Marvel Studios has established an impressive lineup of villains. But some of the greatest villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe did not make their debut in the films — they originated from the Netflix era of dark and gritty Marvel television, from Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher. The villains from these series are neither as immediately recognizable nor as powerful as Thanos, but they are as much of a threat to the heroes, if not even more. The Defenders were challenged to their very limits, with their lives being thrown into disarray.
All the television series that were a part of The Defenders Saga found a new streaming home on Disney+. Disney regained the series' licenses and is no longer with their original network. Fans who never tuned in to the Netflix era of Marvel television have finally begun watching the series they missed out on; others have recently been revisiting their favorite series. With so many Marvel fans watching the shows, now is a good time to look at some of their greatest villains. Here are the best villains from the Netflix era of Marvel television, ranked.
Edited on January 9, 2024: In honor of Vincent D'Onofrio reprising his role of Kingpin in Echo, this article has been updated by Samuel Cormier with even more great villains from the Marvel Netflix era of television.
10 Davos (Steel Serpent)
Appearing in Iron Fist, Davos is a K'un-Lunian fighter. He was a member of the Order of the Crane Mother alongside Danny Rand. Davos believed his life's purpose was to become the Immortal Iron Fist, becoming deeply distraught when the mantle instead went to Danny due to what he believed were nepotistic reasons. He could see past this event, but when Danny left K'un Lun for New York City, Davos viewed this as the ultimate betrayal.
What Makes Them A Dangerous Villain
There were many villains in the Defenders Saga, but none of them were as entitled, jealous, and consumed by vengeance as Davos. His massive ego clouded his judgment and fueled his bloodthirsty ways, but Davos somehow still believed that he was the hero. While many of the Marvel Netflix villains were former friends of the character, there was something chilling about the idea that Davos and Danny grew up together but Davos became so consumed with jealousy he would turn on his friend so easily. Davos was last seen being taken to the super prison The Raft at the end of Iron Fist season 2 and he is a character that fans would like to see return in some form in the MCU.
9 Madame Gao
Since the first season of Daredevil, viewers knew that Madame Gao was no ordinary elderly woman. Throughout her appearances in the MCU, she made life very difficult for Daredevil and Iron Fist. Gao was one of the five leading founders of the Hand. After being banished from K'un-Lun, she worked with the Kingpin in New York to run a heroin trade in Hell's Kitchen. She also has ties with Alexandra Reid.
What Makes Them A Dangerous Villain
The lawless Gao betrays the teachings of K'un-Lun by using dragon bones to extend her life, which results in her ban. She also managed to destroy every single one of her enemies, from the powerful Blacksmith to the Rands to the Russian Mafia, and even to control the Kingpin. As a K'un-Lunian, she mastered martial arts and learned to manipulate her Chi. Thanks to the Resurrection Elixir, she has managed to live for over four hundred years and has enhanced strength and stamina, even as an older woman. Finally, she can speak many languages and is a great tactician, which greatly helped her to gain her incredible influence over the New York underworld.
8 Billy Russo (Jigsaw)
Jigsaw is the primary antagonist from The Punisher. During his time in the Marines, Billy Russo developed a close friendship with The Punisher himself, Frank Castle. Russo's lust for power involved him with corrupt government officials and led to him allowing the murder of Frank Castle's wife and children. After discovering all the evil Russo had done, The Punisher exacted his revenge, leaving Billy Russo scarred and traumatized. Russo later re-emerged as Jigsaw, an extremely violent and manipulative villain who could not remember where his disfigurement came from. In an attempt to find the truth, he left many bodies in his path. Eventually, he was unable to escape punishment for his crimes, and Castle finished the work that he had started, killing Jigsaw.
Friend Turned Foe
Jigsaw was a powerful villain who threatened the Punisher's life many times. Impressively, Jigsaw has no particular superhuman power. His assets come from his training in the Marines, which conferred him impressive hand-on-hand combat, knife and weapon mastery, and tactics abilities. Like Davos he is another example of the "friend turned foe" trope, thanks to the incredible work of actor Ben Barnes, Jigsaw stands as one of the best villains in the franchise.
