The villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe vary in complexity. Although many of the villains were criticized for being poorly written or one-note, many of the more recent entries have managed to introduce villains that are compelling or just fun to watch. But, of course, the characters that fans like to watch are the ones that are also having fun.
These villains delight in their horrible actions, show little remorse, or offer shocking brutality that sharply contrasts the hero's morals. Naturally, the audience doesn't support these villains or what they do, but watching characters who are so evil lose in the end is immensely satisfying.
10 Agatha Harkness Was The Only Person In Westview Who Was Truly Happy
When introduced in WandaVision, Agatha seemed to enjoy playing the role of the nosy neighbor. She would alter the events within the Hex for her own benefit. She wanted to get closer to Wanda and better understand her magic. She even had a front-row seat when she toyed with Wanda's emotions with a fake Pietro, and didn't hesitate to threaten Wanda's children.
Agatha's unique musical number also showed a villainous delight in manipulation, and she was eager to admit that she was the one who killed Sparky.
9 Ultron Wanted All Life Exterminated
In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Tony Stark, and Bruce Banner created Ultron to protect Earth from extraterrestrial threats. However, upon seeing Earth's history, he deemed humanity the greatest threat to the planet. He quickly developed a god complex and considered himself the next step in evolution.
Ultron's arrogance grows in What If...? when he manages to get the new body instead of Vision. He delights in eradicating all life until the entire universe is empty. Although he called this destruction his duty, he enjoyed the whole process and felt upset when there were no longer any lives to take.
8 The Collector Was Greedy And Took Whatever He Wanted
The Collector in the primary universe is a man who enjoys collecting things, and treating his servants terribly. His worst qualities are enhanced in What If...?. In this portion of the Multiverse, with Thanos posing no threat, the Collector replaced him as the universe's most threatening villain.
The Collector constantly wanted new additions to his collection, including people. He had many items at his disposal, such as Captain America's shield and Hela's headpiece. Hoarding so many things made him so powerful that he believed he could get his hands on anything he wanted.
7 Hela Loved The Thrill Of Battle And Conquest
Odin made Hela his executioner as they conquered the Nine Realms. She was raised on the frontlines of bloody battles, and grew to enjoy the slaughter. She couldn't understand why her father stopped his conquest, and after ruthlessly eradicating the Valkyrie, her father had her sealed away.
Hela felt that inheriting the throne was her right, and she mercilessly killed anyone who didn't accept her rule. When she appeared in Thor: Ragnarok, she wiped out the Asgardian army. She regretted losing potential soldiers, but admitted she missed battles like it.
6 Zemo Wanted Revenge For His Family
Zemo was a resident of Sokovia before the events of Captain America: Civil War. He only became obsessed with revenge against the Avengers after losing his wife and child in the Battle of Sokovia. He recalled his son being excited to see Iron Man, and remembered promising his family that they would be safe. If not for the Avengers, the event would never have happened.
Zemo used Bucky Barnes to drive a wedge between the group, and succeeded. He was left with a sense of satisfaction, although he did have some regrets that he expressed to Black Panther. Nevertheless, he accomplished what most villains could not, and was satisfied with his work; he would have taken his own life if Black Panther had not intervened.
5 Iron Monger Enjoyed Tony's Suffering
Obadiah Stane posed as Tony Stark's friend in Iron Man. He became envious of Tony's booming success at a young age, and wanted to steal it all away from him. He worked with the Ten Rings, selling them weapons and even conspiring to kill Tony. When Tony returned, Obadiah cut him from the company and even admitted it to his face.
Stone planned to make his own suit after seeing Tony as Iron Man, and nearly killed Tony multiple times. When he ripped out Tony's arc reactor and battled him in his Iron Monger suit, Obadiah was absolutely delighted.
4 Loki Was A Manipulative Trickster Most Of His Life
Labeled the God of Mischief, Loki always enjoyed the tricks he played on others. Many of these tricks had surprising brutality, such as when he stabbed Thor when they were children. He would happily take out his frustrations on his brother, in particular, by manipulating him and faking his own death multiple times.
Loki was just as cruel to Odin, using him and the Frost Giants to pose as a hero, and even throwing Odin into a retirement home before usurping the throne. He enjoyed the power and attention that he believed he deserved.
3 Yellowjacket Happily Tried To Crush Anyone In His Way
Darren Cross was obsessed with duplicating Hank Pym's Ant-Man suit. He believed that it would be a revolutionary weapon. He had few morals, killing those who questioned him and even coming close to killing Hank. He was happy to offer the technology to members of HYDRA, mainly because it wasn't what Hank wanted.
When Cross Technologies and Cross' research were destroyed by Ant-Man, Cross became enraged and vengeful, going after Scott Lang's daughter. He was fully prepared to kill her just for the sake of getting even.
2 Thanos Enjoyed Battle And Vengeance
Thanos may not see himself as a villain, but he delighted in his murderous crusade. After the fall of Titan, he vowed to kill half of the population of every planet so that they wouldn't experience the same resource shortages. He showed a more sadistic side when in battle, a side that actually liked felling enemies like Hulk.
Thanos' views became more twisted in Avengers: Endgame. Instead of saving lives like he originally intended, he planned to wipe out all life and replace it with life that would show him gratitude. He even stated that his slaughter was never personal until he met the people on Earth. He said that he'd even enjoy killing them.
1 Ronan The Accuser Willingly Killed For Thanos
Ronan was fiercely devoted to the Kree, feeling that his people were above all others. This was why he despised the peace treaty with Xandar. To destroy them, he made a deal with Thanos, invading worlds and killing innocents for him. Despite hating his own subservience to Thanos, Ronan enjoyed the bloody work.
In Guardians Of The Galaxy, Drax recalled Ronan's joy when he slaughtered his family. Ronan even smiled with delight when Peter grabbed the Power Stone and suffered agonizing pain.