This is the point when the competition is going to get more interesting, A few generic enemies may have slipped through but the competition is much more interesting from this point on. We're going to be looking at the semi-semi-final brackets on the left side of the table today.
KILGRAVE - 'THE PURPLE MAN' VS EMIL BLONSKY - 'THE ABOMINATION'
Successful Villainy: I'm just realising that this point of the series may require me to repeat myself a bit. I always liked the aspect of Blonky's (Tim Roth) character where he was determined to face off against the Hulk, and turning himself into The Abomination was a means to the end. It's a still a simple goal, though, and Hulk ended up smacking him from one end of Harlem to the other. Kilgrave (David Tennant) is all about worming his way into Jessica Jones' head and he continued to haunt her long after his own death. When you're breaking down their goals and successes you have to give that point to Kilgrave.
Fight!: "Rip your own arms off."
Point to Kilgrave.
Who Love to Hate: We'll say it once again for those at the back: David Tennant as Kilgrave is as charming as he is terrifying. He's easily one of the best and most fascinating characters in the entire MCU and the Abomination doesn't stand a chance. Point to Kilgrave.
Result: An easy 3 - 0 win for The Purple Man.
ALEXANDER PIERCE VS LOKI
Successful Villainy: Does anyone else feel that this is another forgone conclusion? Not that Pierce (Robert Redford) is a slouch in this particular field, he did manage to infiltrate SHIELD with ALL of Hydra. Having taken down the world's most expansive military agency is nothing to sneeze at. Unless you've usurped the Asgardian throne on two occasions, in one case holding the crown long enough to build a giant statue and put on plays about yourself. We almost wanted to give this to Loki (Tom Hiddleston) but we have to concede that Pierce at a larger lasting impact as a result of his subterfuge. Point to Pierce.
Fight!: Pierce is a tough old dude, Loki is a sprightly young God. Point to Loki, easily.
Who We Love to Hate: Robert Redford is certainly a classic Hollywood professional and he adds weight to the role of Pierce.
But...Loki. Point to Loki.
Result: 2 - 1 to Loki. We're amazed Pierce got one passed him.
RONAN THE ACCUSER VS WILSON FISK - 'KINGPIN'
Successful Villainy: The first major difference between these two is the duration of their victory. Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) has been running this racket for a long, long time. Nothing happened in Hell's Kitchen without his approval, criminal or otherwise. Within his sphere of influence, he was all powerful. Ronan (Lee Pace), the fanatical Kree, went rogue and came scary close to accomplishing this goal, wielding an Infinity Stone all the while. This was his one big move though by one person...Kingpin was a modern emperor. Point to Kingpin.
Fight!: Kingpin is certainly a powerhouse. He's a bulldozer and it's rare anyone go toe-to-toe with him and live. Ronan, on the other hand, has a Power Stone infused hammer. Point to Ronan.
Who We Love to Hate: We don't hate Ronan as a villain...but Vincent D'Onofrio is the reason the show blew up and spun out into an additional five shows. I literally use this character in my film class. Point to Kingpin.
Result: This is the first instance of this post where I didn't know the result going in. Sometimes you just got write it out. 2 - 1 for Kingpin.
GRANT WARD VS DARREN CROSS - 'YELLOWJACKET'
SUCCESSFUL VILLAINY: Right...this are two different types of villain here. Ward (Brett Dalton) is a spy, a more than competent SHIELD agent who was also a Hydra agent on the sly. Yellowjacket (Corey Stoll) is a in the weapons game, developing future technologies and selling them to the highest bidder. When we get down to the details, Yellowjacket didn't quite fulfil his goal of controlling the market and even if he had he had got straight up crazy by this point. Ward's role in the Hydra take-over was a sweeping success. Point to Ward.
Fight!: As slick as Ward is, his experience will be tested by the Yellowjacket suit. All the shrinking powers of Ant-Man plus the ability to fly and shoulder mounted lasers. They'd give each other a runaround but we think Yellowjacket just may each Ward out in the end. Point to Yellowjacket.
Who We Love to Hate: This one gave us pause. We found Stoll's mad scientist routine plenty entertaining, especially after he started acting unhinged. Unfortunately we was at the tail end of the MCU's habit of turning out 2D villains. Ward may not be as striking, but he is more complex and unpredictable. Dalton always does a great job with this character. Point to Ward.
Result: Huh. Ward is doing better than expected with a 2 - 1 win.
We'll be back soon with the right hand bracket!