Avengers Endgame was a cinematic event ten years in the making, and bookended a lot of
the stories that fans of the MCU had poured so much love and adoration into.
Now that we’re soon to be entering into a new phase of the cinematic universe, one
of the biggest questions on the minds of many is who exactly will the Avengers be facing
off against in the next big theatrical saga.
So today, get ready to jump into hypothetical land with us and debate over who that character
might be with our list of the top 10 characters who might become the next Avengers villain.
And heads up friends, there’s some major spoilers for both Avengers Endgame and Captain
Marvel on this list.
You’ve been warned.
10 The
Mandarin The Mandarin may have appeared in Iron Man
3 in an adaptation that many had mixed feelings over, but anyone whose a hard core MCU fan
will know that Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery wasn’t the only one who claimed to be the
Mandarin.
The comics tied into the MCU actually retconned this with the one shot All Hail the King,
in which Trevor Slattery’s fate was left unknown as he made his way to meet the real
Mandarin who ran the Ten Rings.
Since, there hasn’t been any sort of news or updates concerning the character, but the
chances of the Mandarin actually returning to the MCU seem bleak; he was primarily a
foe of Iron Man’s, and now that Tony Stark is gone, it doesn’t seem likely that the
Mandarin will fit as seamlessly into the universe’s narratives.
9 Red Skull The Russo Brothers have actually confirmed
that Red Skull, who was played by Ross Marquand Infinity War and Endgame, has been released
of his imprisonment and task on Vormir now that the Soul Stone no longer resides there.
This opens up the possibility of the character returning to the MCU, but perhaps Red Skull’s
impact would be significantly less compelling now that Steve Rogers is retired and out of
the picture.
Regardless, he’s a character who we wouldn’t be surprised to see making a cameo somewhere
down the line.
Or maybe that’s wishful thinking; all we really wanted was to see Cap return the soul
stone to Vormir and come face to face with his ex-foe.
8 Doctor Doom There’s no doubt that Doctor Doom would
make for one hell of a fantastic addition to the MCU.
No pun intended there.
Victor Von Doom is one of the most complex and dynamic antagonists the Marvel comics
have ever seen, first appearing in 1962 in The Fantastic Four issue 5.
He’s one of a handful of characters on this list that will inevitably find their way into
the MCU, but how exactly is a total mystery.
Now that Marvel Studios and Disney have acquired the rights for the character back from Fox,
it seems likely that Victor would make his on screen debut alongside the Fantastic Four;
something that many fans have theorized won’t happen until Phase 5.
Doom could arguably hold his own as the next saga’s big bad; he’s an absolute genius,
and has proven to be one of the most persistent villains in the comics to date.
7 The Skrulls Ever since the trailer for Captain Marvel’s
solo film dropped, fans have been speculating that Secret Invasion will be the next story
event that will be adapted into the MCU.
The Skrulls were introduced into the cinematic universe in that film, set in the 90s, and
ended with them leaving Earth to start a better life.
The conclusion of the Captain Marvel film painting the Skrulls as a peaceful race just
trying to survive from the Kree’s genocidal goals, it seems that perhaps Secret Invasion
may be a story left untouched for now.
On the flip side of that, though, fans noticed a neat little easter egg at the end of Avengers
Endgame, when Peter returned to school.
Ben Mendleson, who plays Skrull character Talos in Captain Marvel, was visible in the
background, working as what appeared to be a school administer, welcoming students back
after the snap was reversed.
So could the Skrulls have returned to Earth since the 90s?
And are they back with more nefarious intentions?
6 The Kree Speaking of the Skrulls, the Kree were set
up as way more of an antagonist force in the MCU.
They’ve always been mixed up with some sort of trouble in all of their cinematic appearances
so far, from Ronan threatening mass genocide, to Jude Law’s Yon-Rogg and the Supreme Intelligence
who manipulated Carol Danvers for years.
Despite Carol kicking their butts and helping the Skrulls escape the Kree’s genocidal
goal of exterminating their race once and for all, the Supreme Intelligence is still
out there in the galaxy, and surely won’t be too pleased that Captain Marvel is out
there, soaring around, actively protecting the Skrulls and others they deem as a threat.
Who's to say they won’t target humans next?
5 Norman Osborn Norman Osborn is a character that we’re
all waiting to see make a debut in the MCU.
Osborn, aka the Green Goblin, arguably Spider-Man’s main arch-nemesis, has been left on the bench
so far in the MCU, and while we all believe that it’s inevitable he’ll appear on the
big screen fighting the web slinger one day, there have been fan theories floating around
since Endgame that suggest he might arrive sooner rather than later.
One popular theory suspects that Osborn will actually be introduced via the Secret Invasion
story arc, adapting his green goblin persona as a genetically mutated Skrull rather than
simply thanks to the goblin formula.
Others think that thanks to the five year time jump, we’ll be seeing Peter Parker
mingling with new students the likes of Gwen Stacy and Harry Osborn in upcoming films,
which will give way to the villain’s introduction.
