Marvel: 10 MCU villains who could replace Thanos as the new Big Bad

10. The Leader

Kevin Feige has an unused big bad waiting in the depths of the MCU in the form of an Incredible Hulk villain: The Leader, aka Samuel Sterns. The name Samuel Sterns may ring a bell to fans of the Hulk after his story was teased, but left in limbo as the MCU moved on from the events of 2008’s The Incredible Hulk.

In the pages of Marvel Comics, Samuel Sterns falls victim to a gamma explosion. Consequently, he was granted the ability to obtain vast amounts of knowledge faster than humanly possible. As his hunger for knowledge grew, so too did his thirst for power. He eventually dubs himself The Leader and forms his crime syndicates to take over the government using humanoids to help achieve his goal.

The Leader becomes obsessed with the Hulk and even earns his trust. His intentions aren’t pure, with The Leader planning to use the Hulk to help take over the world. In a film, the element works well especially with the new Smart Hulk we saw in Avengers: Endgame.

We may never get a Hulk solo film, but an Avengers movie that focuses on the Hulk with The Leader as a big bad makes sense. With Tony gone, imagine Bruce yearning for an intellect that challenges his own; leading him to befriend a genius like The Leader, only to have his vulnerability exploited by the superior intellect that uses the Hulk to help him steal the Knowledge of the Universe.