The MCU May Have Two Chances To Fix One of Marvel’s Biggest Villain Mistakes, 10 Years Later

The MCU is about to give a second chance to a group of villains that the franchise did dirty, and it has two chances to get one of Marvel’s biggest villain mistakes right. During the MCU’s first few phases, villains were consistently the weakest part of the movies. Iconic villains were killed off, dumbed down, or made so generic that they became the least memorable parts of their movies.

Luckily, that started to change in 2015. Netflix began making TV shows set in the MCU, with the first one being Daredevil season 1. This batch of episodes introduced Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk, one of the most well-developed antagonists in the franchise. The character was so popular that he is still one of the MCU’s main villains, with him returning in 2026’s Daredevil: Born Again season 2. However, Daredevil was also the source of a major Marvel antagonist mistake.

Netflix’s MCU Didn’t Get The Hand Right

The Hand played a prominent role in the MCU, with them acting as the overarching antagonists of Daredevil seasons 1 and 2, Iron Fist season 1, and the saga’s big crossover event, The Defenders. In the story, The Hand is an ancient organization of ninjas who operate in the shadows. They have massive control over the drug trade in New York City, but their true goal is to dig up dragon bones that are hidden under Hell’s Kitchen and use them to resurrect their dead.

Unfortunately, The Hand was incredibly boring throughout this saga. Since Netflix’s corner of the MCU was so grounded, this translated to The Hand as well. While they talk about being hundreds of years old and having ninja powers, these elements are incredibly underutilized. Most of the villains in The Hand are nothing more than generic drug manufacturers who occasionally do martial arts. The Five Fingers of The Hand feel like incredibly boring businessmen, and the fact that they are taken down by a team like The Defenders makes them seem incredibly weak.

Tons of elements of The Hand were toned down in Netflix’s MCU. For example, in the comics, The Hand worships an ancient demon who gives them their immortality and powers. However, this demon seemingly doesn’t exist in the MCU. In the comics, The Hand is known for their bright red ninja outfits and attacking in hordes. In the shows, members of The Hand aren’t wearing their iconic outfits, and they often fight the Defenders in one-on-one battles.

Considering that The Hand is one of Marvel’s most popular groups of villains, it’s a shame that the MCU hasn’t done them right. However, it isn’t too late to fix this major mistake.

The Hand Could Appear In Two Upcoming MCU Projects

While The Hand hasn’t appeared in the MCU in years, it seems like they may be making a major comeback. There are rumors that The Hand will have a presence in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, this time wearing their iconic red outfits. It isn’t known what their role in the story would be, but having them appear in a heightened movie like Spider-Man would give Marvel the opportunity to feature The Hand in a more comic-accurate form.

However, Brand New Day isn’t the only upcoming project that they could appear in. There are also rumors that The Hand will appear in Daredevil: Born Again season 3. This would probably build off of Brand New Day‘s reintroduction of The Hand, seeing the ninja clan in its proper form finally go up against Daredevil.

These are all just rumors, so they should be treated with a grain of salt. However, both of these projects seem perfect for The Hand’s big reintroduction. Since the Netflix shows were never as popular as the mainline MCU, The Hand was never given the spotlight in the MCU that it gets in the comics. Featuring The Hand in a Spider-Man movie would finally put them on a larger stage by introducing them to a bigger audience.

Daredevil: Born Again season 3 would then put them in a more familiar territory. While their battles with Spider-Man would probably be more lighthearted, their appearance in Born Again would probably match the dark and gritty debut they made in the Netflix show.

This means that the MCU will get to show off both sides of The Hand in the next few years. This offers one of the best possibilities for a second shot at a villain in the MCU yet, so fans of Daredevil should rejoice.

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