The bestvillainsout there are ones that have a deep connection to the heroes themselves. That’s what makesa lot of Spider-Man’s villainsso interesting in thecomic books, as most of them have a personal connection to Peter Parker or were accidentally created by Peter himself.Personal connections in any way, shape, or form make Marvel villains so much more compellingand interesting for viewers/readers to consume.
TheMarvel Cinematic Universehas had 17 years to bring some awesome villains to the big screen and through that,some foes to the heroes have been created by the heroes themselves. Whether they’re brought to life by heroes in the modern day or those from the past, in the words of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), “No matter who wins or loses, trouble always comes around.”
10Ghost (Ava Starr)
Played by Hannah John-Kamen
WhileAnt-Man and the Waspwasn’t as well-received as the firstAnt-Manfilm, the concept of the villain of the film, Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), is really dang cool. Her power-set, in which she can turn herself intangible through the power of quantum energy, is super fun and unlike any other ability seen in the MCU. She wasn’t just some random villain, however, being “created” by the likes of both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas).Once thought of as forgettable, she’s actually coming back forThunderbolts*.
Beginning as an operative taken in by the government agency to be a spy using her powers, she was mistreated and essentially thrown to the side when she realized she was dying due to her own abilities. Growing desperate,she took to villainous actions when Hank created the Quantum Tunnel in hopes of saving his wife (Michelle Pfeiffer). Seeing that this was the perfect opportunity to use the energy to stabilize her condition, she began to do some harrowing things to get there. While they didn’t give her the quantum powers, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s treatment and Hank’s development led to her being a villain.
Ant-Man and the Wasp
As Scott Lang balances being both a superhero and a father, Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym present an urgent new mission that finds the Ant-Man fighting alongside The Wasp to uncover secrets from their past.
9The Leader (Samuel Sterns)
Played by Tim Blake Nelson
The most recent villain to debut in the MCU was actually created far before his inclusion inCaptain America: Brave New World. All the way back in his first debut in the second-ever MCU film,The Incredible Hulk, when he got Bruce Banner’s (Edward Norton) blood on a wound in his hand— being affected by the radiation within it. The hero-centric creation doesn’t end there, though.
WhenCaptain America: Brave New Worldaired, it was revealed that after the events ofThe Incredible Hulk, Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (William HurtandHarrison Ford) took him captive and used him as his own personal think-tank to help him rise to power in the Presidency. For doing this,he promised the man his release, but never followed up on it. Which led to his big evil plan inCaptain America: Brave New World.
Captain America: Brave New World
Captain America: Brave New World follows Sam Wilson as he steps into his role as the new Captain America. Navigating the complexities of geopolitics, Sam encounters an international incident involving a mysterious global plot. As tensions rise, he must uncover the mastermind behind the scheme to prevent worldwide chaos.
8Abomination (Emil Blonsky)
Played by Tim Roth Et al.
The Incredible Hulkseems to have a tendency to be the source of some of the MCU’s coolest villains. Within the plot of the film, the main monster is created by none other than the program itself and, later, Bruce Banner. Through the experiments being done at the lab, Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) was injected with a prototype new Super Soldier Serum and,after being beaten by Hulk, he infused Banner’s blood into his own bloodstream and transformed into the villain everyone knows and loves.He also delivered one of thebest Hulk scenes in the MCU.
One of the biggest themes inThe Incredible Hulksurrounds the pursuit of scienceand when it is too far when it comes to pushing forth with new technology and advancements. Abomination (JB Blanc,J.D. Hall,Fred Tatasciore, andJonathan Lipow) is a direct representation of this theme and shows how, often, villains can be created by those around them in the search of advancement.
The Incredible Hulk
Bruce Banner, a scientist on the run from the U.S. Government, must find a cure for the monster he turns into whenever he loses his temper.
7Hela Odinsdottir
Played by Cate Blanchett
One of the biggest perpetrators of “heroes” (up for debate with this guy) creating villains is none other than the head of Asgard, Odin Borson (Anthony Hopkins) himself. While Odin’s herosim is up for debate by some, he’s depicted as such in the MCU.Odin’s treatment of his long-lost daughter, though, ended up creating a monster.
The firstborn of Odin,the overpowered Hela(Cate Blanchett) was once the Executioner of Asgard and leader of the army— the first to wield Mjölnir, too. When the leader of Asgard realized that peace was for the better for everyone, Hela majorly disagreed and, through this disagreement,he banished her after she attempted to take the throne from him.This action led to her eventual resurgence inThor: Ragnarok, where she attempted to take the throne once again.
Thor: Ragnarok
Imprisoned on the planet Sakaar, Thor must race against time to return to Asgard and stop Ragnarök, the destruction of his world, at the hands of the powerful and ruthless villain Hela.
