Phase 3 has been on a winning streak with their antagonists but even some less revered villains like Killian, Red Skull and Ultron still have plenty to offer in their own right.

Killian’s interpretation of “The Mandarin” is an ideological boogeyman, using ignorant Western fears of terrorist iconography to strike fear into America while he builds a weapons empire and profits off a war on both sides. It’s not the character from the comic but at some point it’s time to let those things go. These aren’t the comics, they’re movies. For them to truly stand on their own, they have to tell stories of their own accord.

Red Skull isn’t as complex as the other quality villains but he’s an evil super nazi that looks like death played by Hugo Weaving. Nazis deserved to get punched and shot into space, both of which happen to this evil scene stealer. Sometimes simple is just as effective. Red Skull is also a great first juxtaposition to Steve Rogers in his early Cap days. The serum made Rogers into a stronger human with an even bigger heart. Red Skull becomes a monster who is so hateful he becomes a super Nazi. That’s scary enough in its own right.

A personal favorite of mine, Ultron is an artificial intelligence who spends roughly 30 seconds on the world wide web before deciding humanity needs to be exterminated. An understandable position to take but his identity is also fascinating in how he’s essentially a dirty mirror held up to the Avengers. Ultron tells them, “You want to save the world but you don’t want it to change.” The living automaton understands people are inherently dangerous to the world around them given history but can’t comprehend the value of human life. People can’t be compressed down to numbers and biological equations. It’s a big topic for any movie to cover, let alone the sequel to one of the highest grossing movies ever. It gets slightly tragic when Ultron at death’s door still just scoffs at the cosmic irony and beauty of humanity.