7 Benjamin Poindexter (Bullseye)
Bullseye, a.k.a. Benjamin Poindexter, is a character in Daredevil. His rocky upbringing, losing his parents at a young age and growing up in an orphanage, took away his ability to distinguish right from wrong. While in the orphanage, he developed an incredible aim. Later on, he joined the United States Army and the FBI, which gave him his weapon and hand combat abilities. While working for the FBI, he met the Kingpin whom he was in charge of guarding.
Bullseye Was Dead On
Bullseye is one of Daredevil's arch-enemies in the comics, and fans were waiting to see him arrive in the Netflix series. What the series did that no other version had done, even the comics, was really give him a backstory and a name. The fact that he was desystheized to violence, as well as his creepy obsessive personality, made him dangerous, but combined that with a marksman ability that puts him on par with Hawkeye makes him a lethal threat. Bullseyes fate was a cliffhanger in Daredevil season 3 and with both Daredevil and Kingpin returning to the MCU, fans are hoping Bullseye returns in either Echo, Daredevil: Born Again, or Thunderbolts.
6 Elektra
Appearing in Daredevil and The Defenders, Elektra is an assassin and former lover of Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil. While she appears as a normal assassin, it is later revealed she is the dangerous Black Sky, the secret weapon of the Hand. While at first, she appears to be a mindless weapon, she eventually asserts her own agency kills the supposed leader of The Hand, Alexandra (Sigourney Weaver), and takes control. She is last seen dying alongside Daredevil as an entire building collapses on them.
If Looks Could Kill
Elektra is one of the most popular characters in Marvel Comics. While she is typically more of an anti-hero, the MCU series showed her going down the path of a villain, deconstructing destiny, and choosing one archetype. Elektra is played by the wonderful Elodie Yung, who gives the character an alluring danger that plays well into the theme of her bringing Matt Murdock down a dark path. Her fate was left up in the air following The Defenders, but given the character's history of coming back from the dead in the comics, fans hope to see her return to the MCU.
5 Cornell Stokes (Cottonmouth)
Cottonmouth played a major role in Luke Cage season one. He is the owner of the Harlem's Paradise nightclub while secretly working as a private arms dealer. This version is close to his cousin, Mariam Dillard, and does the more shady parts of their family business while she acts as the more public face. The name Cottonmouth comes from a nickname he acquired as a kid, one he hates very much.
A Villain Who Stole the Show
Cottonmouth was set up as the primary villain of Luke Cage season one until he was not, and the rug was pulled out from underneath audiences when his cousin Mariah Dillard killed him, and Luke Cage's illegitimate half-brother Diamondback became the primary villain. Part of the reason Luke Cage is often criticized for losing momentum in the final part of season one is just how much Cottonmouth added as a villain and how much his presence was missed. Marvel realized what a great star Mahershala Ali was, and he is now set to be Blade in the MCU.
4 Mariah Dillard (Black Mariah)
Black Mariah is an important character from Luke Cage. She was a corrupt politician in Harlem who presented herself as a force for good. Despite Mariah using the surname "Dillard" to disassociate herself from the Stokes Crime Family, she remained in the criminal underworld. Over the course of the series, Dillard accepted that she was a Stokes, and she became a ruthless woman that felt no remorse for all the lives she ruined and all the people she killed. That included complete innocents, such as a woman who merely witnessed one of her crimes (Candace Miller). Eventually, she met her demise when she was poisoned by her own daughter, whom she was trying to rekindle a relationship with.
A Villain Worthy of Kingpin
The first thing that makes Mariam Sharpe such a great villain is the wonderful performance by Alfre Woodard. Woodard does a great job playing both the savvy politician and the more ruthless criminal, and the scene where she kills Cottonmouth is such a violent display of power that it leaves the audience shaking. Her gradual turn to becoming the primary villain of the series was a delight. She essentially made herself the Kingpin of Harlem, and one of the great missed opportunities of the Netflix era was never having her and Kingpin share a scene together.
