Top Ten Villains We Want to See in the MCU

Thanos is a tough act to follow, to be quite honest. However, he’s hardly the most iconic or awesome villain to appear in Marvel Comics. After the Avengers handle Thanos and his big purple chin, we’re excited to see who they tackle next. Here are the top ten villains we want to see in the MCU, in order of least to most likely to appear. Let’s talk villainy!

Top Ten Villains We Want to See in the MCU

Mephisto

Photo Credit: Comic Book
The Marvel Universe’s analogue to Satan, Mephisto is the supreme demon lord of a Hell-like realm. In the comics he’s responsible for granting Ghost Rider his supernatural powers. As it turns out, Ghost Rider, in the form of Robbie Reyes, has already made an appearance in the MCU. He was the main focus of a season of Agents of SHIELD, complete with his signature hellfire and chain whip weapon. As such, it’s not impossible that we could see Mephisto in a future film, maybe as an antagonist for Dr. Strange!

The Mandarin

Photo Credit: Marvel Database
Tony Stark’s most persistent archenemy, the Mandarin is a supernaturally powerful criminal mastermind. He was invoked in Iron Man 3 but turned out to be a bait-and-switch. However, in the All Hail the King one-shot we find out that the real Mandarin is still out there. We’d love to see the mastermind in action, but he will likely not be opposing Tony, considering RDJ seems to be hanging up the armor after Avengers 4.

The Elders of the Universe

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A fantastic choice of antagonist for the combined forces of the Guardians and Avengers, the Elders of the Universe have already been teased. The Collector is actually one of the Elders, ancient beings of cosmic power and significance. They are often pitted against the combined might of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Particularly, the super-strong Champion of the Universe would be an excellent villain to face off with the Hulk or Thor in a later film.

Molecule Man

Photo Credit: Comic Vine

Molecule Man is a super-powerful villain with an unhinged mind and limitless control of atoms. He is godlike in power and is often critical in world-ending crossovers in the comics. Notably, he appears in all Secret Wars events, whenever the world is critically threatened. In the 2015 event, he was responsible for the creation of the patchwork planet Battleworld that served as home to the surviving Marvel characters. If the MCU ever does a take on Secret Wars, Molecule Man will certainly appear as a villain.

Kang the Conqueror

Photo Credit: Death Battle
A classic Avengers foe, Kang the Conqueror is a time-traveling warlord from far in the future. He is seeking to subjugate the modern era by overpowering the Avengers. He often attempts to use his knowledge of future events to his benefit. However, he is consistently bested by the Avengers. If only he could see that coming!

Dr. Doom

Photo Credit: Hollywood Reporter
Now that the Fantastic Four have been reacquired by Marvel Studios, we’ll certainly be seeing Dr. Doom. The archenemy of the FF, Victor von Doom is a force to be reckoned with. He’s not only an accomplished mystic and gifted scientist, he also has body armor like Tony Stark’s. Doctor Doom is every bit the antagonist to pull together the Fantastic Four in an MCU revival. We look forward to seeing what Marvel Studios will do with this iconic villain!

The Magus

Photo Credit: Marvel Database

Adam Warlock has been teased to be appearing in the next Guardians film. If this is the case, it seems likely that the Magus won’t be far behind. A dark doppleganger of the heroic Warlock, the Magus is a consistent cosmic foe in Marvel Comics. He would make an excellent villain to challenge the Guardians, and perhaps even rope in the Nova Corps. Depending on Captain Marvel’s role in the MCU, we could even see Alpha Flight. A Guardians of the Galaxy and Alpha Flight team-up to oppose the Magus is quintessential Cosmic Marvel.

The Beyonder

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As his name suggests, the Beyonder is a mega-powerful entity from beyond the known universe. Sporting stylish curls and unchecked egomania, he seeks to see the heroes fight for his amusement. He later takes on a human form and is defeated by the heroes. Jut like Molecule Man, if the MCU seeks to do a Secret Wars retelling, we’re sure to see the Beyonder. After all, who doesn’t want to see the various heroes of the MCU duke it out?

Annihilus

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Annihilus is an odd-looking bug monster from a negative dimension who wants to destroy our world. Do you need to know more? He’s as quintessential a villain as you can get for the heroes of Earth to fight. Maybe he’s not quite as nuanced or emotionally deep as Thanos, but damn if he isn’t cool. Although, if the writers could rework Thanos into a calculated megalomaniac, they could certainly give Annihilus some pathos. He’s a shoe-in to appear as the MCU does more cosmic stories. After all, the best cosmic Marvel story is Annihilation. As the name suggests, Annihilus is the main bad guy in that one!

Galactus

Photo Credit: Fandom

The supermassive devourer of worlds was originally a Fantastic Four villain, but he’s a threat to Earth as a whole. If you’ve never heard of him, here’s the rundown. He’s a titanic, cosmic being who must devour planets for sustenance. He sends his herald, the Silver Surfer, ahead of him to warn of his coming. Galactus is fascinating as he’s not explicitly evil, per se, he’s just hungry. He must devour planets in order to sustain himself, and he’s coming to Earth. He would make a fantastic follow-up to Thanos, and a great way to bring together the Fantastic Four, Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy.