As more and more information is released about the MCU's phase 5 movie Thunderbolts, fans can't help but wonder what an MCU movie focused around a team of antiheroes will look like. Marvel has already done a pretty good job of creating likable multidimensional villains and anti-heroes but only occasionally have they been the main characters and not just adversaries.
Likable antiheroes like Loki, The Winter Soldier, and Yelena are just some of the fan favorites that have been introduced, but even they have made their fair share of villainous decisions. However, sometimes even the worst decisions can be justified if they're looked at from the right angle.
Wanda and Pietro - Avengers: Age of Ultron
While eventually, Wanda and Pietro work with the Avengers to defeat Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron, they originally sided with him in his plan to get rid of the Avengers. After the shell of a Stark Industries bomb killed their parents and another haunted them for two days straight, the twins held an understandable grudge against Stark and his allies.
They used their powers to indirectly help Thanos get the tools he needed to destroy the Avengers and were actually really successful in their mission. While working against the heroes made them villains, after the trauma they endured inadvertently by Stark, it's understandable why they initially chose the side they did.
Ghost and Dr. Foster - Ant-Man and The Wasp
Ava Starr only became Ghost out of necessity after her father's research went wrong, causing an explosion that killed both her parents and exposed her to quantum energy. The only reason her father was doing his research in unstable conditions was that Hank had fired and discredited him, taking away all of his resources.
In Ant-Man and the Wasp, Ava and Dr. Foster were seen as villains because they wanted to use the tunnel Hank created to get his wife out of the quantum realm to cure Ava. Their methods could have possibly killed Hank's wife Janet, but since no one was offering Ava any other solution to a problem that would kill her, it was fair that she do all she could to save her own life, solving a problem that Hank essentially caused with his ego.
Ayesha - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Ayesha was the High Priestess of the Sovereign in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2. She hired the guardians to protect the Anulax Batteries for handsome pay. The Guardians held up their end of the bargain, so she held up hers only to find out that, as a twist in the MCU movie, Rocket stole the batteries.
Ayesha sending her fleet after them was seen as a villainous move against the title characters, but looking at it from her point of view, she made the call that anyone in her position would. They stole from her after she upheld her end of the deal, so there's no way she'd be expected to just let them go.
Karli - The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Karli, or Flag-Smasher, was the main villain in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but when really looking at what she did and why she did it, it's hard to see her as one. She was an advocate for a world without borders because when everyone returned, the people who survived the blip were pushed out and neglected by their governments.
As much as she hated the Captain America mantle, she took the replicated super soldier serum so she could better execute her mission of destabilizing corrupt governments and providing resources to people in need. Taking the serum and then stealing it to make a small army of followers may not have been the best move, but she did what she had to do for her admirable mission.
Ikaris - Eternals
Even after his fellow Eternals parted from their mission on Earth, Ikaris stayed loyal to Arishem. He made many decisions to ensure that all went according to plan, but the one that had the biggest impact was his decision to kill Ajak.
All Ikaris knew was what he was told was his purpose which was to carry out Arishem's plan. It's what he believed in, and he did what he had to do to make sure it happened, even though it meant killing someone he was closest to. It wasn't right, but knowing how strongly he believed in his purpose, it's understandable.
Mordo - Doctor Strange
Mordo was Dr. Strange's friend and teacher while he was training at the Kamar-Taj. He was the reason Strange was even allowed to be taught the Mystic Arts after advocating for him to the Ancient One in Doctor Strange. As a Master of the Mystic Arts, Mordo was completely devoted to the values and teaching of the Ancient One.
Finding out that the Ancient One was a hypocrite, teaching one thing and doing something completely different, started him down a destructive path. In a Doctor Strange post-credit scene, he is shown to be taking away Pangborn's power. After seeing his beliefs perverted, he found a new purpose, and while it's seen as his first villainous act, after completely reevaluating his belief system, it's clear to see why he chose the path he did tp protect the fabric of space and time.
Gorr the God Butcherer - Thor: Love and Thunder
At one point, Gorr the God Butcherer was a devout follower of the god Rapu, but after watching his daughter die in his arms and then being mocked by the God he prayed to, he breaks and becomes the main villain and an MCU standout character in Thor: Love and Thunder. Chosen by the Necrosword, Gorr kills the god Rapu and makes a vow to kill all the Gods.
Now, watching his daughter die already had Gorr in a dark place but then to find that his God, the one he prayed to while holding his dying daughter in his arms, is celebrating was a justifiable breaking point. He can't really be blamed for deciding to take his fate into his own hands, even if they way he goes about it isn't good.
Hela - Thor: Ragnarok
The Goddess of Death's methods were a little dark in Thor: Ragnarok but after finding out her history, it's easy to see why she felt entitled to the throne in Asgard. She was Odin's firstborn, she helped him win the battles that built the empire, and she served him as his own personal executioner. Asgard wouldn't have been what it was without her.
With that being said, when she came back to take the throne and was met with nothing but resistance because Odin had wiped her existence from Asgardian history, she was rightfully upset. There was a lot of death that followed, but as the Goddess of Death, what else was expected from her when she was refused her birthright?
Killmonger - Black Panther
Killmonger is one of the smartest MCU villains. He had totally valid points when it came to his frustrations about the hypocrisy and isolationism of Wakanda. He felt that Wakanda and its leaders had turned their back on their people all over the world and had instead chosen to only exist and care about those who lived within their bubble.
His own father was a Wakandan prince but was murdered by King T'Chaka, motivating Killmonger's future actions, including taking the throne in Wakanda by force. Every decision Killmonger made was justified knowing that his end goal was the empowerment of his people and where the ideas came from. He may have been the villain in Black Panther, but it's hard not to see and agree with the purpose behind his actions.
Vulture - Spider-Man Homecoming
After the events of The Avengers, New York was left in ruins. The only upside was that the citizens could get paid for cleaning up their streets until Stark took over the clean-up. Making the most of a bad situation, Adrian Toomes, also known as Vulture, stole some of the alien tech that was lying around and reworked it into weapons he could sell on the black market.
Advanced alien tech on the streets would probably cause more harm than good, but after having his job taken from him by the billionaire causing all the problems, Toomes needed a way to make money and provide for his family. His downfall was when he got greedy, but his initial decision to make the most of what he had was a fitting solution to his problem.