Marvel may have found its next Thanos (and it's not who you think)

Marvel Studios knows a thing or two about playing the long game with the bad guys. While some of the franchise's standalone villains have left a lot to be desired, there is no denying how well the Marvel Cinematic Universe fared building long-form threats like Thanos. With the pivot to the new Multiverse Saga, fans have been intrigued to see how they would fare with new threat Kang the Conqueror.

The result has been mixed, with some finding his origins confusing and others just indifferent to his introduction (and quick defeat) in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The accusations against Jonathan Majors and Marvel's subsequent parting of ways with the actor have also raised questions about Kang's future, with rumors suggesting that the MCU is moving away from the villain in favor of a new threat. Those rumors listed Doctor Doom as a potential replacement, but a new report suggests a different threat could be on the horizon.

Dwayne Johnson rumored to be Marvel's choice for Apocalypse

According to Marvel scooper MyTimeToShineHello, Marvel Studios wants Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to portray X-Men villain Apocalypse. Needless to say, that would be a major win for the franchise, because The Rock would be more than capable of bringing the menacing mutant villain to life.

The WWE legend is no stranger to the superhero genre, having recently portrayed the title character in DC's Black Adam. While the movie didn't exactly meet critical and commercial expectations, it was an entertaining blockbuster led extremely well by Johnson's imposing performance. If he could turn that level of imposing up, he would be a great choice for Apocalypse. And after seeing what he did with his "Final Boss" persona at WrestleMania 40, we have no doubt he could do it.

A legendary X-Men villain, Apocalypse has been a thorn in the side of Marvel's Mightiest Mutants for decades. He made his first and only live-action appearance thus far in the Fox film series, headlining 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse. In spite of a committed performance from Oscar Isaac, the movie never made full use of the character, leaving fans wanting more from the adaptation.

Is the Age of Apocalypse coming to the MCU?

While there are more Avengers movies on the horizon, it does feel like the MCU is slowly pivoting towards the X-Men - a move that is even more necessary after the recent underperformances of MCU titles. With that in mind, Apocalypse could very well become the next big bad of the MCU, and it would be easy to see why.

While Fantastic Four villain Doctor Doom has been floated around as a potential replacement for Kang the Conqueror (if Marvel does indeed choose to move away from him), there is more excitement about the X-Men's eventual arrival than the Fantastic Four's (which has admittedly generated a lot of excitement in and of itself). And given that Apocalypse is one of the team's most formidable foes, it would make sense for him to have an overarching presence in the MCU as a potential big bad.

An ancient being named El Sabah Nur, Apocalypse has limitless power and a deep, long-lasting hatred towards mutants. He and his Four Horsemen have given the X-Men hell over the years, proving to be one of their greatest adversaries - largely because he's essentially unbeatable. Though he has been defeated, he always finds a way of coming back - look no further than his appearances in X-Men: The Animated Series, when he found ways of attacking the team of superheroes from the past, present, future, and even outside of time and space itself.

Taking all of that into account, he would be a perfect villain for the Multiverse Saga. Not only is he an Avengers-level threat, he would be one that could give the X-Men the spotlight as they would ultimately be the ones to take him down. Yes, the Avengers will always have a place at the forefront of the MCU, but with the original incarnation of the team retired, the X-Men are the future. And this would be the perfect way of highlighting that.