The Avengers are the premiere superhero team of the Marvel Universe. Made up of some of the greatest heroes on Earth, they were brought together to take on threats that no one hero could face on their own. By this point, the team has done it all- faced down various villains, prevented alien invasions, and saved all of space and time on more than one occasion. Few superhero teams out there can match the Avengers in accomplishments.
While the team isn't perfect, they get the job done, tackling some of the most dangerous villains the Marvel Universe offers. From run-of-the-mill villains to all-powerful cosmic destroyers, the Avengers have faced and beaten them all.
10 What He Lacks In Power, Baron Zemo Makes Up For With His Fierce Cunning
Baron Zemo has a long history with the Avengers. The first Baron Zemo, Heinrich, battled the team in its earliest incarnation, spurred into action against them by the return of his WWII nemesis Captain America. Helmut, Zemo's son, would take his father's place after Heinrich's death, battling the Avengers with the help of a new incarnation of the Masters of Evil.
Zemo has done a lot of terrible things over the years and while he's not a powerful villain, what makes him so dangerous is just how smart he is. He's a planner and those plans often spell disaster for the Avengers.
9 Red Skull Doesn't Tackle The Team Much, But It's Deadly When He Does
Red Skull's hatred for Captain America is legendary. If it wasn't for the Star-Spangled Avenger, Red Skull would have succeeded in way worse ways than he already has. While Red Skull mostly goes after Cap, he's not averse to attacking the Avengers as well and when he does, it's rarely pretty.
Red Skull has the kind of resources and sinister aims to put a hurting on the Avengers. With the power of Hydra behind him or one of the Cosmic Cubes he's so obsessed with, Red Skull can be a daunting challenge even for the Avengers, as he is usually very far ahead of them with his tactics.
8 Norman Osborn's Dark Reign Let The Villains Win
For years, Norman Osborn was the Green Goblin, one of Spider-Man's top villains but his time as leader of the Thunderbolts would pay dividends for him. It allowed him to get involved in the battle against the Skrull during Secret Invasion and he was able to get the kill shot on Skrull queen Veranke on national television. For this, he was placed in charge of the Superhero Initiative and the Dark Reign began.
Osborn got the villains involved, pushed the heroes underground, and threw his weight around. While he would be defeated, he proved just how dangerous he could be against the Avengers- he could be crafty one moment and unpredictably violent the next, a combination that proved effective against the Avengers.
7 Loki Was The Team's First Enemy
The threat of Loki was what brought the original team of Avengers together and he would keep popping up over the years to bedevil the team. One of Marvel's greatest villains, the God of Mischief uses his magic, cunning, and surprising strength and fighting skill to make things difficult for Earth's Mightiest Heroes. His schemes are never simple and take everything the Avengers have to unravel.
Loki's not in the world-conquering business but he does like to clash with the Avengers on occasion, as it amuses him and lets him fight his brother Thor in new ways. It's also a great test for him, as he has to think outside the box to beat them.
6 Kang's Cross Time Capers Push The Avengers To Their Limits
Kang the Conqueror gets little respect nowadays from fans or creators but he's easily one of the Avengers' greatest foes. After conquering everything he came up against in the future, Kang came back in time to face the greatest heroes of all time, the Avengers, and their clashes have been legendary. Using his tactical acumen and amazing technology, Kang is a deadly threat to the team.
Kang's plans are never simple and before the Avengers know it, they're in over their heads. That's how Kang likes to things- layers upon layer, each one leading to a new threat. It's remarkable that the Avengers have been able to survive their battles with him.
5 Ultron's Grudge Against The Team Fuels His Hatred Of Them And Humanity
Ultron owes his existence to the Avengers and he's constantly trying to repay them by killing them all, as well as humanity in general. Created by Hank Pym, Ultron survived an attempt by his creator to shut him down and so was born his hatred of both the Avengers, especially Pym, and humanity as a whole. Over the years, there have been many versions of the mad android as he upgrades himself to more efficiently destroy his foes.
One of the team's greatest foes, there are few threats the Avengers take more seriously than Ultron. His desire for nothing less than the complete destruction of mankind and grudge against them motivates him in ways few of their other foes are motivated.
4 The Void Has Proven Just How Destructive He Can Be
The Sentry is one of the most powerful heroes on the planet but he has a dark side, one that calls itself the Void. Fueled by the Sentry's neuroses and power, the Void is an extinction-level event and has proven to be a thorn in the Avengers' side on numerous occasions. Norman Osborn used the Void to great effect during his Dark Reign, treating it like his personal attack dog.
The Void is one of the most powerful and dangerous threats the team has ever faced, combining power with a complete lack of any kind of moral compass into a frightening package that exists to consume everything that is not it.
3 The Beyonder Is One of The Most Powerful Threats The Avengers Ever Faced
The Beyonder first came to the Avengers attention during Secret Wars, pitting the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe against each other. He would incarnate in Secret Wars II, trying to figure out humanity and using his amazing powers to do whatever he wanted. This put him at odds with the heroes of the Marvel Universe, including the Avengers.
The team was pretty much entirely unable to affect him. While he was definitely the most powerful foe they ever faced, his lack of malice keeps him from being the most dangerous but he's still a daunting threat.
2 Korvac Has Almost Destroyed The Team A Number Of Times
Michael Korvac hails from the far future, where he was born under the tyrannical yoke of the Badoon, who had conquered Earth. Gaining near-omnipotent powers, he went back in time and found himself clashing with the Avengers. His battles against the Avengers were harrowing affairs, ones the team barely survived.
The Avengers have faced few foes more powerful or deadly than Korvac. His cosmic abilities and complete and total lack of morality in its use means every clash could be the team's last.
1 Thanos Has One Of The Greatest Body Counts In The Marvel Universe
There are few villains more dangerous than Thanos. Up until relatively recently, every time he clashed with the team, he defeated them with little fuss. Thanos is the kind of villain that takes all hands on deck to beat even without something like the Infinity Gauntlet. Everyone is scared of Thanos and they have good reason to be- in the end, Thanos wins.
Even when he's beaten, it's just a setback and the Avengers know it. Thanos always comes back, ready to try and commit whatever atrocities he feels like, and doom as many as he can on his way out.