Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We’re back with the first Top 5 Villains List; today’s list is the Avengers’ greatest foes. The Avengers are a strange case. Many of the villains one could include in an Avengers rogues gallery are either another hero’s villain (we’ll see some of those) or a Marvel Universe-level villain (we’ll see some of those, too). The Avengers lack villains who are unique to them and many of the ones who are Avengers-specific villains don’t tend to have the personal connection necessary for a proper archenemy. (We may need to make a post for what makes a good nemesis.) But despite not having an archenemy, the Avengers have a lot of great villains they’ve faced. Let’s see who made the list.

Honorable Mention: Scarlet Witch

Yes. We have another honorable mention for this list. Scarlet Witch often works with the Avengers but she does cross the line into the role of villain and when she does, it can be devastating. Much like her MCU counterpart in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Marvel Comics’ Scarlet Witch becomes overcome by the loss of her twin sons in the story House of M. Scarlet Witch has a personal connection with the Avengers. She has the power level that can make someone believe she could defeat the Avengers, too. If she chose the life of a villain full-time, perhaps the Scarlet Witch would serve as the Avengers’ archenemy.

5: Grim Reaper

Grim Reaper certainly has the personal connection to become the Avengers’ greatest enemy. He’s Simon Williams’ (Wonder Man) brother, and in turn, Simon Williams is the brain brother of Vision, so Grim Reaper is Vision’s half-brother of sorts. I don’t know how that works. Grim Reaper has been a part of several plots against the Avengers, too, if only tangentially. He was there in the aftermaths of both Secret War and Civil War. Because Grim Reaper lacks the power level required for an Avengers’ big bad, he tends to work behind the scenes or wait until the team is underpowered before striking. Even so, Grim Reaper deserves a spot on this list.

4: Kang the Conqueror

Kang is the inverse of Grim Reaper. He has the prerequisite power to become the Avengers’ greatest villain, but he lacks a personal connection. Kang the Conqueror is a Marvel universal threat. The Avengers are one of the many teams that happen to get into Kang’s way. Kang has more of a connection to Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. In any reality (in the comic books), Kang the Conqueror began as Nathaniel Richards, a descendant of Reed’s. He idolized Tony Stark—so there’s a small connection there—and his first identity was Iron Lad. But Kang has held many identities: Kang, Immortus, Mister Gryphon, Rama-Tut, and even Doctor Doom. I hope the MCU returns to the character, eventually.

3: Thanos

Thanos is another super-powerful villain without a personal connection with the Avengers. Thanos is another Marvel Universe threat and not just an Avengers villain. Even the MCU films Infinity War and End Game brought in the Guardians of the Galaxy and a few others. Still, Thanos has had plenty of run-ins with the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. You’ll find Thanos in most Marvel titles named “Infinity” and he’s even been involved in Secret Wars and Civil War II.

2: Loki

2012’s Avengers stayed true to the Avengers’ original villain. Loki Laufeyson was the first villain of many to face off against the Avengers. He also has a personal connection to Thor Odinson, so that’s another positive for calling Loki the Avengers’ archnemesis. My favorite Avengers storyline featuring Loki is the “Acts of Vengeance” comic book crossover. Loki convinces the Avengers’ supervillain counterparts to join forces and attack members of the Avengers that the villains wouldn’t normally attack. Each hero’s nemesis would feed information about the various Avengers to the villain who planned to attack the hero. Leave to Loki to organize a massive crossover with Doctor Doom, Kingpin, Magneto, the Mandarin, the Red Skull, and the Wizard. Loki would take the top spot if it wasn’t for one villain.

1: Ultron

Created by Hank Pym (changed to Tony Stark for the MCU), Ultron was an AI designed to assist with world protection. Ultron turns rogue. He has a link with Vision and by extension Wonder Man. Add in the original Ant-Man into his origin and Ultron has the personal connections to be the Avengers’ greatest foe. He also has the power to back up those convictions. The events from Age of Ultron (the movie, not the comic book crossover, which wasn’t as good) are just the tip of the iceberg. Ultron even took the guise of Crimson Cowl and took control of the Masters of Evil, a supervillain team that just missed this list. I struggled between Loki and Ultron but decided to go with the robot. Who says a robot can’t be a superhero team’s greatest enemy?

Did we get the list right? Let us know who you would add or remove in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.