30 Greatest Marvel Movie Villains

3. The Winter Soldier - Sebastian Stan (Captain America 2 & 3)

Marvel villains
Marvel Studios

The Winter Soldier is one of the MCU's great successes, beginning life as Captain America's pal Bucky Barnes, before being captured and experimented upon by HYDRA, transformed into a ruthless, programmable killing machine.

In his titular movie, The Winter Soldier is a force of nature, nearly killing Nick Fury and proving a rare adversary capable of standing toe-to-toe with Cap physically.

Morally, Buck is something of a mixed bag, because his real personality frequently bubbles to the surface and recognises his friendship with Cap, only to become supressed and/or confused again due to his programming.

This thread continued in Civil War, for though Bucky was by no means a straight-up villain, that didn't stop his programming causing him to lash out against the Avengers and create a ton of trouble thanks to Helmut Zemo.

As far as well-rounded villainy goes, The Winter Soldier has it all: intensity, presence and a compelling backstory.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.