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Humor is a huge part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's formula, for both better and worse. There are some absolutely hilarious heroes in the MCU and some who are less than so. With every unfunny hero, comes a less-than-funny villain. Unlike heroes, making a superhero villain funny is far trickier. Indeed, and unless it's specifically part of their vibe, like the Joker, it's typically not too fitting.
Even if it is fitting, that doesn't always mean that the writing is going to be good — people are more than aware of the fact that the comedic writing in the Marvel Studios films isn't always perfect. Whether intentionally humorless, like Thanos (Josh Brolin), or trying too hard to be comedic and only coming across as cringe, a few MCU villains are quite unfunny. This list will rank them based on how ineffective they are, with the worst offenders being those who are supposed to be funny but fail miserably. Remember, though: humor is subjective and no one person is incorrect for finding a character funny!
10 Johann Schmidt/Red Skull
Played by Hugo Weaving & Ross Marquand
Image via Marvel Entertainment There is nothing funny about the Nazis. Unlike everyone else, Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) was never supposed to be funny and was never taken as such. Johann Schmidt is a terrible and ruthless leader who ranks among the MCU's most stereotypically evil villains, murdering thousands and ruling with an iron fist.
Being a top leader in World War II pretty much rips the humor right out of any character, and the same can be said for Red Skull. It's hard to take someone who rips his human face off with levity. The villain of Captain America: The First Avenger is one of the last characters someone will think of when imagining funny Marvel Cinematic Universe foes.
Release Date July 22, 2011
Runtime 124 Minutes
Writers Christopher Markus , Stephen McFeely , Joe Simon , Jack Kirby
9 Thanos
Played by Josh Brolin
Image via Marvel Studios The main antagonist of the entire Infinity Saga has to be incredibly dramatic and serious — maybe even Shakespearean — when threatening half of life in all the universe. Like Red Skull, Thanos was never intended to be a comedic character in the slightest. He has a goal and doesn't bother with trivial humor on his way to it.
The Mad Titan has a certain presence about him that has zero intentional comedic sense. Comic book Thanos has a very slight comedic sense, given that he's head-over-heels for Death itself, but there's nothing humorous about Thanos in the MCU. That said, he does have a few golden moments that are funny because of how matter-of-factly he acts. For example, Brolin's delivery of "I don't even know who you are" is a highlight of the final battle for Earth.
Release Date April 27, 2018
Runtime 149 minutes
Writers Stephen McFeely , Christopher Markus
8 Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger
Played by Jeff Bridges
Image via Marvel Studios Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) is meant to be Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) dark reflection and what would happen to him had he not changed his war-profiteering ways. No matter how nefarious he is, though, Stane still attempts to crack a joke sometimes and, at the end of the day, it doesn't work.
Although it can be argued that he has a funny moment in the film, with the internet turning his "Tony Stark built this in a cave! With a box of scraps," line into a meme, that wasn't intended to be a joke within the film, so is null and void when coming to whether the character is funny. Obadiah tries his best to be like Stark in a sense, and it doesn't work.
Release Date May 2, 2008
Runtime 126 minutes
Writers Mark Fergus , Hawk Ostby , Art Marcum , Matt Holloway , Stan Lee , Don Heck
7 Quentin Beck/Mysterio
Played by Jake Gyllenhaal
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing Mysterio is another character that has the chance to have his mid-tier humor be potentially intentional, as his whole character is a farce. Much like the Ant-Man franchise, Tom Holland's Spider-Man has always been lighthearted and more comedic than others. However, Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal) sometimes tries a bit too hard to bring levity.
It can be argued that the character is taking this overly lighthearted tone to get in Peter and Nick Fury's (Samuel L. Jackson) good graces, but it doesn't change the fact that some of his jokes are less than ideal. He's trying to be the next Iron Man in both heroics and spirit and... it isn't working. The worst part is that Jake Gyllenhaal is actually a great comedic actor, so Mysterio's awkwardness falls entirely on the writing and directing.
Spider-Man: Far from Home
Release Date July 2, 2019
Runtime 129 Minutes
Writers Erik Sommers , Chris McKenna
6 Justin Hammer
Played by Sam Rockwell
Image via Marvel Studios This is not to say that Sam Rockwell isn't funny, quite the opposite; he is the best part of Justin Hammer's otherwise obnoxious characterization. It's clear that Hammer was brought into Iron Man 2 to parallel Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in every way. Thus, it can be argued that the entire intention was for Hammer to be as funny as Tony, just meaner and more selfish.
