10 MCU Heroes Who Started Out As Villains
Who doesn't love a good redemption arc?
The sheer amount of superheroes that populate the Marvel Cinematic Universe is quite simply staggering. Starting with just Iron Man, and a humble team of six Avengers to close out Phase One, by the time 2014 Thanos invaded 2023 Earth there were an immeasurable amount of bodies there to oppose him.
Not all of these have as of yet joined the official ranks of the Avengers, but they have certainly fought side by side with them, or at least some of them. But not all of them started off their MCU journey on the side of the good guys.
Every hero has their own story, with their own individual beginnings and origins. Steve Rogers was always the embodiment of what was good and right, and while Tony Stark certainly didn’t start out as a hero, he wasn’t quite a villain either.
These are characters that initially found themselves in direct conflict with the heroes of the MCU, before ultimately being brought round to the ways of their former opponents. You either die a villain, or you live long enough to see yourself become the hero.
10. M'Baku
Upon the death of King T’Chaka of Wakanda on American soil, the young Prince T’Challa ascended to the throne sooner than anyone could have expected. After he took part in the Avengers’ civil war he returned to his home for his coronation.
By traditions of the reclusive nation, any of the five Wakandan tribes could offer up a challenge, which ultimately came in the form of M’Baku. The Jabari Tribe had already been painted as mysterious outsiders even within the walls of Wakanda, but this cemented their antagonistic role throughout the movie.
M’Baku, a hulking man with a clear size and strength advantage, scoffed at T’Challa and the fact that his sister was in charge of their technological development. He sought to stop T’Challa from becoming King, and even though he failed, he still refused to help rid the country of Killmonger in spite of him clearly being the lesser of two evils for the Jabari leader.
However, this soon changed, and M’Baku rallied his troops when he saw what Killmonger was doing. Fast forward to 2023 and M’Baku was standing next to Steve Rogers in the charge against Thanos. His transformation was so radical that many have theorized that it was he who ruled Wakanda during the Blip, and that he could suit up as the next Black Panther.