Since they first formed in Phase 1 of the MCU, Marvel Studios’ Avengers team has faced ten powerful villains. The Avengers first came together under the watchful eye of Nick Fury and SHIELD in 2012’s The Avengers, originally comprising Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye. In the years since saving New York City, the Avengers underwent huge changes, with new superheroes joining the roster, and veterans departing under various circumstances. In the wake of Avengers: Endgame, the status of the team remains unclear, but the Avengers are expected to reappear in the MCU very soon.

The Avengers have been the subject of four of Marvel Studios’ most successful MCU projects: 2012’s The Avengers, 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War, and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. Each of these projects, as well as 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, saw the Avengers team go up against some of the MCU’s strongest and most dangerous villains. In total, the Avengers have battled ten wildly different foes in the MCU, with some managing to succeed in defeating the team, though the Avengers always find a way to bounce back, just as they will in the MCU’s Phase 6.

10

Loki Was The Avengers’ First Villain

The Avengers (2012)

After Tom Hiddleston debuted as the Asgardian God of Mischief in 2011’s Thor, the scheming villain became the first official adversary of the MCU’s Avengers team in 2012’s The Avengers. Working for the Mad Titan, Thanos, Loki traveled to Earth to acquire the Tesseract and allow Thanos’ Chitauri and Leviathan army to invade. The Avengers banded together to thwart Loki’s plan, with Iron Man landing the final blow by destroying Thanos’ fleet, while the Hulk pummeled Loki himself.

Where Is Loki In The MCU Now?

Loki was imprisoned on Asgard after his attack on Earth in The Avengers, but eventually formed a closer bond with his brother, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. Ultimately, this led to Loki’s death in Infinity War, but his variant escaped from the Avengers during Endgame’s Time Heist. Joining the Time Variance Authority, Loki embarked on an epic adventure to become the guardian of the multiverse, transforming from a villain into a bona fide hero.

9

The Avengers Battled HYDRA Forces Across The Globe

Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)

HYDRA is more commonly known as the antagonistic opposite to SHIELD, bringing the organization into conflict with Steve Rogers’ Captain America in Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. However, Avengers: Age of Ultron opened with the full Avengers team banding together to bring down a HYDRA stronghold in Sokovia. The team easily dispatched of HYDRA’s soldiers, and managed to take down Baron Von Strucker, though not without a few mishaps and nightmarish visions along the way.

Where Is HYDRA In The MCU Now?

Although HYDRA played a pivotal role in Marvel Television’s Agents of SHIELD, the organization hasn’t been seen in the MCU’s main continuity since Mitchell Carson’s appearance in 2015’s Ant-Man. This seems to imply that HYDRA is now completely defunct in the MCU. This suggests Captain America and the Avengers’ actions in The Winter Soldier and Age of Ultron perhaps had a huge impact on the stability of the organization.

8

Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver Started As Powerful Avengers Villains

Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)

Although both Wanda Maximoff’s Scarlet Witch and Pietro Maximoff’s Quicksilver eventually became allies to the Avengers team, the Sokovian twins were initially introduced as minor antagonists in Avengers: Age of Ultron. First working alongside HYDRA to manipulate the Avengers in Sokovia, and later partnering with Ultron to battle the Avengers, the Maximoff twins’ vendetta against Tony Stark fueled their entire MCU story. The Scarlet Witch later reverted to her villainous roots in the MCU’s Phase 4.

Where Are Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver In The MCU Now?

Avengers: Age of Ultron tragically marked the demise of Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Quicksilver, as the speedster sacrificed his life to save Hawkeye. Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda, on the other hand, became an Avenger, but her collective grief over the years took its toll. WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness saw the Scarlet Witch imprison an entire town, before raging across the multiverse in search of her children, ultimately culminating in her emotional sacrifice.

7

Ultron Was A Product Of The Avengers’ Own Making

Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)

While HYDRA, the Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver all played a villainous role in the Avengers’ second outing, the artificial intelligence Ultron was the team’s most powerful enemy in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Tony Stark and Bruce Banner created Ultron by combining the Mind Stone and JARVIS in an effort to bring about “peace in our time,” but for Ultron, this peace meant eradicating the Avengers. Ultron planned to render humanity extinct using Sokovia as a meteor, allowing his metal army to assume control of the Earth.

Where Is Ultron In The MCU Now?

Despite being one of the Avengers’ most imposing threats, Ultron proved no match for the Avengers team, particularly after the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver joined their ranks. Ultron was defeated, and his plan was thwarted, but not without consequences. An alternate version of Ultron appeared in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, though this Ultron, used to protect Earth-838’s Illuminati, had been successful.

6

Crossbones Was A Minor Threat To Captain America’s Avengers

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

A new Avengers line-up was established in Age of Ultron, and this team had one of its first missions in Captain America: Civil War. Comprising Captain America, Black Widow, the Scarlet Witch and the Falcon, this Avengers team tracked Frank Grillo’s Brock Rumlow, now operating as Crossbones, to Lagos, where he planned to steal a biological weapon. Rumlow was outed as a HYDRA agent inside SHIELD in The Winter Soldier, and was teased as a bigger villain for the sequel, but was wasted.

