10 Best Villains In Phase 5 Of The MCU, So Far

The first year in Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has officially come to a close, offering three films and four Disney+ seasons for audiences to enjoy. With only Deadpool 3 and Agatha: Darkhold Diaries left to look forward to for the remainder of 2024, Phase 5 is already nearing its final stretch.

Marvel’s Phase 5 projects have taken care to introduce multiple compelling villains to challenge the franchise’s resolute yet overly cocky superheroes. While some of these antagonists have fallen short of viewers’ expectations, others have firmly established themselves as some of the best villains in the entire MCU.

10 Dar-Benn Was A Forgettable Antagonist

Dar-Benn is a villainous Kree zealot who took over her people’s civilization after the Supreme Intelligence was destroyed by Carol Danvers, dooming their homeworld of Hala to a slow and painful death. She goes on a journey to uncover the two Quantum Bands, which she hopes can help her save her people.

Despite her understandable motivations, Dar-Benn still manages to be an easily forgettable villain. She ultimately never develops much of a personality in The Marvels, in part due to her relatively small amount of screen time. Ultimately, Dar-Benn comes and goes without leaving much of an impact on the MCU.

9 MODOK Was Controversial And Terrifying

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania ignited controversy for many reasons, not the least of which is its take on the supervillain MODOK. Quantumania‘s version of the character was very different from the comic version of MODOK. In this version, Darren Cross, the original Yellowjacket, becomes MODOK after being stranded in the Quantum Realm with Kang the Conqueror.

MODOK’s controversial design doesn’t necessarily mean that he had failed as a character, but Quantumania ultimately never did enough with him to justify his presence in the film. MODOK is a beloved character from Marvel Comics who could have easily become a recurring villain in the MCU if Quantumania hadn’t killed him off after a single appearance.

8 Gravik Never Quite Accomplished His Goal

Gravik leads a group of Skrull zealots who seek to take over the Earth as their new homeworld in Secret Invasion. Angry with Nick Fury for failing to keep his promise to the Skrulls, Gravik declares all-out war on humanity, using his shape-shifting allies to infiltrate multiple nations’ governments.

Gravik’s character suffered from Secret Invasion‘s shoddy writing, which could never quite figure out what to do with the villain. While Kingsley Ben-Adir delivers a menacing performance, the character himself falls flat with the rest of the series, leaving viewers more disappointed than satisfied.

7 Kang The Conqueror Could Have Been So Much More

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania introduced the villain who was set to become the primary antagonist of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, Kang the Conqueror. Kang is a powerful warlord from the future whom Ant-Man and his allies stumble across when they get trapped in the Quantum Realm.

While not perfect, Kang the Conqueror had a strong debut in Quantumania, leaving fans excited about where he would go next. Kang was easily the best part of the film, which struggled to live up to audience expectations. However, it would appear that Kang’s potential has been squandered now that Marvel and Jonathan Majors have parted ways. Although countless villains may replace Kang the Conqueror as the Multiverse Saga’s big bad, viewers will always wonder what could have been had the character remained.

6 Miss Minutes Was Maniacal And Malicious

Introduced in Loki, Miss Minutes is an artificial intelligence unit created by He Who Remains as a helper. In Season 2, Miss Minutes works against the Time Variance Authority, in an attempt to find a new Kang variant to replace the late He Who Remains as master of the multiverse.

Despite her cute and colorful design, Miss Minutes is easily one of the most terrifying villains in the entire MCU. Her sheer glee at watching a room full of TVA agents be crushed to death is enough to send chills down anyone’s spine. Additionally, Miss Minutes’ love for Victor Timely is uncomfortable and frightening, leaving audiences uneasy every time she comes onscreen.

5 Ravonna Renslayer Was Loki’s True Villain

Ravonna Renslayer returns in Loki Season 2, where she works against the Time Variance Authority, the very organization that she once ruled over. She discovers that she had once been at the right hand of He Who Remains himself until her memory was wiped. Now, she seeks to restore the TVA that He Who Remains built, even if she has to get her hands bloody to do it.

Renslayer is willing to do anything to achieve her ends, regardless of who she has to hurt along the way. Audiences see her descend further and further into villainy as the season progresses until she watches as dozens of her former colleagues are gruesomely crushed to death. Where there may have once been a well-meaning TVA agent, Ravonna proves herself to be a true menace.

4 He Who Remains Kept The Multiverse Under His Thumb

He Who Remains is a Kang variant who lives at the end of time, where he rules over the Multiverse. Killed by Sylvie at the end of Loki‘s first season, it is later revealed that he planned his death, knowing that it would lead to the multiverse’s collapse and his inevitable resurrection. In Season 2, Loki and Sylvie work tirelessly to find a way to kickstart the multiverse without bringing He Who Remains back with it–though they find it a more difficult task than they had anticipated.

Though he never does his dirty work, He Who Remains is still one of the MCU’s most compelling villains, who can manipulate an entire multiverse with ease. Just like Loki, audiences feel trapped by the Kang variant, who seems to have a contingency plan for everything. His grand schemes leave even the god of mischief wondering if there is free will in the universe.

3 Kingpin Made A Thrilling Return

After his apparent death in Hawkeye, Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin finally returns to the MCU in Echo. Still healing from being shot in the head by Maya Lopez, Wilson Fisk returns in an attempt to win his adoptive niece back to his side. As a result, Maya is left to question whether she wants to be a part of his bloody and twisted family.

Echo is a deeply flawed series at its core, but it would be difficult to deny the gravity of its villain. D’Onofrio hasn’t missed a step in his return as Kingpin and can slip back into the character’s shoes easily, even five years after Daredevil ended. Throughout the series, audiences catch glimpses of the Fisk they know and love, who puts on a calm demeanor yet still feels as though he could burst at any moment.

2 Strange Supreme Was The Multiverse’s Biggest Threat

Strange Supreme returns in What If…? Season 2, resurrecting one of the best characters from the show’s flagship season. This version of Dr. Stephen Strange absorbed countless other sorcerers from different universes to grow more powerful than any of his other variants. Now, he returns in an attempt to intervene in the natural flow of the multiverse, forcing various heroes to unite to stop him.

Strange Supreme is a wonderfully complex character, who feeds into his selfishness and pain to grow his power. As the season finale progresses, he truly feels unstoppable, as hero after hero tries and fails to stop him. In his latest appearance, Strange Supreme makes himself the highlight of both seasons of What If…?

1 The High Evolutionary Made Audiences Hate Him

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 introduces the High Evolutionary, a mad scientist who seeks to create the perfect utopia. It was the High Evolutionary who was responsible for Rocket Raccoon’s creation, torturing and experimenting on him to discover what made him different from the other experiments. In Guardians 3, Rocket finally returns to his maker with plans to destroy his operation once and for all.

The High Evolutionary is one of the most detestable characters in the entire MCU, torturing and killing helpless animals in his vain quest for godhood. Aided by Chukwudi Iwuji’s bombastic performance and James Gunn’s smart script, the High Evolutionary emerges not only as the best villain in Phase 5 but one of the best antagonists in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.