Since the very beginnings of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the franchise has made use of some incredibly powerful villains. Even some of the antagonists introduced in the earliest movies of the franchise, such as Loki and Thanos, have played a major role in shaping the MCU’s story, as they rank among some of its most powerful characters. However, the more recent movies and TV shows of the Multiverse Saga have also introduced exceptional villains into the MCU. Many of these antagonists have proved to be incredibly dangerous or cunning, and present a major threat to the MCU and its many assorted heroes.
The seemingly infinite scope of the Multiverse Saga has facilitated the arrival of increasingly dangerous villains in the MCU. Characters with potentially reality-shattering abilities have now appeared in the franchise, posing a threat not just to the MCU’s main timeline but the entire fabric of its reality. In addition, villains of varying origins have established themselves as particularly formidable, marking more powerful antagonists in the MCU.
10) The Leader
After making his franchise debut all the way back in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, Tim Blake Nelson’s Samuel Sterns was teased as a future MCU villain. After being mutated by his proximity to gamma radiation, he was absent from the franchise for more than 15 years, making it seem as though he would never appear as an antagonist in the MCU. However, he finally made his first major villain appearance in Captain America: Brave New World in 2025.
Now known as the villain The Leader, Sterns is one of the MCU’s most dangerous new players. The Leader’s expansive intellect makes him incredibly formidable, as he can predict and manipulate developments on a level that allows him to remain several steps ahead of the franchise’s heroes. Though he has yet to firmly establish his place in the wider MCU, the Leader is undoubtedly one of its new antagonists with major villain potential.
9) Namor the Sub-Mariner
Whether Namor can be considered a true Marvel villain is a matter for debate, though he has often acted as such in his history in the Marvel Universe. He also made his debut MCU appearance in 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, where he started his time in the franchise as an antagonist. The movie saw Namor and his underwater kingdom of Talokan declare war on Wakanda, putting him at odds with multiple MCU heroes.
Namor is established as a powerful mutant in the MCU, but his power extends further than his most obvious abilities. As well as being capable of breathing both underwater and on land, Namor’s strength, agility, and durability increases in proximity to water. His aquatic abilities are complemented by his massive influence among his people, making him powerful both as an individual and the ruler of Talokan, where he’s worshipped as a god.
8) Xu Wenwu
After the MCU made multiple references to the Marvel villain known as the Mandarin, the villain finally made his debut appearance in 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. After Iron Man 3‘s Mandarin proved to be a controversial fake-out, the franchise finally brought the villain into the fold as part of the Multiverse Saga. Xu Wenwu was introduced as the true Mandarin, armed with the power of the legendary Ten Rings.
The Mandarin’s power stemmed from his use of the Rings, which seemingly granted him immortality, as well as increased strength and various energy manipulation abilities. As the Ten Rings are among the most powerful weapons in the MCU, they made the Mandarin an incredibly powerful villain. Though Xu Wenwu died in the movie’s climactic battle, the still stands out as one of the Multiverse Saga’s more powerful antagonists.
7) Gravik
Despite being considered the worst of the MCU’s Disney+ series, Secret Invasion undeniably served as an important part of the franchise’s story. Its narrative concerned a Skrull rebellion that sought to supplant humanity as Earth’s predominant species, led by the ambitious Gravik. Though he initially only possessed the typical shape-shifting abilities of the Skrull, Gravik later imbued himself with the Harvest, gaining the powers of multiple Avengers and becoming one of the MCU’s most dangerous new villains.
Secret Invasion‘s finale saw Gravik use the powers of many Avengers in one of the MCU’s most high-powered battles. The nature of the Harvest meant that Gravik was able to command the powers of some of the MCU’s biggest heroes, although he was defeated by G’iah, who also made use of the Harvest. Despite being killed in the battle, Gravik’s brief display of abilities established him as one of the MCU’s most powerful villains introduced after Avengers: Endgame.
6) Gorr the God Butcher
After long being considered one of the most exciting Thor villains, Gorr the God Butcher made his first MCU appearance in 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder. Christian Bale’s casting in the role made Gorr’s debut seem especially noteworthy, with one of Hollywood’s most decorated actors joining the MCU. Though the movie itself was divisive, Gorr was subtly established as one of the franchise’s most formidable new villains.
