The Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t what it once was, and a lot of that has to do with villains – or lack thereof. The first three phases of the MCU had the benefit of all fitting under the umbrella of one over-arching villain threat: Thanos the Mad Titan and his unrelenting quest for the Infinity Stones. However, ever since “The Infinity Saga” ended with Avengers: Endgame, there’s been little in the way of a coherent overarching narrative, or a villain to serve as the big bad threat lurking in the wings. Marvel Studios pulled the hail mary of a lifetime pivoting from Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror to Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, the villain who will bring the current “Multiverse Saga” of the MCU to a close, with the releases of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. After Secret Wars, the franchise will get a soft reboot that will open the door to a whole new MCU status quo, one where mutants like the X-Men and superpowered families like the Fantastic Four stand alongside the Avengers in one shared reality.
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When the MCU enters its new era with Phase Seven, there will be a whole new chance to introduce actual game-changing villains that can carry the franchise forward in significant ways, and have an arc that lasts longer than just one film or TV series.
Here are the Top 5 Marvel Villains That Could Save the MCU’s Next Phase.
Mr. Sinister
Nathaniel Essex was a brilliant 19th century English scientist and geneticist, who became obsessed with charting mankind’s path toward ultimate ascension. Essex’s brilliance in evolutionary theory attracted the ancient mutant warlord Apocalypse, who artificially mutated the human man into his first lieutenant (or “prelate”) tasked with charting and/or genetically manipulating the strongest mutant bloodlines to create Apocalypse’s ideal class of warrior-survivalists. Instead, Essex created four clones and sent them out into the world on four different paths towards godhood: the clone tasked with finding omnipotent power through mutant genetics became known as “Mister Sinister,” and has been a scourge on mutants, ever since.
The expanded mythos around Sinister, Essex, and the other clones (established in X-Men’s “Krakoa Era”) has only added more qualification for the character to be a villain who has been secretly observing and/or influencing events in the MCU, for centuries. Sinister could be a key character in explaining why the mutant gene was overlooked for so long, or why mutants will be such a pivotal species in the new MCU franchise. As X-Men comic fans know, Sinister has a penchant for manipulating events from the shadows until it’s time to make a big play (like rewriting all of reality in his dark image – or actually achieving some measure of godhood), which is perfect for a slow-burn big bad.
Annihilus
Annihilus is an insectoid alien and warmongering Nihilstic conqueror who hails from the mysterious pocket dimension realm of the Negative Zone. Fearing only death itself, Annihilus obtained the artifact known as the Cosmic Control Rod, which increased his own strength and durability, gave him control over all kinds of cosmic energies and radiation, and extended his life well beyond its natural span. Annihilus’ only mission is invading other universes (using his dreaded “Annihilation Wave” fleet) and seizing any power that will increase his own, or further preserve his life. Period.
The cosmic side of the MCU is in desperate need of overhaul. It has so many film and TV series that belong under its tent (the Thor movies, Guardians of the Galaxy Trilogy, Eternals, Captain Marvel, The Marvel, Secret Invasion, Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame) but no real cohesive ties between them, and no overall narrative guiding it. Annihilus can change all that. Marvel’s “Annihilation War” event remains one of the most beloved cosmic story arcs ever done. The villain presents a straightforward threat to the entire Marvel Universe – one that can take its sweet time heading toward Earth, and would require the F4, Avengers, and all those aforementioned cosmic figures to rally together. “Annihilation” could finally deliver the MCU cosmic event fans deserve.
Molecule Man
There is one character who has been closely tied to Marvel’s “Secret Wars” events: Owen Reece, The Molecule Man. Reece began as a technician at a nuclear power plant; an accident with an unknown form of radiation mutated his cells, giving Reece the godlike power to control all matter at a molecular level, or be in tune with any matter he focuses on. It was later revealed that Reece’s transformation was actually the work of the otherworldly beings known as The Beyonders, who established “The Molecule Man” as a singularity in every reality – a living matter-bomb capable of erasing an entire reality upon detonation.
In the version of Secret Wars from the 2010s, God-Emperor Doom uses Molecule Man’s power to stitch together his “Battleworld” reality, made from fragmented remnants of different Marvel universes. With Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars essentially recreating that story, it seems like Molecule Man would be a key villain to feature in those two event films – and then, keep around afterward, lurking somewhere in the cosmos, as a living “reset button” that can pushed on the franchise at any time – or a means to giving fans more alt-universe or character variant stories on a smaller scale.
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Apocalypse
By now, almost every Marvel fan knows about Apocalypse, aka “En Sabah Nur,” the Egyptian slave who became the first known mutant of the Second Generation era. After conquering Ancient Egypt, Apocalypse moved to the sentient island of Okkara and created a society of all-powerful mutants along with his wife Genesis. When half the island was lost in a war between mutants and a demonic realm (Amenth), Apocalypse stayed behind on Earth to seal the portal, losing his true family in the process. Apocalypse spent the subsequent centuries trying to push modern mutants to become fierce warriors and survivors like his first clan – often leading to futures where he leads the world (humans, mutants, and even machines) into an all-consuming conflict.
Apocalypse is the villain that should’ve been a big bad in the Fox X-Men movies from the very start. Not only is he complex, compelling, and full of deep lore – his backstory also crosses with Kang, the Fantastic Four, and countless other Marvel characters and events. Once the Mutiverse Saga is over, it stands to reason that the next big threat in the MCU will involve time (again). The fact that Apocalypse can exist in the past, present, and future makes him an ever-present threat to the timeline, immediately giving the MCU a whole new set of stakes: avoiding an apocalyptic future like the infamous “Age of Apocalypse.” We can all just forget about that X-Men: Apocalypse movie. That wasn’t it.
The Maker
Fantastic Four: First Steps is a movie that will introduce Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic to the MCU; however, Pascal’s casting has had hardcore Marvel fans thirsting to see him in another role: Reed Richards’ maniacal variant, The Maker. The Maker started as the Reed of Marvel’s original “Ultimate Universe” reality (Earth-1610) – the home of Miles Morales and others. That Reed started out with the Fantastic Four at a younger age, but eventually became obsessed with improving the world, eventually assaulting Sue Storm and turning on his other teammates Johnny and Ben. The Maker advanced his own evolution by 1,000 years and used his genius to survive the incursion of his reality during Secret Wars, making it to Doom’s Battleworld, and even surviving being essentially ‘unmade’ by Molecule Man, through the use of back-up bodies hidden across the multiverse. Most recently, The Maker escaped custody and created his own version of a new Ultimate Marvel Universe (Earth-6160), in which he stopped (or rather delayed) the origins of most Marvel heroes, and left the world controlled by a leadership council comprised of villains, corrupted heroes, and religious fanatics.
The Maker is without a doubt one of the greatest villain threats in modern Marvel Comics. With Jonathan Majors’ Kang and his Council of Kangs having been dumped by the MCU, an evil Reed Richards possibly being the sole surviving variant of the Marvel Multiverse would be an exciting prospect – especially if he follows the comics and creates a dark new “Ultimate MCU” lane of the franchise.
Avengers: Doomsday has a release date of May 1, 2026; Avengers: Secret Wars will be released on May 7, 2027.
