Ranking Every Major MCU Villain From Worst To Best
2. Loki (Thor, The Avengers)
With the exception of Robert Downey, Jr., no actor has been as important to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Tom Hiddleston. Unlike most of the villains on this list, Hiddleston's Loki started out as a good guy (more or less), and Thor documented the series of events that led to his transformation into a villain and his attack on his adoptive family. By the end of the film, Loki is weak, pathetic, and defeated, but the audience is unable to hate him - he's simply a lost boy who doesn't realize where his home is.
Hiddleston's great performance in Thor assured that he could carry the villainous side of the stage in The Avengers, Marvel Studios' first crossover film. In the movie, he hits Thor right where it hurts - Earth. The once-again high and mighty Loki opens a portal above Stark Tower, allowing legions of conquering aliens to swarm New York City. All the while, the smug villain meets the Avengers head on, and soon finds out that he's bitten off more than he can chew.
Finally, Loki plays an important (and redemptive) role in Thor: The Dark World, as he teams with his brother to hunt for Malekith after the dark elf murders their mother. Again, Hiddleston's performance is what makes the turn work - he doesn't want to save the world, he simply wants to avenge the woman who always loved him and help the man who never stopped believing he could be better.