Where Is Crossbones In The MCU Now?

While Black Widow recovered the stolen biological weapon, Steve Rogers fought Rumlow in the streets of Lagos. However, when Crossbones tried to blow himself and Captain America up, Wanda Maximoff contained the blast in a force-field, but inadvertently diverted the explosion to a nearby building. Crossbones’ death has been controversial in the years since Civil War, though Grillo did reprise the role during Avengers: Endgame’s Time Heist.

5

The Winter Soldier’s Mind-Control Made Him A Formidable Avengers Villain

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

By the time Captain America: Civil War released, Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes had renounced his role as the Winter Soldier. However, his HYDRA conditioning was unfortunately still intact, which allowed Zemo to unlock the brutal super soldier within, and aim him at the Avengers. The Avengers banded together to battle the Winter Soldier in the Joint Counter Terrorist Center building in Berlin. Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson’s protection of Barnes contributed to the Avengers’ own battle later on.

Where Is The Winter Soldier In The MCU Now?

Following Captain America: Civil War, Bucky Barnes spent time in Wakanda recovering from his HYDRA conditioning with the help of Dora Milaje member Ayo. This allowed him to finally move on from his Winter Soldier identity, a transition he struggled with throughout 2021’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Sebastian Stan is set to return in Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts*, with Bucky Barnes suspected to be the de facto leader of the antihero team.

4

Baron Zemo Managed To Divide The Avengers Team

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Daniel Brühl’s Baron Helmut Zemo is one of the MCU’s most interesting villains, as he knew he didn’t have the physical strength to defeat the Avengers, so used manipulations instead. Zemo was a member of EKO Scorpion, the Sokovian Special Forces, who sought revenge on the Avengers after Sokovia’s and the deaths of his family. Zemo’s plan involved revealing Bucky Barnes had killed Tony Stark’s parents, which divided the Avengers, and had a lasting impact on the team.

Where Is Baron Zemo In The MCU Now?

Although he planned to kill himself after enacting his plan against the Avengers, Baron Zemo was spared by T’Challa’s Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War. He was imprisoned, but Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson helped him escape in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to use his resources against the Flag Smashers. Ultimately, Zemo was imprisoned once again, but in the Raft, making his means of escape even more difficult.

3

The Avengers Battled Each Other During Civil War

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Perhaps the greatest adversaries to the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War were each other. Baron Zemo’s plan to frame Bucky Barnes for an attack on the United Nations created cracks within the team, while the division over the Sokovia Accords, and Steve Rogers’ protection of Barnes sealed the deal. Civil War featured an epic battle between Team Cap and Team Iron Man at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany, and this battle continued in Siberia, culminating in Captain America almost killing Iron Man.

Where Are The Avengers In The MCU Now?

In the aftermath of Civil War, Rogers, Sam Wilson, Barnes and Natasha Romanoff became fugitives from the United States. However, they all returned in Avengers: Infinity War to fight Thanos, which proved unsuccessful. Avengers: Endgame earned better results, but marked the last time the MCU’s Avengers have been seen. A new Avengers team is expected to form soon, perhaps in Captain America: Brave New World or Avengers 5.

2

The Black Order Fought The Separated Members Of The Avengers

Avengers: Infinity War (2018) & Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Avengers: Infinity War finally saw Thanos set out to collect the six Infinity Stones, but he couldn’t get them all alone. Instead, he sent his adopted children: Proxima Midnight, Corvus Glaive, Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian, dubbed the Black Order, to retrieve several of the Infinity Stones for him. This brought them into conflict with the Avengers, specifically Vision and the Scarlet Witch, who had the Mind Stone, and Doctor Strange, Iron Man, Bruce Banner and Wong, who protected the Time Stone.

Where Is The Black Order In The MCU Now?

Each member of the Black Order was killed in Infinity War, but the team returned in Avengers: Endgame thanks to Tony Stark’s time travel technology. This version of the Black Order journeyed with Thanos from 2014 to fight during the Battle of Earth, but, again, this ended badly for them. Either the Black Order were killed in battle, or eradicated thanks to Iron Man using the Infinity Stones.

1

Thanos Posed The Greatest Threat To The Universe

Avengers: Infinity War (2018) & Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Josh Brolin’s Thanos was the Avengers’ most significant villain. Thanos was teased in The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and Age of Ultron, but officially began his quest to bring balance to the universe in Avengers: Infinity War. In separate sequences, Thanos defeated the Guardians of the Galaxy on Knowhere, sacrificed Gamora on Vormir, fought the Avengers on Titan, and eliminated the rest in Wakanda, eventually succeeding in wiping out half the universe’s population.

Where Is Thanos In The MCU Now?

Thanos was killed in the opening of Avengers: Endgame, but the world was still left ravaged by his actions in Infinity War. After embarking on the Time Heist, the Avengers reversed Thanos’ devastating snap, but allowed 2014’s Mad Titan to travel to the present day. The Avengers fought Thanos again in Avengers: Endgame’s epic final battle, with Iron Man finally landing the final blow by emotionally sacrificing his own life to eradicate Thanos and his army.