Marvel has given us some of the best heroes that we look up to and draw inspiration from. At the same time, it has also given birth to some of the most formidable villains to ever exist in the world of fiction. There are multiple villains in Marvel, some have made their way to our screens while some remain on the pages of their comic books. So, let me present you with a list of the 20 best Marvel villains from Thanos to Galactus and more. We have also ranked these Marvel villains from weakest to most powerful.
20. Kingpin
- MCU Debut– Daredevil (2015)
- Powers– Political power, physical strength
Talking about the most significant villains in Marvel, there is no way we can leave out one of the most notorious street-level villains in the comic book franchise. Wilson Fisk, or Kingpin has been a huge pain for Daredevil and sometimes Spider-Man. Kingpin is not just a villain hell-bent on taking down Daredevil but once he figures out his identity, he also goes behind his life and to an extent, destroys everything Matt cares about. His political power and control over New York make him almost untouchable and his inflated ego not only makes him dangerous but also a threat that cannot be taken lightly.
19. The Green Goblin
- MCU Debut– Spider-Man (2002)
- Powers– Superhuman strength, durability, speed, agility, and reflexes
Green Goblin is one of the most formidable foes Spider-Man has ever gone against not just because of how lethal he is but also because of how he mentally tortured Peter Parker after figuring out his identity. Norman Osborn turned into the Green Goblin after exposing himself to the Goblin Formula. Green Goblin is one of those Marvel villains who have nearly killed Spider-Man and has also killed people Spider-Man loves.
In Marvel comics, Green Goblin was the one responsible for killing Aunt May and Gwen Stacy. Even though Green Goblin did not live very long, the impact he had on Peter’s life makes him one of the most dangerous villains in Marvel.
18. Helmut Zemo
- MCU Debut– Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- Powers– Enhanced strength, speed, agility, resilience, and a rapid healing factor
Helmut Zemo made his MCU debut in Captain America: Civil War and even though he was powerless in the movie, he was able to tear up the Avengers from the inside out. In Marvel comics, Helmut Zemo was the son of Baron Heinrich Zemo. Helmut’s father was a Nazi who was actively involved in World War 2 and tried to take down Captain America. He also formed the Master of Evil, a more or less evil counterpart of the Avengers to take them down but was killed in action while fighting the Avengers.
Helmut made it his life’s purpose to take revenge for the death of his father and even gave himself a reverse-engineered Super Soldier Serum that gave him powers similar to Captain America. However, Zemo’s powers are not the only factor for which he is on this list but also because he is a master tactician and even in the comics was able to break apart the Avengers.
17. The Leader
- MCU Debut– Captain America: Brave New World (2025)
- Powers– Enhanced Mental Capabilities, Prediction
The Leader made his debut in Captain America: Brave New World and even though the movie did not present us with the best version of the villain, the Leader is still one of the most formidable foes Marvel has ever produced. In Marvel comics, The Leader was created when Samuel Sterns got infected with Gamma and instead of Super Strength, he received super intellect and made it his life’s mission to ruin Bruce Banner’s life.
He was the one responsible for turning Thaddeus Ross into the Red Hulk and had him under his control. However, Ross broke out of The Leader’s control and drained him of all the radiation turning The Leader back into Samuel Sterns.
16. Bastion
- MCU Debut– X-Men ’97 ( 2024)
- Powers– Enhanced strength, speed, durability, agility, techno-organic wings, techno forming, and energy manipulation
Bastion is one of the most formidable foes X-Men have ever stood against. Bastion was formed when two mechanized villains named Nimrod and Master Mold fought the X-Men and were gravely injured. In a desperate attempt to have another shot at eradicating the Mutans, both of them fused giving birth to Bastion. After this resurrection, Bastion created Operation Zero Tolerance and also teamed with an organization named Friends of Humanity to eradicate all mutants.
Bastion was also the one behind the genocide of Genosha and created humans enhanced with cybernetics called Prime Sentinels to kill all the mutants. But, what Bastion did not anticipate was how strong the X-Men were eventually leading to his demise. He deserves a spot on this list because he is one of the few Marvel villains who got close to killing off the X-Men for good.
15. Mister Sinister
- MCU Debut– X-Men’ 97 (2024)
- Powers– Superhuman strength, telepathy, telekinesis, technopathy
The X-Men franchise features some of the darkest arcs Marvel has ever seen but when it comes to dark villains, Mister Sinister has to be in the top 5. Initially, Sinister was a twisted scientist who believed that it was okay to experiment on Mutants and even used the body of his dead son to conduct experiments. However, he truly lived up to his name for the torment he caused to Scott Summers and Jean Grey.
