It feels like not so long ago the MCU was churning out one movie after another non-stop, but all that was in the distant pre-pandemic universe of 2019 and, for better or worse, real life lacks the time-twisting gimmicks available to The Avengers, so there’s no going back to what 2020 had in store for Marvel fans.
Black Widow is now delayed until spring next year, but its final trailer revealed the featured villain to be comic book mainstay Taskmaster, which opens up an enticing possibility to what the movie’s writers could pull off from the character. In the past, MCU villains have been pretty hit or miss, which is why it would help to know what makes a good Marvel villain in the first place? What is it that separates Loki and Killmonger from Malekith and Ghost?
What does a great antagonist look like? Why are Darth Vader, Hannibal Lecter and Heath Ledger’s Joker so iconic? There are many ways to answer that, but put most simply, memorable villains tend to be powerful in a way that specifically challenges the heroes’ weaknesses. They manage to get inside the good guy’s, and therefore the audience's, head. They can also be charming, fighting for relatable causes or ideas and force the protagonist to rethink their own beliefs.
All these traits easily start checking off when one makes a shortlist of the best villains seen so far in the MCU. For example, as far a relatability goes, Loki’s plans are completely misguided but since the beginning he’s shown to be needing his father’s approval, all he wants is to be considered on equal terms as Thor and that's something people an empathize with. Killmonger was partially rewritten for Black Panther and his struggle is about race, his desire from vengeance comes from having everything taken from him when he was only a child.
Of course a “noble” cause is not simply enough to make a villain successful. Thanos’ desire to get rid of half the population in the universe to put an end to all the suffering pursues a positive outcome and has folks jokingly argue for it, yet his reasoning and his motivation are largely unseen in the movies. That is not to say Thanos is a bad antagonist, he is just a bit underexplored.
Empathizing with a villain makes it all the more chilling when they remind the audience why they're the bad guy. Adrian Toomes, aka Vulture, is literally in the driver’s seat when he takes Peter Parker and his daughter to a school dance. He calls the shots in that scene and when he chooses to keep Spider-Man’s identity to himself. The conversation is seemingly affable, but the underlying threat is crystal clear.
The Peter/Adrian conversation highlights another necessary ingredient for a truly special villain: closeness. Having Bucky Barnes be the Winter Soldier makes Steve Rogers’ mission to defeat him emotionally complicated. Captain America's loyalty is never in doubt, but what about the man behind the mask? Who is Steve loyal to? His struggle to answer that question defines every encounter he has with the brainwashed Bucky, right up until their final fight.
Lastly, but perhaps more importantly, there’s the element of growth. Throughout 23 films in 11 years, the heroes in the MCU have undergone a large number of changes as they've been shaped equally by their victories and their losses. Tony Stark grows from egotistical millionaire to father figure, thanks to him healing his relationship with his father, and developing his personal bonds with Pepper and the other Avengers; this is partly what happens to the rest of the heroes like Black Widow, The Hulk, Hawkeye and Captain America, especially after the events in Civil War.
T’Challa, a relative newcomer, gets different treatment, as the Wakandan prince is forced to confront disappointment in the actions of his late father due to the revelations of Killmonger, who literally embodies his father’s worst mistakes. At the beginning of Black Panther T’Challa is reluctant to open up his country and people to the rest of the world; after defeating his cousin he’s eager to build new things in the same Oakland lot where Killmonger was left as an orphan. The same could be argued for Thor’s relationship with Loki, who's such a great foe he's getting his own miniseries.
It’s clear that the recipe for the perfect villain requires more than one ingredient, and it does not help that most of the bad guys make one-off appearances only to be discarded right away, nevertheless there are hints of villainous greatness in the MCU and the source material in the comic books is often smart to create bad guys with most of these elements.
Will Taskmaster be a hit or miss in Black Widow? It’s hard to say. The trailer points to him being in charge of the Red Room, the program where Black Widow spawned from, so there’s a link to her past; Taskmaster is also a recurring nuisance for Marvel’s heroes, but Black Widow’s time setting may play against that. Only time will tell how good the villains in upcoming movies and shows will be, but there are a few blueprints for success, in case the writers need some inspiration.