SUMMARY
Many MCU villains have rich potential for return appearances, redemption, and exploration in upcoming Phase 6 stories.
Successful reinventions and teasing of villains like Ultron, Vulture, and Mordo hint at exciting opportunities ahead.
Many stories await underutilized Marvel villains like Justin Hammer, Red Skull, Mysterio, and Namor in Phase 6 and beyond.
After 33 movies and 12 Disney+ series, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has built an enormous library of villains, many of which have not yet reached their full potential. With the multiverse blown wide open, there is no limit to what can occur, making even death something that MCU characters can return from with the right story. As a result, Marvel now has the opportunity to not just reward viewers with return appearances of all of their favorite villains but also to correct and tweak the less-loved ones with rich potential throughout Phase 6 of the MCU.
Over the past 16 years, the MCU has shown a willingness to subtly redo characters. This happened with Baron Zemo, who first appeared in Captain America: Civil War before getting an extensive, comic-book-accurate rework for his celebrated return in The Falcon And The Winter Soldier. Then this was done with The Mandarin, appearing in Iron Man 3 before being changed by introducing the real Mandarin in Shang-Chi. With The Fantastic Four, Blade, and Avengers: Secret Wars among those confirmed for Phase 6, there are many exciting opportunities for exploration of underutilized villains ahead.
Marvel Studios has already introduced several multiversal groups into the Multiverse Saga, but there are many more in Marvel Comics that could appear.
10Ultron
Played By James Spader And Ross Marquand
Avengers: Age of Ultron
In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Earth’s Mightiest must reunite and work with newcomers Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch to battle a new antagonist Ultron, who receives an all-new origin story while dealing with a new level of inner conflict amongst the team. Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch may not necessarily agree with The Avengers and initially blame Tony Stark for creating the new villain and the death of their parents. Avengers: Age of Ultron was directed and written by Joss Whedon and produced by Kevin Feige for Marvel Studios. The movie was released on April 13, 2015, followed by its eventual sequels, Avengers: Infinity War in 2018 and Avengers: Endgame in 2019.
DirectorJoss Whedon
Release DateMay 1, 2015
CastChris Hemsworth , Clark Gregg , Robert Downey Jr. , Cobie Smulders , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Jeremy Renner , Thomas Kretschmann , Chris Evans , Don Cheadle , Mark Ruffalo , Elizabeth Olsen , Scarlett Johansson , Paul Bettany , Samuel L. Jackson , James Spader
Runtime141 minutes
In Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Tony Stark sets out to build a suit of armor around the world and creates Ultron, one of the most terrifying threats the Avengers have yet to face. While an important story, much of Age of Ultron is viewed harshly upon rewatch. This has led to the franchise showing how the film’s events affected Tony’s worldview while avoiding any significant return of James Spader’s ominous threat. As artificial intelligence becomes more and more pervasive in daily life, opportunities for the MCU to return to Tony Stark’s legacy through Ultron grow more likely.
Ultron has returned in two minor ways, in a scene in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness and more significantly in What If…?, but there are still many opportunities for the villain to reappear in the MCU proper. Perhaps the most obvious would be in the upcoming feature Armor Wars. Formerly a TV series, the story of Armor Wars needs a hook and a big, colorful threat to justify its jump to the big screen, which Ultron could easily provide.
9Ronan the Accuser
Played By Lee Pace
Guardians of the Galaxy
Egotistic loner and “legendary” space pirate Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) falls foul of bounty hunters and his former allies after he steals an orb containing the Power Stone. Chased by Ronan the Accuser, a powerful Kree villain and thrown into an uneasy alliance with a group of similar misfits, he must adapt to his new dynamic or risk everything. He’s joined by gun-toting Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), treelike-alien Groot (Vin Diesel), Thanos’ daughter Gamora (Zoe Saldana), and the vengeful Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista). Can the galaxy’s most infamous a-holes really save the day?