After Jean was presumed dead, Sinister created a clone of Jean called Madelyne Pryor and sent her to Scott in hopes that Scott and Madelyne would eventually have a baby that would be the ultimate mutant. His hopes stood true and a baby was born who later became the time-traveling mercenary called Cable. However, Sinister’s schemes were unraveled which sent Scott into a depressive state and led Madelyne to commit suicide.
14. Ultron
- MCU Debut– Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- Powers– Artificial intelligence, superhuman strength and durability, Ffight, technopathy, technological manipulation, consciousness transfer, hive-mind system, computer corruption
Even though Ultron was defeated by the Avengers in Age of Ultron, do not, under any circumstances, underestimate how massive of a menace Ultron is in Marvel Comics. Yes, he has been killed multiple times but has also come back after almost every death. In Marvel comics, Ultron was created by Hank Pym, and after witnessing how humans are at war with each other, he turned against humans and decided to eradicate all war and bring peace by erasing the whole of humanity.
Ultron might have always been defeated by the Avengers but he also proved himself to be a formidable foe. He almost destroyed the universe as we know it and even though unwillingly, has worked with Doctor Doom as well. No matter how many times Ultron has been defeated, he always finds his way back to Earth to take revenge on Hank Pym and Vision for betraying him.
13. Apocalypse
- MCU Debut– X-Men Apocalypse (2016)
- Powers– Immortality, superhuman strength, telekinesis, teleportation, telepathy, matter manipulation, shapeshifting, molecular control, energy generation, flight, healing
Apocalypse, if not the most powerful, is easily among the top 5 mutants in the X-Men universe. He was born as En Sabah Nur who is also one of the first mutants to walk the Earth. He turned out to be one of the most fierce villains the X-Men ever faced. He became such a massive threat that even the Avengers had to step up to assist the X-Men in taking down Apocalypse. The lore this villain carries is extremely elaborate.
In Marvel comics, Apocalypse was cybernetically enhanced by the celestials themselves as he dedicated himself to being the caretaker of evolution. This is the reason he hates weakness so much and wants to eradicate everything weak, that is, humans, and wants mutants to take over the Earth. The enhancements that he received from celestials are one of the reasons why he is so powerful.
12. Annihilus
- MCU Debut– Has not debuted yet.
- Powers– Superhuman stamina, flight, superhuman agility, cosmic control rod, strength, genetic engineering technology, intelligence
Annihilus made his debut in Marvel Comics as a villain fighting the Fantastic Four. He attacked Earth after the Fantastic Four went to the Negative Zone. Annihilus had already conquered every realm in the Negative Zone and armed with his Comic Control Rod, thinks that the universe is leaking into his regime and hence, he also has ownership of the rest of the Universe.
Annihilus has been a formidable foe for the heroes with his armada of followers called the Annihilation Wave which is responsible for taking over entire star systems and turning them into a part of Annihilus’ regime. He was also the one responsible for killing Quasar and stole his Quantum Bands making him strong enough to hold his ground against the likes of Galactus.
11. Thanos
- MCU Debut– The Avengers (2012)
- Powers– Superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, powerful mystical artifacts, Superhuman physiology of Eternals, hand-to-hand combat, Plasma energy projection, Genius-level intellect, invulnerability to most weapons
Thanos made his MCU debut in the post-credit scene of The Avengers (2012) and was the biggest villain in the MCU’s Infinity Saga. However, in the final movie of the Saga, Avengers Endgame, he was defeated by the Earth’s mightiest heroes but it took the sacrifice of Tony Stark to achieve this. However, in Marvel Comics, Thanos had done way more terrible things than just wiping out half the population of the entire universe.
He orchestrated The Tribute where he asked everyone between the age group of 16-32 in his empire to present their heads to Thanos. He did this simply because he wanted to kill all his children and knew that if everyone from that age group beheaded themselves, his children would probably be one of them. Not just this, Thanos has also killed his mother so, yes, he does deserve a slightly higher spot on this list of top Marvel villains.
