10 Villains That The MCU Got Completely Wrong

Let's hope Thanos is better than this lot.

Ronan Guardians Of The Galaxy
Marvel Studios

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has done a lot of things right since Iron Man kickstarted it in 2008 - from its fan-pleasing casting of iconic superheros, to its ongoing efforts to diversify its output - but with a few notable exceptions, it drops the ball all too often when it comes to the villains.

It started off on the right foot in this regard as Tony Stark's nemesis Obadiah Stane proved a worthy adversary, but it wasn't until Thor introduced Loki and The Avengers flesh him out that the MCU had an antagonist worthy of the famous Marvel brand.

Since he took on Earth's Mightiest Heroes in 2012, it's mostly been downhill for the MCU on the bad guy front. Sure, there are exceptions, like Vulture and Hela, but on the whole, villains remains an area where Marvel must improve.

Constant failings in this area have put the studio under pressure in the run-up to Avengers: Infinity War. Marvel has to get Thanos right, or 10 years of universe building could topple under his weight. And these are the mistakes it must learn from...

10. Kaecilius (Doctor Strange)

Ronan Guardians Of The Galaxy
Marvel Studios

The reason Doctor Strange's big bad Kaecilius underwhelmed is nothing to do with Marvel's casting choice, character design or the amount of screenplay he was given. It's because the movie failed to flesh out his motivation.

Mads Mikkelsen brought imposing gravitas to the role, but much of his characterisation was drowned out by a sea of dimension-blending imagery and convoluted lore concerning ancient powers.

What he wanted above all was to be reunited with his dead wife and son, but the movie forgets that midway through when it becomes a tangled web of betrayal and Dormammu shows up. The audience loses track of Kaecilius's motivation too, and thus virtually everything about him fades from memory after the credits have rolled.

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