The threat of Thanos the Mad titan haunted the Avengers over the course of the entire Infinity Saga that dominated the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the first decade of its shared continuity, though after his death in Avengers: Endgame, there is a definite villainous void left in the MCU that still hasn't been filled.
While there have been some possible new villains announced like Kang the Conqueror who could threaten the MCU as a whole, and we previously discussed Doctor Doom's possible arrival in the MCU, but what other Marvel villains could debut in the MCU to challenge the Avengers? We've gathered a few possible villains that could rise up to fill the shoes of Thanos in the next phases.
10 Norman Osborn Could Extend His Dark Reign Over The Marvel Cinematic Universe
He may have started his villainous career as the costumed Green Goblin, but Norman Osborn was eventually able to convince the world he had reformed through the Thunderbolts program, which allowed him to then extend the heroic status he received during Secret Invasion into a position as the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Osborn's Dark Reign saw him hunt down the heroes who threatened his new position with his own team of Dark Avengers that he led as Iron Patriot, which could bring War Machine's Iron Man 2 armor back into play.
9 Parker Robbins Sought Out Dangerous Levels Of Power As The Hood
While The Hood isn't really recognized as a Thanos-level threat, there's no denying Parker Robbins uncanny ability to find powerful entities or artifacts in the Marvel universe to level himself up. The Hood wore a demonic cloak and boots that gave him abilities but threatened to consume him, and he later wielded both the Infinity Stones and the powerful Norn Stones to replace his power.
Robbins is also a formidable threat to the MCU given his organizational skills, as he was also able to assemble and maintain one of the largest supervillain criminal organizations the comic universe had ever seen.
8 Fans Already Expected Mephisto To Appear In Disney+'s WandaVision Series
The demonic Hell Lord known as Mephisto is Marvel's closest counterpart to the biblical devil whose name was recently a hot topic of discussion following rumors of his involvement in the events of WandaVision on Disney+.
While Mephisto never ended up appearing in the series (spoilers), he remains a powerful threat that has dealt with almost every hero in the Marvel Universe in some form or another over the years. Given the buzz surrounding the character during WandaVision's release, it's very likely fans could still see Mephisto in the MCU.
7 Karla Sofen Gained Reality-Altering Power From Her Powerful Kree Moonstones
The villainous Moonstone is another character who might not seem capable of filling the shoes of Thanos, as Dr. Karla Sofen frequently appears alongside teams like the Masters of Evil or the somewhat reformed Thunderbolts. However, Moonstone derives her powerful abilities (and name) from an alien moonstone that was eventually revealed to be Kree in origin.
Moonstone's powers were dramatically enhanced when she absorbed an alternate reality's version of her moonstone as well, though she lost control and threatened the entire multiverse before the moonstones were removed. As one of Captain Marvel's recurring enemies and member of the aforementioned Dark Avengers, it's very possible Moonstone could be headed to the MCU soon.
6 Maestro Is A Dangerous Evil Version Of The Hulk From A Post-Apocalyptic Future
Bruce Banner/Hulk went through a number of changes over the first decade of the MCU that included a recasting behind-the-scenes as well as a shift from Savage Hulk to the Smart Hulk that last appeared in Avengers: Endgame. One version of the Hulk that fans have yet to see is the deranged ruler of Marvel's possible post-apocalyptic future known as Maestro.
After absorbing radiation from nuclear wars in the future, Maestro became even more powerful than the Hulk and has access to the same level of intelligence, making him a dangerous threat that could rock the MCU in the next phases.
5 Galactus The World Devourer Will Likely Appear In The MCU's Fantastic Four Franchise
While a live-action version of Galactus technically appeared in 2007's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, the adaptation failed to capture the character in any recognizable way that failed to do justice to the Devourer of Worlds.
With the recent announcement that Jon Watts will be directing the MCU's Fantastic Four adaptation, there is once again hope that Galactus could appear in a more comics-accurate version to threaten Earth and potentially play a larger role in whatever cosmic scale event is coming in the next phases of the MCU.
4 Enhanced Super-Skrulls Like Kl'rt And Titannus Could Appear In Secret Invasion
The shapechanging alien Skrulls first appeared in 2019's Captain Marvel where they began their close relationship with the hero and superspy Nick Fury that will continue in Disney+'s upcoming Secret Invasion storyline. While the Skrulls we've already seen have been friendly, it's possible fans will still see some of the villainous elements appear on the big screen.
The Super-Skrull known as Kl'rt had the combined powers of the Fantastic Four which were replicated en masse during Secret Invasion, and the powerful warrior known as Titannus that appeared in Marvel Team-Up is the Skrull's super-soldier version of Captain America that proved to be almost unstoppable. The Skrulls could definitely still surprise some fans in the MCU.
3 The Beyonder Is A Dangerously Curious Near-Omnipotent Being From Outside Of The Universe
Marvel superheroes and supervillains first encountered the incredibly powerful being known as the Beyonder during 1984's Secret Wars event series when they were kidnapped and transported to Battleworld. Beyonder explained to them that he was curious about the notions of good and evil and wanted the Marvel characters to battle it out on Battleworld to find an ultimate winner.
The Beyonder returned a few times and his origin was expanded on to reveal an entire race of other-dimensional beings known as the Beyonders who experimented on Marvel's reality for years before deciding to eradicate it using a powerful being known as the Molecule Man.
2 Annihilus Invaded the Marvel Universe With His Deadly And Destructive Annihilation Wave
The deadly insectoid creature known as Annihilus hails from the dimension known as the Negative Zone that was first discovered by Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, leading to a long-standing rivalry with the first family of comics.
However, Annihilus soon set his sights on the rest of the Marvel universe during the Annihilation event, which united Marvel's cosmic heroes like Nova, Star-Lord, Silver Surfer and even other threats like Galactus and Thanos against the Annihilation Wave from the Negative Zone, which could lead to one of the most epic MCU battles fans have ever seen.
1 Magus Is Adam Warlock's Future Self Who Was Created to Defeat Thanos Before Breaking Bad
The powerful cosmic character known as Adam Warlock was first teased in the post-credits scene of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 which has almost guaranteed his eventual appearance in the MCU, which could happen in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3.
However, there is a version of Adam Warlock from the future known as Magus who originally travels back in time to ensure his future comes to pass by creating the corrupted Universal Church of Truth. Magus has also sought out powerful weapons like the Infinity Stones and Cosmic Cubes that could make Adam Warlock's tease in GotG a harbinger of Magus' doom.