10 Oldest Marvel Movie Villains, Ranked By Age

Throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe and other Marvel movies, there have been a select few villains who stand out as singularly ancient. It’s no secret that the movies of the MCU have built the biggest and most successful shared universe in the history of cinema. This not only requires carefully adapting the source material from the stories of Marvel Comics, but finding the right balance of characters to populate such a universe.

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Every hero needs a villain, and Marvel movies have delivered some unforgettable antagonists over the years. In fact, some of the most powerful Marvel movie villains from the MCU’s movie timeline and beyond boast impressive longevity or even immortality, making them markedly ancient. These villains not only enjoy their unnaturally long lifespans, but use them to cause major problems for the Marvel heroes they encounter. With that in mind, here are the 10 oldest Marvel movie villains, ranked by age.

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10

The High Evolutionary, 300+ Years Old

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

The cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 introduced a number of characters to the MCU, but one of the most unforgettable was the movie’s villain, the High Evolutionary. The founder of OrgoCorp is established as being renowned for his unorthodox and unethical genetic experiments, as well as his unpleasant treatment of his subjects. Hailed as something of a living god, the High Evolutionary’s age can be placed definitively as just over 300 years old at the very least.

The movie states both that the High Evolutionary founded OrgoCorp, and that it has been in operation for over 300 years. Even if he had founded the company as a young man, this would place his age at roughly 330 years, at a minimum. This confirms him as one of the oldest villains in the MCU, in addition to being one of the most nefarious.

9

Thanos, 1000 Years Old

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Thanos is, without a doubt, the MCU’s biggest and most iconic villain. Having served as the over-arching antagonist of the Infinity Saga, Thanos’ role from behind the scenes set him up as a formidable foe for the Avengers, with the Mad Titan also proving to be one of the MCU’s oldest villains. Though Thanos’ specific age is never stated within the franchise, real-world context was offered to surmise a reasonable approximation.

In an interview, Joe Russo, one of Avengers: Endgame’s directors, confirmed Thanos’ age in the MCU. Russo explained that Thanos was around 1000 years old during the events of 2012’s The Avengers, giving a rough idea of how old he is in each other MCU movie. This cements Thanos as one of the franchise’s oldest villains, in addition to being perhaps its most noteworthy.

8

Xu Wenwu, 1000+ Years Old

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

Among the cast of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the MCU’s real answer to the Mandarin was introduced, righting Iron Man 3’s controversial twist regarding the character. The powerful Marvel villain was established with a revised backstory that directly connected him to Shang-Chi, and it was one that saw him established as one of the MCU’s oldest antagonists. The movie briefly sets up the Mandarin’s backstory, confirming that he is a little over 1000 years old.

The movie explains that Xu Wenwu, the Mandarin, found the Ten Rings roughly 1000 years ago, and that they stopped him from aging. This places his official MCU age at around 1040, considering the most likely age he found the Rings and factoring in a margin of error. Even though the movie doesn’t give a specific number, Shang-Chi‘s villain is confirmed as one of the MCU’s oldest villains.

7

Loki, 1050+ Years Old

Thor (2011)

The age of the MCU’s Asgardians is an interesting phenomenon, as their lifespans are confirmed as being different from those of humans. The longevity of Asgardians means that they are some of the franchise’s oldest characters, with Loki, who is actually Jotun by birth, counted among them. The MCU’s handling of Loki’s age is inconsistent, but even the lowest numbers thrown around still make him one of the franchise’s older villains.

There is evidence to suggest that Loki’s age in the MCU is either approximately 1050 or around 1500. The latter was confirmed by Marvel as Thor’s MCU age, and there are lines of dialogue that heavily imply that the brothers are the same age. However, the year that Odin finds Loki is stated to be 965 AD, which would place his age at around 1050. Regardless, Loki is definitely one of the MCU’s oldest villains – at least, before he became one of its most popular antiheroes.

6

Hela, 5000+ Years Old

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Once again, the MCU’s loose definition of Asgardian ages creates a complex and inconsistent picture, but it is thought that Hela is also one of the MCU’s oldest confirmed villains. When she is introduced in Thor: Ragnarok, it is explained that Odin imprisoned Hela for being too bloodthirsty before Thor or Loki were born. It’s not the franchise, but rather the official Marvel website that gives additional context to enable an approximation of Hela’s age.

