Marvel isn’t slowing down, so it’s time explore what’s the next overarching narrative. Here are 10 villains from previous MCU films with potential to be the MCU’s next big bad.
Kevin Feige is king of the connected universe thanks to the work he’s done with Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fans have grown to love the overarching narrative that weaved together over multiple films. While each MCU hero had their own story and a big bad, one constant villain lurked in the shadows: Thanos.
Despite him not making an appearance in every film, the MCU made sure we knew he existed. There were Easter eggs, cut scenes and name drops spanning across a decade worth of films. When he arrived, his appearance changed the MCU forever. The build-up to Infinity War and the climax that was Endgame made it all worth it.
Thanos changed the MCU forever. Kevin Feige and his vast team of creators cannot duplicate that success; however, they can continue to employ the same strategy in using another big bad across several films. Marvel is filled with them, and Feige has so many at his disposal, some of which already have a place in the MCU. The question is… Which of the Marvel villains works for the next phase of the MCU.
The villains who didn’t make the list
Don’t expect any names from the Fox Marvel character catalog. And if you’re expecting to see Galactus on the list? Sorry to disappoint you, but he didn’t. This list is about the villains who earned their stripes and tasted defeat in previous MCU films. However, not every name on the list made a physical appearance, yet.
No, you won’t see Loki on this, despite the love we all have for Tim Middleton’s amazing performance. Simply put, it’s been done before even if he wasn’t the main villain. We can’t wait to see the mischief adventures of Loki on Disney Plus. Besides, there are 10 other villains we want to see the Avengers face off against.
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.
9. The Elders of the Universe
Marvel Comic fans know The Elders of the Universe are a group of immortal beings spread across the galaxy. In the comics, Thanos faces off against and defeats a few Elders on his quest for the Infinity Stones. They have also clashed with other Marvel characters. In the MCU we’ve met a few Elders. No, Ego, the Living Planet doesn’t count, he was “made” into an Elder in name only.
The Collector, aka Taneleer Tivan, is the first Elder introduced in the MCU, as a holder of an Infinity Stone among other things. Per Thanos we learn that Taneleer has a brother, and their relationship isn’t a good one — we’d meet that brother in Thor: Ragnarok.
The Grandmaster is the eldest of the group who loved games. In the MCU, he’s the ruler of Sakaar where Thor gets trapped. On this world, we see the Hulk is the Grandmaster’s champion. There are a number of other Elders in the comics who can make an appearance down the line as well.
In the comics, unlike so many others on the list, the Elders don’t serve as a major threat to our heroes. Nevertheless, they come together to achieve one common goal. Maybe that common goal in the MCU could be to seize control of Earth.
The Collector once kidnapped Thor, among other heroes and the Grandmaster loves his warriors, so I can see those two teaming together. Then there’s an Elder like the Challenger who often goes head-to-head playing games with the Grandmaster. There’s a story in there somewhere that makes them great candidates to be used as Marvel’s next overarching villains.
8. Dormammu
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, will become the first MCU horror film with a Freddie Kruger-like villain, Nightmare. But the horror shouldn’t stop there, not with Dormammu lurking in the Dark Dimension. The last time fans saw Dormammu was Doctor Strange (2016) after he pleaded with Doctor Strange to break the loop he was trapped in. Strange agreed if Dormammu agreed to stay away from Earth.
Like any big bad, Dormammu should break his word; once again looking to take over the Earth. He doesn’t have to do it alone, in fact, he doesn’t even have to be the mastermind behind the idea. Dormammu’s return could come on the heels of Nightmare.
While he’s primarily a Doctor Strange villain; he’s powerful enough to take on the Avengers. Plus, he has some heavy-hitting back-up who’d make for an interesting villain in her own right.
In the comics, Dormammu has a sister named Umar, who at one point served as the Queen of the Dark Dimension. Umar’s quest to take over the Earth is simple; her brother had no right to give up. So, she hatches a plan to complete a task her brother failed to complete.
Umar is the more cunning and manipulative of the two. She and Dormammu teaming up to take on the Avengers in their quest to kill and take over Eternity would open more opportunity to explore the depths of Marvel’s vast universe.
7. The Kree
The MCU could use an alien invasion to set the stage for their next massive arc. Who better than The Kree to lead the charge? Thanks to the appearances of Ronan the Accuser and Korath the Pursuer fans got a taste of what to expect from an alien race of superior intellect. Ronan was relegated to a servant of Thanos after his unceremonious removal as a Kree Accuser. While we saw his power, neither of his appearances did the Kree justice.
