The Marvel Cinematic Universe is filled with great characters, but it doesn’t always handle their stories as well as we might want. Since 2008, the MCU has been the definitive adaptation of Marvel Comics in live-action. The franchise’s shared universe was groundbreaking, ushering in a whole new era for superhero cinema that cemented the MCU’s massive success. The movies of the MCU have continued to build the franchise over the years, introducing countless new heroes and villains in that time. Though the franchise has an unfortunate habit of mishandling some of its Marvel antagonists, there have been many great MCU villains over the years.
Videos by ComicBook.com
While many of the best MCU villains have become iconic, there are several whose stories seemed to be cut short. Considering their respective places in the wider Marvel Universe, it seems a tragedy for their stories to be left with their supposed deaths in the MCU. Each of the following antagonists may appear to be dead and gone, but the MCU needs to find a way to bring each of them back to fulfil their potential.
7) Cassandra Nova
After serving as the villain of Deadpool & Wolverine, Cassandra Nova was seemingly killed off. This felt incredibly premature, what with her being the twin of the iconic X-Men leader, Charles Xavier. This, combined with her immense power, makes Cassandra Nova a villain perfect for the MCU’s X-Men, although her death presents a considerable challenge to this happening. Even so, she’s a great and powerful villain tailor-made to face the X-Men, so the MCU needs to find some way to bring her back.
6) Thanos
Leading up to the full introduction of Doctor Doom, Thanos remains the most major MCU villain in the franchise. His role in the MCU’s Infinity Saga made him its biggest and most dangerous antagonist, ending with his death in Avengers: Endgame. While the future doesn’t necessarily hold an obvious role for Thanos in the MCU, he’s a character that simply needs to return. There are few superhero movie villains as iconic as Thanos, and it seems a waste to have him gone forever within the MCU.
5) Killmonger
There are many who consider Killmonger the best MCU villain, and it’s hard to disagree that he is one of the franchise’s best. He’s a compelling character played to perfection by Michael B. Jordan, and his seemingly justified actions in attempting to reveal Wakanda to the world made him one of the most sympathetic antagonists. He’s another great villain who was wasted by his premature death, making him another character that the MCU needs to find a way to resurrect.
4) Hela
Thor has faced many powerful characters in the MCU so far, but few were as formidable as his older sister, Hela. The God of Thunder managed to triumph by ceding Asgard to Hela, only to let Surtur destroy it along with the villain. It was an unceremonious end to one of the most dangerous characters ever to feature in the MCU, and Cate Blanchett’s brilliantly evil performance made Hela one of the best single-appearance villains in the franchise. She’s another powerful villain who deserves to return at some point in the MCU’s future.
3) Kang the Conqueror
After being set up by the appearance of his variant, He Who Remains, Kang the Conqueror’s role in the MCU was much smaller than was initially planned. He featured as the main antagonist of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which ended with his apparent death. The scrapping of plans to make him the franchise’s next big bad saw Kang become a one-and-done MCU character, though it wasted so many narratives that he should have been a part of. Kang the Conqueror is simply too important a character to kill off so early, so the MCU needs to bring him back.
2) Mysterio
It’s hard to deny that Mysterio is one of the smartest MCU villains. He was able to manipulate and trick Peter Parker into giving him control of EDITH, hijacking Tony Stark’s legacy and using it against the young hero. While Mysterio’s story seems to have come to a permanent end, he simply must return to the MCU. He’s a great villain who serves as an enemy of both Spider-Man and Daredevil, and Jake Gyllenhaal’s version of the character was killed off far too soon.
1) Scarlet Witch
There are many dead MCU characters who must come back, but the Scarlet Witch is the most glaring example of a villain killed too soon. Wanda Maximoff’s villain turn was short-lived, ending with her apparent death in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Considering the MCU’s Mutant Saga is soon set to begin, it’s clear that there are many stories Wanda should yet feature in, so it seems imperative that the franchise finds a way to reverse her death and bring her back as soon as possible.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
