Marvel's Avengers launched last week, giving players the chance to take on the role of some of Marvel's top superheroes. While the game has received mixed reviews, many seem in agreement that Marvel's Avengers does a good job of making the characters fun to play. However, the game does struggle when it comes to delivering compelling villains for the team to fight against. Please note that this article will have SPOILERS for Marvel's Avengers.
Throughout the course of Marvel's Avengers, players only come across four major villains from the comics: Abomination, MODOK, Taskmaster, and AIM Scientist Supreme Monica Rappaccini. Needless to say, there are plenty of Marvel villains that could be added to the game, and with significant post-launch support planned, it's likely that more will indeed be added in the months and years ahead.
Here are 10 villains in particular that would be great additions to the Marvel's Avengers game.
Crossfire
Upcoming Marvel's Avengers DLC will add the likes of Hawkeye and Kate Bishop to the game, and so it would be fitting if they had an adversary to match. Crossfire is arguably Hawkeye's archenemy, a former CIA agent with cybernetic implants that enhance his abilities. Crossfire has come in direct conflict with not just Hawkeye, but the Avengers in general many times over the years, and so his addition to the game's villains roster would make a great deal of sense.
Doctor Doom
While Doctor Doom may be best known for his battles with the Fantastic Four, he has also had plenty of memorable encounters with the Avengers over the years as well. Doom has proven to be one of the most popular and formidable foes in all of the Marvel universe, and he very much constitutes an Avengers-level threat. In the comics, Doom is the monarch of Latveria, which would give the development team an excuse to create brand new mission areas for the game.
Galactus
An ultra-powerful cosmic being, Galactus consumes entire worlds, and would no doubt prove to be an incredibly dangerous new foe for the Avengers face off against. But Galactus coming to Marvel's Avengers wouldn't just be an excuse to have great, over-the-top boss battles. Galactus is often accompanied by a herald that helps find planets for him to consume, most famously the Silver Surfer. Galactus making his debut in Marvel's Avengers seems like it would also be the perfect opportunity to add Silver Surfer to the roster of playable heroes as well.
Kang the Conqueror
During the Marvel's Avengers ending, AIM's Scientist Supreme Monica Rappaccini mentions how the company is the "future" of technology like cloning and even time travel. While that may have been a throwaway line, it could also be a hint that Kang the Conqueror could be a new villain added to Marvel's Avengers at some point down the line. A time-traveling supervillain, Kang has been one of the Avengers' primary antagonists since his comic book debut in 1963, yet hasn't been featured all that extensively in video games. With Kang also having yet to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it seems as though Crystal Dynamics has an opportunity to really define how the character is portrayed outside of comics.
Killmonger
When Crystal Dynamics announced Kate Bishop as an upcoming DLC hero for Marvel's Avengers, it also teased that Black Panther would be coming to the game eventually as well. At the time of this writing, it's unclear when Black Panther will make his debut, but it seems like he would benefit from having a familiar villain to go up against. Arguably the most famous Black Panther villain is Killmonger, thanks to his appearance in the Black Panther MCU movie, and it would be great to see him in the Marvel's Avengers video game.
Loki
The God of Mischief, Thor's brother Loki has long been a thorn in the Avengers' side. Recent incarnations of Loki have depicted him as being more of an anti-hero than a straight-up villain, but his magical abilities could result in an especially exciting and unique boss fight for players.
Red Skull
Captain America's arch-enemy, Red Skull is often depicted as the leader of the villainous HYDRA organization. Red Skull's introduction to Marvel's Avengers would serve two purposes. One, it would give players a formidable new opponent to go up against, and two, it would allow the developers to add the HYDRA enemy faction to the game. Having more enemy types than just AIM soldiers would mean more variety, and it would go a long way in keeping the endgame content in Marvel's Avengers feeling fresh for enthusiasts.
Thanos
Considering how much attention Thanos has gotten in the MCU, it's not all that surprising that Crystal Dynamics passed on including him as the main antagonist of the Marvel's Avengers video game. However, Thanos's popularity means that it his eventual debut seems like an inevitability, and it would definitely be exciting to see him square off against the video game version of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. How Crystal Dynamics could shake up Thanos's story for the video game remains to be seen, but his debut would no doubt come with significant fanfare.
The Mandarin
Iron Man's archenemy is The Mandarin, who utilizes his rings of power to fight his opponents. The MCU's initial depiction of The Mandarin was not well-received by fans, but the character is looking to redeem himself in the upcoming Shang-Chi movie. Perhaps Crystal Dynamics could beat the MCU to the punch by including The Mandarin in Marvel's Avengers as future DLC that does the character justice.
Ultron
When players visit Hank Pym's Ant Hill base in Marvel's Avengers, they interact with a variety of robots that Pym has built. It's quite possible that Pym's robots could eventually lead to the creation of Ultron, which would offer fans a significant threat to fight against, as well as add plenty of new robot enemies to the mix.
Marvel's Avengers is out now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions also in development.