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Summary
When it comes to adapting villain in theMCU , some role designs are notably worse than others . Withvillains like Loki and Killmongerbeing standout examples , it is dependable to say that antagonists can make or offend an MCU film . Meanwhile , villains like Thanos and Gorr the God Butcher avail show that a estimable character design can make all the dispute in that regard .
With that in idea , the MCU has a glowing platter regarding its litany ofpowerful villain from Marvel Comics . There is a peck to be say for the gauzy phone number ofsympathetic MCU villains , including the Infinity Saga ’s large bad himself , Thanos . This makes it a shame when a scoundrel , no matter how compelling and iconic they may be , is handicap by a design that is either slow , badly give or too stark a departure from its intended designing from the generator material . With that in mind , these are the MCU ’s worst - designed scoundrel .
Want to catch up before the next release , or just revisit the cosmos for a refresher ? Here ’s the order to watch the total MCU timeline .
10Dar-Benn’s Muted Design Did Not Inspire Much Fear
The Marvels (2023)
Cast
Dar - Benn is a Kree Supremor and revolutionary who quickly became one of the MCU ’s aforesaid sympathetic villain . Despite her soaring status among her people , Dar - Benn sports a particularly muted press of mossy putting green and grays , draw her conception slightly less memorable than her villainous predecessor , Yon - Rogg . Along with a weapon system that was already examine in the hold of Ronan the Accuser , Dar - Benn feel derivative on top of this , which is something that the purpleness - hued Quantum Band alone can not redeem .
Zawe Ashton ’s Dar - Benn had many redeeming qualities , but after Captain Marvel was well - established as one of theMCU ’s most impossibly powerful heroes , she felt like a lusterless challenger . This was not helped by her character design , with even the Universal Weapon finger like a whack - off Mjolnir . Her minatory line obstetrical delivery and impressive ability to bear her own against Captain Marvel and her newfound cohort were spectacle in their own right , but were n’t helped by her drab wardrobe .
9Ikaris' Costume Didn’t Feel As Unique As It Should Have Been
Eternals (2021)
Eternalsfailed to inspire much enthusiasm among audiences , which was something compound by their relatively uninspiring wardrobe . To Ikaris ' credit , his costume is one of the most comic - accurate of the team . Still , his all - blasphemous suit with plastic shoulder pads and golden highlights is n’t particularly awe - inspiring . His kit looks like something that could be find in a Kree ’s press more than something raise by a being that survive since the dawn of humanity .
Thor and Loki , by comparison , demonstrate what gods with a sense of flair can attain . In thedifficult flow of MCU Phase 4 , the enfranchisement needed its fresh roll of hoagie to inspire as much impetus to confabulate theater of operations as Iron Man ’s iconic red - and - gold armor and Thor ’s imperial mantle - and - pound . alternatively , Ikaris ' minor ensemble was difficult to differentiate from his perpetual brother - turned - nemeses , as well as the litany of other super - suits that made their cinematic debuts in the preceding decennium .
8Whiplash Was A Less Intimidating Iron Man Clone
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Whiplash skylark two versions of his answer to Iron Man ’s iconic suit in the span of Iron Man 2 , but neither one was particularly intimidate in the face of Iron Man ’s tech . The problem with Iron Man villains began with Ivan Vanko , whose villainous debut paled in compare to other iconic MCU baddie of the fourth dimension like Red Skull . His cobbled - together exoskeleton in his first appearance helped to convey Vanko ’s resourcefulness and inelegance , but did not carry the same impact as Red Skull ’s terrifying face reveal .
It is also knockout to overlook the Laputan nature of his chosen weapon . Like a baddie who brings a sword to a gun - scrap , Whiplash ’s whips are n’t the hydrofoil to Iron Man ’s arsenal of lasers that Vanko was no doubt hoping they would be , trust instead on his self - destruct Hail Mary to imperil his opposer . This is compounded by the fact that Vanko ’s visual aspect sideline that of the far more iconic Iron Man villain , Crimson Dynamo , whose crimson causa would have been far more memorable .
7Ultron’s Design Diminished His Fear Factor
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Why he generate himself automaton tooth in the process of creating his final form , meanwhile , is anyone ’s hypothesis .
For an AI that was quick to eschew humans and their destructive nature , Ultron was on the face of it quite lovesome of how they looked . Ultron was far from the worst lesson of CGI in the MCU , butthe robotic mercilessness that was supposed to be central to his role was diminished by his expressive typeface . This help to dull his villainy in moments where Ultron ’s glowing cherry eyes would carry a playful glee as he crack yet another crack . Why he give himself robot teeth in the summons of creating his final form , meanwhile , is anyone ’s guess .
One of the master criticisms level againstAvengers : years of Ultronwas how its eponymic patronising - villain was handled . The severity of James Spader ’s wicked - villain was counterbalanced by his content to break up one - liners during his quest to uproot humanity . This , along with a design that looks particularly dumbed - down when compare to his comic book appearances , made Ultron ’s MCU first appearance more disappointing than it should have been .
In the 9 years that have pass since Avengers : Age of Ultron came out , the MCU has changed a muckle . Looking back , sure parts of the movie do n’t fit .
6Spider-Man’s MCU Debut Ruined Shocker’s Memorable Design
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Shocker is a blanket held by two characters in the blank space of one movie , and neither one animate much excitement . Both iteration , accommodate by the characters Jackson Brice and Herman Schultz , merely suggest at the bright - chicken quilted design of Shocker ’s full - body costume by cut back it to the arms . The rest of his outfit comprisedplain - looking civilian wearing apparel and a distinct lack of a masque .
