The follow-up title for Marvel's Avengers is obviously far off. The game itself has only been out for a bit, and there's a number of follow-up DLC that's still set to release over the coming months. While everyone is most excited about the new heroes slated to join Marvel's new gaming universe, it's really the quality of the new villains that hold the game's success and playability in the balance.
Over time, more and more prominent Avengers villains are going to make their debut in the video game world. Looking beyond the DLC, there's a massive range of villains, from the street level bad guys to the ultimate cosmic threats, that could stand in the way of the always-expanding Avengers roster. While they might not be ready to go up against the best of the best like Thanos or Galactus, there are literally hundreds of other notable Marvel villains fans could see in the next game.
10 Crossfire
The new era of superhero video games has established a pretty clear and identifiable format for its villains. What that means is that long before you get the chance to fight the big boss, you typically have to claw your way through a number of lower-level enemies. In Marvel's Avengers, Taskmaster and Abomination served that role as the buildup battles before you got to take on M.O.D.O.K.
Looking ahead, one of the names that's been consistently thrown around and could serve as one of those low-level villains is the sharpshooter known as Crossfire. The reason he's so often tied to a future game is his connection to Hawkeye, who will make his debut in the game's first DLC. Aside from being an expert marksman, the most notable aspect of Crossfire is his mind control ability, allowing him to imbue enemies with intense anger via ultrasound technology.
9 Klaw
In almost every form of media, Ulysses Klaw has been a villain synonymous with the Avengers. He's been right alongside Earth's Mightiest Heroes in the MCU and in most of their animated series, so his introduction to Marvel's gaming universe makes sense.
Like Crossfire, Klaw would serve as another secondary enemy along the way to a more significant opponent. Although it'd be tough to showcase much of his backstory, Klaw's abilities, including his sonic vibranium arm canon, would offer up the perfect power level for the Avengers to fight early in the game. Square Enix has yet to confirm whether or not Black Panther will be one of the additional DLC heroes, but if he is then he would serve as the perfect connection to introduce Klaw.
8 Kingpin
Over the past five years, Marvel's number one crime boss, Wilson Fisk a.k.a. Kingpin, has risen to new heights. Since Vincent D'Onofrio brought him to life in Daredevil, Kingpin has continuously found his way into several major mainstream projects such as his small role in Marvel's Spider-Man game as well as his role as the main villain in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse. Now, it seems like his next appearance could come via the sequel to Marvel's Avengers.
With Spider-Man joining the Avengers in a 2021 DLC, that move makes even more sense. Considering he served as a minor villain at the beginning of Marvel's Spider-Man, there's no reason to believe he'd be any more than just that in a future Avengers game. There was even a senator in Marvel's Avengers that looked strikingly similar to Fisk, although that character was never given a real name.
7 Winter Soldier
Bucky Barnes seems like a pretty obvious choice to make his way into an Avengers game at some point. He's one of the many rumored heroes to eventually join the current roster, but how he'll join them is still unclear. After the events of the first game, it seems as though the only choice to introduce him would be through a comic and MCU-accurate villain storyline.
The Winter Soldier would also be the perfect character to build on the game's version of Captain America. The Avengers game kept Steve Rogers confined to a fairly small role, having kept him on ice for a majority of the story so some depth to his character feels much needed. The Winter Soldier's iconic re-emergence storyline was done beautifully in the MCU, so at this point, that narrative may have had enough time in the limelight.
6 Zemo
Another iconic Marvel villain that could help expand on Steve Rogers' story and open the door for the game to explore some classic comic storylines is Baron Zemo. His strengths, skills, and intelligence create some opportunity, as well, for him to be more than just a Taskmaster-like villain to defeat on the road to someone much stronger.
What's most interesting about Zemo joining this universe is his ability to set up the Masters of Evil. There's no guarantee that a team against team dynamic would work in a game like this one, but it'd still be amazing to see one of Marvel's most villainous groups come to life opposing the expanding Avengers roster.
5 Skrulls
Introducing the Skrulls into a game like Avengers is much easier said than done, even in a sequel.
In the event that they were to kick off the Secret Invasion storyline, it would probably mean the Skrulls themselves wouldn't make an appearance until the very end of a sequel and maybe not even until a third game (if that ever happens). It seems like a long shot for something like that to happen, but it'd be something that any Avengers fan could get behind.
4 Doctor Doom
Much like the Skrulls, Doctor Victor Von Doom is a pretty significant reach for an Avengers sequel. Unlike any of the previous, Doom moves the conversation to the major villains, as M.O.D.O.K. was in the first, that would build up throughout and likely mark the conclusion of the game.
Typically, Doctor Doom is considered a villain of the Fantastic Four despite his extensive history with heroes across the Marvel Universe. While he's certainly one of the best villain options for a story-driven game like this one, it's hard to believe they'd be able to pull off a character of his magnitude in just one game.
3 Kang the Conqueror
One of the most common choices for the next major villain of the Avengers game franchise is Kang the Conqueror. With him, Kang brings the potential for time travel in this universe, and even the concept of traveling the Multiverse.
He's almost always considered one of the Avengers' most prominent enemies, with so much incredible story potential to offer. He could very well be one of the most realistic options for the franchise's next major villain.
2 Ultron
The psychotic android known as Ultron serves as the first of the two most obvious choices for the main villain of the next Avengers game.
Ultron's history in the world of Marvel is fairly well known at this point, including the MCU interpretation seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Luckily for Marvel's gaming universe, they could introduce Ultron in just about any, way, shape, or form. They could utilize the comic storyline in which Hank Pym creates him, or they could follow the film's lead and make Tony Stark the responsible party. Regardless, Ultron would be a welcomed addition to this Avengers universe and could help significantly push forward the individual storylines of several different members of the team.
1 Loki
Last, and certainly not least, comes Loki. Ever since the first Avengers film, the brother of Thor and God of Mischief has become the villain most heavily associated with Earth's Mightiest Heroes and one who's name is synonymous with almost every Avengers project.
He was actually teased as existent in this universe during one of the "Gamerverse" comics, so it wouldn't be too far of a stretch to incorporate him as the next villain. The beauty of using him is that he could serve in a role of any size, either as a minor villain along the way or the driving oppositional force. No matter how they chose to use him if they plan to at all, Loki feels like one of the few must-haves when it comes to the future villains for Marvel's Avengers.