TV shows than Wilson Fisk’s Kingpin, portrayed expertly since 2015’s Daredevil season 1 on Netflix by Vincent D’Onofrio. Kingpin has routinely opposed Daredevil (Charlie Cox), but has recently also faced Kate Bishop’s Hawkeye (Hailee Steinfeld) and Maya Lopez’s Echo (Alaqua Cox). Kingpin is the new Mayor of New York City in the MCU, giving him significant influence and power that he has put to use to outlaw vigilantism in the city, setting up a dark and dramatic story for the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again season 2, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and more.

2) Death

It’s hard to comprehend just how powerful the personification of Death is in Agatha All Along. Aubrey Plaza first appeared in the spinoff series as Rio Vidal, a Green Witch with a history with Agatha Harkness who joined her and her new friends on the Witches’ Road. She was soon revealed to be Death herself, however, elevating her power beyond belief. Death is never-ending, all-powerful, and simply unmatched, so her debut in Agatha All Along was seriously exciting, and there are hopes she’ll return soon. Whether this is alongside Agatha and Billy Maximoff (Joe Locke) remains to be seen.

1) Mephisto

Marvel Studios’ most recent TV series, Ironheart, brought the MCU’s Phase 5 to a close by introducing one of the most heavily-rumored and much-anticipated supervillains in its finale. After years of teases, Sacha Baron Cohen finally made his MCU debut as Mephisto, the demonic supervillain from Marvel Comics who has been a long-running enemy to Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and many more heroes. Mephisto is a master manipulator who has already struck twisted deals with the likes of Parker Robbins (Anthony Ramos), Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), all of Forbes’ 100-richest list, 14 kings, three popes, and even Ringo Starr. Mephisto’s MCU story is just beginning, but there’s no doubt he’ll pose a threat to many more characters for years to come.

Who are your favorite MCU villains introduced in Marvel Television series? Let us know in the comments!

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