Sometimes we win by the skin of our teeth, and sometimes we lose that way too. Throughout the MCU, plenty of villains have lost; even Thanos, who initially won, eventually lost. Sometimes the hero is overwhelmingly powerful, and sometimes it’s just because a villain slips up that decides the outcome of a battle. Now MCU fans are looking at how things could have changed if some minor changes had occurred.
For every great hero, they need an equally great villain to go up against. Marvel has plenty of fantastic villains in its roster with some earning just as much recognition as the heroes they face. For our generation, Thanos will go down as being one of the best MCU villains of all time, largely thanks to the fact that he seemed to have actually accomplished what he set out to do. But how many other villains almost pulled off their nefarious schemes?
In so many instances you can always ask the tortuous question, what if? Marvel itself has done just that with the What If…? series. Now fans are doing the same and imagining how the villain could have gotten the upper hand if only for a small adjustment.
It gave many a chance to think over just how the villains lost, and what exactly their shortcomings were.
This user suggested Ronan’s lack of focus may have been the end of him, if only he hadn’t fallen for Peter Quill’s groovy dance moves.
Though another points out that even if he had won that fight, he’d be headed straight for Thanos who would have annihilated him anyway.
The OG MCU villain made the classic mistake of not staying to make sure the job was done.
This user points out that this is a common trope where the villain just assumes the hero will succumb as they walk away.
For the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 villain, it all came down to not keeping his mouth shut.
Of course, there are jokes to be made about this. Here’s a rule, if you are tricking someone into working with you, don’t tell them that you are responsible for a loved one’s death.
This fan points out another “not checking to see if they are actually dead” cliché.
All it would have taken was actually killing the hero, something he was more than prepared to do, in a very clear and final way.
Some point out that a few villains kind of did win (granted Thanos would go on to lose).
Zemo set out to create a divide in the Avengers, and he did just that.
Of course, these villains can only just wring their hands and hit their heads against a wall over what could have been — well in most cases they’re actually dead, but you get the idea.