4 Marvel Villains That Could Save the MCU After Secret Wars

The first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, despite having stumbles along the way, quickly became the most coveted item across Hollywood. Interconnected movies that had a wide array of talent and touched on different genres, all of which culminated in a gigantic two-billion-dollar hit with Avengers: Endgame. Marvel Studios seemed unbeatable after the 2019 movie, with its extensive plans for The Multiverse Saga and its Disney+ TV show slate appearing to be the next evolution of what fans already loved. Though some hits have found their way to the surface, Marvel has hit plenty of potholes along the way.

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It’s very possible that with the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars that Marvel will pull off another magic trick, but even if those two movies land with a major impact, it will be a result of quickly pivoting toward audience tastes and not because they had a big plan they were building toward once again. But what about after the dust settles and the MCU does its “reset” of the entire universe? When that time comes, Marvel will need a plan, and with it, villains that can carry not only multiple appearances but push their heroes into new places.

4) Magneto

One of the few movies that Marvel Studios has confirmed is happening in a post-Secret Wars world is a full MCU reboot of the X-Men. Although many of the characters from 20th Century Fox’s take on the 2000s will return in Avengers: Doomsday, and perhaps even more in Avengers: Secret Wars, Marvel Studios appears to be committed to putting its own stamp on the characters. With that will no doubt come plenty of new versions of fan-favorites, but Magneto could be the most important.

The blueprint for how an MCU version of Magneto could work is already clear; they just have to follow the Loki playbook. Introducing the character early on as the inverse to the heroes of the first X-Men movie is going to plant hte seed of his presence, but from there he can quickly evolve just as he did in the pages of Marvel comics. Finding the balance between devious antihero and tricky antagonist, an MCU take on Magneto can not only satisfy the character’s villain roots but also quickly put him on a path toward becoming one of the best characters in the X-Men stable.

3) Green Goblin

Marvel needs to learn to have no fear of redoing iconic characters that appeared on the big screen beforehand. Their upcoming reboot of the X-Men seems like proof that they know a post-Secret Wars MCU has to embrace this, but it cannot be limited to just that franchise. Fans will no doubt want to see Tom Holland continue to play Spider-Man in the MCU for years to come, and if he’s going to keep crawling walls, then he needs a devious antagonist that can torment him across his appearances and not just a single film.

The Green Goblin has long been Spider-Man’s biggest foe. Not only is he capable of making Spider-Man’s life miserable, but he can also exert a similar amount of pain on Peter Parker personally. Marvel needs their own version of Norman Osborn not only because of the implications that come with the character’s Spider-Man association, but how he has been deployed in other Marvel titles like New Avengers and Thunderbolts. Bringing Green Goblin into the MCU will give the entire franchise a villain that can appear anywhere and take down anyone, but especially challenge Spider-Man.

2) The Beyonder

No one really believes that after Avengers: Secret Wars, the MCU will suddenly dispel with engaging in multiverse shenanigans, the same thing happened with Marvel comics, too. With The Beyonder, not only does Marvel get the perfect character to keep messing with alternate realities and different takes on heroes, but a villain who can quickly pull together a reason for a crossover.

In the pages of Marvel comics, The Beyonder was the architect for the original Secret Wars crossover event. Marvel seems to be going the route of the 2015 Secret Wars and making Doom the big-bad, but keeping The Beyonder in their back pocket for another multiversal event ensures that they always have a villain with that capability. It’s also worth noting that The Beyonder has near limitless powers and often torments Marvel heroes across comics in the lead up to the big Secret Wars events, giving him a distinct place as a villain that can recur and be seeded across multiple appearances.

1) Dario Agger/The Minotaur

One Marvel character his solo efforts seem to always be talked about is the god of thunder himself, Thor. Though already starring in four of his own movies and with appearances in other team-up films, the character has a distinct place in the MCU that he occupies, a fantasy adjacent franchise that no other hero can quite satisfy. Many of Thor’s major villains have already appeared but a more recent one that could quickly shake up the MCU in a weird way is Dario Agger aka The Minotaur.

The Minotaur may be primarily a Thor villain, but he has an ace up his sleeve that makes him a clear favorite for a larger MCU presence. Agger is the CEO of Roxxon, one of the biggest evil companies in the entire Marvel canon. To date, this company has been mentioned in a slew of projects, from Iron Man to Loki, but it’s never been at the center of a story the same way it is in the comics. With Agger as the head, it gives Marvel a great opportunity to plant a villain’s place in the MCU where their reach goes beyond a single film.

There’s another asset the MCU could get by adding The Minotaur, a chance to get meta. Marvel already seems poised to make fun of itself and superhero movies with the upcoming Wonder Man TV series, but with The Minotaur, they can really take meta gags to a new level. Recently in the pages of Marvel’s The Immortal Thor, The Minotaur pulled off his most devious trick yet, buying the rights to Thor’s life story and publishing comics to pull off a deranged propaganda push to make the god of thunder look terrible to the public. It’s the perfect recipe for Marvel to have its cake and eat it too.