DirectorJames Gunn
Release DateJuly 30, 2014
CastZoe Saldana , Karen Gillan , Vin Diesel , Michael Rooker , Djimon Hounsou , Lee Pace , Benicio Del Toro , Glenn Close , Dave Bautista , Chris Pratt2 , Bradley Cooper , John C. Reilly
Runtime122 Minutes
Appearing in Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel, Lee Pace delivers a captivating and stoic performance as Ronan the Accuser. With that said, there may not be much that most viewers would remember from this character beyond his elegant makeup and powerful voice. With Ronan’s ties to Thanos and the power stone, he is a prime candidate for future exploration in the MCU while retaining a link to the stories that have been told before.
As the cosmic side of Marvel continues to be explored following Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Marvels, there are many opportunities to include Ronan in upcoming stories. In keeping withthe comic book where he first appeared, the upcoming The Fantastic Four would be an ideal place to include Ronan. Rumored as a multiverse story, rendering Ronan’s death at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy irrelevant, the film has the opportunity to feature Ronan alongside Galactus and The Silver Surfer, giving viewers an anchor to the MCU by retaining Lee Pace in a new setting.
8The Vulture
Played By Michael Keaton
Spider-Man: Homecoming
After making his MCU debut in Captain America: Civil War, Tom Holland is back as Peter Parker for a new Spider-Man solo film. This time, Peter battles with Adrian Toomes, who takes on the moniker Vulture after profiting off of selling Chitari technology and weapons. Under Tony Stark’s guidance, Peter must prove himself a hero while protecting his city from Vulture and the other criminals in New York. Spider-Man: Homecoming was the first of three films in director Jon Watts’ MCU journey, dubbed the “Homecoming” trilogy.
DirectorJon Watts
Release DateJuly 7, 2017
CastMichael Keaton , Martin Starr , Angourie Rice , Robert Downey Jr. , Marisa Tomei , Bokeem Woodbine , Logan Marshall-Green , Garcelle Beauvais , Michael Mando , Zendaya , Tom Holland , Jon Favreau , Donald Glover , Hannibal Buress
Adrian Toomes is one of the most beloved villains to be introduced in the MCU. Like the Tom Holland iteration of Peter Parker, the comic book canon for The Vulture was taken loosely, resulting in a character that felt fresh. The MCU’s Vulture is terrifying and fierce but also has relatable motivations and a family connection that makes his crimes understandable if not justifiable. With Spider-Man: Homecoming‘s end putting Toomes in prison while refusing to disclose Spider-Man’s secret identity, an interesting future seemed to be set up for the character.
Character rights between Sony and Disney complicated this when Toomes was whisked away to another universe in Morbius’ most controversial scene. In setting up their own cinematic universe, Sony hoped to create a team feature with Morbius, The Vulture, Venom, and others. However, after Morbius failed at the box office, those plans were muddied, leaving room for Toomes to return to the MCU. Vulture could now be utilized in the upcoming Spider-Man 4, where his multiversal travel may have left him still aware of Peter Parker’s identity as Spider-Man.
7Green Goblin
Played by Willem Dafoe
Spider-Man: No Way Home
For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the trials and tribulations of being a superhero. In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) asks for help from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) when his identity becomes a problem for the ones he loves. Unfortunately, when the spell goes wrong, Spider-Man will now have to face off with villains such as Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) and Electro (Jamie Foxx) as Peter finally comes to terms that he can’t run from being Spider-Man. Supported by his close friends and help from an unexpected place (or multiverse), Spider-Man will go toe-to-toe with some of the most legendary foes in his storied history.
DirectorJon Watts
Release DateDecember 17, 2021
Runtime148 minutes
Norman Osborn might be the greatest comic book villain of all time. This was exemplified by Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, which built its entire plot around a conflict with Willem Dafoe’s villain. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 went in a different direction, killing Chris Cooper’s Osborn just as the audience met him to defer to Dane DeHaan’s New Goblin. Feeling there was no way to improve on Willem Dafoe’s Goblin, the MCU used that same version of the character in Spider-Man: No Way Home before sending him back to his universe.
