Every good superhero needs a powerful and threatening adversary, and Marvel Studios’ villains have often been the highlights of the MCU’s projects.
Sometimes a superhero’s only choice is to kill their adversary, which has been the case on 20 occasions in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Studios kicked off their shared universe with 2008’s Iron Man, and since then, dozens of heroes have been introduced to the franchise. But every good superhero needs a terrifying and powerful villain. Over the course of the MCU, major villains from Marvel Comics such as Red Skull, Thanos, the Mandarin, and Kang the Conqueror have debuted in live-action. And while some of them ended up defeated by their own flawed schemes, it often falls on the hero themselves to eliminate the threat of their villains.
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Despite some memorable villains being introduced to the MCU over the years, Marvel Studios has often come under scrutiny for featuring major villains from Marvel Comics that end up being defeated in their debut projects. However, some villains have managed to stand the test of time, with Thanos and Kang the Conqueror (and his many variants) becoming the overarching villains of the MCU’s Infinity Saga and Multiverse Saga, respectively. While these villains might have stuck around to play the long game, others have been taken down by the intelligence, skill, and sometimes brutality of the MCU’s heroes.
Iron Man Killed Obadiah Stane, A.K.A. Iron Monger (Iron Man)
As well as debuting the MCU’s first superhero with Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, 2008’s Iron Man also introduced the franchise’s first villain. Jeff Bridges portrayed Obadiah Stane, Stark’s business partner at Stark Industries who became jealous of the young prodigy, which led to him hiring the Ten Rings to kidnap and kill Stark, and eventually led to him re-purposing Stark’s prototype Iron Man armor into his own suit, the Iron Monger. The final battle of Iron Man led to Stark and Pepper Potts killing Stane by overloading Stark Industries’ arc reactor, an event which revealed Iron Man to the world of the MCU.
Iron Man & Pepper Potts Killed Aldrich Killian (Iron Man 3)
Following a battle with Whiplash in Iron Man 2 and a fight against Loki in The Avengers, Stark took on Aldrich Killian in Iron Man 3, who was masquerading as the mysterious Mandarin. Guy Pearce’s Killian was the founder of Advanced Idea Mechanics (AIM), who devoted his career to harnessing the power of Extremis. After destroying Stark’s home and threatening the life of Pepper Potts, Killian came face-to-face with Iron Man in a battle that involved all of Stark’s suits of armor, which ended with Stark exploding a suit that Killian had become trapped inside, and Potts landing the fatal blow with an explosive bullet.
Thor Killed Malekith (Thor: The Dark World)
Widely regarded as one of Marvel Studios’ weakest projects, Thor: The Dark World caught up with the eponymous God of Thunder in the wake of The Avengers. While Thor had battled his own brother, Loki, in 2011’s Thor and The Avengers, The Dark World featured Christopher Eccleston’s Malekith as a new MCU villain. Malekith was a cruel and malevolent leader of the Dark Elves, with the ambition of taking the power of the Reality Stone for himself, using it to bring darkness to the cosmos. While Thor didn’t directly kill Malekith, he transported both Malekith and his warship to the Dark World, Svartalfheim, where Malekith was crushed by his ship.
Nick Fury Killed Alexander Pierce (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
Robert Redford’s Alexander Pierce is perhaps the most human of all the MCU’s villains, the charming and enigmatic Secretary of the World Security Council, who also happened to be one of HYDRA’s leaders operating from within SHIELD. With the Winter Soldier, a.k.a. Bucky Barnes, under his control, Pierce was able to eliminate any threat in HYDRA’s way, including seemingly Nick Fury. In a surprising turn of events during 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Fury returned from the dead to thwart Pierce’s plans for Project Insight, and take out the corrupt HYDRA leader once-and-for-all, killed by two simply gunshots to the chest.
The Guardians Of The Galaxy Killed Ronan The Accuser (Guardians Of The Galaxy)
The radical Kree warlord and zealot Ronan the Accuser debuted in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, and had a later appearance in the 1990s-set Captain Marvel. In a tentative alliance with the Mad Titan Thanos, Lee Pace’s Ronan sought to acquire the Power Stone, which inadvertently brought the Guardians of the Galaxy together for the first time. During an effort to save Xandar and the Nova Corps from Ronan’s all-powerful attack, the Guardians of the Galaxy used the Power Stone, its energy shared between each member, to destroy Ronan. This would unfortunately become futile as Thanos would later decimate Xandar to collect the Power Stone for himself.
