16 Times MCU Villains Starred In Goofy Movies

Jake Gyllenhaal plays Quentin Beck in Spider-Man: Far From Home, and his performance is outstanding. He becomes a big brother to Peter Parker, replacing the hole left by Tony Stark's passing. Of course, it's all a ruse, and in reality, Beck is playing Peter to gain access to some of the most advanced weapons systems ever created. It works, but Spider-Man eventually finds a way to beat him (thanks to his “Peter Tingle”), and in his dying act, Beck reveals Spider-Man's identity to the world.

Gyllenhaal's career began as a child, and he's appeared in numerous noteworthy films. His performance in Donnie Darko proved he had the chops to take on serious roles, and in Brokeback Mountain, he wowed audiences, earning an Academy Award nomination. His silliest role came in 2001 when he played the lead in the black comedy Bubble Boy. In the film, Gyllenhaal's supposedly immune system-less character creates a mobile bubble to seek out his friend across the country to stop her from marrying someone else.

Jeff Goldblum plays The Grandmaster, a secondary villain in Thor: Ragnarok. His charm and enthusiasm are on full display as the character does all manner of evil things with a smile. He's the one who didn't like the word “slaves,” preferring to refer to them as "prisoners with jobs." Despite being a bad guy, it's impossible not to love The Grandmaster's personality, making him an unusual villain in the MCU, to say the least.

Goldblum has been acting since the early-1970s, and throughout his time in the limelight, he's appeared in some of the greatest movies ever made. He's probably best known for his work in The Fly, The Big Chill, Jurassic Park, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Independence Day. One of his oddest movie roles came in Transylvania 6-5000, a 1985 horror comedy about two tabloid reporters who venture into Transylvania to learn the truth about Frankenstein.

Andy Serkis is one of the greatest character actors of all time, and he astounds as Ulysses Klaue in the MCU. He first played the character in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron and returned for 2018's Black Panther. Klaue is a ruthless arms dealer who somehow finds humor in every situation. He's ultimately slain by Erik Killmonger, who uses his corpse as a bargaining chip to gain entry into Wakanda.

Serkis is renowned for playing characters like Gollum in The Lord of the Rings films, King Kong in Peter Jackson's 2005 remake, and Caesar in the rebooted Planet of the Apes franchise. His career is filled with impressive roles as he has played a lot of interesting and diverse characters. 

Then there's 13 Going On 30, which is one of those movies where a kid wakes up as an adult and must navigate their way through their newfound adulthood – it's Big, but with a female lead. Serkis plays Richard Kneeland in the film, the editor-in-chief for the magazine Poise, and he's almost unrecognizable in the role.

Michael Keaton was no stranger to comic book roles when he appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming as Adrian Toomes. He's the Batman, after all, but his time with the DC Universe didn't make him any less impressive as Toomes. He plays the sinister villain to perfection – especially when he learns that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. The back-and-forth they have in Toomes's car is a master class in acting ability and proves Keaton always brings his A-game.

Throughout his career, Keaton has jumped from one genre to the other. Most of his early work was in comedies, with numerous appearances in high-profile films like Mr. Mom, Beetlejuice, and more. One of his lesser-known but still brilliant film performances is in the 1996 comedy Multiplicity. In the movie, Keaton's character wants some time to himself and lucks into meeting a fellow who clones him. Still wanting more time, he clones himself again, and so on and so on.

Jeff Bridges had the honor of playing the first bad guy in the MCU, as he portrayed Obadiah Stane in Iron Man. He's excellent in the role, as he perfectly tapped into Stane's insidiousness. Unfortunately, the talented actor's time in the MCU ended with his character's climactic death, so while he made a significant impact on the MCU, he was a one-and-done.

Bridges has been acting for decades, and he's landed a lot of important roles in film history. Among his many acting achievements, he played Duane Jackson in The Last Picture Show, Jack Prescott in the 1976 remake of King Kong, Scott Hayden in Starman, and he's the Dude in The Big Lebowski. 

One of his roles that is unusual among the rest came in 2009's The Men Who Stare at Goats, in which he plays Bill Django. The film is a satirical black comedy about the U.S. military's attempt to train personnel with psychic powers they would be able to use as weapons. Bridges is a New Age-type veteran from the Vietnam War who heads the training of what is called the New Earth Army.

Lee Pace isn't exactly all that recognizable in the MCU, thanks to all the makeup that went into creating the look of Ronan the Accuser in Guardians of the Galaxy. In the film, Ronan seeks vengeance against the people of Xandar, so he acquires the Power Stone and tries to destroy the planet. He almost succeeds but is distracted at the last moment by Star-Lord, who challenges him to a dance-off. This works long enough for Rocket to destroy Ronan's hammer, leaving the Guardians to grab the Stone and destroy him.

Pace has starred in numerous high-profile roles, including playing Thranduil in The Hobbit trilogy. He's also worked closely with Bryan Fuller on several series, including Pushing Daisies, which earned him an Emmy Award nomination. Arguably, his silliest role came in 2010's Marmaduke. Pace plays Phil Winslow, the eponymous hound's owner in the film. While Marmaduke is undoubtedly the film's star, Pace puts on a genuine performance throughout, helping to balance the movie between the two.