3 Patricia Walker (Hellcat)
Part of Jessica Jones and briefly appearing in Luke Cage and The Defenders, Trish Walker is Jessica Jones's adoptive sister. While she is originally a friend and ally of Jessica Jones, often her moral center and the person Jessica Jones loves most, over the course of the series, audiences watch as Trish's desire for power and control culminates in her going down a dark path. She becomes jealous of her sister's powers and how she uses them, so she finds a way to acquire powers of her own and become the vigilante Hellcat, when she eventually becomes a violent killer that Jessica Jones has to stop.
Trish Walker is the Most Tragic Villain
While Marvel Netflix loved to do the friend-turned-enemy plotline, Trish Walker was the best case of it as it gradually happened over the course of the series. By the time season three rolled around, audiences had been with both Trish and Jessica Jones on such a journey. It was truly tragic to see them be on opposite sides and to see how far Trish had fallen. The series treated Trish's quest for superpowers as a metaphor for addiction, and to see her become so consumed by it was a tragic fall that left Jessica Jones's victory over her feel empty because she didn't stop a supervillain; she had to fight and imprison her sister. Trish was last seen being sent to the super-prison the Raft, and if Jessica Jones does return to the MCU, this is certainly a plotline that Marvel should follow up on.
2 Kilgrave
As a boy, Kevin Thompson suffered several experiments at the hands of his parents to cure his neurodegenerative disease, which unfortunately resulted in him gaining the ability to control people's minds. He then assumed the name Kilgrave, a version of Marvel Comics' Purple Man. He has never been referred to as the "Purple Man" during all three seasons of Jessica Jones, but the MCU version of Kilgrave was still associated with the color purple, often choosing to wear purple suits. Kilgrave's reign of terror was eventually stopped, but he still left mass destruction in his wake.
Kilgrave Might Be The Most Evil
What made Kilgrave terrifying was his ability to control other people's minds, forcing people to obey his every command. Since he was a child, Kilgrave had been able to do whatever he wanted without having to worry about taking "no" for an answer. The result was an irresponsible, narcissistic man who continuously abused his power. He even kept Jessica Jones as a sex slave for several months. By far, Kilgrave has been one of the most twisted villains in a live-action Marvel production to date and could be considered the most evil as he highlights the true evils of male entitlement. He is excellently brought to life by David Tennant, who managed to use his persona of the loveable Doctor from Doctor Who and turn it on its head.
1 Wilson Fisk (Kingpin)
While Kilgrave is the most evil, the best villain is a lot more than that. Sometimes, the best villains are the most complex, and of all the Defenders Saga threats, none was more complicated and nuanced than Wilson Fisk, aka The Kingpin. Played by the legendary Vincent D'Onofrio, he appeared in all three seasons of Daredevil. Over the course of the series, audiences get to understand him by looking at his childhood and how he morphed into a businessman, hiding his activities as a crimelord in his own twisted way of cleaning up New York.
Why Kingpin is the Best
Fisk is someone of incredible size and strength who unleashes his anger when fighting his enemies. Aside from his imposing frame, the Kingpin is also incredibly intelligent, a great tactician, a multilingual businessman, and can hold his own in combat, given that he fought off Daredevil and Poindexter both at once, ultimately breaking Poindexter's spine. While he is incredibly resilient in a fight and can kill a man with his bare hands if angered, what makes him so powerful is the influence and reach he has. Even without superpowers, he commands such loyalty and respect that in Daredevil season three, even under house arrest, he assembles enough power to control all of New York from his penthouse apartment. Kingpin is not only one of Marvel's most iconic villains, but D'Onofrio's version was so popular he was officially brought into the MCU with Hawkeye and will next be seen in Echo and Daredevil: Born Again. This is what makes him the best villain of the Marvel Netflix series.
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