Villains who lost but won the audience

Lost the final battle, but his "the universe needed balancing" logic still sparks the most debate of any MCU villain.

Died on Wakandan soil, but his critique of the country's isolationism reshaped the entire sequel's theme.

Caught and killed, but "was he actually wrong?" is still a live argument two decades later.

Snapped his neck and lost everything, yet "I exist only to protect Krypton" remains genuinely sympathetic.

Defeated in the first team-up, then somehow became beloved enough to headline his own show.

Outmaneuvered every time, but his argument for mutant self-defense never stops landing.

Ends the film in a cell, having broken the Avengers apart with nothing but patience and grief.

Buried under the Red Keep, still one of the most quoted, most complicated villains TV has produced.

Exposed as a fraud and defeated, but his revolutionary rhetoric about bender privilege still resonates.

Killed by Molly Weasley in one line, and still the most magnetic performance in the franchise's back half.