Top 20 Most Hated MCU Characters, Ranked

Some Marvel characters rub audiences the wrong way because of what they do on screen, from betrayals and fake-outs to choices that derail heroes’ plans. This list looks strictly at story actions, consequences, and canon facts across films and series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You’ll see major twists, moral lines crossed, and plot turns that created lasting fallout for other characters. Read on in countdown order from twenty to one.

Ronan

A radical Kree zealot, Ronan seeks to annihilate Xandar in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’. He forges an alliance with Thanos and obtains the Power Stone, then refuses to hand it over. His forces bombard Xandarian civilians while the Dark Aster descends on the capital. The Nova Corps and the Guardians halt the invasion and destroy his warship, ending his crusade.

Whiplash

Vanko blames the Stark family for his father’s downfall and engineers arc-reactor tech to attack Tony at the Monaco Grand Prix in ‘Iron Man 2’. He later collaborates with Justin Hammer to build weaponized drones for a public showcase. The drones go rogue under his control and target civilians at the Stark Expo. Iron Man and War Machine neutralize the drones and defeat Vanko’s armored suit.

Yellowjacket

In ‘Ant-Man’, Cross replicates Pym’s shrinking technology and weaponizes it as the Yellowjacket suit. He plans to sell the platform to Hydra, risking mass proliferation of size-changing warfare. The final fight endangers Cassie Lang in her bedroom as Cross shrinks and grows during combat. Scott Lang disables Cross’s suit at subatomic size, leading to Cross’s apparent death.

Karli Morgenthau

As leader of the Flag Smashers in ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’, Morgenthau steals Super Soldier Serum to advance a borderless-world agenda. Her cell bombs GRC facilities and hijacks relief supplies to force policy changes. The conflict escalates to mass hostage situations in New York during a GRC vote. She is shot by Sharon Carter after refusing to stand down.

Kingo

During ‘Eternals’, Kingo exits the final confrontation over the Emergence rather than choose sides. He publicly works as a Bollywood star and travels with his valet, filming Eternal activities for a documentary. His decision removes a powerful Eternal from the decisive battle against Tiamut’s awakening. After the crisis, he reappears without having participated in the final plan.

Sprite

Sprite struggles with eternal youth in ‘Eternals’ and aligns with Ikaris to preserve the Celestial cycle. She uses illusion casting to hinder her teammates and later stabs Sersi on the beach. Phastos restrains her with a device during the attempt to stop the Emergence. Sersi later uses residual Celestial energy to turn Sprite human.

Ikaris

In ‘Eternals’, Ikaris follows Arishem’s directive to ensure Tiamut’s birth, prioritizing cosmic design over Earth’s survival. He kills Ajak to prevent her from halting the Emergence and conceals the murder from the team. When the Eternals unite to stop Tiamut, he fights his former allies across multiple locations. After the failure of the Emergence, he flies into the sun.

Sharon Carter

Carter operates covertly in Madripoor as the Power Broker during ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’. She arranges black-market access to stolen prototype tech and manipulates rival factions. The program culminates in her involvement at the GRC summit where she eliminates key witnesses. After receiving a government pardon, she resumes contact to sell classified resources.

Trevor Slattery

An out-of-work actor, Slattery impersonates the Mandarin in ‘Iron Man 3’ under Aldrich Killian’s direction. The broadcasts claim responsibility for bombings caused by Extremis failures. Tony’s investigation exposes Slattery’s role as a staged terrorist figurehead. The character later resurfaces in ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ as a captive at the Ten Rings compound.

M.O.D.O.K. (Darren Cross)

Cross returns in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ as M.O.D.O.K. after his Yellowjacket defeat in the Quantum Realm. He serves Kang by hunting the rebels and targeting the Ant-Family with advanced weaponry. The biomechanical form includes a scaled human face and a high-output energy cannon. He ultimately turns on Kang during the assault on the core and dies from his injuries.

Taskmaster (Antonia Dreykov)

In ‘Black Widow’, Taskmaster is revealed as Antonia, controlled by the Red Room after surviving an explosion. She mirrors opponents’ fighting styles using data and observation, including shields, bows, and claws. A pheromone-based failsafe prevents her from harming her father until the conditioning is broken. The Red Dust antidote frees her as the Red Room collapses.

Malekith

The Dark Elf ruler awakens in ‘Thor: The Dark World’ to reclaim the Aether, an Infinity Stone. He leads Kursed warriors in attacks on Asgard and later targets Jane Foster on Earth. The Convergence amplifies his plan to plunge the Nine Realms into darkness. Thor disrupts the alignment with portal devices, and Malekith is crushed on Svartalfheim.

Ralph Bohner

‘WandaVision’ reveals Westview’s “Pietro” as Ralph Bohner, a resident under Agatha Harkness’s control. He wears a beaded necklace that channels the spell maintaining the false identity. Monica Rambeau subdues him and removes the charm, ending the ruse. The reveal closes the thread of the mysterious intruder at Agatha’s house.

Star-Lord

During ‘Avengers: Infinity War’, Peter Quill participates in the Titan plan to separate Thanos from the Gauntlet. He strikes Thanos after learning of Gamora’s death, disrupting the team’s synchronized hold. The outburst breaks Mantis’s restraint and allows Thanos to regain control of the Stones. Thanos escapes Titan and later completes the Snap on Wakanda’s battlefield.

Aldrich Killian

Killian heads A.I.M. in ‘Iron Man 3’ and develops Extremis, a volatile regrowth serum with explosive side effects. He orchestrates false-flag bombings and kidnaps the U.S. President using an armored decoy. The Mandarin broadcasts and Trevor Slattery’s role are part of his cover operation. Tony confronts Killian aboard a burning oil rig while deploying multiple remote armors.

John Walker

Appointed the new Captain America in ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’, Walker enhances himself with stolen serum. After his partner Lemar Hoskins dies, he executes a Flag Smasher using the shield in a public square. The incident is captured by bystanders and circulates globally, prompting his removal from the role. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine later recruits him under a new callsign.

Zeus

In ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’, Zeus presides over Omnipotence City and refuses Thor’s request for aid against Gorr. He orders the heroes captured and impaled Thor with the Thunderbolt during the standoff. The team escapes with the weapon, leaving Zeus injured on his own dais. A mid-credits scene shows Zeus sending Hercules to pursue retribution.

Thunderbolt Ross

Ross authors and enforces the Sokovia Accords following the events of ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’. He directs the Raft imprisonment of Steve Rogers’s allies after the Leipzig airport incident in ‘Captain America: Civil War’. His orders place Wanda Maximoff and others under house arrest before the group escapes. Ross later resurfaces in ‘Black Widow’ to lead the operation against Natasha.

He Who Remains

At the Citadel at the End of Time in ‘Loki’, He Who Remains explains the origin of the TVA and the Multiversal War. He prunes branching timelines to prevent Kang variants from emerging. Sylvie kills him after a standoff, removing the controlling force behind the Sacred Timeline. The action triggers widespread timeline fracturing and variant proliferation.

The High Evolutionary

Introduced in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’, he conducts genetic experiments to design a “perfect” society. He abducts Rocket as a kit and modifies his cognition to spur rapid problem-solving. Counter-Earth is destroyed under his command when the batch is deemed unacceptable. The Guardians disable his ship and evacuate the captives before his defeat aboard the Arête.

Share your picks in the comments and tell us who you’d move up or down the list.