15 greatest Marvel Cinematic Universe rivalries
By Mark Lynch
12. Hela and Odin
In Thor: Ragnarok, we find out about Odin’s firstborn Hela. Hela helped Odin conquer the Nine Realms through war. As Hela put it, “I was his weapon.” Odin started to realize that peace was the right way to rule; Hela, not so much. Because Hela was a threat, Odin banished her and erased her existence from the history books.
Can anyone really blame Hela for her fury?
Odin used her as a weapon for war. Once her war was over, what was she supposed to do? Odin never told Hela that her battles would end. She never knew a time for peace would come or how to live during that time. Odin treated his daughter like a tool.
She was justifiably furious after she was sent away and caged like an animal. Imagine how she felt when she realized that Odin erased her existence from her home and the history of its people. Since Hela couldn’t get revenge on Odin himself, she set out to destroy anyone loyal to him and not her. She may have been the antagonist in this story, but we can all understand her emotions.
11. Mysterio and Tony Stark
He may not be as popular as Doctor Doom or Magneto in the comic books, but Mysterio was fantastic as the antagonist in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Comic book fans knew there was no way he was a hero in the movie. What we didn’t expect was that his motivation would come from a rivalry with Tony Stark.
In Captain America: Civil War, Tony Stark showed the world new technology. It was called Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing. Instead of leaving it at that, he called it B.A.R.F. in front of a crowd of people which made everyone laugh. As we came to find out, Quentin Beck (Mysterio) worked hard on that tech only to have it made fun of and stolen. It may not have been so bad, but after Tony Stark died, he handed over the keys to the kingdom to Peter Parker, a teenage kid.
That sent Beck over the edge. Thus, a new villain was born. While his aggression was against Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Peter was just the inheritor of the rivalry since Tony Stark was dead. However, who knows? Beck may have gone after Peter eventually even if Stark survived.
10. Hulk and Thor
The Hulk and Thor were destined to fight. The Hulk was the strongest Avenger and Thor is a god who thinks he’s the strongest. With all of that testosterone in one room, it was bound to happen.
They had a quick fight in The Avengers when Hulk went, well, Hulk on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. Later, during the battle with the Chitauri, Hulk and Thor teamed up. When they finished fighting the Chitauri, they took a breather and Hulk took a cheap shot, punching Thor for no reason.
They both believed they could best the other and in Thor: Ragnarok they finally had the fight we’d been waiting for. It was a hard-fought and entertaining battle. In the end, Thor took the advantage. Why wouldn’t he? He’s a god. Too bad it was interrupted by the Grandmaster shocking Thor and giving Hulk the chance to deliver the final blow.
This could have been one of the top five rivalries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They’re two goliaths who can take a pounding and love to fight. They’re also among the more popular Avengers. Unfortunately, adding more of them fighting would have taken away from everything else going on.