The Marvel Cinematic Universe is full of heroes who are always willing to do the right thing. Some are pure of heart, like Spider-Man, and others take things too far but still get the job done, such as Punisher. No matter the method, superheroes protect the innocent and battle villains who threaten peace. However, not every bad guy is evil for the fun of it. Many of them have tragic backstories that fuel their quest for vengeance. The MCU has its fair share of complicated villains, and some of them make such good arguments that it’s easier to root for them than the heroes.
Of course, evildoers who toe the line are rarely able to keep their composure, so good guys have to swoop in and put a stop to their schemes. However, once the dust has settled, the villains who had a point usually change their rivals for the better.
1) Vulture
Like anyone who isn’t a superhero in the MCU, Adrian Toomes was a guy just trying to make a living during the events of The Avengers. He owned a salvage company and planned to help clean up New York City after the Chitauri invasion. The government and Tony Stark had other plans, though, sending in Damage Control to pick up after the Avengers.
Toomes loses everything because of Tony, so he uses Chitauri technology to make his Vulture suit and begins selling weapons. Putting dangerous items on the street isn’t a smart move, but Toomes isn’t doing anything Tony hasn’t done himself. While Spider-Man shows Toomes compassion, the young hero should’ve reconsidered his choice of mentor as well.
2) Killmonger
Erik Stevens finds his father dead at a young age and vows to bring his father’s killer to justice. He doesn’t get the chance because Wakanda’s King T’Chaka dies before he’s ready, but he gets the next best thing in Black Panther. By killing the fugitive Ulysses Klaue, Stevens walks into Wakanda a hero and gets a meeting with the new king.
T’Challa realizes he’s face to face with his cousin and agrees to battle him for the throne. With all his military experience, Killmonger makes quick work of T’Challa and becomes the leader of Wakanda. He plans to give marginalized people all around the world Wakanda’s technology, which is a noble cause. However, he also wants to start an uprising that could cause irreparable damage. T’Challa has to kill his cousin, but even he realizes there’s truth behind the villain’s words.
3) Namor
The Black Panther sequel introduces the MCU to Namor, the ruler of the underwater kingdom of Talokan. He likes to keep to himself, not wanting to put his people in harm’s way. Unfortunately, the U.S. government gets a little too close to comfort while searching for vibranium, and Namor has to strike back.
Namor visits Wakanda because it’s the only other place in the world that understands what it’s like to have vibranium. Queen Ramonda doesn’t want to associate with him, though, because he wants to kill a young girl, Riri Williams. After Namor floods Wakanda and kills Ramonda, Shuri becomes the new Black Panther and defeats the mutant. Namor does a lot of damage, but he didn’t ask for the fight.
4) Baron Mordo
Stephen Strange needs plenty of help when he arrives at Kamar-Taj in Doctor Strange. He becomes friends with Baron Mordo, who teaches him how to be a Master of the Mystic Arts. But the threat of Dormammu pushes the titular hero into battle before he’s ready, which forces him to mess with something he doesn’t understand.
Strange defeats Dormammu by placing him in a time loop. It’s a savvy move, but Mordo disagrees with it. He thinks Strange is going too far, so he leaves Kamar-Taj behind and starts hunting down people he thinks are abusing their powers. While there are probably nicer ways to go about it, Mordo only wants to make sure that magic is in the right hands.
5) Baron Zemo
The Avengers screw up plenty, with Ultron being the biggest example. Tony creates the AI because he wants Earth to have a reliable defense system. However, Ultron doesn’t like what he learns about humanity and wants to start fresh by turning the capital of Sokovia into a meteor.
Helmut Zemo is on the ground in Sokovia when Ultron attacks, and while the Avengers save his life, his family isn’t so lucky. He learns all he can about Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and exposes the truth about the death of Tony’s parents. Killing innocent people is never okay, but the Avengers needed the wake-up call that Zemo provided.
6) Karli Morgenthau
The Snap does serious damage to the MCU when it wipes out half of existence. The people who live through it are without loved ones and have to refind their place in the world. However, once everyone returns, things don’t get any easier.
Karli Morgenthau is one of the countless people displaced by the Blip, and since no one will help her and her friends, she takes matters into her own hands by taking a version of the Super Soldier Serum. Sam Wilson stands in her way, but he never disagrees with her entirely. He tells anyone that will listen in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier that things have to change and people like Karli shouldn’t have to die.
7) Thanos
The only reason Karli finds herself in such a tough spot is that Thanos loves playing god. He collects all of the Infinity Stones because he knows what can happen if there are too many mouths to feed. With the gems, he wipes out half of all living creatures and hopes the remaining ones will flourish.
While killing trillions is probably the worst thing anyone in the MCU has done, Thanos is right about people needing to be smarter. There is a finite amount of resources in the galaxy, and once they’re gone, that’s it. The Mad Titan teaches the MCU a tough lesson that it shouldn’t soon forget.
Do you think the MCU villains on this list were right? Which other bad guys had their hearts in the right places? Let us know in the comments below!
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