The Marvel Cinematic Universe is populated with various costumed superheroes and villains lifted directly from the original Marvel comics. Some of them are looking better than ever. Some Marvel characters were pretty cool and popular, but others didn't become cool and mainstream until the MCU reinvented them and brought them to life with skilled actors.
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Such is the case for a handful of outstanding MCU villains, too. Certain MCU foes are forgettable, bland, or distinctly uncool, such as the sleazy Justin Hammer or the dark elf Malekith, but other MCU villains pop as super-cool characters thanks to their menacing confidence, excellent dialogue, their neat costume designs, and their best action scenes where they show the heroes what true despair looks like. For any MCU movie, a cool villain makes all the difference.
The mighty Thanos has a small squad of supervillain minions of his own, the Black Order. Each member can stand up to the Avengers in mortal combat, though some of them, such as the hulking brute Cull Obsidian, are pretty forgettable and uncool. Ebony Maw is different, though.
Even if he got compared to a SpongeBob SquarePants character, Ebony Maw is a pretty cool space wizard who speaks with chilling confidence while battling the Avengers with his magic-like telekinetic powers. Ebony Maw also has a pretty cool outfit to match.
Ego the Celestial is a primordial being with almost limitless power, making him pretty cool as an MCU villain. But he's not just some space creature floating around killing people with impunity. He's compelling and cool because he has a stylish human form, and he even appreciates 1980s Earth culture to a degree.
Ego is awe-inspiring and approachable as a villain, having grandiose speeches in some scenes while acting casual and cool in others, making him memorable and well-balanced. And as a massive, living planet with a face, he is simply awe-inspiring.
The ancient warlord Xu Wenwu is somewhat similar to his MCU villain, Ego. Both of them are nigh-immortal powerhouse fathers who ended up at war with their respective sons and had troubled relations with the mothers of their sons, too.
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All that makes Xu Wenwu pretty cool, and he rounds out his character with his expert martial arts, stylish outfits and most of all, his deadly use of the Ten Rings in battle. When Xu steps forward and unleashes those Rings, it's an awesome sight, and carnage will soon follow.
Ultron is the main antagonist of 2015's The Avengers: Age of Ultron, and even if he feels underwhelming compared to Thanos, he's still a pretty cool MCU villain in his own right. Ultron has a tough, imposing robot body with glowing red eyes and a vaguely alien face, and he has cold, sinister dialogue to match.
Ultron was creepy but cool when he quotes Disney characters to describe himself, claiming "there are no strings on me." This cool, deadly robotic monster is free and will stop at nothing to reshape the world according to his grand plans. He is indeed an Avengers-level threat of cold, merciless steel.
In 2017's Thor: Ragnarok, a brand-new villain arrived: Odin's eldest child, Hela. She had been sealed away for quite some time, but upon Odin's death, she was free to return and wreak havoc in her native Asgard. Not even Thor and Loki working together could take on Hela.
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Hela is a cool, confident villain who is scary with her coldly playful attitude, her antler-like helmet, and, most of all, her brutal, merciless actions as Asgard's vicious new queen. Hela faced Thor, the Hulk, and other heroes with chilling confidence, and until Surtur wrecked the place, it seemed no one could stop her.
Doctor Otto Octavius, or Doctor Octopus, was a fan-favorite villain from the original Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy in the 2000s. Even back in 2004, Doc Ock was one of the coolest comic book villains to appear in a live-action movie, and now he's one of the coolest MCU villains, too.
Doc Ock is deadly and super-cool with four mechanical arms, each featuring three pincer claws and hidden weapons to take down Spider-Man. He is also a ruthless scientist determined to power NYC with his miniature sun, a project that nearly cost him his life. But as a cool MCU villain, he won't give up on his cutting-edge science just yet.
Erik Killmonger was the primary antagonist of 2018's smash-hit Phase 3 movie Black Panther, and he sure had a way with words. Unlike most MCU villains, Killmonger had a compelling and somewhat sympathetic argument to make about Wakanda and its place in the world. And he could back it up with serious firepower.
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Killmonger genuinely wanted to help all Wakandans and all members of the African diaspora with his plan, but his plan was too much for the current Black Panther to bear, so they came to blows. Killmonger gave it his best shot and wowed audiences with his cool confidence, impressive collection of trophy scars, and thought-provoking dialogue.
The character Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff started as a villain in Age of Ultron, then became a redeemed hero fighting for the Avengers against threats such as Thanos and the Black Order. Then she switched to villainy in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Scarlet Witch made for a very cool and scary opponent in that movie. She fought with the rage of a mother separated from her children, tearing apart any sorcerer or Illuminati member who got in her way during her multi-dimensional destruction adventure. In battle, meanwhile, she's nearly unstoppable with her deadly magic.
The titan Thanos is the highlight of the Infinity Saga, and he blew moviegoers away when he stepped onstage in 2018's The Avenger: Infinity War. Thanos had already been built up as a powerhouse villain, but even then, he exceeded all expectations as a deadly, cool, and memorable supervillain.
Thanos has it all, from his deep, intimidating voice and chilling dialogue to his ruthless ambition, not to mention his overwhelming power with the Infinity Gauntlet on his left arm. He is also a capable leader, commanding the Black Order and entire armies of alien warriors into battle.
The god of trickery and mischief, the green-loving Loki is definitely one of the coolest MCU characters of all and certainly the coolest villain in particular. MCU fans love absolutely everything about this slick character, from his neat Asgardian outfits and scepter to his unsettling charm as an unpredictable antagonist.
Loki also has some cool dialogue and memorable scenes in the MCU, all fueled by his sharp-tongued sarcasm, vicious mockery, and dry observations about the events unfolding around him. In fact, fans might argue that he's too cool for the MCU's weaker movies like Thor: the Dark World.
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