Marvel Studios Just Lost Its 10th Long-Term MCU Villain

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, heroes always rise to meet threats. It’s unusual, however, to see villains clash with each other. In Daredevil: Born Again, Vanessa Fisk did just that, manipulating Benjamin Poindexter (Bullseye) into killing Foggy Nelson. Bullseye resented being used as a pawn and turned on Vanessa, which ultimately backfired with disastrous consequences.

In the fourth episode of Born Again Season 2, titled “Gloves Off,” Bullseye injured Vanessa with a piece of glass, even though her husband, Wilson Fisk, tried to stop him. The following episode, “The Grand Design,” showed that Vanessa survived the attack but was seriously hurt. Despite her efforts to recover, she ultimately died from her injuries, leaving Wilson heartbroken.

Vanessa began as a romantic partner to Wilson Fisk in the Netflix series Daredevil, but she later became involved in crime and created her own powerful organization while he was away. She was as intimidating as the Kingpin himself, and her absence will make the Marvel Cinematic Universe less compelling. However, her death does have one positive aspect.

Without someone to keep him in check, Fisk will likely do everything he can to eliminate threats like Bullseye and Daredevil. He might even provoke the heroes to the point where they feel forced to permanently stop him. If that happens, he’d become the tenth major MCU villain to die, joining his wife and others who’ve been defeated long-term.

MCU Villains Who Died After Appearing in More Than One Project

Loki

Before the events of his first movie, Thor enjoyed a comfortable life in Asgard. His brother, Loki, however, always felt overlooked and unappreciated. Desperate for recognition, Loki attempted to take over their father’s throne, a decision that resulted in his exile from home.

Loki returned in The Avengers, leading an army of Chitauri to invade Earth. However, his plan failed when the Avengers—a newly formed team of heroes—united to defeat him.

After two defeats, Loki realized he was capable of doing more good than bad. Unfortunately, he didn’t have much time to be a hero, as Thanos killed him early in Avengers: Infinity War. Thankfully, a version of him from the Loki series found a meaningful purpose by the end of its second season, keeping his story alive.

Thanos

The scene after the credits of The Avengers showed that the villain Loki had been secretly talking to was actually Thanos. Instead of directly seeking the powerful Infinity Stones himself, Thanos sent his followers to collect them, hoping they could fill his special glove without him having to get involved.

Loki, Ronan, and others failed to keep their promise, which allowed Thanos to begin his plan. By the end of Infinity War, he collected all the Infinity Stones and snapped his fingers, wiping out half of all life in the universe. However, those who survived weren’t willing to accept this defeat.

The beginning of Avengers: Endgame featured the remaining heroes tracking down and defeating Thanos. The alternate Thanos who appeared later met the same fate, dying after Tony Stark cleverly obtained the Infinity Stones.

Kang

Everything in the Marvel Cinematic Universe seems to connect back to Loki. At the end of the first season of Loki, Loki and Sylvie met He Who Remains, the creator of the Time Variance Authority. Even though he warned them that killing him would cause bigger problems, Sylvie did it anyway, paving the way for an even more dangerous enemy to appear.

In Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Scott Lang and his team ventured into the Quantum Realm where they encountered Kang, a ruthless ruler. Knowing Kang’s danger, Janet van Dyne united the group to fight back. They succeeded in defeating him by trapping him in a failing power source, ultimately leading to his demise.

A new version of Kang, named Victor Timely, appeared in the second season of Loki. Unlike other Kangs, he was friendly, but he still met a messy end – he disintegrated into strands while attempting to repair the Temporal Loom. The TVA then eliminated the remaining Kang variants, preventing their lineage from ever existing.

Darren Cross

At the beginning of Ant-Man, Hank Pym was eager to keep working on his research. But his former student, Darren Cross, pushed him out and intended to profit by selling Pym Technologies’ secrets. This angered Pym, so he enlisted Scott Lang – a former criminal hoping for a fresh start – to assist him.

Even though Scott didn’t have much practice with the Ant-Man suit, he managed to defeat Darren Cross, who had also built a shrinking suit. While it appeared Cross had died during the fight, his ultimate fate turned out to be far more terrible.

In Quantumania, Scott Lang faced challenges from a shadowy villain named MODOK, who was secretly working with Kang. It was later revealed that MODOK was actually Cross, physically changed after an experiment with shrinking technology. Cassie Lang managed to persuade Cross to betray Kang, but he was mortally wounded during the battle and didn’t survive.