With Tom Holland’s Peter Parker left to start over after the events of No Way Home, Spider-Man 4 can introduce another Norman Osborn, and perhaps even a new Green Goblin who is a hero. Peter needs people he can relate to, and a shared love of science could provide a complex connection with another iteration of Osborn while Peter grapples with the villain he knows he could become. While Defoe’s Norman Osborn lamented that he didn’t exist in the MCU universe, this could easily be changed, and a charismatic performer could provide a new, exciting take on the character.
Exclusive: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 actor Dane DeHaan, who played Green Goblin, reflects on getting asked about being in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
6Baron Mordo
Played By Chiwetel Ejiofor
Doctor Strange
Enter the world of Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), a world-famous neurosurgeon whose car accident left him unable to use his hands. As he desperately tries to find a cure to enable his hands to perform operations again, he comes across a world that leads to another dimension. After being taught about the different dimensions and learning about the constant threat that looms on Earth, he began to embrace his role as the humble protector. Taking after the responsibilities of the Ancient One who trained him before her demise, Strange goes on to become the Sorcerer Supreme himself.
DirectorScott Derrickson
Release DateOctober 25, 2016
CastTilda Swinton , Benedict Wong , Michael Stuhlbarg , Mads Mikkelsen , Scott Adkins , Benedict Cumberbatch , Rachel McAdams , Chiwetel Ejiofor
Runtime126 minutes
Following a starring role in the Academy Award-winning 12 Years A Slave, Chiwetel Ejiofor’s casting in Doctor Strange as the Sorcerer Supreme’s nemesis, Baron Karl Mordo, was as exciting as it was inspired. When the film was released, however, the character took a backseat to Mads Mikkelsen’s Kaecilius and served as a mentor rather than an antagonist to Strange. The film ended with a tease of his heel turn that was never followed up on, and after Doctor Strange, many questions about Mordo remained.
Doctor Strange 3 is inevitable, with talk of release sooner than later, likely in Phase 6. Considering that he has been the primary antagonist of Doctor Strange since 1961 and has ties to Dormammu and The Ancient One, it is important that the arc of Baron Mordo finally be realized in a bombastic, colorful clash of magic. Thanks to the deleted scene omission of his death in Multiverse Of Madness, Baron Mordo is still on his quest to kill sorcerers. For the sake of Doctor Strange’s trilogy story, this clash of magical titans must finally be realized.
5Justin Hammer
Played By Sam Rockwell
Iron Man 2
The third film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man 2, is an action-superhero film that occurs six months after the original film’s events. After outing himself as the heavy metal superhero known as Iron Man, Tony Stark goes to great lengths to avoid demands from the government for his tech. But, unfortunately, the technology Tony used to save his life is beginning to impact his health inversely – just in time for a man named Ivan Vanko to arrive, who creates his version of the Iron Man tech to settle a decades-long score with Howard Stark’s son.
DirectorJon Favreau
Release DateMay 7, 2010
CastRobert Downey Jr. , Mickey Rourke , Don Cheadle , gwyneth paltrow
Runtime124 minutes
As the role of technology in modern life has continued to evolve, so has the perception of many of the tech billionaires who live in the public eye. Iron Man 2‘s Justin Hammer calls to mind many real-world controversial figures, and his weapons-manufacturing, anti-Tony-Stark presence finally has the chance to shine in the MCU. Justin Hammer is conniving, immoral, frustrating, and shallow, and all that makes for a lot of fun to watch, especially when played with humor by Academy Award winner Sam Rockwell.
A return by Hammer in Armor Wars feels necessary. The MCU has spent a great deal of time reflecting on the world after Tony Stark and discussing Iron Man’s role as Avengers leader. An interrogation of that legacy to be instrumental in shaping the MCU moving forward. Just as John Walker emerged as a dark, new Captain America in The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, similar ground can be trod in Armor Wars with Hammer filling Stark’s vacant space in the public eye.
