With Avengers: Endgame turning cinemas to dust on 26 April and in all likelihood becoming one of the biggest films ever created, I simply can’t help but look at the future. The MCU phase 3 is coming to an end with Avengers: Endgame and although not confirmed, there is an extremely good chance that Thanos will be defeated. Sure, Thanos is one of the biggest, most powerful Marvel villains out there (with all the Infinity Stones), but that doesn’t mean the next villain will be underwhelming. In fact, if you look at the villains in the comic books, Earth’s mightiest heroes have their work cut out for them going forward.
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There’s also the possibility that a “greater threat” after Thanos, hinted at by some official Marvel merchandise in 2018, could get introduced in an Avengers: Endgame post-credit scene, or even in the film itself.
Galactus
Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds, is my top pick for the next Marvel Villain and there could even be connections to Thanos. First appearing in Fantastic Four #48, all the way back in 1966, Galactus was once a mortal man called Galan. When his universe died, he became one with his dying universe, before the big bang in the current MCU universe even occurred. He transformed into Galactus, a nearly unstoppable being with cosmic powers the likes of which has never been shown in any superhero movie. He eats entire planets to sustain himself.
So what’s the connection to Thanos? Well, Thanos is “cursed with knowledge” and maybe he knew Galactus was coming. His planet, Titan, could have possibly also been drained by Galactus. The thing is, Galactus eats planets that are “ripe” with life, so there are theories (strong ones) that Thanos did his snap to ensure that Galactus stays away for a bit longer. This brings me to one question, what if the Avengers manage to undo the snap, which is extremely likely. Will this pave the way for Galactus as the next big bad Marvel villain? Since Disney is now in control of the Fantastic Four and other Marvel IPs previously from Fox, this could be the perfect time to introduce the devourer of worlds.
Dormammu
Unlike most other Marvel villains in this article, we’ve actually seen Dormammu in the MCU. Specifically, the Doctor Strange film released in 2016 saw Stephen Strange use the Time Stone to stop Dormammu from entering our dimension. Dormammu is the ruler of the Dark Dimension and an exceedingly powerful being, to say the least.
Dormammu is a timeless entity and that is also his weakness. With a clear focus on time travel in Avengers: Endgame, we know that the heroes already have a way of dealing with him, sort of. However, Dormammu is still exceptionally powerful and can possibly emerge once again with the power of an entire dimension at his disposal. It all depends on how Endgame finishes up, as it is always possible that using the Time Stone over and over could have reversed the events of the Dr Strange film, leaving Dormammu open for a comeback. Check out the video from JoBlo Movie Clips below in case you haven’t watched Dr Strange yet but want to catch up on things before Avengers: Endgame.
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Annihilus
Think Thanos’ army was big in Avengers: Infinity War? Well, to quote Bachman–Turner, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Annihilus first appeared in Fantastic Four Annual #6, released in November 1968 and as you can probably guess, he is a great enemy of the Fantastic Four. Just like Galactus, he can possibly now appear in the MCU since Disney is now in control of the Fantastic Four and other Marvel IPs previously from Fox.
Annihilus is the ruler of the Negative Zone and controls his insectoid-like army and an insanely huge armada. He is the reason for the attacks in the “Annihilation” comic book series and has even teamed up with Thanos in the past. His forces destroyed Zandar in the comics, he wields a weapon called the Cosmic Control Rod, which he uses to manipulate cosmic energy and even the structure of matter.
It all depends on how the MCU wants to (or even does) introduce Annihilus, but since has teamed up with Thanos in the past, Annihilus could very well be called in to help Thanos against the Avengers. That is if he does have a relationship with Thanos in the MCU, but if he does, he could be an extremely formidable foe.
Amatsu-Mikaboshi
First appearing in Thor: Blood Oath #6, Amatsu-Mikaboshi, also known as the Chaos King, is a god-level being and specifically in the comics, an enemy of Thor. Amatsu-Mikaboshi is the primal embodiment of nothingness and primordial chaos, an entity that could very well be unbeatable depending on how the MCU depicts it.
Thanos is all about order and balance in the universe and his snap, although devastating, was to balance all things and create order. That is the direct opposite of everything Amatsu-Mikaboshi embodies, which is why I think there could be a chance that the King of Chaos will take notice of Thanos’ actions and attempt to spread chaos through a universe that is ripe for the taking. He has genius-level intelligence, is insanely fast, commands a massive army and is a pure force of nature and evil.
The most frightening thing about Amatsu-Mikaboshi is that he can take just about any form and take control of those who have died. In theory, Amatsu-Mikaboshi could have already taken control of one of the Avengers, biding his time for the right moment to strike. However, there has been no mention or even an Easter Egg pointing towards Amatsu-Mikaboshi in the MCU just yet but that could all change post-Endgame.
Surtur
Surtur has already made an appearance in the MCU with Thor: Ragnarok, where he fulfilled the prophecy and Ragnarok happened, destroying the entire Asgard and even going toe-to-toe with Hela, Thor’s sister who crushed Mijolnir with one hand. Surtur is a demon from the extradimensional plane of Muspelheim and we all know he is in the same dimension as The Avengers right now since he completely wrecked Asgard. First appearing in Journey into Mystery #97 released in October 1963, Surtur stands at over 1,000 feet tall and wields the Sword of Doom.
In the comics, Surtur has invaded Earth, but he was stopped with the help of Odin (which isn’t likely to happen in the MCU since Odin is gone). Surtur even appeared in some Avengers issues, where he was summoned to Earth by a cult alongside the ice giant Ymir. If Surtur was to make it to Earth, possibly seeking out Thor as one of the last remaining Asgardians, things could get very heated (sorry) in the MCU. Thor even asked Hulk to “for once in your life, do not smash” when Hulk was thrown around like a ragdoll by Surtur.
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Bonus: Lady Death
This is probably the most unlikely Marvel villain on this list, as Lady Death (the embodiment of death itself) would be a bit too powerful for the Avengers to face and then possibly even the Living Tribunal will also have to come into play. However, she has a comic book relation to Thanos that might come into play. You see, Thanos kills countless millions to impress Lady Death. In comic book, Thanos #18, released in April 2018, Thanos finally met his demise at the hands of…Thanos…after killing everything in the universe for the love of Lady Death.
Lady Death could (although not likely) make an appearance in Endgame in some form or another, as she won’t be happy if the Avengers reverse the effects of the snap. In all honesty, it would be strange to see Thanos’ story come to a complete end in Avengers: Endgame as he is such an important Marvel villain. If Lady Death herself does play some role in the MCU, it might be to save Thanos from total destruction. We won’t see her face off against the Avengers as that would be like shooting fish in a barrel, but we could see a glimpse of her or hear a whisper in Thanos’ ear.
Which other Marvel villains do you think will be likely to get introduced into the MCU after Avengers: Endgame? Let us know in the comment section below.
