After Ultron, there are several other powerful villains that would be great to see return to theMarvel Cinematic Universe. Every good superhero story needs a formidable and terrifying supervillain, and Marvel Studios has delivered some of the most memorable and powerful antagonists over the course of the MCU’s 16-year history. One of these villains,Avengers: Age of Ultron’stitularUltron, will be returning in 2026’s upcomingVisionseries. This could open the door for even more classic foes to come back to the MCU.
Unfortunately, some of Marvel Comics' most notablevillains have been wasted in the MCU, with many relegated to one-and-done antagonists, where they perhaps should have been persistent threats.Bringing some of these villains back in the MCU’s Multiverse Saga would create the perfect opportunity for them to receive more development. This could benefit the likes of Mac Gargan, Baron Mordo and Malekith, while prominent villains such as the Red Skull, Hela andThanos could also returnto wreak havoc on the MCU.
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A hero is usually only as compelling as their villains, and the MCU has delivered a wide range of antagonists of varying power levels.
10Johann Schmidt’s Red Skull
Red Skull First Appeared In Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Despite being one of Captain America’s most prominent and long-lasting enemies in Marvel Comics, Johann Schmidt’s Red Skull only battled the Star-Spangled-Man in one MCU movie,Captain America: The First Avenger.Ross Marquand portrayed the ghostly Red Skull inAvengers: Infinity WarandEndgame, but he was transformed into a simple guardian of the Soul Stone, rather than a real threat. Original Red Skull actor Hugo Weaving revealed toYahoo! Entertainmentin 2020 that he didn’t reprise the villainous role due to contract disputes with Marvel Studios, though he"loved playing that character,“and"would have done it.”
Ross Marquand did a great job at embodying theRed Skull inInfinity WarandEndgame. Even so, just as James Spader is returning as Ultron, a character Marquand also voiced inWhat If…?, Weaving could change his mind and bring the Red Skull back to the MCU.It would be fantastic to see the Red Skull return in full force, perhaps to take on Sam Wilson’s new Captain America, especially since there are over eight decades of Red Skull stories that haven’t been explored in live-action.
9Brock Rumlow’s Crossbones
Brock Rumlow First Appeared In Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Frank Grillo’s debut asBrock Rumlow inCaptain America: The Winter Soldierwas game-changing for the MCU. Not only was he at the forefront of the big reveal that HYDRA had been growing within SHIELD, butThe Winter Soldieralso teased him being a significant threat in future MCU projects, as he survived the collapse of the Triskelion and became the armored villain Crossbones. Unfortunately,Rumlow’s Crossbones was killed in the opening moments of 2016’sCaptain America: Civil War, immediately ridding the MCU of this promising villain.
Speaking toComicbook.comin 2023, Frank Grillo expressed his disappointment with Crossbones' treatment in the MCU, citing this as the reason he made the move toJames Gunn’s new DC Universe, in which he’ll portray Rick Flag Sr. Grillo’s resentment towards Marvel Studios perhaps means he won’t return as Crossbones, thoughthe fact that he loves the character and sees more potential in him could convince him to rejoin the MCU to do Crossbones justice. As a prominent Captain America villain and eventual Thunderbolts member, Crossbones could have a bright future in the MCU, should he return.
[Marvel] never told a story [about Crossbones]. The mythology of the MCU and just what Marvel has in its pool of characters, it’s so deep. Crossbones was there for a minute, but he was supposed to be there longer, then they went the direction they did. I think Crossbones serves a purpose, but I think the interesting thing is that if you see how many people around the world have responded to Crossbones, and again, he’s on the screen for a very f–king short amount of time, I think there’s more there. I think there was more meat on the bone. I was disappointed, which is why I went over to DC.
8Mac Gargan’s Scorpion
Mac Gargan First Appeared In Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Spider-Man: Homecoming’stease of Mac Gargan’s evolution into the Scorpion has become one of the MCU’s most annoying loose ends. Michael Mando’s debut inHomecomingwas very exciting, and his connection to Michael Keaton’s Vulture could have teased theMCU’s Sinister Six team, but Marvel Studios has done nothing with Gargan in the years since.With a newSpider-Mantrilogy in development for the MCU, however, now might be the perfect time for Mac Gargan to return, and complete his transformation into the Scorpion.