Captain Marvel gave us a look inside of the Kree’s militant ideologies as fans saw the depths they’ll go to in endure their species’ continuing evolution. In fact, before becoming the hero we love, Captain Marvel was part of the Kree Empire as a warrior assigned to take over planets.
Of course, that is the MCU 90s timeline, and so much has changed. Ronan eventually tasted defeat, but that shouldn’t be the end of the Kree, but rather just the beginning. As Marvel Comics fans know, the Kree are responsible for the creation of the Inhumans and are also known in the comics to have allies and/or informants scattered on Earth.
The death of Ronan undoubtedly fueled the Kree Empire’s quest for revenge, which could end in a massive takedown of the Avengers. Maybe Ronan himself can return, after all, time travel does have a funny way of changing things.
6. Ultron
Seeing this name may invoke some eye-rolling considering we only saw Ultron in the MCU in 2015’s Age of Ultron. The Avengers assembled to take down the mistake birthed by Tony Star and Bruce Banner, but there’s so much to Ultron than what we saw from the Joss Whedon film. Ultron, like many other villains in the comics, recurs and with Thanos gone, he should come back to cause more chaos.
We last saw Ultron taste defeat thanks to Vision, however, there are many forms of Ultron. He’s no ordinary bad guy, he’s an A.I. who could have easily uploaded his consciousness somewhere before being destroyed. At least that’s all they need to say happened in order to bring him back.
Ultron’s motivations weren’t that far off from Thanos. He too wanted to cleanse the world, it’s just he and the Mad Titan had different ways of making that happen. He could return in the shadows as Crimson Cowl, the leader of the Masters of Evil. Don’t call it comeback either, maybe he existed in a humanoid form all along and was working in the shadows.
In the time that’s passed since we last saw him, Ulton could be said to have lurked in the shadows, slowly building his army and formulating his plan to take down the Avengers. They could take a page from the comics and include Baron Zemo in the group as well; bringing back another MCU villain. Together they could hatch their plan to kidnap some Avengers which leads to the ultimate reveal.
While a Masters Of Evil storyline would be one way to help bring Ultron back, it’s not the only way. In the comics, he also formed a group known as the Sons of Yinsen which could serve as another viable storyline. Bringing Ultron is a possibility the MCU could explore, especially after the brilliant portrayal James Spader gave in his one-off appearance.
5. Red Skull
Hardcore Marvel Comics fans probably didn’t like seeing the reformed version of Red Skull in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.
The last time fans saw Red Skull was as the (Soul) Stonekeeper during the sacrifice of Black Widow on Vormir. As explained by the red-face former villain, Red Skull sought the power of the Tesseract. After touching it with his bare hands, Red Skull was cast to the Vormir, cursed with helping others seek a treasure he can never possess.
After being trapped for decades, the events of Avengers: Infinity War released Red Skull from his tour guide duties. However, Endgame and the time-traveling fiasco of Hawkeye and Black Widow may or may not have tapped reset on the events of Infinity War. Thus, meaning Red Skull technically may have never left Vormir.
The MCU should find a way to bring Red Skull back, along with his genocidal ideologies. Red Skull’s quest for power could lead to him getting his hands on some very powerful tech. We know AIM exists in the MCU, so why not bring them back with Red Skull? With so much time passing, who knows… maybe they’ve already created the Cosmic Cube.
In the comics, Red Skull gets his hands on it and it’s powerful enough to help him take on the Avengers. Why not bring Red Skull and the Cosmic Cube into the fold as a reason to call the Avengers back into action.
4. Hela
The Goddess of Death and commander of souls made her MCU debut in Thor: Ragnarok. In her first MCU appearance, Hela, (Cate Blanchett) burst onto the scene seeking revenge on her father Odin. She displayed some of her immense power in the film, proving she’s more than a worthy foe.
The fate of Hela appeared sealed by the end of Thor: Ragnarok as Thor and Loki teamed up to ensure Asgard’s destruction lead to her death. However, as Jack Black pointed out back in 2018 during a Fandom interview; we technically didn’t see Hela die.
With that in mind, there’s plenty more to explore with Hela’s return. For one, she’s more powerful than many Asgardians, including Thor and Loki. In the pages of Marvel Comics, she faced off against plenty of other Marvel characters including Hulk, New Mutants, and once even tried to claim Wolverine’s soul.
