- This episode of Nerdist News Edition
is sponsored by Borderlands 3.
Who will be the next Big Bad
of the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Ever since Thanos turned into the world's worse case
of allergies, fans have been wondering
what is next for Earth's mightiest heroes,
and what does Marvel have up its sleeve
for Phase Four and beyond?
And, while Kevin Feige and company
laid out a road map for what to expect
at this year's San Diego Comic Con
and Disney's D23, there's still one lingering,
unanswered question on every fan's mind:
who's gonna replace Thanos
as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's next Big Bad?
Well, strap yourselves in, 'cause we're
gonna break down the top candidates,
plus a few curve balls, just for fun.
First up, the biggest bad of them all: Galactus.
How do you top a purple giant who throws planets?
Well, how about a purple giant who eats planets for dinner?
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1966,
Galactus made his first appearance
in Fantastic Four issue number 48.
Cosmic entity that must feed on planets
to maintain his life force, generally
with little regard for those that are killed
in his wake.
And on top of this wanton destruction,
Galactus comes with a few mini-bosses
in the form of heralds, like Terrax
and Silver Surfer, who could be used
as smaller villains in the films
building up to his entrance into the MCU.
However, it might be a little premature
to go to the Galactus route in the MCU,
considering he shares a few similarities
with Thanos -- I mean, they're both large, purple boys.
He's another extraterrestrial threat
without any real ties to Earth,
he's cool with mass destruction,
and, as we said before, he's a big old egg plant emoji.
If you think about it, he would have a pretty good--
Anyway, you get it.
We might start to see the first inklings
of Galactus in some of the upcoming cosmic films
like The Eternals or Thor four,
but it might take some time until his big screen debut.
And, speaking of cosmic beings,
our next pick for the Big Bad is the Beyonder.
One of the most powerful beings
in all of the Marvel Universe,
he was first introduced in Secret Wars,
when he gathered all of your favorite heroes
and nastiest villains to fight each other
on the planet Battle World.
And, plus, did we mention he wears a sweet leisure suit?
Hunh?
Pretty cool.
The Beyonder has seemingly limitless powers.
He's able to basically do whatever he wants
and bring whatever comes to his mind
into reality.
So he's kind of like, I don't know,
Q from Star Trek the Next Generation?
The Avengers and the Fantastic Four
usually have to have everyone on deck
when combating the Beyonder,
and usually that isn't enough to take him down.
Having the Beyonder be the next Big Bad
of the MCU will definitely be a step
up in threat level from Thanos.
It could be a real challenge for the new Avengers roster.
Plus, the Russo brothers have made it pretty clear
they would come back to do a big screen adaptation
of Secret Wars, and, honestly,
who doesn't want to see that?
Next up on our list isn't just one villain
but a group of them.
It's the Masters of Evil.
First introduced in the early days
of Avengers comics, this team was formed
by our good pal Baron Zemo's father Heinrich,
and has had such luminaries as Ultron,
Enchantress, Klaw, Absorbing Man, and the Wrecking Crew.
Marvel's already laid some of the groundwork
for the formation of this team of criminals.
If you remember, back in Captain America: Civil War,
Helmut Zemo was the driving force
that led to the separation of the Avengers
in the first place.
He's behind all of this.
And he did that by himself, armed
with only one weapon: knowledge.
Imagine him with a team of powerhouses.
Plus, we know he'll be returning
for the for The Falcon and Bucky show,
complete with his signature purple mask.
But where is Paste-Pot Pete?
This is Paste-Pot Pete erasure.
Overall, the Masters of Evil might be
a little underpowered when compared
to cosmic characters like Thanos or Galactus,
but, in the right creative hands,
they could be just as dangerous.
Plus, this could all wind up setting
up the Thunderbolts down the line.
I mean, god, aren't comics the best?
Another route Feige could take
would be the Negative Zone baddie Annihilus.
Originally a Fantastic Four villain,
who made his appearance in FF Annual number six
back in 1968, Annihilus has since
gone on to become a thorn in the side
for heroes like Nova, Quasar, and Thor.
But it was the 2006 comic book event Annihilation
that really put Annihilus on the map,
as you probably guessed from the name.
During that storyline, the alien warlord
led an invasion out of the Negative Zone
in an effort to destroy the universe.
And he very nearly did so if it hadn't been
for the combined forces of Galactus, Nova,
the Guardians, and the Silver Surfer.
The Annihilation event showed everyone
just how big of a threat Annihilus actually is.
And if Feige wanted to level up
from the Infinity War saga, well
Annihilation could definitely be what he's looking for.
This next one will never happen,
but we'd be remiss if we didn't include him,
you guessed it, Onslaught.
Yeah, you know, Onslaught, that evil,
psionic entity made up of the dark sides
of both Magneto and Xavier?
It was after Professor X rendered
Magneto catatonic for ripping Wolverine's
adamantium out of his body?
You know, Onslaught?
