Marvel Studios has established an impressive rogues’ gallery with over ten years of films. 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, and The Punisher. The villains from these series were neither as immediately recognizable nor as powerful as Thanos, but they were 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+. The licenses for the series were regained by Disney, and are no longer with their original network. Fans who never tuned into the Netflix era of Marvel television have finally begun watching the series they missed out on; meanwhile, others have recently been revisiting their favorite series. With so many Marvel fans watching the shows, we figured now would be a good time to look at some of their greatest villains. Here are the best villains from the Netflix era of Marvel television, ranked.
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7 Davos
Disney, Marvel Television
Like Danny Rand, Davos was a member of the Order of the Crane Mother. Davos believed his life’s purpose was to become the Immortal Iron Fist, becoming deeply distraught when the mantle instead went to Danny. When Danny left K’un Lun for New York City, Davos viewed this as the ultimate betrayal. 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 judgement and fueled his bloodthirsty ways, but Davos still believed that he was the hero.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
6 Bullseye
Bullseye, a.k.a. Benjamin Poindexter, was an expert marksman that was able to turn anything into a weapon. Poindexter knew exactly the right angles to ricochet projectiles, and had a level of precision that possibly surpassed that of Hawkeye’s. He was a remarkably talented man, but was also mentally unstable and had psychopathic tendencies. Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, manipulated Poindexter into working for him, during which Poindexter wore the Daredevil suit.
5 Madame Gao
Since the first season of Daredevil, viewers knew that Madame Gao was no ordinary elderly woman. While operating in New York City, Madame Gao worked with Wilson Fisk and ran a heroin trade in Hell’s Kitchen. She was one of the five leading founders of the Hand, betraying the teachings in K’un-Lun by using Dragon bones to extend her life. Throughout her appearances in the MCU, Gao made life very difficult for Daredevil and Iron Fist.
4 Jigsaw
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, but was unable to escape punishment for his crimes.
3 Black Mariah
Mariah Dillard was a corrupt politician in Harlem that presented herself as a force for good. She was a ruthless woman that felt no remorse for all the lives she ruined and all the people she killed. Dillard killed her cousin (played by Mahershala Ali, who has also been cast as the MCU’s Blade) with a microphone stand. Dillard also burned a man alive just for being related to one of her enemies. Despite Mariah using the surname “Dillard” to disassociate herself from the Stokes Crime Family, she remained in the criminal underworld. Bushmaster corrected anyone calling her a Dillard a countless number of times; “Stokes, Mariah Stokes.” It may have been the most repeated line in the Defenders Saga. Mariah Stokes has been ranked third on this list because of her ruthlessness, as well as her willingness to do anything to get what she wanted.
2 Kilgrave
Marvel Comics’ Purple Man was modified for television, never being 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. 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 was 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. By far, Kilgrave has been the most twisted villain in a live-action Marvel production to date. Kilgrave’s reign of terror was eventually stopped, but he still left mass destruction in his wake. This was a very different television role for David Tennant, who played the much more heroic Tenth Doctor in BBC’s Doctor Who.
1 Kingpin
Netflix
Wilson Fisk was originally a Spider-Man villain in the Marvel Comics, but his live-action counterpart made his debut in Daredevil. The crime lord did not necessarily have superpowers, but had tremendous control over New York City. Many of the institutions people relied on were full of people working for the Kingpin. Fisk was also someone of incredible size and strength, who unleashed his anger when fighting his enemies. He sought to eliminate his competition and anyone who bothered him, including the leader of the Tracksuit Mafia. The death of William Lopez culminated in Maya Lopez shooting the Kingpin during the finale of Hawkeye.
