The Marvel Cinematic Universe has seen its fair share of conniving villains, all attempting to get their own way in some form or another. Certain Big Bads have been rather disappointing, while several others stole the show, proving to be fan favorites in the long run.

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While the MCU is certainly a mixed bag when it comes to villains, it often doesn't matter just how compelling they may be - many of their evil plots are simply terrible, both in planning and in execution, leading to their ultimate and inevitable downfall.

Yellowjacket

Yellowjacket threatens Ant-Man's family.

In Ant-Man, the villainous Darren Cross stole the technology invented by Hank Pym in order to create the Yellowjacket suit, which he would sell to the highest bidder at the first chance he got. As tends to be the case with such deals, many of his prospective buyers belonged to terrorist organizations, crime syndicates, and generally unsavory groups with no benevolent uses in mind for the technology.

While Cross's plan was quite minor in scale compared to certain other MCU villains, it also suffers from a lack of foresight on his part. Had he been successful in selling the stolen technology to his buyers, the most prominent of which being The Ten Rings, he would have quickly found himself in the new owner's crosshairs, as he happens to live in the very country these men were aiming to destroy.

General Dreykov

Dreykov talking to someone in Black Widow

Audiences were finally introduced to Ray Winstone's General Dreykov, the man responsible for Natasha Romanov's oppressive training, in the long-awaited Black Widow solo film. At the end of this film, Dreykov attempts to capture Natasha, believing himself safe in her presence due to the olfactory protection system he had placed in each Black Widow that rendered them incapable of causing him harm.

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Though Dreykov was certainly wise to attempt to protect himself from the girls he kidnapped and abused, his method in doing so was not particularly well planned. For one thing, any long-range attacks on the part of a Widow would easily bypass his little gambit and, as Natasha quickly figured out, a severed nerve would similarly render the protection system completely useless.

Aldrich Killian

Promotional poster for Iron-Man 3 featuring Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian

Aldrich Killian disappointed many longtime Marvel fans when he was revealed to be the true threat behind the false Mandarin in Iron Man 3. Having created a new set of super-soldiers, Killian hoped to build his own army, a plan which failed miserably within a matter of days.

Although the use of super-soldiers had worked for others in the past, Killian's science was faulty at best, with each of his Extremis soldiers exploding if pushed too far. Though his army was incredibly powerful, they were certainly not equipped to go toe-to-toe with the Avengers' best member, Tony Stark.

Loki

Loki visits Thor on Earth

Loki may be one of the best villains in the MCU, but his initial scheme in the first Thor film could have used a bit of extra thought. His original plot consisted of manufacturing the series of events that would lead to his brother's banishment, seizing the throne of Asgard himself after Odin fell into the Odinsleep, then using the power of the Bifrost to destroy the Frost Giant home world of Jotunheim all in an effort to win his father's pride.

Though one can easily sympathize with Loki's motives, only wanting to be loved as much as his brother, his plan doesn't hold up under scrutiny. After all, the object of his schemes was to win his father's pride by completing the very same task that got Thor banished in the first place only days earlier. Had he succeeded in destroying Jotunheim, Loki likely would have been met with similar disdain by his disappointed father.

Agatha Harkness

Agatha Harkness raises her arm and casts a spell in WandaVision.

Despite being a compelling enough villain to warrant getting her own Disney+ series, Agatha Harkness had a somewhat flimsy plot to steal Wanda Maximoff's powers in WandaVision. In the latter episodes of the limited series, Agatha helps Wanda to realize that she is the Scarlet Witch before attempting to harness that power for herself.

Though Agatha very nearly succeeded, one would have to question the logic behind her plan. Her meddling in Wanda's life is what alerted the Avenger to her true potential, thereby giving her the means to stop Agatha in the final battle. Had Agatha never revealed to Wanda what she truly was, she may have been able to steal her powers without the young witch even being aware of what she'd lost.

Whiplash

Ivan Vanko walks on the racetrack in Iron Man 2

Ivan Vanko, a.k.a. Whiplash, vowed revenge on the Stark family after his father's mistreatment by Howard Stark, eventually returning to America in Iron Man 2 in order to destroy Tony Stark's reputation. His plan, however, was rather lacking in the forethought department.

Vanko's plan consisted entirely of attacking Tony publicly on a race track in Italy and hoping that the future Avenger would somehow make a fool of himself in front of the world. His plan, of course, landed him in prison, where he was recruited by the Justin Hammer for a much more complex scheme in pursuit of destroying Stark.

Red Skull

A portrait of the Red Skull, head of HYDRA in Captain America: The First Avenger.

Johann Schmidt, later known as the Red Skull, was the primary villain in Captain America: The First Avenger. As the leader of the Nazi scientific research division Hydra, the Red Skull sought after the immensely powerful Tesseract, which he believed could power the super weapons that he would later use to take over the world.

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While Schmidt certainly had the right idea in his search for a powerful weapon, he failed to comprehend the true nature of the Tesseract, which would later be revealed to be an Infinity Stone. As the character would later lament to Thanos himself, the Stone rejected him, banishing him to guard the Soul Stone for all eternity.

Kaecilius

Mads Mikkelson played the often-forgotten dark sorcerer Kaecilius in the first Doctor Strange film. Disillusioned by the hypocritical ways of the Ancient One, Kaecilius departed the Masters of the Mystic Arts and formed his own splinter group that aimed to summon the powerful otherworldly being known as Dormammu, the ruler of the Dark Dimension.

Kaecilius's motives for summoning Dormammu were entirely selfish, yet the powerful sorcerer somehow failed to ascertain what would happen to him should he succeed. As he would learn, Dormammu exiled his summoners to the eternal life they wanted--albeit in torment and agony. An agent of his own destruction, Kaecilius was quickly dispatched, paving the way for the next Doctor Strange big bad, whomever that may be.

Flag Smashers

Flag Smashers Falcon Winter Soldier

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier saw the introduction of the terrorist group known as the Flag Smashers into the MCU. Believing that the years after Thanos's snap were better for the world than its restored state after the events of Endgame, the Flag Smashers attempted to create a new world order without borders, governments, or allegiances.

The series desperately wanted the Flag Smashers to be seen as misguided heroes, fighting for a cause they believed in. However, likely due to cut storylines and late rewrites, much of their tactics seem half-baked and poorly thought out, as the group essentially attempted to create world peace by committing acts of terrorism around the globe. In the end, it was no wonder that they were easily defeated by Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes.

The Mandarin

Mandarin leading his Ten Rings in the Shang-Chi movie.

Many fans were ecstatic at the MCU's mulligan on the Mandarin, who was finally introduced for real in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Though this character is intriguing and tragic, the fact still remains that his plan to save the soul of his late wife by destroying the barrier guarding the Dweller in Darkness was quite misguided, to say the least.

Having been alive for hundreds of years, the Mandarin should have known better than to trust the voices calling for him in the guise of his deceased wife. Being the wise leader that he was, he should have recognized that releasing the Dweller in Darkness would only spell his own demise. However, the villain allowed his hubris and desperation to get the better of him, failing to see the truth that was right in front of him until it was too late.

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