2025 was a fairly big year for the MCU, with multiple movies and shows having been released. This also means that we saw quite an impressive lineup of villains across the various franchises. While some were returning threats, others made their live-action MCU debuts for the very first time.
From street-level rivals to cosmic-level threats and everything in between, this list breaks down which 2025 MCU villains were the absolute best (and which ones left something to be desired). Here’s every live-action MCU villain featured in 2025, ranked.
12
The Leader (Captain America: Brave New World)
After 17 years, Samuel Sterns’ The Leader finally returned to the MCU as a gamma-powered mastermind, paying off the original tease for his transformation back in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. However, expectations for the character’s return in 2025’s Captain America: Brave New World went largely unmet, both in terms of The Leader’s controversial visual design and his overall revenge plot against Thaddeus Ross.
11
Ezekiel Stane (Ironheart)
Played by Alden Ehrenreich, Ezekiel Stane emerged as a technological foil for Riri Williams, using advanced weapons to escalate their conflict that started as a partnership. Essentially, Ezekiel reflected a darker mirror of Iron Man’s legacy with ties to the very first MCU film as the son of Obadiah Stane.
Despite his initial rejection of his father’s legacy, 2025’s Ironheart saw Ezekiel become a formidable villain through various bio-augments, mimicking his father’s Iron Monger past. However, Disney+ very much set up the villain to be far more compelling in future projects.
10
The Hood (Ironheart)
Anthony Ramos’ The Hood blended crime and sorcery in 2025’s Ironheart, making for a rather unique street-level villain who made his live-action debut in the recent Disney+ series. Parker Robbins’ mystical powers posed real challenges for Riri, but also for himself as his hood gradually corrupted his soul, making him darker and more aggressive with every episode.
While a future for Parker without his hood was teased by the show’s end, it remains to be seen if we’ll actually see The Hood again in the MCU.
9
Sidewinder (Captain America: Brave New World)
Image via Marvel Studios
Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito) appeared as the leader of the Serpent Society in 2025’s Captain America: Brand New World, a brand-new criminal organization hired by The Leader to aid in his master plan to turn the world against President Thaddeus Ross.
Sidewinder’s status as a highly skilled mercenary was quite impressive as he fought Sam Wilson’s Captain America, though his screen time was shorter than many were expecting. Even so, his presence certainly helped elevate the movie’s action when he was on-screen.
8
Mephisto (Ironheart)
After years of waiting for his MCU arrival since 2021’s WandaVision, Mephisto’s long-awaited live-action debut finally arrived in 2025’s Ironheart, answering years of speculation, potentially signaling an imminent expansion into the supernatural in the MCU’s future.
As the benefactor who gave Parker his hood, the payoff for Mephisto was very exciting, especially with the reveal that Sacha Baron Cohen is playing the MCU’s Demon Lord.
Even though his role was limited, the implications are massive for future projects. As such, Mephisto’s official debut mattered less for what he did in 2025’s Ironheart and more about what his presence could set up beyond it (like Riri’s own corruption).
7
Red Hulk (Captain America: Brave New World)
US President Thaddeus Ross’ Red Hulk transformation delivered one of the most memorable moments across all the MCU’s various 2025 projects. Likewise, Harrison Ford’s portrayal (taking over for the late William Hurt) added depth to General Ross’ monstrous evolution throughout Captain America: Brave New World and the character’s full MCU arc.
While most MCU fans agree it would have been nice to have seen more of the actual Red Hulk in the movie (or at least not so much of it already revealed in trailers), it was still a very entertaining transformation and subsequent rampage as Sam Wilson struggled to reach the man beneath the red-skinned monster.
As a result, placing President Ross’ Red Hulk near the middle of this ranked MCU list feels just about right.
6
Muse (Daredevil: Born Again)
Muse is one of the MCU’s more disturbing villains who debuted in 2025. His artistic murders using his victims’ blood as paint certainly pushed Daredevil: Born Again into darker psychological territory, creating fresh new stakes as the perfect foe to get Matt Murdock to put his mask back on following the death of his partner, Foggy Nelson.
That said, Muse was killed in the same MCU project in which he debuted, an unfortunate trend many fans wish wouldn’t happen as often as it does, as so many one-time villains could have become great recurring foes (especially Muse).
5
Bullseye (Daredevil: Born Again)
Bullseye returned in 2025’s Daredevil: Born Again, deadlier than ever.
Fully restored following his broken spine in Netflix’s Daredevil season 3 and looking even closer visually to his comics counterpart, the return of Wilson Bethel’s Bullseye started and ended with brutal intensity, beginning with his murder of Foggy Nelson and ending with his escape from jail and attempt to kill Vanessa and Wilson Fisk (only for Murdock to take the bullet).
Now a fugitive who’s expected to return in Daredevil: Born Again season 2, 2025 proves Bullseye’s one of the MCU’s most lethal villains.
4
Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Thunderbolts*)
The OXE Group CEO and former CIA Director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) emerged as the strategic architect of the Thunderbolts, a dynamic antagonist who sought the power to influence, protect, and shape the world as she saw fit.
One of the MCU’s most powerful behind-the-scenes operators, Valentia remarkably managed to evade impeachment and criminal charges, despite having created The Sentry (and his darker other half).
By the end of Thunderbolts*, Val also convinced the public that the Thunderbolts team was her idea all along, dubbing them the New Avengers. Sure, it gives the new team of heroes leverage over her, but the quick thinking was quite impressive nonetheless, making her one of the MCU’s most entertainingly complex foes of 2025.
3
The Void (Thunderbolts*)
Also in Thunderbolts*, The Void finally surfaced as the terrifying counterpart to the Sentry (Lewis Pullman). With Sentry already debuting as one of the MCU’s most powerful beings, The Void amped things up to a horrifying level as the manifestation of Bob Reynolds’ darkness literally started deleting people into a shadow realm, trapping them in their darkest traumas.
Although Bob is a member of the New Avengers roster in the MCU, it was made clear that using his power as The Sentry could risk the Void being unleashed once more, meaning that we could easily see the Void as a major threat at some point down the line.
Depicted completely in shadow with only a glint of black eyes, there is a dark simplicity to The Void that was actually quite scary in 2025’s Thunderbolts*.
