Cruella de Vil, Voldemort and the 25 greatest movie villains of all-time

17. Loki

I know that a lot of greatest villain lists have Loki near the very top and while I understand it, I have a hard time doing it myself. While I agree that Loki is one of the greatest characters to grace the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are other villains that are simply better at being bad. But, that’s not to say Loki is not excellent at what he does.

Considering in Norse mythology that Loki is the trickster god, it makes sense that even in the MCU, Loki is adept at being tricky. He is fun and light, but when he wants something he goes after it with a single-minded determination that proves that he can be an epic villain.

The problem I have with ranking Loki higher is the fact that he is still a sympathetic character. Yet, we can’t overlook the fact that he is genuinely witty, diabolical, and excellent at scheming. He is bitter over his place within his own family, and it is this bitterness that helps shape many of his actions.

As far as well-developed characters go, Loki definitely qualifies. He is not a hero and while he might excel at being comedic, that doesn’t stop him from also being a villain.

Loki wants power and for him that is more important than anything else. And as we see time and time again, it is this never-ending desire for power that usually makes our villains so epic in their own way.