Plus, there’s an arc where Hela took over all Nine Realms in Odin’s absence. In the MCU, she could return not just for vengeance against her brother Thor, but to obtain power over the other realms. Hela’s return makes for a powerful villain that would force the Avengers to join forces and her strength could easily rival Thanos.
3. The Sinister Six
Now that Spider-Man is officially back in the MCU Kevin Feige will continue the Iron Man theme. There’s no better way to ensure that Spider-Man leads an Avengers team than in using the Sinister Six. The thought of Disney’s Spider-Man taking on the Sinister Six seemed impossible; however, according to Screen Rant, Mysterio’s Spider-Man: Far From Home appearance opened the door for Sinister Six.
"“According to Pascal, some of the characters in the Sinister Six from the comics now exist in the MCU. Pascal hinted that something could come of this in the future.”"
In the pages of Marvel Comics, the group of Spider-Man rogues band together to take down their common enemy. Over the years, members have come and gone until the team officially disbanded. One Sinister Six lineup in the comics saw Doc Ock team with Vulture, Hobgoblin, Mysterio, Electro, and Gog.
The heavy-hitting team forced Spider-Man to team with an unlikely ally in Sandman and partner with a handful of Marvel heroes including Hulk, Ghost Rider, Nova, Deathlok, Solo, Cyborg X, Sleepwalker and the Fantastic Four.
Of course, the MCU’s Sinister Six would look a little different. Vulture and Mysterio will likely come together to take down Spidey, but the remain members could vary. No matter who joins them, there’s no doubt the Sinister Six could fill the void Thanos left behind and serve as multi-film foes.
2. The Mandarin
Fans were teased, then punched in the gut in Iron Man 3 when Ben Kingsley’s Mandarin turned out to be a drunken imposter named Trevor Slattery. Finally, after eight years, the MCU is set to introduce the real Mandarin in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
The Mandarin is known as Tony Stark’s arch-nemesis in the pages of Marvel Comics. Nevertheless, he’s ideally equipped to become the next major villain to force the Avengers to assemble. For starters, there is no Iron Man for him to feud with following Tony’s death in Avengers: Endgame. Secondly, even if there was an Iron Man, The Mandarin is far too powerful a villain for Iron Man alone to battle.
The Mandarin’s origin is one of a man thirsty for knowledge and power. After being booted from his own by the Chinese government, he isolates himself in a spaceship he found in The Valley of Spirits. During the reconstruction of the ship (into a castle) he discovered the power of the Ten Rings; each one granting him a special ability. The Mandarin eventually conquered villages in China before targeting its government, but he doesn’t stop there.
His thirst for world domination and the immense power he wields is perfect for the MCU. Of course, not much is known about how Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings will introduce The Mandarin. However, given Mandarin’s extraordinary power, intellect, and fighting skills he’s arguably the best villain to replace Thanos as an overarching Big Bad.
1. Magus/Adam Warlock
Fans knew Adam Warlock’s MCU debut was inevitable after the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 tease. Warlock is a layered character, an intergalactic being created by the Enclave to destroy Earth. Adam Warlock is a powerful being with a rich history in Marvel Comics.
Upon awakening from his cocoon, Warlock opted to fight against evil instead. His first bout saw him team with the Fantastic Four to thwart the Enclave’s plan for Earth domination. Warlock would eventually team with Thanos and more frequently, Gamora.
What makes Adam Warlock one of the best villains isn’t due to his good nature. It’s because of his evil counterpart, The Magus. Marvel comics readers are well-informed of the history of Magus, the being who forced Thanos and Warlock to team up.
In the comics, Adam Warlock became corrupt by the Soul Stone turning him mad. Like Thanos, Magus is a bad guy with a purpose: a mission to give human life meaning and free them from the shackles of good and evil. His vision is carried out by the Universal Church of Truth where all lifeforms ought to worship him, then die.
The Soul Stone plays a pivotal role in the MCU; more specifically it’s connection to Black Widow. Moreover, it’ll make sense for his debut to tie into the possible return of Black Widow. The Magus is an all-powerful being with telepathic gifts, he can also fly, project cosmetic energy, and skilled in combat. In the MCU he’d make perfect sense as an overarching villain and give reason for the Avengers to re-assemble.
Which previously introduced MCU villain would you like to see return as a Big Bad in future Marvel films?