Every MCU Villain Plot Ranked From Worst To Best

The first ever Marvel Cinematic Universe movie is still to this day one of its finest, as it introduced the titular hero, and teased the huge shared universe that would be coming over the next decade. Iron Man also introduced the first ever villain of the franchise, Obadiah Stane.

Kicking off the MCU's long list of father figures/mentors that turn evil, Stane betrayed Tony, his business partner and best friend's son, for money. Even before Stark became Iron Man, before he even thought about designing the suit and getting the business out of weapons manufacture, Stane planned on killing him.

Eventually, the arc reactor and the Iron Man suit itself became the focus of Stane's plan, but the man known in the comics as Ironmonger hired the Ten Rings to kill Stark far earlier than that. The shock and emotional value of Stane's villainous change was big, but the fact that it was just for money is slightly shallow.

With regards to the Ten Rings, though the organisation ultimately played a relatively minor role in the movie, this laid the groundwork for further appearances in the franchise, including of course, the upcoming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.