Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2: Every Character Ranked Worst To Best

4. Ego

His heel-turn might have been obvious from well before he even appeared, but Kurt Russell's performance as Ego is a highlight of Vol 2. Most importantly, you can believe that he'd be the source of Peter's genetic bravado too and his rugged good looks.

Russell is a dependable presence, charismatic, twinkle-eyed and !*$%-sure and he's utterly believable both as the "angel" Meredith Quill painted him as in the first movie and as the nefarious genocidal maniac he's revealed to be. And crucially, the transition from one to the other works perfectly in Russell's hands.

After way too long without any real competition for Loki, he's one of Marvel's best villains with an evil plot that's ridiculous and theatrical enough to suit the genre, but also with enough depth that you genuinely feel something towards him. The reveal that he killed Meredith on purpose is easily the crowning moment of that, and the first in a series of vicious emotional stab wounds.