The Scarlet Witch & Vision Killed Ultron (Avengers: Age Of Ultron)
The artifical intelligence Ultron was intended by creators Tony Stark and Bruce Banner to be a peace-keeping force, capable of protecting Earth from a variety of outside threats. However, once he gained awareness, Ultron decided that the Earth needed saving from the Avengers themselves. Ultron’s plan to use the nation of Sokovia as a meteor to render humanity extinct backfired, however, as the Avengers quickly banded together with new members Vision and Wanda and Pietro Maximoff to battle Ultron and his army of drones. While Wanda tore Ultron’s steel heart from his chest, Vision destroyed the final surviving Ultron drone after a brief and illuminating interaction.
Doctor Strange Killed Kaecilius (Doctor Strange)
In a fresh origin story for the MCU’s Phase 3, Doctor Strange introduced Benedict Cumberbatch’s Stephen Strange, and gave audiences a whistle-stop-tour of the world of magic and mysticism in the MCU. With the debut of the Masters of the Mystic Arts came the debut of a powerful new villain in the form of Mads Mikkelsen’s Kaecilius, a sorcerer who had become disillusioned with the Mystic Arts and sought to bring the other-dimensional being Dormammu to Earth. In one of the MCU’s most intelligent battles, Doctor Strange traps Dormammu in a time loop, eventually forcing the being to take Kaecilius and his followers from Earth, effectively killing them.
The Guardians Of The Galaxy Killed Ego (Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2)
Set a few months after 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 brought Star-Lord’s Celestial father, Ego, into the MCU, portrayed by the legendary Kurt Russell. As a Celestial, Ego had survived for billions of years, growing in strength at every turn, so seemed practically unbeatable when it eventually became clear that he had nefarious intentions. Luckily, however, there aren’t many villains that can’t be taken down by the combined might of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and thanks to Rocket’s creation of a bomb, and Baby Groot’s expert and hilarious timing, Ego’s brain was destroyed and his threat of transforming the universe into extensions of himself was eliminated.
The Black Panther Killed Killmonger (Black Panther)
After Chadwick Boseman’s introduction as T’Challa, a.k.a. the Black Panther, in Captain America: Civil War, 2018’s Black Panther brought the new MCU hero back to the nation of Wakanda to assume the role of King in the wake of his father’s death. However, upon his estranged cousin’s return to Wakanda and subsequent challenge for the throne, Michael B. Jordan’s Erik Stevens, a.k.a. Killmonger, became the Black Panther. This led to a familial battle between both Black Panthers on Wakanda’s maglev train in the Great Mound, which ended with Killmonger being stabbed. Initially protected by his vibranium suit, Killmonger eventually chose to die to finally be with his ancestors.
The Avengers Killed The Black Order (Avengers: Infinity War)
Avengers: Infinity War saw Thanos set out on his quest to collect the six Infinity Stones and wipe out half the population of the universe. Helping him was the Black Order, otherwise known as the Children of Thanos, a selection of formidable and sinister beings taken under Thanos’ wing on his conquest. While Thanos left Infinity War victorious, the Black Order was defeated over the course of the film. Ebony Maw was killed by Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man, Cull Obsidian was killed by Bruce Banner in the Hulkbuster armor, Proxima Midnight was killed by the Scarlet Witch, and Corvus Glaive was stabbed with his own glaive by Vision.
Thor Killed Thanos (Avengers: Endgame)
Thor came very close to defeating the Mad Titan Thanos in the final battle of Avengers: Infinity War, stabbing Thanos in the chest with his new ax, Stormbreaker. However, Thor soon realized his greatest mistake, as Thanos taunted him by stating, “you should have gone for the head,” seconds before snapping his fingers and concluding his mission. Avengers: Endgame picked up three weeks later, where Thanos revealed that he had destroyed the Infinity Stones. Determined to set things right the only way he knew how, Thor beheaded Thanos with Stormbreaker, finally going for the head, but thrusting the MCU into a long period of uncertainty.
Nebula Killed Nebula (Avengers: Endgame)
Although the present day’s Thanos had been killed by Thor in Avengers: Endgame’s opening moments, Josh Brolin reprised the role later on, portraying the 2014 version of Thanos who journeys to the MCU’s present after capturing Nebula. This allowed the 2014 versions of both Gamora and Nebula to travel with him, and while Gamora quickly turned her back on her adoptive father, Nebula ended up facing the future version of herself, the latter of which had spent five years working with the Avengers. With the 2014 variant of Nebula threatening to kill Gamora, the MCU’s main Nebula shot and killed her alternate self in a very unusual moment.
The Avengers Killed The Black Order Again (Avengers: Endgame)
Despite meeting their demises at the hands of various Avengers in 2018’s Infinity War, Thanos’ Black Order returned in Avengers: Endgame when the 2014 version of the Mad Titan journeyed to the present day. Taking part in the Battle of Earth, the Black Order joined the rest of Thanos’ army in attacking Avengers HQ and trying to acquire the Infinity Gauntlet, though were once again taken down by the Avengers. During the battle, Cull Obsidian was attacked by Drax and crushed by Scott Lang’s giant Ant-Man, Corvus Glaive was impaled by Okoye, and Proxima Midnight and Ebony Maw were disintegrated during Iron Man’s climactic sacrificial snap.