4Red Skull
Played By Hugo Weaving And Ross Marquand
Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 superhero movie starring Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, a weak patriotic civilian who becomes the test subject for the military’s Super Soldier project. The film was the fifth film in the long-running MCU franchise and also starred Samuel L. Jackson, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, and Sebastian Stan.
DirectorJoe Johnston
Release DateJuly 22, 2011
CastChris Evans , Hayley Atwell , Hugo Weaving , Sebastian Stan , Tommy Lee Jones , Samuel L. Jackson , Dominic Cooper , Stanley Tucci , Toby Jones
Runtime124 Minutes
Nazis have always made effective villains, and Johann Schmidt is perhaps the worst of all of them. Debuting in 1941, Red Skull has had one of the longest runs in comic book history yet has barely made an impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As the primary antagonist in Captain America: The First Avenger, the long-running rivalry between Hugo Weaving’s Red Skull and Chris Evans’ Captain America was set up. In The Avengers, however, it seemed that Steve Rogers alone had made it into the future, with only the specter of Hydra outliving Schmidt.
Following failed negotiations for Hugo Weaving’s Red Skull to appear in The Avengers, Weaving was replaced by The Walking Dead actor Ross Marquand in Avengers: Infinity War. Marquand has gone on to voice multiple established Marvel characters, replacing James Spader as Ultron in What If…? and Cedric Smith as Professor X in X-Men ’97.
Avengers: Infinity War changed this, bringing the Red Skull back as a spirit guarding the soul stone. While this was a thrill for viewers who had given up hope of seeing Schmidt again, there is so much more that can be explored with the Red Skull in the future of the MCU. Especially when realizing how Red Skull plays the major MCU role of being why Captain America exists, a return of Schmidt is overdue. Due to his spiritual ties, Red Skull could easily be a main threat in Avengers 5 or a featured antagonist in the Shang-Chi sequel.
3Mysterio
Played By Jake Gyllenhaal
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home follows Peter Parker (Tom Holland) as he deals with the fallout of Thanos’ snap and the weight of Tony Stark’s legacy in a post “blip” world. Peter and his friends go on summer vacation to Europe, where Peter finds himself suddenly the inheritor of Tony’s incredible tech. However, the trip suddenly goes awry as Europe comes under siege from otherworldly villains, routed by a cloaked hero, Mysterio. Partnering with Nick Fury, Maria Hill, and Mysterio, Peter will fight to protect his friends while figuring out his place in a post-Iron man world.
DirectorJon Watts
Release DateJuly 2, 2019
CastMichael Keaton , Tom Holland , Jacob Batalon , Jon Favreau , Zendaya , Samuel L. Jackson , Martin Starr , Marisa Tomei , Cobie Smulders , Jake Gyllenhaal , Tony Revolori , Angourie Rice
Runtime129 minutes
The MCU’s take on Quentin Beck had a greater impact on the hero than many of the preceding stories of Marvel’s greatest illusionist. Mysterio is often considered to be a joke, and Sam Raimi even planned a Mysterio played by Bruce Campbell in Spider-Man 4 as a humorous cameo. In the 2004 video game Spider-Man 2, a hilarious misdirect occurs when the player encounters the villain stealing from a bodega. His health bar appears impossibly large as the battle begins, and so it is a surprise when one punch is all that it takes to defeat the sniveling foe.
Seeing Peter contend with his anger against Mysterio for ruining his life could be an effective counterpoint to the mercy he showed to the villains of other worlds in No Way Home.
While Mysterio was supposedly killed by a blast from his drones in Spider-Man: Far From Home, the film clearly shows how effective he is at manipulating illusions. With this in mind, Mystrerio could easily return in Spider-Man 4 or the upcoming Avengers sequel. Because the next Spider-Man story will begin with Peter Parker having been forgotten by the world, seeing Peter contend with his anger against Mysterio for ruining his life could be an effective counterpoint to the mercy he showed to the villains of other worlds in No Way Home.
