The MCU’s villain quality was criticized over the years, yet since the start of Phase 3; those criticisms have gradually fallen by the wayside. Zemo, the Vulture, Ego, Klaue, Killmonger, Mysterio and; of course, the unforgettable Mad Titan himself, who perhaps singlehandedly shattered the belief that the MCU doesn’t have many good villains, by truly creating the ‘Darth Vader for a new generation’, in the words of Anthony Russo.
Now, Phase 4 stands in the shadow cast by Thanos and will have its work cut out to adapt villains who can prove worthy successors to his legacy. Nevertheless, I believe these characters; if done well, would prove excellent villains for Phase 4 and ensure the continued presence of great evil-doers within this mega-franchise’s upcoming slate of films and television shows.
Let’s start the countdown:
#10 – KRAVEN THE HUNTER – SPIDERMAN 3/HOMEFRONT/HOMESICK
Honestly, this one feels like cheating: There is an incredibly high possibility this character will be the main villain of Tom Holland’s third Spiderman outing and for good reason. The infamous ‘Kraven’s Last Hunt’ story features one of the most iconic comic covers in comic-book history for its fourth part ‘Resurrection’ and with Director Jon Watts heavily teasing the character; as well a perfect setup for a Spiderman film where is brutally hunted by authorities and villains alike, it would be a tragically missed opportunity if this character and especially this moment, did not make it into the movie.
In his first solo outing, Peter was inexperienced but could still; physically, deal with the Vulture outside of the shock-factor and emotional turmoil. In his second, Mysterio was a psychological menace but; without his drones and illusion tech, was one punch away from defeat by Spiderman at any time. For his third outing, a villain who can physically match him using elaborate traps, tricks and combat styles would be a welcome change of pace and the perfect antagonist for what looks set to be nothing short of an MCU action-chase thriller.
#9 – NAMOR – BLACK PANTHER 2
Another example of somewhat cheating, this character is rumored for the Black Panther sequel and while everything regarding that film is currently in turmoil (RIP Chadwick Boseman) I believe it would make a lot of sense to adapt Namor. The dynamic between he and T’Challa in the comics was often a vicious rivalry and this could still be effectively adapted to a Shuri-Namor rivalry. His attitudes towards women in the comics have been… problematic, to say the least; frequently trying to seduce a married Susan Storm, yet this could be a very effective part of his character arc. Tony Stark began his MCU career as a womaniser and to see Namor flippantly disregard Shuri because of her sex and inexperience; with their two rival nations coming to clash over a compelling conflict of interests, would be a great way to cement both characters positions in their new/enhanced roles.
Namor is lower down on this list as; though often a villain, he swings into anti-hero territory frequently and a reformative character arc for him would likely be best to bring out the most intriguing elements of his personality. Nevertheless, this debut could show him at his worst/most arrogant and could even hint towards his complexity, by having the two characters’ stalemate each other and find a new; albeit begrudgingly, admiration for the other.
#8 – CURSED LOTUS – SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS
Zheng Bao Yu; otherwise known as ‘Cursed Lotus’ would be a refreshing change of pace in a series that largely; though not exclusively, is dominated by male villains. The half-sister of Shang Chi, she possesses enormous criminal and mythical power, via her narcotics organization: ‘Oriental Expeditors’ and her ability to hypnotize. Done well, such a character could capture the creepiest visual elements of mind-control in the Avengers, explore the costs of organised crime on communities under-represented in western-media and establish a compelling hero-villainess dynamic between her and Shang-Chi.
One of the most underrated on-screen Marvel villains is Jessica Jones season 1’s ‘Kilgrave’; played by the eternally brilliant David Tennant, a man who can control people’s actions with his words alone. The brilliance of that series was in establishing that people under this control; once the effect wears off, realize all they have done and suffer the psychological consequences of it. Exploring a similar thing with Cursed Lotus’s hypnosis, combined with a complex dynamic with her brother; where perhaps both have blind-spot sympathies for the other against their usual worldviews, would be incredibly intriguing to watch play out.
#7 – MEPHISTO – DR. STRANGE: MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS
One of Marvel’s most famous ‘Satan’ archetypes, this master of deals, demons and destruction has created Ghost Rider, spread chaos across the multiverse and even ruined the character of Spiderman in the comics; such are his nefarious deeds. However; despite his enormous power, I would not want him to be the main threat: Not directly. Instead, his deal should be an offer to Scarlett Witch; who we know will appear in this movie, to bring Vision back to life, in return for her servitude. This could then play out in many ways.