6The Vulture (Adrian Toomes)
Played by Michael Keaton
Much like Odin, the top-dog in the MCU, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has a nasty habit of creating some of the worst-of-the-worst villains. Most of the time, they turn directly against him or the Avengers as a whole, but there are two instances in which he created foes that were aimed at the young hero, Spider-Man (Tom Holland), instead. This wouldturn him into a Spider-Man villain, instead.
The first example of this comes in Spidey’s first solo MCU outing,Spider-Man: Homecoming, with the emergence of The Vulture. After the events ofThe Avengers, Adrian Toomes took up the monetary outing of collecting and getting rid of the alien ruins from the wreckage. With ajoint venture with Stark Industries, the Department of Damage Control entered the fray, kicked them out, and ripped his job away from him. This would end with him taking up an undercover weapons operation that the Wall-Crawler would eventually get in the way of.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Peter Parker balances his life as an ordinary high school student in Queens with his superhero alter-ego Spider-Man, and finds himself on the trail of a new menace prowling the skies of New York City.
5Erik Killmonger
Played by Michael B. Jordan
Known as one of the best villains in the MCU, Erik Killmonger’s (Michael B. Jordan) origin story depicted inBlack Panthershowed that the previous Black Panther, T’Challa’s (Chadwick Boseman) father (John Kani),murdered young Erik’s (Seth Carr) father. To make matters worse, his hate for Wakanda would grow because of their national policies.
Black Panthercovered a lot of social and political issues, like the topic of isolationism, and Killmonger is the side of the spectrum that is anti-isolationist. His reasoning may be understandable, but the actions he takes because of the previous Black Panther and Wakanda itself are horrific andled to him being one of the best MCU foes.
Black Panther
4Baron Zemo
Played by Daniel Brühl
Many MCU villains play checkers, but through his hate for the Avengers, Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl) played chess. After the devastating events ofAvengers: Age of Ultron, almost all of Zemo’s family—most importantly,his wife and child—were killed due to the wreckage and the Avengers… didn’t do anything.This led to him taking steps to rip the superhero team apart from the inside, inciting the events ofCaptain America: Civil War.
Zemo’s reasoning forhis villainy is commentary on a genuine problem with superheroes that is at the core ofCaptain America: Civil War. Usually, enemies that are created by heroes are created by, well, one hero. This incredibly smart man was created by the entire team of Avengers, which sets him apart a bit.
Captain America: Civil War
Political involvement in the Avengers' affairs causes a rift between Captain America and Iron Man.
3Loki Odinson
Played by Tom Hiddleston
One of the most popular baddies in this cinematic universe isthe villain-turned-hero, Loki Odinson(Tom Hiddleston). Yet another example of Odin being the spawn of his own monsters. The origin of Loki is actually a pretty depressing one andhis adoptive father was so clearly in the wrong for hiding his true heritage from him, which made Loki lose it a bit.
He’d go on to lead the charge against Earth inThe Avengers, betray Thor (Chris Hemsworth) multiple times, and wouldn’t have a true turnaround untilThor: Ragnarokmany years later. Had Odin not stolen Loki or hidden the truth,there’s a chance the God of Mischief wouldn’t have ended up so horribly before his redemption.
The Avengers
A formidable enemy endangers global security, prompting Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D., to assemble an extraordinary team of heroes. As tensions rise, this diverse group must unite to prevent a looming catastrophe, leveraging their unique abilities to uphold peace and protect the world from impending disaster.
2Mysterio (Quentin Beck)
Played by Jake Gyllenhaal
Another example of Mr. Stark’s actions creating a little demon to throw Spider-Man’s way is in one ofthe Web-Slinger’s greatest villains, Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal). Tony pretty much steals Quentin Beck’s technology and naming it B.A.R.F., which sets Beck on a mission to ruin the billionaire’s legacy post-Avengers: Endgamedeath.
What makes this creation worse is that Stark would never be the one to face his wrath. Instead, Peter Parker would have to face him, take one wild beating (getting hit by a speeding train), and have his identity revealed to the entire world.Mysterio was created by selfish rich people and the young broke teenager suffered from it.
Spider-Man: Far from Home
Following the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever.
Played by James Spader
The best example of a villain being created by a hero in the MCU comes from (of course) Tony Stark. In hopes of creating a machine and an extremely intelligent A.I. to protect the world,Tony accidentally created a monsterthat tried to drop a self-made meteor filled with innocent people on the planet. He made his mark on the MCUinAvengers: Age of Ultron.
Making things even worse, Ultron’s (James Spader) personality was powered by Stark’s worst qualities.Not only is he the one who unintentionally created him, but he’s the cornerstone of the robot’s mind. So he’s the creation of his ideals, too. Ultron tried to end the world and this makes Tony one of the worst heroes when it comes to creating villains.
Avengers: Age of Ultron
When Tony Stark and Bruce Banner attempt to jump-start a dormant peacekeeping program called Ultron, things go horribly wrong and it’s up to Earth’s mightiest heroes to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plan.
