10 Movie Villains That Upstaged Other Villains
3. Thanos - Guardians Of The Galaxy
When the Avengers were first brought together in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they went up against one of the very best villains the franchise has ever had to offer in Tom Hiddleston's Loki. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about the Guardians of the Galaxy when they assembled two years later.
Like Loki, Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) had been tasked by Thanos (Josh Brolin) to retrieve an Infinity Stone. Ronan showed an immense amount of physicality and intimidation during his procurement of the Orb, but there was very little depth to the character. In a movie as fun as Guardians of the Galaxy, he was easily the most boring aspect.
In truth, regardless of how compelling he was, Ronan would have been knocked down more than a few pegs all the same thanks to the scene he shared with the Mad Titan himself. This came in the form of Thanos' first real scene in the MCU - after being teased at the end of The Avengers - where he treated the Kree radicalist like a child.
It's hard to take someone seriously after a dressing down like that, even if it did spur Ronan on to murder an untold amount of people. The Titan said he had the demeanour of a pouting child, and it was hard to argue with him. Thanos' appearance made for a great moment in the film, certainly, but it did put the final nail in the coffin, ensuring Ronan would never be taken seriously.