We’re well into Phase Four of the MCU right now, and it would be no understatement to say that the reaction has been mixed.

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Starting with Black Widow and most recently including Thor: Love and Thunder, the recent slate of Marvel films has been a mixed bag for most viewers, but there is one consistently strong factor within most of these movies.

Phase Four has produced some of the most exceptional performances by villains in the MCU so far, and this has been highlighted by MCU fans on social media.

Say what you will about Phase Four, but the villains have massive standouts.

— DR Movie News 📽 (@DRMovieNews1) July 10, 2022

While things may not have started off so well with Black Widow struggling to find its villainous footing, in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Wenwu was a standout foe played masterfully by Tony Leung.

While Eternals has its highs and lows, since then the villains of the MCU have only been hits, with Willem Dafoe back as Green Goblin in No Way Home, Elizabeth Olsen stealing the show as Scarlet Witch during Multiverse of Madness, and most recently Christian Bale terrifying audiences as Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder.

Despite these standout performances, many of these films have failed to meet critic and fan expectations. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder have both faced extensive criticism since their respective launches.

Of course, Spider-Man: No Way Home fared much better, becoming one of the best MCU offerings so far.

As the MCU goes forward, fans should expect more iconic Marvel Comics villains to grace the big screen and hopefully, the bar that has been set so high will only be beaten once again.