12 MCU Villains That Were Wasted

12. Baron Von Strucker

In the comics, Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker has regularly served as the supreme leader of Hydra, bringing him into conflict with Captain America, Nick Fury, and S.H.I.E.L.D. for decades. Because the terrorist organisation has played a key role in multiple MCU films and TV series, it was only a matter of time before this monocled menace made an appearance.

When he cameoed in the post-credits scene for Captain America: Winter Soldier, viewers naturally assumed he would get a chance to shine when he returned in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Sadly, he was killed off half an hour into the movie after only appearing in two scenes.

Despite being one of the recurring villains in Marvel, most non-comic fans can't even remember who Strucker is in the MCU or what he did.

Ultron killed him off-screen in such an anticlimactic manner, one could easily mistake him as a lowly henchmen, unaware he's the head honcho of the world's largest terrorist group. If the screenwriters intended to underuse such a pivotal character, why did they bother introducing him in the first place?