However, some of the things the war-profiteering businessman says are simply not funny at all; some would even say that his lines could be considered "cringe-worthy." This grating approach might be the intention, but that's unlikely. Hammer is trying too hard at all times, but few, if any, of his jokes actually land, making him one of the MCU's most forgettable characters. Iron Man 2 has numerous issues, but arguably the worse is making Sam Rockwell unfunny.
Release Date May 7, 2010
Runtime 124 minutes
5 Darren Cross
Played by Corey Stoll
Image via Marvel Studios There was some slight comedic writing with Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) in the first Ant-Man film, but the studio went way overboard with Cross' comical direction in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. When the group comes across Darren, now transformed into the bizarre and uncanny M.O.D.O.K., the humor is hard to chuckle at.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is already a film that tries way too hard to be funny but ultimately fails. Thus, it's only logical that M.O.D.O.K. would suffer the same fate, especially in such an overstuffed movie. It seemed like the filmmakers couldn't decide whether to make M.O.D.O.K. funny or silly, leading to the character's downfall. Stoll is game, but the design is far too ridiculous to be effective, and the writing is uninspired, forgetting that comedy requires actual intelligence.
Release Date February 17, 2023
Runtime 135 minutes
Writers jeff loveness
4 Aldrich Killian
Played by Guy Pearce
Image via Marvel Studios For some reason, Marvel Studios loves to make the villains of the Iron Man franchise a little humorous; unfortunately, it has never really worked. When Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) makes his appearance in the modern day after his glow-up, he's supposed to reflect the worst parts of Tony Stark — and he does! But when it comes to him being a more lighthearted guy with some joking tendencies, it doesn't necessarily work.
The wonderful Guy Pearce plays the part very well, actually. Ever the accomplished actor, Pearce understands that, deep down his conventionally attractive new physique, Killian is still the nerdy guy that Stark met years prior. He's trying his best to emulate Stark's humor and cocky demeanor but just doesn't have the sauce to pull it off. It's silly when it's supposed to be cool, which is never a good sign for a villain.
Release Date May 3, 2013
Director Shane Black
Runtime 130 minutes
Writers Drew Pearce , Shane Black , Stan Lee , Don Heck , Larry Lieber , Jack Kirby
3 Todd Phelps/HulkKing
Played by Jon Bass
Image via Marvel Studios Todd Phelps (Jon Bass) is supposed to be funny but pretty much fails most of the time. He has his moments, but the intention behind the character is barely met. Todd is, unfortunately, not a great character in the first place, and while She-Hulk: Attorney at Law wasn't a bad show, characters like this one truly dent its already shaky reputation.
Phelps is supposed to be humorous because he's a pretty pathetic guy, but he honestly comes across as more annoying than unlikable, killing most of his supposed comedic moments. Todd may be one of the primary antagonists in She-Hulk, the show may have been better off only Titania (Jameela Jamil); at least she was somewhat interesting.
Release Date August 17, 2022
Rating
Seasons 1
Writers Jessica Gao , Dana Schwartz , Cody Ziglar , John Buscema , Kara Brown , Francesca Gailes , Jacqueline Gailes , Melissa Hunter , Zeb Wells
2 Ultron
Played by James Spader
Image via Marvel Studios Ultron (James Spader) is not only far weaker in the MCU, which fans very well know, but far more controversially, he also adopted Tony Stark's personality when he was born. With another character, some of the jokes that the artificial intelligence says would work, but the fact that it's Ultron absolutely destroys any potential humor.
In the comics, Ultron is an emotionless and merciless being who cares little for humanity. Only a small sliver of that is true with the Marvel Studios version. Fans were absolutely not happy with this adaption, and some have called him borderline unrecognizable. Hearing a notoriously humorless character crack jokes just feels wrong, and despite Spader's best efforts, Ultron feels unfunny and outright exasperating.
Release Date May 1, 2015
Director Joss Whedon
Runtime 141 minutes
Writers Joss Whedon
1 Trevor Slattery/"The Mandarin"
Played by Ben Kingsley
Image via Marvel Studios Rightfully, Iron Man 3 gets criticized for its treatment of The Mandarin (Sir Ben Kingsley). The Mandarin is Iron Man's archenemy in the comics, so making him Tony's final antagonist made perfect sense. However, the reveal that the film's version of The Mandarin was actually a bummy actor named Trevor Slattery was an instant mood killer and upset a plethora of fans.
Even in the modern day, looking back, the humor they attempt to pull off with Trevor is not funny in the slightest, and it gets even worse when he's reintroduced in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. In both films, Slattery is an absolute tone-killer and takes people out of the high-stakes plot, especially in his second appearance. Sir Ben Kingsley is way too good for this shlock.
NEXT: The 10 Most Well-Earned Sacrifices in Superhero Movies, Ranked
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