11 Marvel Villains To Face The Avengers After 'Avengers: Endgame'

With “Avengers: Endgame” comes the end of the current Marvel Cinematic Universe, at least that’s what Kevin Feige keeps saying. Going forward, fans will see a “new” MCU born out of the events of “Endgame,” which means Marvel Studios is going to need some new villains and threats to face off with the Avengers. And with 20th Century Fox now under Disney, Marvel Studios has a treasure trove of villains and storylines to choose from born from the Fantastic Four’s and X-Men’s corners of the universe.

But who could fill that role that Thanos has played for so long?

Doctor Doom

There are very few Earth-based villains that could be a match for The Avengers, but of those who can, Dr. Doom is at the top of the list. Reed Richards’ rival and archenemy of the Fantastic Four has been a regular problem for The Avengers and Marvel Universe as a whole, giving Marvel Studios plenty of material to pull from. Political power, a master manipulator, genius intellect, nearly every character in the Marvel Universe has come into conflict with Victor Von Doom and would be a perfect villain to bring the conflict back to Earth.

Galactus

There are a handful of cosmic powers in the MCU that no matter what anyone does, there is no stopping or destroying them. One of the most feared is easily the planet-eater, Galactus. Less of a purely malevolent force, the cosmic entity consumes worlds in order to survive rather than just destroying worlds for the sake of destroying them. A character of this scale means bigger storylines where Galactus is involved, even if just as a side player. And with Galactus comes his heralds, the most famous of which is Silver Surfer, further opening the cosmic end of the MCU after “Endgame” wraps up.

Annihilus

The violent ruler of the Negative Zone, Annihilus could fill the role Thanos played in the background for most MCU movies up to this point. While he started out as a Fantastic Four villain, his biggest spotlight came in “Annihilation,” where he led an invasion to conquer or destroy the galaxy. He would also kill and steal the powers of several cosmic heroes, like Quasar, before finally being defeated by Galactus. Like Loki, he can begin as a smaller villain in an individual movie before being pit against the Avengers down the road.

Dormammu

Having already been teased in 2016’s “Doctor Strange,” Dormammu would easily fit into that role once the credits for “Endgame” role. Instead of the physical threat that Thanos posed, Dormammu represents a threat to reality itself. The lord of the Dark Dimension is set on absorbing our reality into his, using his pawns in this dimension to open gates. And while Dr. Strange was able to hold him back, for now, next time may require the full force of the Avengers to stop him.

Norman Osborn

Just to be clear, we're talking about Norman and not his alter-ego, Green Goblin. Norman has proven to be a power player in Marvel Comics for decades, using Oscorp as the backbone of his power moves. Granted, this would only work if Marvel Studios decided to bring “Secret Invasion” to the big screen as, in the fallout, Norman would be named the new head of SHIELD. He would also form his own Avengers comprised of villains posing as heroes, which could make for an interesting few films.

Apocalypse

While he may not have been done justice in 2016’s “X-Men: Apocalypse,” En Sabah Nur is a character powerful enough to take on most heroes of the Marvel Universe. The world’s oldest and, arguably, the strongest mutant has found himself in conflict with the X-Men and members of the Avengers throughout his time in the comics and, once again, is a villain that could be built up to like Thanos. Besides his power, he is a master manipulator who could even convince heroes to join his cause, as he did with Archangel, forcing heroes to question each other’s loyalty.

Mephisto

If Thanos is a physical threat and Dormammu is a threat to reality, Mephisto is a threat to the souls of the Marvel Universe. Mephisto is essentially Marvel’s version of the Devil or Lucifer as the character enjoys playing with the lives of characters, good or bad, for his own amusement and benefit. It was Mephisto who was responsible for Johnny Blaze becoming Ghost Rider and convincing Peter Parker to give up his life with Mary-Jane to bring Aunt May back to life. A villain that can manipulate heroes in this way would present a very different kind of threat in the MCU and, once again, play a puppet master over the course of multiple movies.

Onslaught

During a battle between the X-Men and Magneto’s Acolytes, Xavier used his abilities to shut down Magneto’s mind, putting him in a coma. This resulted in the darkest aspects of the former friends merging, and Onslaught was the result of this. With the abilities of Xavier and Magneto at its disposal, it took a combined effort from the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and members of the Avengers to finally defeat it, though Onslaught would endure.

Kang the Conqueror

While one of the older villains of the mainline Marvel Comics, Kang the Conqueror is one that has endured as a primary threat to the Avengers. Granted, Kang is more straightforward in his goals – universal domination. However, what sets Kang apart is his ability to travel through and manipulate time to achieve his goals. With teases of the Quantum Realm’s importance in “Endgame” and Stephen Strange’s own manipulations with time, the groundwork has already been laid for the power-hungry villain to challenge the Avengers.

The Skrulls

[Warning: Spoilers for “Captain Marvel” ahead]

“Captain Marvel” had the distinction of finally bringing the Skrulls to the MCU. One of the long-standing galactic powers in Marvel Comics, Carol Danvers’ solo outing presented the Skrulls as refugees instead of conquerors. However, as Talos points out in the film, the Skrulls are scattered across the galaxy and who’s to say that one of the groups are more along the lines of the comic Skrulls. With the seeds already planted, it means that a “Secret Invasion” film still isn’t out of the question.

Phoenix Force

While not an actual villain, the Phoenix Force brings with it some of the most powerful villains in Marvel Comics. The most famous of these is Jean Grey during the “Dark Phoenix Saga,” which was brought to the big screen in 2006’s “X-Men: The Last Stand” and the upcoming “Dark Phoenix.” But the power of Phoenix Force has been something heroes and villains have battled over for years in the comics, one of the more recent storylines being “Avengers vs. X-Men.” And given the power’s penchant for corruption from human emotion, it means any hero powerful enough to possess the Phoenix could also become the villain.