8 MCU Villains Who Are Totally Underrated

No one would really argue that Daniel Bruhl’s Helmut Zemo is a bad villain, but then no one ever really argues he’s a great villain either; so by that standard he qualifies as underrated.

Yes, Killmonger, Hela and The Winter Soldier are very entertaining, but they ultimately fail. Aside from Thanos - who’s set to return and likely be defeated in one way or another in Endgame - Zemo is the only villain whose plan has succeeded by the closing credits.

He wants to break up the Avengers, plain and simple. Yes, he relies on some co-incidences (Bucky, Captain America and Iron Man all arriving at his lair at the same time), but how often have the heroes prevailed because a bit of luck has been on their side?

While often considered a plot hole or flaw in his plan, he never needed Bucky or Cap to be there. Tony could have just as easily learned that Bucky murdered his parents and tracked him down later; Steve still would have sided with Bucky and the Avengers still would have disbanded.

Zemo widened the rift caused by the Accords and dealt lasting damage to the Avengers. He should be remembered as their best ever foe.