The 30 best Marvel villains ranked

When it comes to complicated villains, Marvel has an unparalleled rogue’s gallery, both in the pages of its comics and onscreen. After all, what would our favorite superheroes be without worthy villains to fight? Sometimes the bad guys can be even more compelling than the heroes. We can’t help it if they look like they’re having more fun. No matter who you’re cheering for, the conflict between good and evil—and those who walk the line between the two—is why we keep coming back to superhero movies, again and again.

The latest phase of MCU films has introduced some of the most intriguing villains yet, including Namor in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Kang in Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, and now the High Evolutionary in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3.

So where does the mad scientist responsible for the creation of Rocket Raccoon and Adam Warlock rank among Marvel’s best villains? The A.V. Club has selected characters from the MCU as well as Marvel’s television shows and movies that exist beyond the MCU. This isn’t meant to be a complete listing of all the Marvel villains, just the ones who stand out to us, either because of the actor’s interpretation, or the nuance of their characters—or a combination of both.

30. Electro (Jamie Foxx)

Despite his longevity, the comic-book Electro isn’t exactly a Hall of Fame-caliber bad guy. He’s mostly known for his electrical powers, garish costume design, and little else. That changed with ’s spin on the high-voltage villain, fueled by a dynamic visual redesign and Jamie Foxx’s sympathetic portrayal of Max Dillon as a sweet-natured electrical engineer with a fanboy’s obsession with Spidey. Though his revamped origin story—zapped by electric eels—is rife with ridiculousness, there’s poignancy and pathos in Max’s corruption by his escalating power levels and increasing alienation. Returning for , this time in the MCU proper, Foxx further refined Max’s vulnerabilities AND he came closer to the classic Steve Ditko costume design—in energy form, at least. On-screen and on the page, expect a more human, relatable Electro to become the standard. [Scott Huver]