He seemingly killed all of the Avengers
and the Fantastic Four?
Even though they really survived
in this pocket universe called Counter-Earth?
Because comics!
You guys, (sighs) Christ.
As one of the more infamous storylines
in the 1990s, we're lookin' at you,
Spider-Man's clone saga.
Onslaught really shook up the status quo
of the Marvel Universe.
With nearly unlimited psionic powers,
like telekinesis, telepathy, reality manipulation,
Onslaught was basically an excuse for Marvel
to kill off some of their titles
that were, uh, lagging in sales
and hit the big old re-set button.
Since his defeat in that cross-over,
he's only shown up a handful of other times.
But there's no denying that, in terms
of raw power and impact on our beloved heroes,
he's a force to be reckoned with,
even if he straight up sucks ass.
Now, if you've ever wondered how the Avengers
might fare against their DC counterparts
the Justice League, well, then,
you might be in luck, because our next pick
is the Squadron Supreme.
Debuting back in 1969 as the Squadron Sinister,
the Squadron Supreme are essentially
analogs of the JLA in the Marvel Universe.
Hyperion is Super Man,
Nighthawk is Batman,
Power Princess is Wonder Woman,
and so on and so forth.
And in their universe of Earth-712,
they take over the government to create a utopia.
But they end up ruling as dictators, instead.
Whoops.
The team does eventually realize their methods are wrong.
This team's a prime example of how absolute power
can corrupt absolutely.
And as for how they could be the next Big Bads of the MCU,
well, we could see a world where,
now that the MCU's Avengers are taking a siesta,
the Squad establish themselves
as the foremost super team on the planet.
But, as time goes on, they begin
to put a stranglehold on Earth's political systems,
and eventually this would force the Avengers
to reform, and then they have to take down
these so-called heroes.
Now, we know we'll never actually see
a Marvel-DC cross-over, but this would be
a great substitute, and still a major threat
to the Marvel Universe.
Now, another villain we could see taking
up Thanos's big purple mantel is one I've theorized
about over on Explainiac, which you can watch right now
wherever fine nerdist content is streamed.
The time-traveling baddie Kang the Conqueror.
Now Kang shows up from time to time
in both the Fantastic Four and Avengers books,
usually trying to take over the universe
with his future tech, superior intellect,
and, of course, the ability to time-travel.
I mean, that's a big old MacGuffin right there.
While Kang's technology is far more advanced
than anything Tony Stark could ever dream
of making in a cave with a box of scraps,
he'd be a formidable villain for any team to face.
It might be a little early to include
in the MCU at the moment, especially so shortly
after the time-traveling shenanigans of Endgame.
I mean, the filmmakers can't even agree
amongst themselves how the timeline works.
So why would you complicate it
by adding another dude?
And guess what?
He's (bleep) purple, too.
Why does every (bleep) villain purple?
(long bleep)
That's it.
It would still be super cool to see
past, present, and future versions
of the Avengers having to team up
to stop him across time, as they did
in the comic book mini series Avengers Forever.
But, for now, only time will tell.
And, finally, we've save the best for last.
Doctor Doom.
Victor von Doom's long been considered
not just Marvel's top villain,
but one of the greatest villains
of all time.
Every since his first appearance
way back in Fantastic Four issue number five
back in 1962, his iconic appearance,
his tragic backstory, his intellect,
and powers have all contributed
to the indelible impression he's made
on the pop culture landscape.
And while his onscreen appearances thus far
have been, well, disappointing to fans,
especially ones like myself--
- You're fired.
- There's no time like the present to fix that.
For those unfamiliar,
Doom is the benevolent dictator
of the fictional country of Latveria.
And, after an experiment in college
went awry, something he blames on his classmate
and known stretchy boy Reed Richards,
his face became scarred, prompting him
to wear his iconic mask for the rest of his life,
and go on to inspire rappers like MF Doom.
What makes him so great is that,
in his eyes, he's the hero who's been slighted
by everyone else.
He's a nice guy.
He's an equal mix of Professor Moriarty,
Lex Luther, and Darth Vader all rolled up
into one, gross suit.
Seriously, I don't think he washes that.
And, with his genius-level intellect
on par with that of a Mr. Fantastic
or a Tony Stark, as well as a penchant
for magic, the only thing that holds Doom back
is his own arrogance.
Which is exactly why he's the perfect pick
for the next Big Bad of the MCU.
So there you have it, folks.
Our list of who could be the next major villain
in the MCU.
We won't know for sure who exactly it'll be
until sometime in the future,
but for now we're excited for whomever
Kevin Feige and company choose
as that next Thanos-level threat.
But what do you folks think?
Who do you think is the next Big Bad in the MCU?
Are we missing anyone from our list
that you'd actually like to see?
And what villain do you think is worse?
Paste-Pot Pete, or Stilt-Man?
I'm gonna go with my boy triple P.
Let's discuss.
Thanks again to Borderland3
for sponsoring today's episode.
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