The early days of the MCU were not known for their amazing villains, but there are a few notable baddies that came out of Phase 1. These villains varied quite a bit as the cinematic universe explored different worlds and periods of time. But which of these bad guys was the evilest of all?
Some of these villains seem more narrow-minded than evil. Others appear to be only motivated by the desire to cause pain and destruction. While some may be more memorable than others for various reasons, only one can be considered the evilest of all the Phase 1 villains.
General Ross
It's probably fair to classify General Ross as more of an annoyance than an actual threat. In The Incredible Hulk, he is introduced as the man behind the modern super-soldier serum research which eventually turned Bruce Banner into the Hulk.
Since then, Ross has made it his mission to hunt Banner down. He seems to have little regard for Banner's safety and his selfish drive to create the ultimate weapon predictably backfires and puts many people at risk. But in the end, he is shown to care for his daughter a great deal and recognizes his own mistakes.
Justin Hammer
While Tony Stark is the smooth and suave poster boy of the arms manufacturing business, Justin Hammer is his much less cool rival. Tired of coming in second, Hammer is willing to go outside the law to show what he can really do.
He has several people killed in order to break Ivan Vanko out of prison so he can use his expertise to build an army of "iron men." It's really Hammer's stupidity that causes the most danger as he fails to realize this madman will use his army for nefarious purposes, for which he is partially to blame.
Arnim Zola
Arnim Zola is introduced as the scientist in charge of Hydra's operations. He is a meek and neurotic man whose brilliant mind is being used for evil. Initially, it seems like Zola is almost a prisoner of Red Skull. He doesn't seem too enthusiastic about being part of this team and even gives Red Skull up to the good guys.
But Zola's cowardly persona hides the fact that he is also experimenting on prisoners. He also is more dedicated to Hydra's cause than he seems and his inventions create destructive weapons.
Ivan Vanko / Whiplash
Tony Stark has a talent for creating his own villains. In Iron Man 2, Ivan Vanko is introduced as the son of one of Howard Stark's former colleagues. Furious with Stark's fame as Iron Man as his own father dies poor and alone, Vanko designs a weapon to take Stark on.
The personal mission of revenge is certainly evil, but it is only targeting Tony. However, once he has Hammer's tech, Vanko is willing to kill anyone who gets in his way.
Obadiah Stane
Even though he is the first villain of the MCU, Obadiah Stane is somewhat forgotten. He is one of the most prominent figures in Stark Industries, which he began with Howard Stark. Stane is less enthusiastic about working for Tony, who he sees as a selfish and spoiled brat.
Stane attempts to have Stark killed in order to take over the company. When that fails, Stane tries to do it himself, stealing Stark's arc reactor and leaving him to die. With his own armored suit, Stane not only tries to kill Stark again but also Pepper Potts and innocent civilians. All because he wanted to be the boss.
Emil Blonsky / Abomination
When Ross is looking to bring down the Hulk, he brings in a crew of special forces soldiers, led by Emil Blonsky. Blonsky seems like a dedicated soldier who is just doing his job and wants to stop something he sees as a dangerous monster.
As the movie goes on, Blonsky keeps showing that he is actually just an angry jerk. The only reason he wants to take down Hulk is that he is jealous of his powers. Once he gets those powers himself and becomes Abomination, he just destroys everything in sight just for the fun of it. Plus, he shoots a dog for no reason.
Raza
Raza is a secondary villain in Iron Man and partially responsible for turning Stark into the iconic superhero. He is a terrorist who gains power in his region by targeting families and killing innocent people.
When he has Stark in captivity, Raza forces him to build a missile that can be used to cause even more destruction. Raza is a sadistic man with no perceived morals nor remorse for what he is doing.
Laufey
Laufey is the leader of the Ice Giants, the main foes of the Asgardians. In the opening sequence of Thor, we see that Laufey would lead his army against the defenseless people of Earth centuries ago and might have wiped them all out if not for Odin.
Not only is Laufey willing to kill countless innocent people for seemingly no reason, but he also abandons his infant son because he deems him to be too weak. He also tries to murder Odin in his sleep, so he's really not a nice guy.
Red Skull
Nazis think Red Skull is too intense. If that's not an indicator of how evil this guy is, nothing is. He is the leader of Hydra and a member of Hitler's army. The best thing that can be said for Red Skull is that he seems to have no respect for Hitler. However, that's only because he sees himself as the one who should rule the world.
In the opening scene, Red Skull destroys a small village for no reason. He later designs destructive weapons to unleash across the globe so that he can rule in the horrific aftermath. He is a madman who sees his own evilness as strength.
Loki
Loki was easily the best villain of Phase 1 and one of the best villains in the MCU thus far. At first, he just seems like a jealous brother who tricks Thor into getting exiled, but Loki reveals his true evil nature before long.
He orders the Destroyer to kill his own brother and anyone who helps him. He then attempts to destroy the Ice Giants' entire world to impress his father. And when he returns in The Avengers, he once again is willing to kill countless innocent people just so he can rule.