Dozens of iconic supervillains from Marvel Comics’ almost-nine-decade-long history have been adapted into live-action since 2008’s Iron Man kick-started the MCU. Unfortunately, however, some of the best villains from the comics have been wasted in live-action. Thankfully, the newly-announced reset of the MCU following Avengers: Secret Wars opens the door for these underused and underdeveloped antagonists to get a second chance, while some could even appear in the MCU before then.
7) Ultron
James Spader first voiced the tyrannical artificial intelligence Ultron in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, but the Phase 2 crossover movie completely wasted one of Marvel’s most iconic and terrifying villains. Ultron has appeared in a number of forms since then, usually voiced by The Walking Dead’s Ross Marquand, but Spader will be reprising the role in 2026’s Vision series. This gives Ultron a much-needed second chance in the MCU, hopefully depicting him as the unmatched and formidable villain that he should have been ten years ago.
6) Obadiah Stane’s Iron Monger
Following the introduction of his son, Alden Ehrenreich’s Ezekiel Stane, in Ironheart, attention has been drawn back to the MCU’s first on-screen antagonist – Obadiah Stane’s Iron Monger. Played by Hollywood legend Jeff Bridges, who has remained hopeful that his character could still return, Stane was the perfect dark mirror to Tony Stark’s Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) in his first live-action adventure. Stane was killed by Stark, and his ashes were seen in Ironheart, but a reset of the MCU provides the opportunity for this one-and-done, wasted villain to finally get more development.
5) Brock Rumlow’s Crossbones
Frank Grillo has routinely voiced his disappointment at the treatment of Brock Rumlow in the MCU’s Phase 2 and 3. Rumlow was a HYDRA agent working within SHIELD in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, who became Crossbones after becoming injured during the collapse of the Triskelion. He then returned as a minor antagonist in the opening of Captain America: Civil War, where he was swiftly killed off. Grillo has since jumped ship to DC Studios, where he portrays Rick Flag Sr. in the rebooted DC Universe, but Crossbones deserves a lot more than just a couple battles against Captain America.
4) Ivan Vanko’s Whiplash
Controversial star Mickey Rourke doesn’t remember being in the MCU, and you’d be forgiven for forgetting, too, as his portrayal of Ivan Vanko’s Whiplash in 2010’s Iron Man 2 was hardly memorable. What we wanted to see was a battle of intelligence and wit between Tony Stark and Vanko, dredging up the vendettas of the past and their generational disputes, given Howard Stark’s betrayal of Anton Vanko. Iron Man 2, however, gave us nothing more than an all-guns-blazing battle which was pretty dull and overdone. Whiplash deserves another shot with a more versatile actor.
3) Malekith
2013’s Thor: The Dark World is widely regarded as one of the MCU’s weakest instalments, which meant that Christopher Eccleston’s debut as the villainous Dark Elf, Malekith, fell flat. Eccleston could have delivered a fantastic and theatrical iteration of Malekith, making him much darker and creepier than he was, but the circumstances of The Dark World didn’t work to his benefit. Malekith deserves redemption more than most other villains in the MCU, and a reset of the franchise creates the best chance for the Dark Elves to actually get done justice on-screen.
2) Antonia Dreykov’s Taskmaster
While Taskmaster transformed into something of an antihero after breaking free of her father’s mind control, Antonia Dreykov (Olga Kurylenko) never really got her time to shine. She was the elite Black Widow assassin in 2021’s eponymous Black Widow, with the ability to mimic anyone’s fighting style, and she then went on to work for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and OXE. When meeting Valentina’s other recruits in Thunderbolts*, however, Taskmaster was killed by Ava Starr’s Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), never getting the chance to become a New Avenger, and leaving her with so much more to show.
1) Johann Schmidt’s Red Skull
One of the MCU’s oldest supervillains is Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving), who became the world’s first super-soldier during WWII. Abraham Erskine’s (Stanley Tucci) unrefined super-soldier serum gave Schmidt powers, but also severe burns that transformed him into the Red Skull and drove him insane. Red Skull is one of Marvel Comics’ most prominent and long-running villains, so it’s a shame he was relegated to a one-and-done villain back in Captain America: The First Avenger. Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame opened the door for his return, and this could finally happen now that the MCU is headed to a reset.
Which wasted villains do you want to see return to the MCU? Let us know in the comments!
