While the characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe typically have fleshed-out personalities that are detailed, the core of the stories is all about the action. When it comes to these movies, people want to see good vs. evil, and heroes fighting villains. It is those scenes that typically gain the most attention.
The villains in these movies have to be powerful and strong enough to provide a genuine threat, whether that is to just one hero or the entire Avengers. Throughout the years, Marvel has used a real range of villains from its arsenal, all with varying powers and abilities. But out of all the MCU villains, who has been the greatest when it comes to fighting?
Abomination
An often forgotten MCU villain, Abomination is one of the only characters that can stand face to face with Hulk and actually fight against him. This villain might not be as fleshed out as others (which is why he is often forgotten) but when it comes to fighting, there's no doubt Abomination is one of the strongest.
While his style isn't quite as slick as others, Abomination is all about causing pure carnage, happily wrecking anything in its path to destroy its target. This instantly makes it one of the scariest characters to appear, and one that is easy to fear.
Kaecilius
Kaecilius is an intelligent villain and one that is very skilled when it comes to fighting. Possessing the same powers as Dr. Strange, but with more experience, he is able to cause the MCU magician some real difficulties at times, which is a showcase of his talent.
There are no issues with his fighting ability, being able to draw upon his various powers in order to shape and shift the environment around him to his benefit. This is something that helps him to establish a presence in the movie and become one of the greatest fighters in the process.
Loki
Loki often relies on others to do his bidding for him, but when he wants to, the popular villain, turned hero can be a great fighter. He actually showcases his skills more when he is helping his brother and the other heroes, but even as a villain, Loki proves he can cause damage to anybody.
He is often underrated when it comes to his fighting ability, purely because he has so much charisma and charm, which is what people love. However, Loki can be a fantastic fighter, and anybody who underestimates him will pay the price for that.
Red Skull
Anybody who is able to take on Captain America in hand-to-hand combat has to be an excellent fighter, and that is the case when it comes to Red Skull. He has great power and is able to battle confidently with his fists because of that.
He may not have the fancy powers that some of the other villains have, but when it comes to straight-up fighting, he is one of the best. Red Skull is quite agile as well, being able to block and defend himself, which also allows him to work well in a fight.
Ebony Maw
Ebony Maw is an MCU villain that can often be overlooked, simply because he's seen as a sidekick to Thanos rather than the main character. However, that doesn't take away from his fantastic fighting skills, as Ebony is someone who causes major problems for The Avengers when he gets the chance.
He's one of the most powerful villains that the heroes come across, and he is more than capable when it comes to fighting against them, which is something that helps him stand out. The fact he's able to go toe to toe with so many great characters is a credit to his strength, and he is one of the best fighters in the franchise.
Yellowjacket
Of course, Yellowjacket requires the suit to be able to showcase the power that he has, as, outside of that, he is simply just an ordinary man. But the same can be said for several of the MCU heroes, and when the suit is on, Yellowjacket is a fantastic villain with great fighting ability.
The fact he can change sizes makes him tough to predict and difficult to prepare for, which is something that provides a genuine advantage to him. He's quick thinking and happy to use anything around him to help gain an advantage, which is a testament to his fighting ability.
Ultron
One of the reasons that Ultron is such a fantastic fighter is because of his intelligence. A brainchild of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, Ultron is one of the most intelligent MCU villains to have appeared thus far. He is able to think ahead of the game and that gives him an advantage when it comes to a fight.
Of course, Ultron is also very powerful, which is something that certainly helps his cause as well. He is able to battle multiple Avengers at the same time and has no problem competing against them all due to his great fighting skills.
Killmonger
Unlike most MCU villains, Killmonger was actually successful. When he gets to have a fair one-on-one fight with Black Panther, he wins. That's because he has fantastic fighting skills and is tough and quick enough to have the advantage over T'Challa.
Killmonger has a ruthless edge, which a lot of other characters lack, being happy to go the extra mile to guarantee success. When it comes to sheer hand-to-hand combat, he truly is one of the best fighters in the entire MCU.
Hela
Hela is an unbelievably powerful force, with great powers and fantastic fighting abilities. She is able to push Thor to his absolute limits and dominates him during their big fight. She's one of the greatest villains that the MCU has ever seen, and it's actually a shame she didn't get to cross paths with more MCU heroes.
She proved herself to be agile, quick, and very powerful while also being able to be a fantastic leader. This is something that gives her a big edge over the majority of MCU villains, making her one of the most powerful and dominant forces around.
Thanos
There's a reason Thanos was built up as the ultimate villain within the MCU, and that's because of his pure power and fighting ability. He was able to provide a genuine threat to not just The Avengers, but the entire world with his power and strength.
Of course, having all of the Infinity Stones makes Thanos infinitely stronger, but there's no doubt that he's a great fighter even without them. However, his ability to work with so many different powers is something that makes him tough to predict, which is why it takes so many heroes working together to take him down.