Iron Man Killed Thanos (Avengers: Endgame)
2019’s Avengers: Endgame marked the epic conclusion to the MCU’s Infinity Saga (though Spider-Man: Far From Home was the Saga’s epilogue), meaning the film brought closure to the stories of the six original Avengers. Tony Stark had the last word in the Battle of Earth, using his genius to design an Iron Man suit capable of holding the Infinity Stones, which he stole from Thanos’ grasp and used to eliminate the Mad Titan and his entire army. Though Stark wouldn’t survive this, him snapping his fingers ensured the universe’s survival, and marked the end of Thanos’ story in the MCU.
Sylvie Killed He Who Remains (Loki)
As part of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, Loki on Disney+ started to properly explore the concept of the multiverse, alternate realities, and variant selves from other universes. The series saw the eponymous God of Mischief – himself the 2012 variant of Loki released in Avengers: Endgame’s Time Heist – team up with Sylvie, a female variant of Loki, and eventually come face-to-face with He Who Remains. This marked Jonathan Majors’ MCU debut as a variant of Kang the Conqueror, the Multiverse Saga’s new major threat, who in turn was unleashed after Sylvie killed He Who Remains in an effort to free herself from his dictatorial regime of the Sacred Timeline.
Yelena Belova Killed General Dreykov (Black Widow)
2021’s Black Widow was part of the Multiverse Saga, but set retrospectively during the Infinity Saga in the space between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff teamed up with her surrogate family, including Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, to take down the Red Room where she was trained and manipulated. In the final moments of the film, however, it’s not Romanoff who takes down General Dreykov, the head of the Red Room, but Belova, potentially even sacrificing herself in the process. Luckily, she did survive, and Dreykov’s daughter Antonia, a.k.a. Taskmaster, was freed from her father’s control, ready for an adventure in Phase 5’s Thunderbolts.
The Eternals Killed Kro & Tiamut (Eternals)
Phase 4 introduced many new heroes to the MCU, and the Eternals were perhaps the most ambitious, and some of the most scrutinized. Eternals revealed that the super-powerful beings had been living on Earth for almost 7000 years, though had been quietly helping humanity develop, rather than actively getting involved in human affairs. Eternals pitted the team against both the Deviants and their Celestial creators, and over the course of the film, both are defeated. Thena, portrayed by Angelina Jolie, takes down Kro, the leader of the Deviants, and the Eternals band together to garner enough power for Gemma Chan’s Sersi to transform the emerging Celestial Tiamut into marble, killing him.
Jake Lockley Killed Arthur Harrow (Moon Knight)
Moon Knight introduced Marc Spector to the MCU’s Phase 4, a mercenary with Dissociative Identity Disorder who also operated as the avatar for the Egyptian God Khonshu. Throughout the Disney+ series, Spector joins forces with his alter, Steven Grant, to take on Arthur Harrow, a pawn for the God Ammit, who eventually becomes her avatar. While Spector and Grant decide to keep Harrow, and therefore Ammit, alive, their mysterious third alter, Jake Lockley, breaks Harrow out of his mental institution and kills him in Moon Knight’s post-credits scene, teasing a bigger storyline for a potential Moon Knight season 2, though it’s unclear if this will actually happen.
Doctor Strange Killed Sinister Strange (Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness)
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness explored the multiverse more than any other MCU project, as Doctor Strange and newcomer America Chavez journeyed through realities, finding themselves on Earth-838 coming face-to-face with the Illuminati team. While the primary villain of Multiverse of Madness was the Darkold-corrupted Scarlet Witch, smaller villains were also introduced in the film, including a variant of Strange himself known as Sinister Strange. Sinister Strange resided in a universe ravaged by an incursion, and revealed that he often dream-walked to other realities to kill his variants, so was quickly dispatched by Doctor Strange after a brilliant musical battle.
Ant-Man & The Wasp Killed Kang The Conqueror (Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania)
The first project of the MCU’s Phase 5 brought Jonathan Majors back to the MCU, this time as Kang the Conqueror rather than He Who Remains. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania revealed that Kang had been trapped inside the Quantum Realm for a number of years, though had the opportunity to establish his own empire in the micro-dimension. Threatening to escape and wreak havoc on the multiverse, Kang the Conqueror very nearly defeated Scott Lang, a.k.a. Ant-Man, but was eventually, and surprisingly, killed by he and Hope van Dyne, a.k.a. the Wasp, though this won’t be the end of Kang and his variants in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
