Avengers Villain Crossover Art Has Kang Joining Loki, Ultron, & Thanos

A new piece of fan art unites every major villain of the Avengers films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Kang joining Loki, Ultron, and Thanos. Loki was the very first Avengers-level threat – later revealed to be sent by Thanos – as he brought an army to attack New York in Avengers Assemble. Ultron was the result of Tony Stark's technology gone bad and threatened the extinction of the human race in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Thanos was the ultimate enemy of the Infinity Saga, making several short appearances before stealing the show in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Now, Kang the Conqueror is the next major antagonist and is set to appear in at least Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

Fan artist artoftimetravel posted the sublime artwork showcasing the notorious villains on Instagram with the caption, "Heroes are only as great as their villains," which can be seen below:

The crossover features the four antagonists marching menacingly forward, putting into perspective how short Kang and Loki are against Thanos and Ultron. However, height doesn't equate to power; Kang the Conqueror is set to be the most powerful adversary of the Avengers to date.

Will Ultron Ever Return To The MCU?

Ultron with a clenched fist in Avengers Age of Ultron

Out of the four Avengers villains, Ultron had by far the least amount of screen time in the main Earth-616 continuity. The machine has since appeared in the Disney+ show What If...? which explores alternate universes as part of the MCU's Multiverse Saga, and it even introduced an Ultron variant that possessed the Infinity Stones and spread chaos across different realities. However, when it comes to Ultron's live-action appearances, it is limited to his one-and-done showing in Avengers: Age of Ultron, though Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness showed what Iron Man's Ultron plan looked like when it was successful. Ultron's single appearance still had huge ramifications for the MCU, and many viewers feel the character deserved more relevance than he received. With the multiverse in full flow, it's possible Ultron could appear again and cause more problems for the Avengers.

Who Will Be The Next MCU Big Bad After Kang?

There are many possibilities for the next villain after the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga. With the MCU introducing the Fantastic Four in Phase 6, the possibility opens up for two of Marvel Comics' most dangerous villains, Galactus and Doctor Doom. Galactus is a cosmic, planet-eating entity, and Doctor Doom is Reed Richards' adversary. Both rank among the most famous comic book villains of all time, and considering the Avengers' final MCU movie could be Avengers: Secret Wars to make way for the Fantastic Four, they would make sensible choices for the next saga's main villain.

Alongside the Fantastic Four, the X-Men are heavily rumored to return at some point in the MCU. Deadpool 3 is already confirmed to be set within the MCU and could introduce several team members to Earth-616, followed by a potential X-Men reboot. It doesn't seem likely that this reboot would happen in the Multiverse Saga, given that the Fantastic Four's debut already precedes the Kang Dynasty, and there are already many other characters yet to be introduced. However, the MCU continues to set up Phase 7 and beyond, so the possibility of an X-Men villain, such as Magneto, also has a huge chance of becoming the next big bad after Kang the Conqueror.

More: If Doctor Doom Isn't The MCU Fantastic Four Movie's Villain, Who Is?

Source: artoftimetravel/Instagram