10. Doctor Doom
- MCU Debut– Has not yet debuted yet
- Powers– Mastery over science, dark magic, physical strength, Vibranium armor, force field generation, energy blasts, regeneration
Doctor Doom might just be one of the most famous villains Marvel has ever produced. Doom has not made his MCU debut yet but is on his way with the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. Not only that, Robert Downey Jr is playing Doctor Doom who has appeared in the MCU as Tony Stark for a very long time, and his death is considered to be one of the darkest moments in Marvel’s history.
In Marvel Comics, Doctor Doom has been a formidable foe not only for the Fantastic Four but the Avengers as well. He is a master of the dark arts and rules over Latveria. In various timelines, he has killed multiple heroes in the MCU. In the Secret Wars storyline, Doctor Doom stole the powers of the Beyonders and became God Emperor Doom. He became so powerful that he was able to kill Thanos with one strike so, yes, Doctor Doom should be feared.
9. Onslaught
- MCU Debut– Has not debuted yet
- Powers– Telepathy, telekinesis, energy projection, sensing mutant presences, manipulating magnetic fields, mind control, flight, mental manipulation, possession, and astral projection
Onslaught was such a threat that it took the X-Men, The Fantastic Four, and the Avengers to join forces to stop him. Onslaught was born when Charles Xavier, in a desperate attempt to stop Magneto and his Acolytes, hacked into Magneto’s mind.
As a result, the intense negative emotions in the mind of Magneto and the suppressed darkness of Charles Xavier fused and gave rise to Onslaught. His ultimate plan was to get all the mutants together and since Charles was under his mind control, he would use the Cerebro to erase their minds and Onslaught would eat these minds to grow stronger and destroy everything.
He was able to gain control over Hulk’s mind, deployed Sentinels in Manhattan, and even stole Franklin’s powers. Even though he was eventually defeated by the heroes, it almost killed all the heroes on Earth only to be saved narrowly by Franklin Richards, the son of Sue Storm and Mr. Fantastic.
8. Knull
- MCU Debut– Venom: The Last Dance (2024)
- Powers– Divine physiology, living abyss manipulation, Symbiote creation, Symbiote domination, superhuman strength, dark energy manipulation, nigh-immortality, shapeshifting, temporal manipulation, portal creation
Knull made his MCU debut in 2024 with Venom The Last Dance and even though we did not get to see much of him, this character might just be one of the worst enemies our heroes will ever face in the future. Knull was the eldritch god of darkness who ruled the void before anything came into existence. However, soon the Celestials came with light and offered Knull to work with them as the King in Black but he refused the offer and beheaded one of the Celestials with a sword that was also the first symbiote.
Even though he was extremely powerful, he found himself trapped on a nameless planet, and while experimenting with his powers, he created the Symbiotes who were lesser creatures and Knull had full control over them. He then launched a crusade to conquer worlds with Symbiotic Dragons. However, when these dragons arrived on Earth, they were killed by Thor, saving Earth from being purged. Later on, the Symbiotes rebelled against Knull and trapped him in the Throneworld. Eventually, he was freed and attacked Earth only to be ultimately killed by Eddie Brock in the core of the sun.
7. Mephisto
- MCU Debut– Has not debuted yet
- Powers– Invulnerability, immortality, regeneration, magic, dream walking, energy projection, hellfire generation, hellfire projection, hellfire breath, heat generation, fire immunity, illusions, matter manipulation, teleportation, time manipulation, shapeshifting, necromancy
Mephisto is essentially Marvel’s version of the Devil. He is the ruler of a firey dimension which he refers to as Hell or Hades. He calls his dimension the name Hell to use it as an advantage over Humans who believe in the existence of Satan or Hell. His dimension comprises him and lesser demons who are the souls of dead humans trapped in demon bodies who serve him. Mephisto’s ultimate goal is to enslave all of humanity into his realm.
Mephisto was responsible for ruining Spider-Man’s life because he saw a prophecy where he was defeated by Spider-Man and his daughter. He orchestrated a plan to kill MJ and made a deal with Peter that he would bring her back to life he agreed to erase his marriage to which Peter agreed.
6. Galactus
- MCU Debut– Has not debuted yet
- Powers– Immortality, Godlike strength, stamina, and Speed, Invulnerability, Energy Projection, Energy Absorption, Force-Fields, Interdimensional Portals, Resurrection, Soul Control & Manipulation
Galactus is one of the biggest threats in the Marvel Universe. Technically, since he is essentially a celestial being, he is beyond the concept of good and evil. Considering he devours worlds as food to keep himself alive and Earth has been on his menu multiple times, for our heroes, especially the Fantastic Four, Galactus is a bad guy. Galactus has had multiple heralds through time who have helped him find planets with life to consume.
