Marvel’s Phase 3 is on Track to Fix the MCU’s Villain Problem

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a whole lot of fun. It’s a testament to how to do a cinematic universe right. However, it’s not perfect. The most glaring issue involves their villains. Sure, there are a few standouts like Loki, and well…maybe the Red Skull? But ultimately, in order to build up their heroes, a lot of character development for the villains is left on the cutting room floor. Even worse, most of them suffered from just being evil versions of the heroes in question. Thankfully, Phase 3 is just the remedy we need. As we come off the heels of Infinity War, we have to remember that the road to it was just as good. The most recent chapters in the MCU have given us some unique onscreen villains. Marvel seems to be learning from their mistakes, and here’s the proof. In no particular order, let’s walk through a couple of the best villains Phase 3 has given us so far.

Helmut Zemo

Zemo is perhaps the most underrated villain in the MCU. No lie. This man single-handedly split apart the Avengers. If you can’t appreciate that, then you’ve lost sight of true villainy. My guy deserves credit. True, his role in Captain America: Civil War is subtle, but there were levels to this shit. Let’s go through the list:

Responsible for Crossbones’ attack, leading to the Sokavia Accords. He killed King T’Chaka. Caught Bucky with the setup and renamed him Reek. Had the heroes throwing hands in the back of an airport. Made Tony throw the whole superhero thing out the window for a …