15 Best Movie Villains Of The Decade

2. Loki - The Avengers (2012)

Before Thanos arrived, Loki was the only villain in the MCU to really crossover into multiple releases in a meaningful way and between Thor and The Avengers, he actually improved in his villain stakes somewhat dramatically.

Introduced into the faux-Shakespearean world of Kenneth Branagh's Thor, he was a scheming trickster - a Scar to Thor's Mufasa - with a chip on his shoulder and a genealogical secret burning through his veins. By the time he was undone and exiled, he was already great, but his return from exile in The Avengers is where he really kicked on.

Far more bad-ass (including in single combat), this darker Loki was the result of being through some Stuff while he was in exile and his grand plan to take over - and punish - Earth felt way more personal and petulant than someone looking for simple dominion. He was reacting to them liking his brother more and he was doing it as the front-line of a huge, theatrical plan and it just worked beautifully.