Tom Holland will return as Peter Parker in the MCU, and his Spider-Man 4 will finally break a long-running movie trend for the beloved Marvel hero.
2Namor The Sub-Mariner
Played By Tenoch Huerta
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the sequel to the 2018 film Black Panther and is part of Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Gripping with the passing of their king, the nation of Wakanda attempts to figure out how to move forward with Queen Mother Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright) at the helm. However, a nation in grieving is not observed by all, as soon Wakanda comes under attack by the underwater civilization of Talocan, led by Namor (Tenoch Huerta.) Wakanda will enlist allies outside and from within to push back this new invading threat and ensure that Wakanda truly does live on forever.
DirectorRyan Coogler
Release DateNovember 11, 2022
CastWinston Duke , Dominique Thorne , Michaela Coel , Danai Gurira , Angela Bassett , Lupita Nyong’o , Letitia Wright , Martin Freeman
Runtime2h 41m
Controversies with star Tenoch Huerta aside, the introduction of Namor is one of the most successful components of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Understandable motivations have been the key to some of Marvel’s most popular villains, and mistrust of the surface forced the water-dwelling Namor the Sub-Mariner to emerge from the sunken nation of Talokan to provoke war. Including the recent reinventions of Namor by Jason Aaron, there are innumerable stories to explore with the character, and it has been disappointing to hear so little about where he will appear next.
A Namor solo film would be an excellent addition to the MCU and could take up one of the untitled slots on Marvel’s release calendar. Whether with Huerta or a recast, Namor is an important figure in the Marvel universe and there are great stories of the water-dwelling mutant that, due to comic ties, could fit well into unannounced X-Men features or The Fantastic Four. It was previously confirmed that Namor would appear in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, however, it is unclear if that is still the case following the title and writer change.
1Scarlet Witch
Played By Elizabeth Olsen
Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness
In Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the MCU takes a deeper dive into the Multiverse and the unknown, introducing variants of Strange and other familiar friends and foes – including The Illuminati – and offers a new perspective on how it works and connects. The story follows Stephen Strange, now post-blip and no longer the Sorcerer Supreme. When a terrifying monster rampages through New York seeking to capture a young girl from another multiverse named America Chavez, Strange finds himself as her newfound protector. Unfortunately, his new foe is a former ally, Wanda Maximoff. To protect Chavez and stop Wanda’s rampage, Strange travels the Multiverse looking for answers – and encounters engrossing and terrifying realities that expand the Marvel Universe in a whole new way.
DirectorSam Raimi
Release DateMay 6, 2022
CastElizabeth Olsen , Michael Stuhlbarg , Benedict Wong , Chiwetel Ejiofor , Xochitl Gomez , Benedict Cumberbatch , Rachel McAdams , Bruce Campbell , John Krasinski , Patrick Stewart , Hayley Atwell , Lashana Lynch , Anson Mount
Runtime126 minutes
After a complex MCU timeline over 8 years, Wanda Maximoff has to return to the franchise. Even if the Scarlet Witch did die in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, it was a death that was not significant enough to her legacy built from Age of Ultron to WandaVision. Whether Marvel decides to undo her death or bring in a new variant of the character from another universe, there is too much left to do with Wanda. Especially with X-Men stories forthcoming, Wanda is very important to the future of the MCU.
It seems unlikely that, with plans for Avengers: Secret Wars to center around virtually every hero of every generation coming together to fight an enormous threat, there are no plans for Wanda to return. She could feature prominently in Vision Quest or appear in Agatha. There is necessary closure to her character and her relationship with her children that is required after her sudden heel turn in Multiverse of Madness. With many stories left to tell, it would be disappointing if a proper conclusion was not provided to one of the most developed characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
