Warning: Major Spoilers Ahead For Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3!Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 introduces yet another terrific villain to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Chukwudi Iwuji’s Dr. Robert Wyndham, a.k.a. the High Evolutionary. A madman in search of creating the next step in evolution, the High Evolutionary is directly tied to Rocket Raccoon’s backstory and the final chapter in the Guardians of the Galaxy’s journey.
Thanks in large part to James Gunn’s writing and Iwuji’s performance, the High Evolutionary proves to be a compelling antagonist that strikes genuine fear into the audience. However, for all the High Evolutionary’s strengths, there are still several MCU villains who are simply better characters.
10 Gorr The God Butcher
Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher served as the main antagonist of the otherwise underwhelming Thor: Love and Thunder. Wielding the powerful Necrosword, Gorr went on a rampage, killing gods from various religious pantheons until eventually reaching Eternity himself.
One of the best things about Gorr was his chillingly calm demeanor which remained mostly consistent throughout the film. While the High Evolutionary eventually devolves into a screaming madman, Gorr’s humanity remained a vital part of his character throughout Love and Thunder. While it might have been nice to see him appear in later projects, Gorr was one MCU villain who was killed off too soon.
9 Baron Zemo
Baron Zemo makes his first appearance in Captain America: Civil War, portrayed by Daniel Bruhl. Despite having no superpowers, Zemo proved himself to be remarkably effective, using the Avengers’ own secrets and insecurities to bring their team apart from the inside. All the while, Zemo remained calm and collected, never once wavering in his evil scheme.
Baron Zemo always had a clear plan that he executed to perfection. The High Evolutionary, on the other hand, had lofty aspirations that he wanted to achieve so desperately that he would vacillate between whatever plan seemed best. This naturally caused doubt and insubordination among the High Evolutionary’s ranks, weakening him as a result.
8 The Green Goblin
Spider-Man: No Way Home saw Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In battling all three live-action Spider-Men, the Green Goblin proved himself to be just as strong and just as crazy as ever, even managing to kill the MCU’s Aunt May variant.
Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin is truly one of the greatest supervillains ever committed to screen. His uncanny ability to see right through a hero and cut him to the heart remains unmatched by any villain in the MCU. While the High Evolutionary was too wrapped up in his own evil aspirations to fully capitalize on his enemy’s weaknesses, there is no vulnerable spot that the Green Goblin can’t find in a superhero.
7 Namor
Tenoch Huerta made his first MCU appearance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, portraying Namor, the king of the underwater city of Talokan. Using their own vibranium weaponry, Namor and the Talokanil waged war with Wakanda, proving to be a massive threat. Namor himself even proved to be an even match for Shuri’s Black Panther, establishing just how strong a mutant he really is.
While the High Evolutionary is a compelling villain, Namor is actually likable as a character. While the mutant commits truly heinous acts in his first appearance, the audience always knows the purpose behind his every action. The High Evolutionary, on the other hand, is an intensely unlikable character, who claims to want to change things for the better but actively ruins lives in the process.
6 Scarlet Witch
Once one of the Avenger’s most loyal members, Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch became one of the MCU’s deadliest supervillains during the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In her desperate attempts to get her children back, Wanda brought about destruction on a multiversal scale, killing dozens of sorcerers and the Illuminati of Earth-838.
As horrific as Wanda’s actions were, she only ever acted out of hurt and rage, in part due to the corruption brought on by the Darkhold. Furthermore, once freed from its grasp, Wanda made things right, sacrificing her life to do so. The High Evolutionary, on the other hand, was so puffed up with pride and arrogance that he could never have seen the error of his ways.
5 Ego
Ego the Living Planet was the main antagonist of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Played by Kurt Russell, Ego was a Celestial being who sought to create someone else like him with whom he could reforge the universe in his own image. It is revealed over the course of the film and later installments of the MCU that Star-Lord and Mantis are both his children.
Both Ego and the High Evolutionary fill the role of an abusive father figure to Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon, respectively. For all his villainy, it is clear that Ego really did want a relationship with his son, albeit on his terms. The High Evolutionary wanted no such thing. He couldn’t care less about his creations, so long as they worshipped him like a god.
4 Killmonger
Michael B. Jordan portrays Killmonger, the antagonist of the first Black Panther movie. Killmonger is the cousin of T’Challa and Shuri who believes that Wakanda is mishandling its resources. In a desperate attempt to right Wakanda’s wrongs, Killmonger incites a coup, taking over the throne and declaring himself the new Black Panther.
Like many of the best MCU villains, Killmonger’s actions were undoubtedly wrong but still held a slight measure of justification. The High Evolutionary fully believed that he fell into this category, but was undeniably misguided in his every action. His quest to unlock the next stage of evolution only ever brought pain to the world. Even worse, the villain was well aware of the hurt that his mission had brought–he simply didn’t care.
3 Loki
Tom Hiddleston’s Loki was one of several MCU villains to become a hero in the end, but his villainous actions beforehand cannot be overlooked. He served as the main antagonist in both Thor and The Avengers, proving to be a worthy adversary for any of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Loki’s villainy typically came from a place of insecurity, as he constantly sought love from his family. Later appearances proved that he could even be redeemed under the proper circumstances. The High Evolutionary is far more one-dimensional, with little to no chance for redemption in the callous and unkind villain.
2 Thanos
The Mad Titan Thanos is one of the most important MCU villains of all time. Biding his time until he saw an opportunity to seize all six Infinity Stones, Thanos sought to save the universe by killing half of all life. He proved successful in his endeavor during the events of Avengers: Infinity War, completing the Infinity Gauntlet and wiping out trillions of lives.
Thanos is not only one of the most compelling villains but also one of the most intriguing characters in the MCU. Like the High Evolutionary, he believed that what he was doing was good for the universe. However, Infinity War showed that Thanos was willing to make personal sacrifices for the furtherment of his mission. The High Evolutionary clearly was not, doing whatever he could to preserve his own life above all others.
1 Kang The Conqueror
Jonathan Majors is set to portray the next big bad in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Kang the Conqueror. First appearing in Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Kang and his many variants are poised to wreak havoc on the multiverse in upcoming titles like Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Kang’s full story has not yet been written in the MCU, but he is already a far more compelling character than the High Evolutionary. The deep-seated pain rooted in his past makes him far more interesting than the High Evolutionary, whose past is barely mentioned in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Furthermore, Kang’s innumerable variants add an extra degree of mystery to the character, whose presence seems integral to every timeline in the vast multiverse.
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