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The Scorpion is considered to be one of Spider-Man’s greatest enemies in Marvel Comics, so it would be fantastic to see the relationship between Tom Holland’s Peter Parker andMichael Mando’s Mac Gargan develop in the MCU. There is speculation that theMCU’s first Thunderbolts team could actually be outed as the Dark Avengers, or could battle this more brutal team, and Gargan is an essential piece of the Dark Avengers puzzle. After the events ofSpider-Man: No Way Home, bringing Gargan back could pit Peter Parker against a familiar face, though one who wouldn’t remember him.
7Hela
Hela First Appeared In Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Introduced as the older sister of Thor and Loki in 2017’sThor: Ragnarok,Cate Blanchett’s Helapresented the God of Thunder with his most terrifying villain yet, but she was seemingly killed off in the same movie. However, Marvel Studios could use the “no body, no death” rule to bring Hela back to the MCU, as her demise wasn’t actually seen on-screen, but was simply implied.Hela debuted in Marvel Comics in 1964, making her one of Thor’s longest-running villains, and this should be translated into the MCU.
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While Hela could certainly return to the MCU as a villain, Marvel Animation’sWhat If…?season 2 introduced a very different version of the Goddess of Death. After training with Xu Wenwu,Hela transformed into a bona fide heroinWhat If…?season 2, fighting her father, Odin, to free herself from his control. She then set out to free others across the universe, and this could potentially lead her across the multiverse.This creates the opportunity for Cate Blanchett to return as the heroic iteration of Hela in live-action, which would be an incredible development for the character.
6Ulysses Klaue
Ulysses Klaus First Appeared In Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)
Andy Serkis is one of the biggest examples of a stellaractor who has been wasted in the MCU. Serkis debuted as Ulysses Klaue inAvengers: Age of Ultron, but had a bigger role as a minor antagonist in 2018’sBlack Panther, and that’s it. In Marvel Comics,Ulysses Klaue’s Klaw is an antagonist to the likes of the Fantastic Four, the Black Panther, Ka-Zar and the Avengers, but he was seriously underutilized in the MCU, but this could still be rectified in the franchise’s future if Andy Serkis reprises the role.
Ulysses Klaue is very different in Marvel Comics, as while he has a sonic arm in the MCU, his comic counterpart has been transformed into a being composed of solid sound.
WhileBlack Panthersaw Killmonger kill Ulysses Klaue,flashbacks in upcoming projects or historical MCU installments could detail the villain’s invasion of Wakanda in the 1990s to steal vibranium. This was a milestone moment in Wakanda’s history, so it could perhaps be explored inMarvel Animation’s upcomingEyes of Wakandaseries, which will be canon to the MCU’s main continuity. This would provide the best chance for Serkis to return as Ulysses Klaue, making him an even greater threat in the MCU’s history.
5Malekith
Malekith First Appeared In Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Malekith, the King of the Dark Elves, is another notable villain from Marvel Comics who was completely fumbled in the MCU. 2013’sThor: The Dark Worldis widely regarded as one of the franchise’s weakest projects, which meant that Christopher Eccleston’s talents could be put on full display as Malekith. Similarly to Hela, the “no body, no death” rule could be used to bring Malekith back to the MCU, aswhile he was last seen seemingly being crushed by his own ship on Svartalfheim, it’s very possible this powerful being could have survived.
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Malekith’s return could be very exciting for the MCU, especially if Marvel Studios decides to adapt Marvel Comics' expansiveWar of the Realmsevent from 2019. This could pit Malekith against a huge number of heroes in the MCU, as this story sees him invade Midgard, a.k.a. Earth. SinceChris Hemsworth wants a darker tone forThor 5, which hasn’t yet been confirmed by Marvel Studios, reintroducing a more comic-accurate version of Malekith could be the perfect way to accomplish this, while redeeming the villain from his disappointing stint inThor: The Dark World.
4Baron Mordo
Baron Mordo First Appeared In Doctor Strange (2016)
Baron Karl Mordo originally began his relationship with Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange as a staunch ally and protector of Kamar-Taj and the Mystic Arts. However, through Strange’s repetitive breaking of the natural laws, most notably by using the Time Stone, Mordo became embittered and eventually turned his back on Strange.Doctor Strange’spost-credits scene saw Mordo vow to rid the world of sorcerers, butthis loose end hasn’t been addressed in the eight years since, which has spurred calls for Mordo to return to the MCU.