The power Galactus possesses is evident by the simple fact that he was able to take down Odin himself while Thor battled the Silver Surfer. Galactus has also defeated Thanos and Ultron with much ease so he is definitely not to be taken lightly. We will know more about this Marvel villain in the upcoming Fantastic Four movie.
5. Kang
- MCU Debut– Loki Season 1 (2021)
- Powers– Superior-level intellect, tactical skills, armed and unarmed combat, battle armor, Light of the Centuries Sphere
Kang is one of the most feared multiversal threats in the entire Marvel universe. He made his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Loki. However, his inclusion was rather short-lived because of the legal trouble Jonathan Majors got into. The lore of Kang the Conqueror is elaborate. So, in brief, he is a multiversal conqueror who takes over entire multiverses with the ambition of being the ruler of the universe. He is responsible for killing multiple variants of the Avengers and other heroes who stood up against him to protect their reality.
There is a continuous debate regarding who would win in a fight between Kang and Doctor Doom. Some believe that Kang’s technological advancement will give him an upper hand on Doom while some believe that Doom’s dark magic will prove to be an advantage he has over Kang. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
4. Enigma
- MCU Debut– Has not debuted yet
- Powers– Omnitemporality, information dissimulation, mind control
The Enigma is something that was even beyond the celestials but even though he was extremely powerful, his glory was short-lived. The Enigma in Marvel is essentially the consciousness of Nathaniel Essex, who, before dying, created four clones: Mister Sinister, Doctor Statis, Mother Righteous, and Orbis Stellaris. To raise the Enigma, all of these four clones had to succeed in their respective timelines.
Once Enigma came into existence, he went after everything that could be a threat to him and even tried to take down the entire mutant kind from the multiverse but his attempts were not completely successful. The biggest threat to Enigma was Jean Grey and the Phoenix Force so he tried to erase her from existence but was betrayed by his ally Moira MacTaggert. She sent a signal to Jean, following which she reached Enigma and in essence, killed him but since he is omnipotent, he is neither dead nor alive but stuck somewhere in the middle.
3. The Celestials
- MCU Debut– The Eternals (2021)
- Powers– High-tech enchanted exoskeleton, infinite strength, immortality, evolution manipulation
The Celestials are essentially the Gods of the Marvel Universe but as it turns out, they are not exactly the all-loving and merciful kind. They were created by the First Firmament but they rebelled against their creator and destroyed him into pieces giving birth to the Multiverse. Even though the Celestials are beyond the concept of good and evil, they visit planets and judge lower life forms concluding if they deserve to exist or not, and as it turns out, Earth was also on their naughty list.
The Celestials are considered responsible for everything that has happened on Earth from the creation of The Mutants to the sinking of Atlantis, and everything in between. Their strength can only be measured by the fact that when Celestials come to judge the Earth, the Asgardians are not allowed to interfere, and when they did in an alliance with the Eternals, it did not end well for them. However, the Eternals were eventually defeated by combining the powers of Galactus and Franklin Richards in Marvel comics.
2. The Beyonder
- MCU Debut– Has not debuted yet
- Powers– Reality warping, psionic abilities, nigh-omniscience, teleportation, matter manipulation, energy manipulation, superhuman strength, invulnerability, superhuman speed
The Beyonder is a Marvel villain who does not even know he is a villain. He grew up in a universe created by other Beyonders for their children. He was not aware of the Beyonders and when they created the Molecule Man, it poked a hole in the universe where The Byonder has been living all his life, thus freeing him. He observed Earth for quite some time and decided to cause “Secret Wars” just for fun.
He was the one responsible for the creation of the Battleworld where the epic battle in the Secret Wars comic went down. He has also threatened to erase all of existence but accidently, sent himself back to his home universe.
1. The First Firmament
- MCU Debut– Has not debuted yet
- Powers– Omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent
The First Firmament is the ultimate villain Marvel has ever created. He is not a person or an entity but the embodiment of the first universe that ever existed. He created the Celestials but they rebelled against him and shattered his singular universe giving birth to the Multiverse.
However, since he became weak after this, he joined forces with his younger siblings, The Black Winter and Knull, and made it his mission to consume all multiverses to gain all his strength back and bring back one singular universe. So, there is no doubt that the First Firmament is the strongest villain in the MCU.
So, these were the most powerful villains in Marvel’s comics and MCU.
