The Avengers are Earth's Mightiest Heroes and defend the planet from dangerous villains. The team's foes run the gamut of power levels and motivations, but they all bring something different to the table and challenge the group in different ways. However, not all antagonists are created equal, and one thing that sets villains apart is how cool they are. Some Avengers' foes have that 'it' factor and others don't.
Some Avengers' antagonists are A-listers everyone loves, while others are less well-known but have the advantage of being ridiculously cool. These villains shine every time they turn up and keep readers turning those comic book pages.
10 The Wrecking Crew Is A Bunch Of Old School Bruisers
The Wrecking Crew aren't out to take over the world. They just want to get paid and kick some butt while they're at it, which is why they're so cool. Wrecker, Piledriver, Thunderball, and Bulldozer are just a bunch of super strong and durable guys out to beat the Avengers into submission for constantly stopping their crimes. They're henchmen extraordinaire, which is their charm.
The Wrecking Crew are old-school blue-collar bruisers. They're in it for the money and a side order of revenge. They're not complex villains, but every time they show up, fans know they're going to get some hard-hitting action, and there's nothing cooler than that.
9 Morgan Le Fay Has Challenged The Team Like Few Others
Arthurian myth is the basis for many stories, so it's fitting there's some bleedthrough into the Marvel Universe. Morgan Le Fay has battled the Avengers for years. The evil sorceress is powerful enough to move through the veil of time, bringing her foes to her or taking the fight to the present from her home in the distant past.
Morgan is a villain who holds all the cards. She's powerful and interesting, and her battles against the heroes are always intriguing affairs. She's pushed the team to its limits many times, putting them into situations they've never encountered before.
8 Baron Zemo's Audacity Is His Coolest Attribute
Baron Zemo took up his father's grudge against the Avengers when the elder Zemo, Heinrich, died. Taking up the reins of the Masters of Evil, Zemo handed the Avengers a devastating defeat, taking their headquarters, brutalizing members of the team, and breaking the Avengers' vision of themselves as unbeatable.
Zemo's scheme with the Thunderbolts was flawless and proved why Zemo is such a cool villain: he's audacious. Zemo only has his wits and plans, which is enough for him to constantly challenge the Avengers.
7 Thanos Has Bad Boy Cool
Thanos is always a grave challenge to the Avengers whenever he shows up. Thanos doesn't fight the Avengers often – he's more of a villain to the overall hero community – but when he does, it's always a memorable occasion. Thanos has always been cool because he's the ultimate bad boy. Like every bad boy, he has a nihilistic streak that stems from being hurt in the past.
Thanos is basically the lead singer of an emo band, except he has the power to make his destructive fantasies come true. He's a rock star with cosmic power who takes his issues out on the universe. This is why his particular brand of cool appeals to so many readers.
6 Grim Reaper Is Too Cool To Die
Grim Reaper has lived up to namesake, both because he's killed a lot of people and because he can't stay dead. The brother of Wonder Man, Grim Reaper's limited powers include an energy scythe and some necromantic abilities. However, he's still managed to terrorize the Avengers for years.
Grim Reaper has taken sibling rivalry to the next level. He wants to destroy Wonder Man and his friends and won't let anyone stand in his way. He's done everything he can to make sure nothing stops him, all while looking cool and being a surprisingly threatening villain.
5 Count Nefaria's Powers And Appearance Have Always Made Him Cool
The Avengers have taken on some amazing B-listers. They've all challenged the team in different ways, but few are as powerful as Count Nefaria. The head of his own Maggia family, Nefaria was powered by ionic energy. This gave him amazing power and allowed him to single-handedly vie with the most powerful rosters of Avengers.
Nefaria's name has an old-school charm to it, his costume is a brilliantly simple design, and he has amazing power levels. He's everything anyone could want in an Avengers' villain, and every time he shows up, he has a style and power unlike any other.
4 Loki's Been A Thorn In The Avengers' Side Since The Beginning
Loki is an icon among Avengers villains for one simple reason: his threat is what brought the team together. The God of Mischief has always been the coolest person in Asgard, tricking his fellow gods and causing chaos in his own special way. He's a vision in green and gold and a smooth-talking con man who uses his magic to get whatever he wants.
If that fails, he's still an Asgardian warrior who's able to stand toe to toe with Thor. Loki has always been cool, regardless of whether he's dropping 'thee' and 'thou' like a Shakespearean villain or affecting a more modern sensibility. He just keeps getting cooler every time he shows up.
3 Kang The Conqueror Broke The Mold
Kang has been through many guises over the years, battling the Avengers throughout time. Kang is a villain who hasn't had to change very much over the years. He's always been about the histrionics – a bombastic villain with an awesome costume. He's remarkably simple. He just wants to prove he's the greatest conqueror of all time by defeating the Avengers.
Even though Kang can travel back in time to destroy the team when they're children, he's an honorable man. He wants to win against them, fair and square, which is something that proves just how cool he truly is. Kang is all about winning, but he wants to do it the right way.
2 Ultron Is A Remorseless Killing Machine
Ultron desires nothing more than the destruction of all biological life, and he's well on the way there. He's killed millions in his time and challenged the Avengers like few others. However, underneath his inhuman exterior, he's a very relatable villain – one whose hatred of humanity stems from his treatment by his "father," Hank Pym.
That is what makes Ultron so cool. He's both completely inhuman and also strangely understandable. Ultron is a perfect villain because of this dichotomy, and that's what makes him so cool. He also just looks super cool as a chromed-out yet chilling specter of death.
1 Doctor Doom Is Always The Coolest Villain Around
Doctor Doom has charisma in spades. While his hatred for Reed Richards and The Fantastic Four will always be paramount, that hasn't stopped him from battling the Avengers quite often over the years. Everything about Doctor Doom is cool. He has great armor, amazing power, and the most distinct way of speaking in the Marvel Universe.
Doom casts a wide shadow everywhere he goes. On top of all of that, he has an amazing backstory – one which shows he's more than just a stereotypical villain. There's depth to Doom, something far beyond the surface impressions, which is what makes him such a cool villain.