Perhaps Mephisto brings in a Vision from across the multiverse, a pale imitation of her own; yet his end of the bargain is still technically upheld, with Wanda now forcibly bound to serve by dark-energies. Perhaps he truly does resurrect Vision and Wanda; reluctantly, carries out his dark-will, with Vision giving himself up to prevent the chaos his lover is spreading across the Earth. Either way, an enslaved Wanda to Mephisto’s will would perfectly establish his manipulative genius and would give her a perfect opportunity to earn her iconic comic book moniker.
Perhaps he deems her; as his herald: ‘My Scarlett Witch’, or perhaps the people of earth, now globally afraid and disgusted by her after the damage she has wrought, give her this title. If the latter is to be the case, then it; unquestionably, has to be J Jonah Jameson who gives her this title. That is simply a fact.
Also, Ian McDiarimid as Mephisto… I rest my case.
#6 – THANOS – WANDAVISION DISNEY+ SHOW
Okay, hear me out on this one. I am not; by any means, saying they should resurrect Thanos. Short of resurrecting Iron Man, I think that would be the absolute worst creative decision the MCU could ever make. Instead, I’m proposing a ‘Have your cake and eat it too’ scenario. Within WandaVision, Scarlett Witch has clearly created a false-reality to escape from her grief and will have to be broken out of it; likely by force. As part of this fake reality, I think the most unsettling way to show the bleed-through of the real world/collapse of her fake reality/the grief trying to break through the falseness, would be to have Thanos as the embodiment of it.
His shadow on a wall, the mad titan’s voice in her head; perhaps even Thanos fighting her for a third-time in her alternate-reality at the series finale. There are many ways this could be executed and I believe it would effectively carry on the tradition of one Avenger being fundamentally changed, post-crossover. For ‘The Avengers’, it was Tony Stark; consumed for several movies after by cosmic terror anxiety, panic attacks and PTSD. For ‘Age of Ultron’, it was the creation of ‘Vision’; a personality fundamentally opposite to that of the main-villain and embodiment of hope. For Avengers: Infinity War, it was Thor; almost completely broken by the events of the Snap and for Avengers: Endgame, Scarlett Witch’s failure to kill Thanos herself and the loss of Vision; from her perspective, minutes earlier, could be an appropriate way to give the Mad Titan a final showing in the MCU that only adds to the scale of his villainous achievements from the Infinity Saga.
#5 – DRACULA – BLADE
When some motherf*****s keep trying to ice-skate up hill, who else but Blade would be worthy to face one of the great folklore legends of human history? Dracula needs no explanation, no justification and certainly no introduction.
The greatest vampire myth of all-time; one of the greatest horror-legends, a staple of pop-culture for nearly a century and all-round monster-extraordinaire, they say a hero is only as good as his villain and with such an iconic villain to face; if done well, Blade could debut as one of the greatest and most badass heroes of them all. Of course, Dracula is not; I would hope, a villain you do once and chuck away. Oh no, this would have to Blade’s main villain of his standalones and really; when it’s a character like Dracula, who else do you need?
#4 –THE WORLD SERPENT – THOR: LOVE & THUNDER
This might not sound that impressive, especially given the rumours of the Minotaur being played by Christian Bale and even a potential appearance by the legendary: Gorr the God Butcher. However, I believe Gorr is best served as being a final-instalment of the trilogy villain. Someone for Hemsworth’s and Portman’s Thor’s to battle and perhaps even for him to be the character that kills the original and beloved God of Thunder. That is not something I expect nor want to see in Thor: Love and Thunder, as Hemsworth has indicated a willingness to stick around for longer and I believe the longer his character lasts, in contrast to the friends and family he has had to lose, the more powerful his character’s ending will be.
Now, for the World Serpent in Thor 4: The Minotaur sets out to destroy New Asgard. To do so, he unlocks the World Serpent from its confinement; beneath the Earth. In this adaptation, I would have its backstory be as a creature Odin created to devour Earth; in case humanity ever turned on the Asgardians. This would fit the recurring theme of Odin making really, really poor decisions and now, imagine this:
The World Serpent attacks Asgard and out to face it; to the tune of Richard Wagner’s ‘Rise of the Valkyries’, comes a new legion of Valkyries, Hemsworth and Portman Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Such a sight would be a mythology meets sci-fi dream mashup and an absolute wet-dream for geeks like myself; everywhere.
