Marvel: 17 MCU villains ranked from worst to best

12. MODOK (Darren Cross) (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania)

Darren Cross! Our favorite super-shrinking Ant-Man flick may be a peculiar MCU treat, cobbled together faster than Quicksilver after Edgar Wright’s sudden departure. It’s true, the final product somewhat wobbles on the backbone of Wright and Joe Cornish’s script. But hey, even a superhero needs chiropractic adjustments now and then, right?

Now let’s talk about Darren Cross. His motive? A classic grudge story—pinching a company from his mentor, who wouldn’t share those tiny, tiny Ant-Man secrets. A scintillating setup, sure, but the storytelling fell flatter than a pancake under Mjolnir. Yet, hats off to Corey Stoll. He struts through the role with an energized, slightly unhinged flair that tickles our villain-loving hearts.

He is later transformed into a grunt with very small appendages and a gigantic head named M.O.D.O.K (Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing) in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, adding a dose of comic relief to his otherwise threatening persona.

Rest easy, buddy.

11. Baron Helmut Zemo (Avengers: Civil War)

Captain America: Civil War turns the superhero world on its head with Daniel Bruhl’s devilishly smart Helmut Zemo. An age-old tale of revenge gets a refreshing facelift, painted with layers of emotion and intricate character complexities.

Zemo’s grand master plan is classic and, frankly, it works: pitting our favorite Avenger bros – Iron Man and Captain America – against each other. He crafts a mind-bending labyrinth, leading them to implode the Avengers from the inside, all to avenge his family killed in the Sokovian assault. It’s a wild ride where heroes become villains, and the villain becomes…the hero?

Bruhl’s Zemo adds a shade of grey to the black-and-white world of superheroes, leaving us questioning: Who really is the bad guy?