Avengers: Endgame may very well be the last time we see Thanos as a villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And though the comics have plenty of bad guys to choose from, filling Thanos’ shoes won’t be easy. It’s got to be someone truly powerful and truly scary. Here’s a look at some of the villains who could be the next MCU big bad after Thanos.
In Marvel lore, the Celestials are a race of cosmic beings who created intelligent life forms across the galaxy — including humanity — as a grand experiment. And when that experiment fails to meet their standards, the Celestials… end it. They’ve already shown up in Guardians of the Galaxy, with one of their heads serving as the outpost called Knowhere, and they’re rumored to possibly be in the upcoming Eternals movie, meaning the heroes of the MCU could literally meet their makers sooner rather than later.
Of the villains we’ve actually seen in the MCU, possibly the most staggeringly powerful was the godlike Dormammu of 2016’s Doctor Strange. Even Stephen Strange himself realized he had no prayer of defeating Dormammu, so he resorted to some clever trickery to get the entity to promise not to mess with Earth again. But oaths are made to be broken, and if Dormammu returns, it might take the combined might of all the MCU heroes to stop him.
One of the better kept secrets of Infinity War was the surprise reappearance of Captain America’s old enemy, the Red Skull. Audiences hadn’t seen him on the big screen since 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, and the crimson-faced Hydra-founder’s fate had been something of a mystery.
With Thanos gone, though, Red Skull may finally be free to return to Earth. And who knows how his experience in space has changed him? The dude was dangerous enough even before being cursed by an Infinity Stone. Now? He might even be a match for the Avengers.
Ever since fans learned that the shapeshifting alien Skrulls were going to appear in Captain Marvel, there’s been speculation about a big screen version of Secret Invasion, the 2008 Marvel Comics event that revealed the shapeshifting aliens had been infiltrating the Earth for years. Or maybe the groundbreaking 1971 epic Kree-Skrull War, which was at the heart of Captain Marvel. Sure, the Skrulls in that film turned out to be okay. But there could be plenty more that may not be quite so nice, meaning either of these epic storylines could still be in store for MCU fans. Keep watching the video to see who will be the next MCU big bad after Thanos!
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The Celestials | 0:20
Dormammu | 0:46
The Red Skull | 1:11
The Skrulls | 1:41
Galactus | 2:13
The Squadron Supreme | 2:46
Maestro | 3:17
Kang the Conqueror | 3:53
Doctor Doom | 4:26