#3 – THE ENCHANTRESS – LOKI DISNEY+ SHOW
Loki has always been unlucky, facing heroes that collectively overpower him like the Avengers, rivals that can individually blitz him like awakened Thor or Hela or even villains who simply slaughter him: Thanos destroying him in seconds was a chilling display of the Mad Titan’s ability and showed just how outclassed he was and how many other were soon to be.
Yet for his own show; ironically, the most unique thing would be to have him face a villain or in this case villainess, who rivals his power but does not exceed it. Meeting an equal; rather than a clear superior, would show Loki’s trickery, cunning and viciousness in a host of new ways.
A rival of this kind could be an incredibly fun dynamic, providing a rivalry with emotional, sexual and dark undertones that would leave the God of Mischief competing to exceed his rival. As for her presence in this universe and what makes her appear in this universe; rather than the main MCU, I would have her be a multiverse sorceress and at the season’s end, her ability to cross universes is stolen by Loki; allowing his return to the main Marvel Universe.
#2 – GALACTUS – CAPTAIN MARVEL 2
“Hold on!” I hear you say. “You want to make a villain like Galactus the main-villain of a single character’s standalone, when he’s a big enough character to be the next overarching Thanos-level villain?!”. No, absolutely not. In fact, I wouldn’t even want him in most of the movie.
“What?!”.
I want Captain Marvel to face the Kree; as expected, battling whatever new weapons and villains they have to throw at her, alongside her Skrull allies. Let there be war, bloodshed and vicious conflict for say, 80% of the movie. Then, the twist comes. By one means or another, Captain Marvel ends up in a battle so vicious with the Kree; that they tear apart an entire star-system. Believing it to be isolated; without any sentient life, they have made a terrible mistake and awakened Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds. Asleep since the dawn of creation, their weapons; powerful enough to shatter planets, simply awoke this cosmic beast and he begins to destroy all in sight: Kree, Skrull and Captain Marvel; none do more than anger him and are forced to bid a terrified retreat. They then are forced in a desperate peace; to defend the Kree homeworld of Hala, lest they all be destroyed… Then they lose. Again. Badly.
Nothing would establish Galactus better in my opinion than his mere presence forcing an alliance between hated rivals and an established powerhouse MCU hero, only for it to mean nothing. Hala is destroyed, the Skrull are decimated and Captain Marvel flees back to Earth; desperate to warn Earth of a threat that will reach them in only a few years. Now that; in my eyes, would be a great setup for the next ‘Infinity War’ level movie, in another decade or so.
#1 – DR. DOOM – FANTASTIC 4 & AVENGERS 5
This might be the most cliché number #1 choice on any Marvel villains list, yet it is with good reason. While Dr. Doom’s abysmal portrayals in the last-three Fantastic Four movies could make even the most ardent loyalists denounce the character; fundamentally, Victor Von Doom is an incredible presence. When. Done. RIGHT.
A tyrant with dreams of a united humanity; reborn in blood and destruction, a petty loser to a man more talented than he in Reed Richards, a genius with fundamentally limiting flaws, a narcissist with a deep self-loathing complex, this character deserves to be one of the best standouts of Phase 4, given his track-record on film.
As the first villain for the Fantastic Four and; in my ideal-world, The New Avengers, Victor would have two movies in which to dominate and excel as an antagonist. His power level, resources and ambitions give him the capability of battling even the most powerful Avengers, sorcery, technology and armies of Doombots and perhaps even his own people; making him a formidable threat to any that oppose him. The fallout from deposing the ruler of an established MCU country would be worth exploring over multiple films and raise moral & ethical questions as or even more intriguing than those proposed by Captain America: Civil War & The Sokovia Accords.
Dr. Doom is the top of many fans lists for a reason. A dark mirror to Black Panther and Dr. Strange, a vicious threat to heroes like the Falcon, Spiderman and Shang-Chi; even a danger to heroes like Captain Marvel and the Thor/s, there is simply no better villain to adapt for Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe than Dr. Victor Von Doom.
So there we have it, my top ten choices for the best villains Marvel can adapt for Phase 4. So, what do you all think? Which villains would you like to see adapted for Phase 4 and why is Dr. Doom definitely in your top three? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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Marley Eleven Bury is a twenty-one year old Film & TV writer who loves takeaway and the superhero genre far too much. His claims to fame are having listened to the entire 26-hour+ Fire and Blood audiobook multiple times and being able to sing the Periodic Table song from memory.
