Every Netflix Marvel Villain Ranked Worst To Best

Female villains are the minority in the Marvel/Netflix canon but Luke Cage's Mariah Dillard ranks as the highest in this list. Mariah's descent into villainy was tragic yet brutal. She had a blooming political career and a desire to change Harlem for the better, thus making her villainous turn all the more ironic. Unable to escape her family's long-time involvement in the criminal underworld, Mariah assumed a role that was seemingly destined to occupy.

One of the strenghts of Mariah's character arc was the pace at which she became the thing she desperately sought to rid Harlem of. Her shift into a life of crime came fast but it was never far-fetched or unbelievable. In fact, when Mariah eventually became the new crime lord of Harlem, it felt right. This is a character who has political power yet also has it within them to kill, cover it up and get away with it.

Mariah faced her first real threat in Luke Cage's second season when Bushmaster sought revenge on the Stokes family but in the end, it was her own daughter, Tilda, who ended her life. It provided a poetic full-circle moment.

Mariah began her life of crime when she took the life of Cornell, and Tilda began hers when she took the life of Mariah. Crime certainly seems to be a Stokes family affair.