When the Marvel Cinematic Universe first started, it had a villain problem. The heroes were shining brightly, but their adversaries left a bit to be desired, being one-dimensional and dying before they ever really got a chance to make an impact. Well, it turns out that the MCU was biding its time to get to the real star of the show, Thanos. After making a couple of post-credits scene appearances and having a small role in Guardians of the Galaxy, the Mad Titan finally got off his butt in Avengers: Infinity War and completed his mission to wipe out half of existence.
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Thanos lost in Avengers: Endgame, but he got his licks in and quickly became the gold standard for comic book movie villains. He’s not going to be the MCU’s last Big Bad, though, so it’s a good idea to look at other options and decide which villains have what it takes to be the focus of an entire phase.
1) Norman Osborn
The MCU’s Peter Parker is already familiar with Norman Osborn, as he’s the one responsible for Aunt May’s death in Spider-Man: No Way Home. The Green Goblin returns to his universe at the end of the movie, which means he’s not around to torment the franchise’s heroes anymore. However, if there’s a variant of him in the Sacred Timeline, he can take things in a different direction.
In the comics, Norman puts his Green Goblin mask away at one point and dons the Iron Patriot armor as the leader of the Dark Avengers. He puts together a team of “reformed” villains and has them serve as Earth’s protectors. With the Avengers in a state of disarray in the MCU, Norman can weasel his way into the conflict and battle Sam Wilson and Co.
2) Annihilus
With the Fantastic Four’s archenemy, Doctor Doom, making his MCU debut in an Avengers movie, it opens the door for other foes to do the same. Annihilus often finds himself at odds with Marvel’s First Family, as Mister Fantastic, aka Reed Richards, can’t stay away from his domain, the Negative Zone.
Annihilus has no problem bringing his forces to Earth and controlling them using the Cosmic Control Rod, which allows him to manipulate energy. He’s a lot to handle, and if the Fantastic Four can’t do it alone, they may have to reach out to their allies across the universe for help.
3) The Maker
Evil versions of heroes are overdone in comic book media because it’s easy to create drama out of the situation. However, unlike Injustice Superman or Hydra Captain America, The Maker, who’s an alternate version of Mister Fantastic, uses his big brain to bend universes to his will because he thinks he knows better.
The Maker breaks bad after suffering one too many losses and spends a bit too much time in the Negative Zone. When he returns home, his mind isn’t the same, and he goes to great lengths to ensure his plans come to fruition. He even goes as far as to bond with the Venom Symbiote to give him additional abilities.
4) Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister causes his fair share of problems in the animated series X-Men ’97, swapping out Jean Grey with a clone to spy on the titular team. He also captures Nathan Summers and infects him with a disease that only future scientists can cure. Sinister is just an all-around bad guy, which makes him the perfect candidate to be an MCU Big Bad.
Sinister’s skills allow him to create just about anything he cooks up in his screwed-up mind. His stories also feature plenty of time travel, something the MCU already has experience with. While the version of Mister Sinister from X-Men ’97 may not be all that formidable, his live-action counterpart can turn the dial to 11 and change the course of the franchise forever.
5) Apocalypse
En Sabah Nur is one of the original mutants, and his dark backstory gives him a pretty bleak outlook on humanity. He returns every few centuries to cause problems for the X-Men, but his plans are big enough to put him on the radar of other heroes as well.
Apocalypse’s signature move is to recruit four super-powered individuals to his side and turn them into his horsemen. He gives them enhanced abilities and pits them against their old friends. With a whole multiverse of options, Apocalypse could create a pretty powerful army in the MCU.
Do you think the characters on this list could reach Thanos’ level in the MCU? What other villains deserve a spot on this list? Let us know in the comments below!
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(Photo by Bruce Glikas/Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic)