Scarlet Witch

After the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Wanda Maximoff seemed to be moving past her life as a villain. She understood the Avengers weren’t responsible for her hardships, and though she tragically lost her brother in the battle against Ultron, she found a new outlook on life. However, everyone has a breaking point when it comes to suffering.

Scarlet Witch fought alongside the Avengers against Thanos in Infinity War. She tragically had to kill her partner, Vision, to prevent Thanos from obtaining the Mind Stone. However, Thanos used the Time Stone to undo Vision’s death, forcing Wanda to relive the heartbreaking loss.

After the world was restored, Wanda acted on her deepest desires and used her powers to build an ideal reality in Westview, New Jersey. However, this happiness didn’t last, and the events of WandaVision ultimately led to her transformation into the Scarlet Witch. She then spent Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness desperately trying to reunite with her family, but tragically lost her life when she was crushed by a collapsing mountain.

Agatha Harkness

Without Agatha Harkness interfering in Westview, Wanda might not have been caught. But the ancient witch was determined to take Wanda’s powers, leading to a huge fight. Agatha ultimately lost her memory and was trapped in the town as a result.

The story of Agatha All Along showed how the villain worked to get her powers back. She gathered a group of witches, including a young man named Billy Kaplan, and they traveled down the dangerous Witches’ Road. The journey was difficult, and several witches didn’t survive.

Agatha achieved her aim by betraying those around her, becoming incredibly powerful in the process. However, she was disturbed when Death came for Billy, who was secretly Wanda’s son, Billy Maximoff. Despite this, Agatha sacrificed herself to save him. Unlike others, though, she didn’t stay gone – she returned as a ghost.

Crossbones

Being part of the Avengers team gave Steve Rogers a new sense of purpose. At the beginning of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, he was working with SHIELD, leading a team on their most critical assignments. He and fellow agent Brock Rumlow became close, but a major event in the movie quickly altered their dynamic.

It soon became obvious that Rumlow was pursuing his own agenda, readily cooperating with Steve after Alexander Pierce gave the order. Steve eventually learned that HYDRA had infiltrated SHIELD and was thriving, with Rumlow as one of their key operatives. Though a building collapse temporarily sidelined him, Rumlow reappeared in Captain America: Civil War seeking revenge.

I just saw the footage of Captain America going after Rumlow – who’s now calling himself Crossbones – and their battle in Lagos was intense. It quickly became clear Crossbones was losing, and in a desperate move, he detonated a bomb, trying to take Cap with him. Thankfully, Steve survived, but Crossbones’ death had devastating consequences, really fracturing the Avengers team. It was a pivotal moment, and you can feel the tension ripple through the rest of the film.

Ayesha

At the beginning of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Peter Quill and the Guardians accepted a job from The Sovereign. They had to fight a huge creature called the Abilisk, which proved to be a difficult opponent. Ultimately, the Guardians were successful and were rewarded with an audience with Ayesha, the leader of The Sovereign.

Rocket was too busy trying to steal batteries to pay attention to what she was saying. The Sovereign, predictably, sent their ships after the Guardians. As usual, the Guardians barely managed to escape. However, Ayesha wasn’t finished yet; she had one more plan up her sleeve.

Ayesha’s most impressive creation, Adam Warlock, initially overpowered the Guardians of the Galaxy in their third movie. But her victory was short-lived, as she perished when the High Evolutionary annihilated the artificial world he had built.

Ulysses Klaue

Before the introduction of adamantium, vibranium was the most highly sought-after material in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, the newly created Ultron immediately targeted the metal, even trying to negotiate a trade with arms dealer Ulysses Klaue. However, Ultron wasn’t interested in a real deal, and simply took the vibranium, leaving Klaue one arm short.

Even after being defeated by a robot, Klaue continued his usual activities. In Black Panther, he tried to steal more vibranium, but the hero stopped him. Although Klaue’s partner, Erik Killmonger, helped him escape from prison, they didn’t stay allies for long.

Killmonger understood he needed something valuable to gain entry into Wakanda. He decided that Klaue, who had repeatedly harmed the Wakandans, was his best opportunity. After killing Klaue and his girlfriend, Killmonger returned to his ancestral home and claimed the throne.

2026-04-21 08:38