7 God-Tier MCU Villains Marvel Haven’t Used Enough

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Early Marvel movies focused heavily on building up heroes like Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor, ensuring they could carry their own films. Once those heroes were established, Marvel Studios was able to dedicate more effort to creating compelling villains. Characters like Helmut Zemo, who lacked superpowers, managed to challenge the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War, and Erik Killmonger successfully seized control of Wakanda even without the benefit of its advanced technology.

Honestly, when I think about MCU villains, characters like Zemo and Killmonger really stand out – they’re the exception, not the rule. More often than not, Marvel just throws incredibly powerful baddies at our heroes and hopes for the best. It’s a shame, because so many of them don’t get the screen time or development they deserve. That got me thinking – here are seven villains who are seriously powerful and I wish Marvel would use more!

7) Abomination

At the beginning of The Incredible Hulk, Bruce Banner simply wants peace and quiet. Unfortunately, General Thunderbolt Ross relentlessly provokes him, causing the Hulk to emerge. As Ross pursues Banner, Emil Blonsky joins the hunt. After suffering a severe defeat, Blonsky tries to gain an advantage by injecting himself with Banner’s blood, which transforms him into the Abomination.

The character Abomination immediately establishes himself as a powerful threat by pushing the Hulk to his limits. However, after this initial impact, he’s largely sidelined, appearing only briefly in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Perhaps the introduction of Savage Hulk in Spider-Man: Brand New Day will reignite the conflict with Blonsky (Abomination).

6) Surtur

At the beginning of his third movie, Thor departs Earth to learn more about the Infinity Stones. He briefly battles a huge, fiery creature named Surtur and easily defeats him. However, when Surtur reappears at the end of Thor: Ragnarok, he’s much more powerful and destroys Asgard, fulfilling a long-foretold prophecy.

Despite destroying Thor’s home, Surtur doesn’t seem to have a future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His current location is a mystery, and it’s unlikely we’ll see him again unless Thor gets another movie. This is disappointing, as the character is much more complex than just a villain in the original comics.

5) Arishem the Judge

The Celestials have been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the first Guardians of the Galaxy film, where the Collector hinted at their link to the Infinity Stones. The movie Eternals expands on this, showing that these powerful beings have secretly guided Earth’s history for millennia, getting the planet ready for Tiamut’s arrival.

Arishem, the powerful leader of the Celestials, closely monitors the Eternals and quickly punishes them for disobedience. While seemingly limitless in power, Arishem’s opportunities to demonstrate it may be limited. Marvel Studios has no current plans for an Eternals sequel, and there aren’t any obvious future projects where he could reappear.

4) Death

Death is a constant presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Characters, both heroes and villains, rarely survive for very long. In the Disney+ series Agatha All Along, Death makes a formal appearance while pursuing Agatha Harkness, revealing herself as the force behind much of the MCU’s tragedy.

Now that the secret’s out about Death’s existence in the MCU, it’s surprising we haven’t seen her much. Characters are still dying, so it seems likely Marvel is saving her appearance for a major event, possibly a future Avengers: Doomsday movie, which is expected to have a lot of character deaths.

3) Ikaris

The Eternals are shocked to discover the real reason they were created, and most of them rebel against their maker. However, Ikaris remains loyal and turns against his teammates. After a period of reflection, he flies directly into the sun – an act that, surprisingly, doesn’t seem to finish him off.

The comic series Marvel Zombies shows that Ikaris is incredibly tough, surviving a lengthy battle with a zombie version of Captain Marvel. Once he’s finished with his break in the Sacred Timeline, he could be a huge help to Earth’s heroes when they face Doctor Doom. Marvel just needs to be willing to revisit the characters and storylines from the Eternals movie.

2) Dormammu

Okay, so Doctor Strange’s first solo film really throws him right into the thick of things! He’s battling this guy, Kaecilius, who’s basically working for an even bigger, scarier force from another dimension – Dormammu. Once Kaecilius is out of the picture, Strange has to go toe-to-toe with Dormammu himself, and thankfully, he manages to win. The really clever part is how he uses the Time Stone to basically give Dormammu a serious lesson in patience – it’s a pretty cool way to defeat a villain, honestly!

Most powerful beings wouldn’t appreciate being defeated by someone new, but Dormammu doesn’t seem to care. He hasn’t attempted a comeback yet, and Mephisto is currently mocking him. If Dormammu doesn’t regain his strength soon, it will be hard to view him as one of the most powerful beings in existence.

1) Red Skull

Steve Rogers, as Captain America, strongly opposes bullies, and Johann Schmidt, known as the Red Skull, is a major one. After receiving the Super-Soldier Serum, Captain America defeats his enemy, forcing him into a wormhole. However, Captain America doesn’t know that the Red Skull will continue to cause trouble.

Now the guardian of Vormir, Red Skull is the last obstacle between Thanos and the Soul Stone. He tries to make a deal with Hawkeye and Black Widow, but his fate afterward remains unknown. Given that Avengers: Infinity War shows he’s changed, it would be interesting to see what his new life is like and what powers he now possesses.

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2025-11-05 23:41