I love Loki but this isn't close.

Ward is better in every possible conceivable way.

Hail Hydra!

Loki is better, love Ward but he isn't this good.

Ward for sure.

His story arc from the being an abuse victim, to a HYDRA spy within SHIELD, to a man trying to make amends, to a man trying to find closure with his lover, to the Director of HYDRA...

It just blows anything about Loki out of the water.

Recycled from an old blog post I made about Ward:

OK, I know whether or not Grant Ward is actually a 'supervillain' is debatable but goddamn. Go watch the first season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Specifically the latter half. By the time you come back, I guarantee you you'll have zero reservations about labeling him the greatest villain of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far.

When we're first introduced to Ward in the pilot, he comes across as your average 'by-the-rules-I'm-too-cool-to-work-alone' badass super-spy agent that every show of this genre tends to have at least one of. Every character of Coulson's team had their character trait; Skye was the charismatic newbie, Fitz-Simmons were the nerds, May was the 'Batman', and Grant Ward himself was budget Captain America. Uninteresting, dull, and flat. Then, midway through the series - and this comes back to what I mentioned about HYDRA earlier - the show suddenly reveals why Ward was characterized the way he was. So why he was so bland and unremarkable? (brace for year-old spoilers): Because he was a fucking double agent! Once we get there, all the pieces suddenly fit. And earlier flashbacks to his childhood take on a whole new meaning. Of all the twists and surprise reveals that the MCU has had throughout its ten movies and assorted tie-ins - this was the only one that had me genuinely go, "Oh shit."

What I love so much about the characterization of Grant Ward, and what makes him such a superb example of villainy, is that he's no genius mastermind - he's just a soldier following orders. Ward is almost like a dark inversion of Captain America; a man who only knows how to follow his superior and obey authority. And whereas Cap's moral compass was able to break rank in The Winter Soldier, Ward was the complete opposite, and in the S.H.I.E.L.D. civil war, he succumbed to his role as a mindless grunt. Think of some of the greatest examples of villainy in the real-world. How many times have normal, everyday people done horrible things just because they were 'ordered' to? That's what Grant Ward is. When he was a child, he was afraid to disobey his older brother's orders to beat up their younger sibling. When he was recruited by Garrett, he shot his own dog just because the man told him to. And when HYDRA finally revealed itself, and Ward was forced to turn on his friends - men and women whom he'd fought side-by-side with for months now - he betrayed them without hesitation.

Just because he was ordered to. Because he was on a mission. Because it 'wasn't personal'.

I can't think of anything more chilling than that in a villain.

@veshark: Really nice post.

I personally found Ward's characterization as the Director of HYDRA in Season 3 to be even cooler than his role as the spy who followed Garrett's orders in Season 1. Something about a Grant Ward who decided to take things into his own hands due to all of the trauma, exploitation, and abuse he'd endured...that really came across as formidable.

Appreciate it!

Yeah, I think I wrote that blog post circa Season 2 Agents of SHIELD, but I've always enjoyed Ward in all his incarnations too. From the sadist who tortured Bobbi Morse, to the "good" Ward from the Framework, and honestly even when he came back as Hive. Brett Dalton plays the character well, and I always get a big grin on my face whenever Ward pops up on the show.

I like Loki better, but ward is probably the best villain in the mcu

Ward is a better villain. (Loki is not even a villain half the time.)

Something that surprised me about Ward, is that at first I thought it would be the classic case of a character that is a villain only for two chapters and then return to being good. (Examples: Caitlin Snow/Frost, Raimundo of Xiaolin Showdown, Willow of Buffy)

But it was not the case, in fact it can be argued that he got worse in each season.

Grant Ward

I like Loki more, but objectively Ward is probably the most well-written villain in the MCU.

@veshark: No problem. And yeah, Brett is a super talented actor. Framework Ward was an incredible variation of the character, I love the inventive ways that AoS finds to bring him back. They all feel fresh and original.

Nice matchup.

I'll lean towards Loki. Could change my mind though. I need to rewatch SHIELD again.

To be fair, Loki seems to be more of an anti-hero than an actual villain, IMO. So, Grant.

Grant Ward. I hope Marvel finds some way to bring him back.

@bleidd: I want to see him in AoS season 6, somehow.

@bleidd: @the_magister: they always find a way to bring him back.

What? You, the Magister, likes Ward better!?!

I would've never guessed.

OT: Ward is definitely a better villain, but I like them both equally as characters for different reasons.

Ward. Not even close. Cool calm and calculating. A cold blooded killer with absolutely cold blooded.

@mutant1230: Shocker, I know.