The Marvel Cinematic Universe has had its fair share of the creepiest and most horrifying characters on the big screen since its inception, even if some of them weren't meant to be as terrifying. Here are our top 10 scariest MCU characters in the franchise!
M.O.D.O.K.
M.O.D.O.K.'s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania appearance may have disappointed many MCU fans after witnessing the villain's horrendous CGI on the big screen, but he does deserve a spot on this list. Not as scary as the rest, but the stretched-out face of Darren Cross is quite unsettling the longer you stare.
Mysterio
Although Mysterio isn't technically a 'scary' horror character in the MCU, what makes him terrifying is how he's human.
Quentin Beck is human with no special abilities or supernatural powers, and yet it is with his intelligence that he can make any illusions he would want to achieve his goal.
Considering he gained the trust of the citizens in Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Peter Parker himself, this not only makes him a formidable opponent, but an even scarier villain to deal with.
Zombie Doctor Strange
Thanks to Doctor Strange's newfound powers with the Darkhold magic, he came alive in another variant of himself in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. But not in the way you think.
See, to fight off against the Scarlet Witch in trying to open up the multiverse to join her WandaVision family again, Strange has to be in the same universe as she is.
And it just so happened, that he took this form, the... least friendly face where he could still live in spite of his crumbling joints.
Thanos
Thanos has conquered civilizations by doing exactly what he believes is the right thing in every universe: tearing it in half so that the 'better' species live on, and spare the rest.
He was the first major MCU big bad that led the Avengers and Nick Fury himself to doubt their own capabilities of fully protecting Earth and the people residing on the planet.
Because of the Snap using the six Infinity Stones on his gauntlet, half of the universe turned to ashes and only returned five years later, once Iron Man sacrificed himself.
High Evolutionary
The High Evolutionary made one appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and yet his presence remains prominent.
He used animals and various creatures to experiment on and perfect his formula for building a highly advanced civilization as a part of his plans. However, when things don't go his way, he doesn't care about his own creations.
Such that, the minute he created the Star Children, he set off a bomb in his previous civilizations, in spite of their living forms.
Kang the Conqueror
He Who Remains was the next major big bad of the franchise, following Thanos' footsteps. However, instead of merely 'conquering' Earth, Kang and his variants plan on taking over the entire universe in all of its realities.
He and his variants built the Time Variance Authority, took control over the rules of what should and should not be on the Sacred Timeline, and most crucial of all - stopped the multiversal wars in the past.
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Dormammu
The Ancient One that Doctor Strange trained under turned out to have gotten her powers from the Dark Dimension.
Although the Ancient One used it for good to find the next Sorcerer Supreme, it doesn't change the fact of her powers' roots.
Dormammu is the master in the Dark Dimension, in which Doctor Strange took himself in to bargain.
Dormammu must keep his minions from dominating Earth, and Strange would release them from the time loop he's been using via the Time Stone.
Strange may have defeated the Dark Dimension's master, but who knows if we'll never see him lurk in the billion-dollar franchise again?
Arishem the Judge
Arishem the Judge made one appearance in the MCU and that is at the ending of The Celestials, whereby his single line already sends a spine-tingling warning to Sersi and the others:
"You have chosen to sacrifice the Celestial for the people of this planet. I will spare them, but your memories will show if they are worthy to live. And I will return for judgment."
But considering that none of the Celestials even attempted to move when they were forced to face him already speaks volumes of just how mind-numbing it was to be in his mere presence.
Venom
Venom's form has always been scarier, even before fusing with Eddie Brock's body.
He was just as horrifying when he first showed up in Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man series, especially since it meant succumbing to his powers and letting Venom take control of your physical movements.
It doesn't help that he, too, could shapeshift into anything he would want to turn into at a moment's notice.
The Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch's villainous arc in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was short-lived, but the petrifying image of her escaping the mirror dimension has probably burned into every MCU fan's mind.
Not to mention, her powers just became even stronger when she mastered the secrets of the Darkhold Spellbook, making more beyond illusions, and even jumping through multiverses - anything just to reach her twin boys again.
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