10 Most Emotional Moments From MCU Villains

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Echo.

Some of the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s most emotional moments come from the series’ villains, many of them being humanized by some surprisingly heart-breaking scenes. The MCU has caught flak in the past for having a villain problem, being fraught with antagonists that weren’t given enough development or character, but many, if not most, of the franchise’s evildoers have some surprising depth to them. In fact, some of the most tear-jerking moments in all MCU movies are courtesy of the villains.

Many of even the MCU’s most powerful villains wind up getting some form of redemption arc, whether it’s the complete transformation into a hero, such as The Winter Soldier, or a wavering back-and-forth between ideals like Scarlet Witch. Plenty of Marvel’s most poignant moments to come out of their bad guys take advantage of this, leveraging the audience’s newfound respect for the character to create a hard-hitting emotional beat. That being said, even the most irredeemable scum of the MCU have some level of empathy established for them, making some of their scenes shockingly heartfelt.

10 Kingpin’s Breakdown

Echo (2023)

Kingpin’s big entry into the MCU was hotly anticipated with Echo, fans of Netflix’s Daredevil curious as to just how much of the character’s tragic backstory from his original streaming appearances would make it in. Just like Daredevil, Echo would go on to inspire some sympathy from the audience, especially when Wilson Fisk utterly breaks down upon Maya’s attempts to heal him of his trauma. Kingpin may be far from redeemable, but Echo‘s efforts to heal rather than destroy are a thoughtful exercise in growth that serves to deepen Fisk’s character, only made possible by Vincent D’Onofrio’s hall-of-fame-worthy performance.

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

By far one of the most underrated villains in the MCU’s entire run, Baron Zemo’s means may have been reprehensible, but his motives for manipulating the Avengers into fighting are very understandable. After his plan essentially succeeds, Black Panther finds Zemo alone, prepared to kill him. Zemo’s story about the death of his family thanks to the Avenger’s negligence is heart-breaking enough on its own. However, T’Challa’s change of heart and refusal to allow Zemo to escape the consequences of his actions is a profound revelation for both characters.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

Constantly oscillating between hero and villain, Scarlet Witch’s tumultuous journey through the MCU has been characterized by grief. Having lost her parents, brother, and partner, it’s no wonder that losing her kids would be the final straw that firmly pushed her over the edge into villainy. However, her ultimate decision not to go through with her plan of taking the place of another version of herself, “getting back” her kids, was the utter culmination of all the loss she’d experienced. Not knowing how to cope with the pain, Wanda’s variant tells her to know that her children will be loved, even if Scarlet Witch can’t be the version of herself to do so.

7 Loki Begs His Father For Validation

Thor (2011)

Loki has had one of the most remarkable stories of any MCU character, let alone among the villains. From the very beginning, all his machinations were revealed to be little more than a desperate plea for validation, which he finally outright states at the end of Thor, begging his father, Odin, for worthiness. It’s hard to see Loki as anything but a victim of circumstance, despite his callous actions, and his eventual redemption that mirrored the first Thor movie in the Loki series only makes this scene all the more emotionally turbulent.

6 Killmonger’s Death

Black Panther (2018)

Despite being consumed by hatred and vengeance, Killmonger had some solid points about Wakanda’s selfish isolationism in the face of injustices across the globe. After T’Challa lands a killing blow on him in their final confrontation, he has enough respect for his fellow warrior to carry him out to see the Wakandan sunset one last time, just as his father had promised him. Defiant to the very end, Killmonger’s heartbreaking final request to be buried at sea is one of the best final lines for an MCU villain, causing audiences to mourn his exit from the MCU just as much as T’Challa did.

5 Gorr’s Daughter Dies In His Arms

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

Though primarily a comedy more than anything else, the undeniably strongest aspect of Thor: Love and Thunder was Christian Bale’s performance as Gorr the God-Butcher. Despite his heinous title, Gorr winds up being one of the most sympathetic Marvel villains yet, with the opening scene of his daughter dying in his arms being one of the most tear-jerking sequences in the franchise’s history. Though Gorr may have taken things to the extreme, his God going on to rub salt in the wound by belittling his prayers makes his descent into madness hardly unjustifiable.

4 Thanos Has A Vision Of Young Gamora

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

By far the most powerful and possibly captivating villain the series has ever seen, Thanos’ final vision of his daughter after being able to enact his plan at long-last is one of the most heartfelt moments in the entire MCU. Thanos’ convictions were so strong that not even the prospect of having to sacrifice his daughter to retrieve the Soul Stone was enough to deter him. This vision’s implication of his clearly guilty conscience was a fascinating look into the Mad Titan’s mind, displaying that while he may be remorseful, he genuinely believes in what he’s doing so much that he’s willing to make the ultimate hard calls.

3 Doc Ock Asks Peter How He’s Doing

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Spider-Man: No Way Home reinforced the idea that most of Spider-Man’s villains are victims of circumstance more than anything else, needing rehabilitation and cures to their conditions rather than death or imprisonment. The sequence of Doc Ock regaining clarity after being finally freed from his tentacles’ influence is the final proof of this thesis statement. His conversation with Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker calling back their earlier conversation in Spider-Man 2, in which Peter tells him he’s “Trying to do better“, is the final bit of payoff that’s hard not to get emotional at seeing.

2 Ayo Tests The Keywords On Bucky

Falcon and The Winter Soldier (2021)

Another villain with a tortured past, The Winter Soldier’s brainwashing was what forced him into evil acts in the first place, his every move controllable upon hearing the string of specific keywords that HYDRA implanted within him. Unsure if he’s finally been freed of this influence, the Dora Milaje general Ayo was the one to test the words on Bucky for a final time. Though the ordeal was stressful for Bucky, it confirmed that he was finally free of the influence of HYDRA’s programming, causing him to weep tears of joy. After being alongside Bucky for such an arduous history, it’s hard not to weep along with him.

1 Loki Finds Out He’s Adopted

Thor (2011)

Though Loki was always separated from his brother by feelings of unworthiness and alienation, he never had a solid explanation for his differences until the events of Thor. Finally discovering that he was actually a frost giant taken from his home as a baby and adopted by Odin, he’s understandably devastated, asking “So I’m no more than another stolen relic?“. Not only was this moment one of the most tragic in all of the MCU, but Tom Hiddleston’s career-defining work as the character in this scene forever cemented him as one of the franchise’s all-time greats.

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