An alternate version of Baron Mordo from Earth-838 was played by Chiwetel Ejiofor inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but this iteration had no connection to his Earth-616 counterpart. Some theories have suggested thatEjiofor’s role in Sony’s upcomingVenom: The Last Dancemay somehow connect to Mordo in the MCU, but this is yet to be confirmed.It would be brilliant to see Mordo return to continue his conquest against the world’s sorcerers, but it’s also possible Marvel Studios may have simply moved on from this story.
3Dormammu
Dormammu First Appeared In Doctor Strange (2016)
Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Mordo wasn’t the only villain featured in 2016’sDoctor Strange, and perhaps the fact that there were so many meant that none really got the development they deserved.Dormammu, the otherworldly ruler of the Dark Dimension, only appeared briefly towards the end ofDoctor Strange, and was easily bested thanks to Strange’s use of the Time Stone, trapping them both in a never-ending loop.Dormammu has been a recurring antagonist to Marvel Comics' Doctor Strange since 1964, so his return to the MCU must be inevitable.
Taking power from the Dark Dimension and Dormammu gave Kaecilius and his zealots incredible gifts, and also allowed the Ancient One to sustain her long life, controversially.
This is especially true afterDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’mid-credits scene. After ending the Scarlet Witch’s rampage across the multiverse, Doctor Strange was met in the street byCharlize Theron’s Clea, who is Dormammu’s niece in Marvel Comics. Together,they seemed to jump into the Dark Dimension to stop an incursion event, which may set up Dormammu to have a bigger role in the as-yet-unconfirmedDoctor Strange 3. Dormammu has an incomprehensible level of power, so it will be great to see him return as a formidable MCU villain.
2Justin Hammer
Justin Hammer First Appeared In Iron Man 2 (2010)
Sam Rockwell’s charismatic Justin Hammerhasn’t been seen in live-action since 2010’sIron Man 2and the followingAll Hail the KingOne-Shot. This is one of the biggest travesties of the MCU, asRockwell is a remarkable actor who has time-and-again expressed interest in reprising the role, most recently onThe Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Noting that he’s"waiting for the phone call,“and stating,“I’m in,“Rockwell seems to be open to coming back as Justin Hammer, and this could now be more likely than ever.
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Sam Rockwell recently returned to voice a variant of Justin Hammer inWhat If…?season 2, and has been the subject of heavy speculation suggesting he could reprise the role in live-action in theMCU’sArmor Warsmovie. Justin Hammer plays a role in Marvel Comics’Armor Warsevent, and, as a notable villain to Tony Stark’s Iron Man, it would make sense for him to return in anIron Man-esque movie, focused on Don Cheadle’s War Machine.Armor Warsdoesn’t yet have a release date, but this could bring Justin Hammer back to the MCU very soon.
1Thanos
Thanos First Appeared In The Avengers (2012)
The Mad Titan, Thanos, was the most significant villain in the MCU’s Infinity Saga, and since he made appearances in five feature films before being defeated by Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, some may suggest he doesn’t need to return. However, back in February,Thanos actor Josh Brolinrevealed toComicbook.comthat he had heard"through the grapevine"that Thanos would be brought back.There are many opportunities for Thanos to return in Marvel Studios' upcoming projects, specifically in Phase 6’s much anticipatedAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars.
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Thanos plays a huge role in Marvel Comics’Secret Warsevent from 2015 as a member of the Cabal, a group hoping to stop the multiverse’s destruction by eliminating alternate worlds before they can collide with Earth-616. This brutality is certainly something the MCU’s Thanos would take part in, but this could lead to the iconic showdown betweenThanos and Doctor Doom, who will be played by the returning Robert Downey Jr.. Bringing Thanos back to the MCU would be a brilliant way to bridge the gap between the Infinity Saga and Multiverse Saga.
We’re Still Waiting For Many Multiverse Saga Villains To Return, Too
While it would be amazing to see any number of powerful Infinity Saga villains return to the MCU, there are also many newly-introducedMultiverse Saga villainsthat are yet to make reappearances. Among them,the likes of the High Evolutionary, Namor, Xu Xialing, Kingpin and Kang the Conqueror haven’t yet fully made their mark on the MCU. Vincent D’Onforio will return as Kingpin inDaredevil: Born Again, and Kang the Conqueror is still expected to be recast in theMarvel Cinematic Universe, though the futures of many other villains are less certain.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