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Her official Marvel bio once stated that Hela was imprisoned by Odin for “over 5000 years”. However, this was calculated to create a plot hole, as Odin himself was thought to be around 5000 at the time of his death. Hela’s official bio was revised to state that she was imprisoned for “several millennia”, which still cements her as one of the oldest MCU villains even without a specific number.

5

Malekith, 5000+ Years Old

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Malekith might be one of the MCU’s most forgettable villains, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s one of the oldest in the franchise. The Dark Elf antagonist was featured in Thor: The Dark World, with his search for the Aether pitting him against Thor. His backstory involves a cosmic phenomenon known as the Convergence, which is explained to occur once every 5000 years.

It’s through this that Malekith’s age can be calculated. He’s shown fighting Bor, Odin’s father, during the previous Convergence, which happened exactly 5000 years before the events of The Dark World. Therefore, it can be surmised that Malekith is over 5000 years at the very least, if not considerably older, as he doesn’t appear to age at all in the intervening years, hinting that the character may have possessed remarkable longevity.

4

Apocalypse, 9983 Years Old

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

Though he was one of the biggest antagonists of Fox’s X-Men movie franchise, Oscar Isaac’s Apocalypse earned a reputation as one of the more disappointing Marvel movie villains. In the comics, Apocalypse is considered the “first mutant”, making it unsurprising that his cinematic age places him among the oldest villains in the history of Marvel movies. Pinning down a specific age isn’t easy, as the movie offers only a vague indication of how old he may be.

In the comics, Apocalypse is born in 8000 BC, placing his age during the events of X-Men: Apocalypse at exactly 9983. However, he can be confirmed as at least 6000 or so, as the opening scene takes place in 3600 BC, and he is shown to be at the height of his powers. Regardless of whether his comic book birth date is canon to the movies, it’s clear that Apocalypse is one of the oldest villains to be established in any Marvel movie.

3

Arishem, Billions Of Years Old

Eternals (2021)

The cast of Eternals introduced many characters into the MCU, but few were as exciting for the franchise’s future as Arishem. The Celestial served as the movie’s main antagonist in a sense, existing mostly as a looming threat over the people of Earth. Though the movie does not go as far as to state Arishem’s specific age, it can be estimated using context offered in the pages of Marvel Comics.

In the comics, Arishem is said to have been created alongside the universe, making him as old as time itself. There is nothing in Eternals that contradicts this in any way, and Arishem’s near god-like status is enough to seemingly confirm just how ancient he is. Considering the cosmic scope of Eternals’ story, it certainly implies that the MCU’s Arishem is every bit as old as his comic book counterpart, making him one of the franchise’s oldest villains.

2

Galactus, Older Than Time

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)

Galactus is one of the most powerful and ancient entities in the wider Marvel Universe, and the Devourer of Worlds made his live-action debut in the much maligned Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. The 2007 sequel introduced Galactus in decidedly underwhelming fashion, giving him the appearance of a colossal space cloud and failing to establish much of his traditional comic book backstory. Even so, his age can be calculated using comic book context.

In the comics, Galactus was originally a mortal being who existed in the sixth incarnation of the universe, before the current reality began. This means that Galactus technically predates time as it currently exists, making him one of the oldest villains in the history of the Marvel Universe. Though Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer does not directly confirm this, it also doesn’t contradict it, and presumably the movie’s cloud-based Galactus shares an origin with his comic book counterpart.

1

Dormammu, Older Than Time

Doctor Strange (2016)

Placing a specific age for Dormammu in the Marvel Universe is essentially impossible, as it has been stated that no one actually knows just how ancient he is. An inhabitant of the Dark Dimenson, Dormammu resides in an existence separate from the Marvel Universe that does not obey the laws of physics. Therefore, establishing an actual timeline for Dormammu isn’t technically possible, even though he’s considered to be among the most ancient of all Marvel villains.

Dormammu’s MCU debut came in Doctor Strange, with the Sorcerer Supreme briefly facing and outsmarting the powerful entity. The movie does not even attempt to delve into Dormammu’s backstory, so it can be assumed that the MCU’s version of the character is every bit as steeped in unknowable context as his comic book counterpart. This would make him the oldest villain in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and beyond, as it’s impossible to measure any actual age for the ancient entity.

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