With Spider-Man very much being set up to fill Iron Man’s shoes in the Avengers (and
potentially keep everyone’s interest still invested in the team now that the Infinity
Sagas has ended), an appearance from Norman Osborn as an Earthly big bad could really
make an impact.
Considering the Spider-Man Far From Home is the final installment in Phase 3 of the MCU,
there could be a foundation set in place for Osborn to enter into the cinematic universe
sooner than expected.
4 Adam Warlock/Magus The post credit scene of the Guardians of
the Galaxy volume 2, we got to see a glimpse of a character who has yet to officially debut
in the MCU.
Adam Warlock.
At the beginning of the film, the guardians pull a fast one on the Sovereign, a highly
advanced genetically engineered race.
Their leader Ayesha creates a new kind of Sovereign, who is brewing in a cocoon that
she decides to name Adam, leading fans to believe that this was in fact Adam Warlock,
the cosmic hero who played a very large role in the Infinity Gauntlet comics from 1991.
Despite not appearing in the Infinity Saga in the MCU, many have speculated that the
third Guardians film will feature the hero in some capacity, and he may even initially
play the role of villain at first.
Warlock has an alter ego by the name of Magus, a sinister version of himself who initially
appeared in the comics from the future.
With the amount of power Warlock is capable of, and the fact that he was left out of the
Infinity Saga, has led some to theorize that the character may end up being a threat of
the next iteration of Avengers rather than fighting on the side of good from the get
go.
3 The Beyonder The Infinity Saga has left some pretty big
shoes to fill; Thanos sized shoes.
And many fans of the cinematic universe believe that the only way to top that, or keep up
the momentum, is for the next wave of Avengers to face off against a baddie who is at least
as powerful as the mad titan was.
The Beyonder, the villain at the center of the Secret Wars story event, definitely fits
that bill.
First appearing in Secret Wars issue 1 in 1984, the Beyonder debuted as an unseen, omnipotent
being who kidnapped the heroes and villains of the Marvel universe and plopped them onto
another planet called Battleworld for them to duke it out in a massive competition for
his entertainment.
He claims to possess a power a million times greater than the entire multiverse combined,
and has proven capable of destroying and recreating abstract entities the likes of Death.
He’s destroyed galaxies on a whim before, too.
He would then return in the Secret Wars sequel in 1985 with a more sinister goal; to destroy
the Marvel multiverse, and appeared in a humanoid form, taking on a human form to better understand
the race.
So all in all, very powerful character.
But whether or not the MCU would want to bring the Beyonder into the fray is a little debatable;
without the Fantastic Four having been introduced, or their main foe Doctor Doom, an adaptation
of Secret Wars might be a tad lacking.
So it seems more likely that the MCU might introduce another extremely powerful threat
before busting out the beyonder in phase 4 and 5.
2 Galactus Speaking of characters of cosmic proportions,
perhaps the most popular theory as to who the next Avengers villain will be is the devourer
of worlds himself, Galactus.
Galactus is a cosmic entity who first appeared in Fantastic Four issue 48.
Initially a mortal man named Galan of Ta, he was alive in a universe that existed prior
to the big bang; a cosmic event that ended up destroying his universe and creating the
one we know now.
Galan was merged with the Sentience of the Universe during the destruction, giving him
the power cosmic, which required him to devour entire planets in order to stay alive.
It’s an insatiable hunger, and one he travels around throughout the universe trying to fill,
with his herald, the Silver surfer, scoping out potential planets for him to consume.
Despite often committing mass genocide, the character is beyond ethics, being a force
of nature that disregards any sense of morality, with his existence necessary in maintaining
the balance of the universe.
Universal balance was what motivated Thanos to do what he did in the Infinity Saga, so
there’s potential there with Galactus to bridge together that and the next saga thematically
if Marvel Studios wanted to go down that route.
1 Kang the Conqueror While Galactus seems like the kind of character
who would best fit the role of the next major Avengers antagonist, Kang the Conqueror is
someone who many believe may make an appearance in the next Avengers film, potentially filling
in as a Loki or Ultron-level kind of threat.
Kang is from the 31st century; he’s a time traveller, and several versions of him have
appeared over the years in the comics.
Kang first appeared in the comics in Fantastic Four issue 19 in 1963, but took on a much
bigger role (and the name of Kang) in 1964 in The Avengers issue 8 as a foe of the superhero
team.
On their first encounter, he kidnaps all of the Avengers except for the Wasp and Rick
Jones, and informs the world that they have 24 hours to surrender to him.
After Jones double crosses the villain and frees the Avengers, Kang releases radiation
that only those from his future world are immune to, but Thor uses Mjolnir to absorb
the radiation and fires it back at Kang.
He’s very much a character whose story relies on the multiverse and multiple timelines,
and some fans believe that the introduction to the multiverse in the MCU in Avengers Endgame
is setting the stage for a villain who has a mastery of maneuvering through said multiverse.
Alright friends, there we have it!
Time to take bets!
Who do you think will be the next big bad in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Give us a shout in those comments below and let us know all of your thoughts
and feels!