1. Loki (Thor, The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World)
MarvelAlthough Loki taking the top spot is the "obvious" choice, hear me out. Tom Hiddleston's portrayal of the devious Asgardian is the only villain to feature in more than one film, let alone 3. Although some would argue Loki is not a villain in Thor: The Dark World, his motives are not pure and are completely self-serving, so although perhaps not a villain, he is certainly an antihero. Loki's turn in the first Thor film is Shakespearean in nature, doing all he does to become the king of Asgard and earn his father's approval. Kenneth Branagh's direction and Hiddleston's acting make Loki a very sympathetic villain, but not to the extent that he loses his menace. Make no mistake, Loki is still a devious trickster with extremely loose morals, but one that the audience has begun to care for. Next up we have the Avengers, and choosing Loki as the first villain for the team to face was a great idea both for homage to the comics and because the audience already knows who he is. Loki builds up a team of mind-controlled SHIELD agents and scientists and unleashes the Chitauri on New York before having a confrontation with pretty much every Avenger one on one. Loki beats Captain America until Iron Man arrives, kills Agent Coulson, gets thrashed by the Hulk, and flees a fight from Thor after stabbing him (although he also nearly kills Thor earlier on when he drops him from the Helicarrier). While Loki does not really portray a physical threat to the Avengers, this is true to the comics: his weapon is his mind. As shown by his taking of the throne at the conclusion of Thor 2, Loki's control of manipulation is fantastic - this and Hiddleston's phenomenon-creating performance earn Loki the spot as the greatest MCU villain.
Thanks for reading! Leave a comment letting us know who your favorite and least favorite villains are. Have a great day!