This flies in the face of Shocker ’s amusing book reputation as one of Spider - Man ’s most placeable go back baddie . Part of what makes his rogues ' gallery so iconic is their vivacious character innovation , with Goblin , Kraven the Hunter , and Mysterio being just a few standout examples . Shocker ’s kit exemplifies the cobbled - together nature of Adrian Toomes ' Chitauri tech - empowered crew , but Vulture ’s case being so terrifyingly spectacular make Shocker ’s inflect - down design difficult to reconcile with .
5Killian Was Painfully Boring
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Aldrich Killian is another of the Iron Man trilogy ’s stumble , turning an unremarkable side character from the comics into the master antagonist of Tony Stark ’s finis . Killian ’s pattern comprises a courting and sleazy persona , with some tacky tattoos that finish the ensemblewhen he sheds the lawsuit in the movie ’s final act . His use of Extremis as a heat - based artillery is not enough to redeem Killian ’s disappointing reveal as the real brains behind the " Mandarin ’s " mathematical operation . To top it off , his ardor breathing is unmanageable to take severely .
There is little about Killian ’s sleazy CEO of AIM that sticks out beyond his Extremis top executive . Even his overly - dorky new self felt hammy , making his transfiguration into the supposedly suave and sophisticated arch - scoundrel ofIron Man 3feel contrived . As Iron Man ’s last villain in a solo moving picture , Killian felt lackluster - a sentiment that was worsened by the fact that Ben Kingsley ’s outstanding portrayal of the moving-picture show ’s supposed archway - villain was rug - pulled by the end .
In the comics , AIM was eventually headed up by George Tarleton , AKA MODOK , which would have been a far more memorable villain than Killian and precludedAnt - Man and the Wasp : Quantumaniafrom its maligned attack at the character .
4Abomination Lived Up To His Name
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
In his debut show inThe Incredible Hulk , Abomination was hard to look at - which is at least what the figure was going for . His protruding skeleton , yellowish cutis , and all - around atrocious appearance surely made him an unpleasant sight to lay eyes on , butit is difficult to overlook how much his initial appearance detract from his classic innovation in the comics . Unfortunately , the CGI of 2008 also made certain shots sport Abomination look particularly hard to think . Ultimately , Abomination see too similar to Hulk to be as interesting as he could have been .
The originative license used to distance Abomination from his comic Holy Scripture design was later rectified by the MCU in his appearance inShang - Chi and the Legend of the Ten RingsandShe - Hulk : Attorney at Law . In these appearances , Abomination has a far more unequaled appearance than his small green similitude , even if he does sport the same skin coloring . unluckily , see this version of Abomination engaging in a rematch with Hulk is exceedingly unbelievable , entrust their big fight at the mercy of this especially unpleasant portrayal .
3Kro Was Confusing To Look At
What the Eternals lacked in otherworldly identifier , Kro and his squad of Deviants made up for in nigra , although they arguably fall too far in the opposite direction . Kro and the other Deviants are seeminglycomposed of tendril aplenty in a perplexing composition compound by his two sets of eyes . Along with some questionable CGI , Kro looked too unearthly to be credible before his MCU land tenure descend to an unceremonious end at the hands of Thena .
Kro ’s swift evolution from a bestial to a humanoid form was part of a story that made him a sympathetic adversary to the Eternals . They found common ground as the loath cat’s-paw of the Celestials , who come out as the true villains of the movie after Kro ’s initial antagonism . This made Kro - and Bill Skarsgard ’s MCU entry - woefully underutilized , becoming all the more forgettable for his nigh - unintelligible character figure .
2Diamondback’s Villain Suit Was Laughable
Luke Cage (2016)
The ridiculousness of Diamondback ’s rig inLuke Cagewas immediately pointed out as he was poised to take on the titular hero in the Season 1 last , as Bobby Fish exclaims , " What are you , some variety of pimp Stormtrooper?“Diamondback ’s face-off with Cage required that he suit up in a costume that is at least somewhat faithful to the comedian but make it intemperate to take the villain severely . The cushioned jacket , yellow undershirt , and directly - pinch helmethelp to make Diamondback one of the MCU ’s most forgettable villains .
Diamondback ’s costume was created by Hammer Industries and was one of very few Hammer Industries creation that was fit for purpose as it withstood Cage ’s tiptop - powered blows . Evidently , it was build for practicality over dash , however . Diamondback is often seen as one ofLuke Cage ’s few miserable - spot , and this suit certainly did n’t aid matters .
1MODOK Is Notoriously The Worst-Designed MCU Villain
Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania
MODOK is an objectively outlandish villain from the offset , have his adaptation into live - action a dangerously difficult endeavor . alas , Ant - Man and the Wasp : Quantumaniawas unsuccessful in giving the iconic baddie the introduction he deserved , withlaughable CGI and a confutable origin turning MODOK into a scoundrel that sticks in the memory for all the wrong grounds . His pathetic pattern is arguably what the movie tip into by turning him into comic relief for the absolute majority of his tenure , but that does n’t preclude him from being the MCU ’s worst - designed scoundrel .
Ant - Man and the Wasp : Quantumaniaholds the unfortunate accolade of beingthe worst - ratedMCUmovie , and this is n’t help by MODOK ’s involvement . While MODOK ’s Doomsday Chair is jolly faithful to its comic leger origins , that is where the similarities end . Instead of a extremely intelligent villain to be feared , MODOK was the brunt of the joke in a flick that disappointed many fans .
Custom image by Ollie Bradley
