With the possible exception of Darth Vader, Thanos was probably the biggest movie antagonist the world has ever seen. He actually wiped out half of all life in the entire universe. No other bad guy has accomplished anything of that magnitude. Now that Thanos has been decapitated/snapped out of existence, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is missing a big piece: a villain. But who could possibly meet the standards set by their predecessor, Thanos? Well, here are some potential candidates for the next phase of the MCU, and beyond.

Onslaught

In My opinion, Onslaught would be the best choice for the next MCU Super-villain. Onslaught is born from Professor Xavier’s mind and Magneto’s body. He is a mutant with incredible powers which include Magneto’s power over magnetism and Professor X’s psychic abilities. He has also been known to have the power to re-structure reality (pretty similar to Thanos’s abilities with the Reality Stone). Considering that the X-Men are pretty much confirmed to make an entrance into the MCU at some point during phase 4 or 5, Onslaught’s potential to be created is there. In previous Marvel Comics, Onslaught has gone up against the X-Men, The Avengers, and even The Fantastic 4. Considering all 3 of those hero groups should be present in the MCU very soon, Onslaught is a solid candidate for the next heavy-hitter in the MCU.

MODOK

Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing. That’s what it stands for. MODOK has superhuman and psionic powers. He can fly, teleport, and is super-intelligent. This ugly bastard has been around in Marvel Comics since 1967. He’s been involved in many different story lines, including the creation of Red Hulk, which could become a huge threat to the Universe in the MCU’s future. Also, MODOK has been responsible for assembling many teams of villains for “evil” doing. MODOK isn’t the most intimidating bad guy, but his brainpower could prove to be sinister enough to conjure up some serious trouble for the MCU in phase 4.

Galactus

Galactus is probably the most likely to be the next major Super-Villain in the MCU. Galactus World Eater has been around since Fantastic 4 #46 (March 1966). His powers are manipulating vast cosmic powers, restructuring matter, planet-shattering energy blasts, galactic teleportation, creating force-fields, and he pilots a solar-system sized spaceship called “The Worldship.” Galactus is older than the universe itself and is the only survivor of the universe that came before this one. Galactus consumes worlds and must devour entire planets in order to survive. There have been a few Galactus easter-eggs in the MCU so far, including a flashback to the Celestials in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, one of which looked shockingly similar to Galactus’s helmet shape. If Galacuts shows up in the MCU, we will probably also get to see another adaptation of the Silver Surfer. He is massive and would pose a huge threat. Mysterio would definitely consider Galactus an “Avengers level threat.”

Dr. Doom

Victor Von Doom is an Eastern European descendant of gypsies. He is a scientific genius with the knowledge of sorcery. Dr. Doom learned from alien Ovoids (whatever that is) how to psychically transfer his consciousness into the body of another. His armor is a battle-suit that increases his strength to superhuman levels, and he contains highly advanced weaponry. Dr. Doom has been a popular villain throughout the years and has tangled with the Fantastic 4, the Avengers, and even Spiderman (all of which will be in the MCU by the end of phase 4). He’s even teamed up with other villains before too, including Green Goblin. Dr. Doom’s super-intelligence would be a great threat to the heroes in the MCU, and he would definitely be a great mastermind to assemble a militia of supervillains to wreak havoc upon the universe.

Adam Warlock/Magus

Adam Warlock (or Him) was teased at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but was never introduced into the MCU. This would be very uncharacteristic of Marvel to tease at a character in a post-credit scene and then not use them. He’s actually a good guy and his powers allow him to trap cosmic energy which enhances his strength, endurance, and healing powers; he also uses this energy to fly and project energy blasts from his hands. In the comics, Warlock went toe-to-toe with Thanos on several occasions, even defeating him once. He also joined the Guardians of the Galaxy, but then turned to evil. The evil Adam Warlock is known as Magus. Magus is Adam Warlock, but a purely evil form of him. Imagine a villain with the power to defeat an infinity gauntlet-equipped Thanos. That’s a pretty powerful foe. It has been rumored that Adam Warlock/Magus is coming to the MCU and that Zac Effron would be cast as the gold-skinned humanoid.

Kang the Conqueror

A time-traveling conqueror, Kang is from an alternate timeline in 3000 A.D., and is a relative of Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic). Now that time travel is very clearly a reality in the MCU, Kang could potentially be making an appearance. He is equipped with futuristic weaponry, his suit is enhanced to provide super-strength, and he is able to produce forcefields/energy projectiles. Kang’s time-traveling abilities in the comics allowed him to gather many alternate versions of himself, known as Kang’s Gang. They formed the Council of Kangs and killed all Kangs from all timelines that were deemed unworthy. Sounds a lot like the council of Ricks from Rick and Morty and we all know how that went… (Rick C-137 killed most of them and the council was disbanded. Wubba-lubba-dub-dub!) Kang faces off against the Avengers and the Fantastic 4 in several of the comics and would be a solid choice to see on the big screen as the next major antagonist of the MCU.

Phase 4 is ready to go and there are plenty of movies to look forward to. Nothing ties the MCU together like a powerful villain. Who would you like to see in the MCU as the next villain? Comment below and let us know!

Written by Andrew Silvers

Twitter/Instagram @asilvers55