Gorr is introduced as a relatively non-threatening character, whose anger at the gods is twisted by All-Black the Necrosword to make him incredibly powerful. The weapon enables Gorr to terrorize the gods of the MCU, killing multiple figures that were seemingly immortal. Thor is unable to defeat Gorr and stop him from reaching Eternity, meaning that even one of the MCU’s founding Avengers was no match for the villain.
5) Cassandra Nova
Though Cassandra Nova is far from the most well-known Marvel villain, she made her full MCU debut in 2024 as the main antagonist of Deadpool & Wolverine. Played by Emma Corrin, the sister of Charles Xavier served as the self-appointed ruler of the Void, where she commanded an army of beings removed from various timelines by the TVA. Within moments of her introduction, Cassandra Nova was established as one of the most powerful villains in the MCU.
As the sister of Charles Xavier, Cassandra Nova’s abilities are similar to those of Professor X. Her powerful telepathy and telekinesis are complemented by her ability to manipulate memories, but it’s her lack of any real moral code that makes her such a dangerous figure. Her willingness to effectively destroy all reality makes her stand out as an incredibly ruthless character, with her powerful abilities making her one of the franchise’s most formidable new antagonists.
4) The High Evolutionary
The Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy came to an epic conclusion in 2023, with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 setting up a whole new iteration of the team. Its main story involved exploring the origins of Rocket Raccoon, which introduced the High Evolutionary into the MCU. The villain’s nature, abilities, and motivations all combined to make him one of the more powerful additions to the MCU’s ranks since the events of Endgame.
The High Evolutionary’s abilities predominantly stem from his genius-level intellect. His genetic experiments afforded him the ability to augment himself, granting him gravity manipulation powers, superhuman durability, and various other skills. His remarkable longevity combined with his intelligence allowed him to cultivate a following that effectively worshipped him as a living deity, making him an incredibly powerful villain within the confines of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
3) Scarlet Witch
Wanda Maximoff was introduced as a hero in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, and played a major role in the latter half of the Infinity Saga. However, it wasn’t until the beginning of the Multiverse Saga, after the events of Avengers: Endgame, that she was established as the villain known as the Scarlet Witch. This saw her turn her abilities against not just former teammates, but also against multiple innocents and heroes from other realities.
The Scarlet Witch’s already massive power was augmented by the Darkhold. Corrupted by its dark magic, Wanda morphed into one of the MCU’s most dangerous villains in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Armed with magic potent enough to tear apart the very fabric of reality, the Scarlet Witch was shown easily dispatching the greatest heroes of Earth-838 with casual ease. Though her conscience ultimately ended her villainous spree, the Scarlet Witch is undeniably one of the most powerful antagonists of the Multiverse Saga.
2) Kang the Conqueror
Once tipped to be the main antagonist of the Multiverse Saga, Kang the Conqueror was intended to become the next Avengers-level threat in the MCU. Though the franchise’s plans were forced to change by outside matters, the character and his variants remain incredibly powerful within the MCU’s narrative. First appearing as the variant He Who Remains in Season 1 of Loki, Kang went on to appear as the main villain of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which also introduced the Multiversal Council of Kangs.
The combined powers of the Council of Kangs are too varied to delve into, as they compile countless iterations of the character from across the Multiverse. Even the villain introduced for Quantumania alone stands out as a hugely powerful being, who effectively enslaved the entire Quantum Realm after being imprisoned there. Kang’s many abilities and his ruthlessly violent ambition make him a formidable enemy not just for one hero, but for the combined might of the entire MCU.
1) Death
Though she flew in somewhat under the radar, Agatha All Along introduced one of the MCU’s most dangerous villains. Aubrey Plaza’s mysterious character was eventually revealed to be none other than Death, described in the show as the original Green Witch. As the embodiment of death and decay, Death stands out as perhaps the MCU’s most powerful new villain, if only because her nature makes her virtually unstoppable.
Death is a cosmic being, and as such possesses many physiological advantages over most MCU characters. Additionally, her use of magic is immensely powerful, and her tactics and reactions are exceptional. There has perhaps never been an enemy as relentless and seemingly unstoppable as Death in the history of the MCU, making her almost certainly the most powerful villain introduce since the events of Avengers: Endgame.
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