Superhero media has always relied on one important dynamic for their stories — the fight between good and evil. Heroes and villains always face off in battle, whether it’s for a whole galaxy or just a city. Some of the most recognizable heroes and villains in the current superhero landscape come from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, home of Iron Man, Thor, Spider-Man, and more. But while the MCU’s villains are popular, they aren’t treated or showcased like their hero counterparts.

Villains — like Ultron or Red Skull — only show up in one film and are expected to become fully formed in just one performance. This usually leads to villains’ actions not feeling fully justified by audiences or fans. The MCU has also not let villains join forces with others in cross-over events similar to the Avengers series. Perhaps if the MCU gave their villains the same treatment and character strategy as their heroes, the resulting films would feel that more satisfying to fans.

RELATED: The New Approach To MCU Villains

Five years ago, it seemed like the MCU actually would take time to build up its villains — or at least Spider-Man’s. After the release of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in 2014, Sony was ready to fund a spin-off film focused on a group of Spider-Man’s most notorious enemies — the Sinister Six. The group is made up of villains that were already introduced through previous films like The Green Goblin and Electro, added Sony remakes of characters like Vulture, Sandman, and Doctor Octopus, and introduced Mysterio to the big screen for the first time. After the cancellation of The Amazing Spider-Man 3, The Sinister Six film fell apart as well. While villains like Mysterio have been introduced into Disney’s official MCU in recent years, there haven’t been any plans for a villain-focused film since Sinister Six.

Sinister Six Comics

While the MCU has focused on heroes, the DCEU has been attempting to do their own villain strategy. David Ayer’s Suicide Squad — while divisive as it was — showcased the major villains of Batman, Superman, and other members of the Justice League. Some characters included were Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, and of course, The Joker. It remains one of the few films focused solely on the villains in comic books rather than the heroes. DC brought villains to the screen again with Birds of Prey, which not only focused on antagonists but also let characters like Black Canary and The Huntress step into the role of heroes for once. The result is an entertaining and empowering story about female friendship that truly showcased everyone involved in the film. James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad were DC villains’ most recent outing and added even more characters to the lineup like Bloodsport, Peacemaker, and Blackguard.

There could be hope for villains in the MCU’s newest Fourth Phase, though — but not by copying what Marvel has done with its heroes. It doesn’t seem like we’ll be getting a villain-centric film on the scales of The Avengers anytime soon, but villains may finally be shown in more than one film or film series. It’s no secret now that Kang the Conqueror (portrayed by Jonathan Majors) is set to be the villain big enough to fill the hole in the MCU left by Thanos, and it appears that fans will be getting to know the time-traveling antagonist across multiple events. He has already made his first appearance in the season one finale of Loki as a variant of himself called He Who Remains, who watches over the TVA and keeps his nastier variants in line.

Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror in Loki funny

But now, an infinite number of Kangs have been released following the introduction of the multiverse in the final minutes of Loki. The multiverse allows Kang to show up anywhere at literally any time, and fans won’t have to wait long to see him again. Jonathan Majors has already been cast as Kang in the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and has been named the next “cross-movie villain” of the MCU by Loki writer Michael Waldron. Besides Kang, other Phase Four villains have begun to trickle in, such as Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder and the return of Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

The villains of the MCU’s past are unforgettable characters and have shaped the MCU canon in countless ways. Without villains like Thanos or Loki, the films that fans watch in theaters simply wouldn’t be the same. But the time has come for the backbones of MCU’s villains to be stronger and equal to the character arcs of their hero counterparts. Once that happens, fans will receive better films and shows, creators will have more possibilities, and villains will finally get their due.

MORE: James Gunn Responds To Guardians Of The Galaxy 3 Cast's Script Reaction