Captain Marvel 2 could set up Galactus ahead of Phase 5 of the MCU. Marvel originally intended Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to launch a wave of cosmic movies, but those plans changed. Instead, Captain Marvel 2 now sits at the tail-end of Phase 4, inviting viewers to lift their eyes up to the heavens and remember the MCU's cosmic potential. It clearly marks a transition from the secret kingdoms and Multiversal plots of Phase 4, with Marvel once again looking to the stars.

Unfortunately, Captain Marvel 2 faces a major problem. Whether Carol Danvers is the most powerful superhero in the MCU or not, the fact remains she's an absolute powerhouse. When Captain Marvel unlocked her Binary powerset, she was transformed into a being who could take down starships with ease. Thanos himself was unable to knock her down, and had to use the Power Stone to beat her. Given these power levels, there are frankly very few villains who could potentially pose a challenge to Carol Danvers.

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Looking to the comics, one particular group stand out as potential threats. The Heralds of Galactus number among the most powerful beings in the Marvel Comics universe, granted unfathomable might by Galactus himself. The most famous of these is the Silver Surfer, who wields the Power Cosmic and has single-handedly matched the assembled Avengers or the Fantastic Four; Norrin Radd famously came to doubt his master and was redeemed, thus saving Earth from destruction. But Galactus has many other Heralds, and few of them have shown the same kind of conscience. Air-Walker was a member of the Nova Corps who actually became Galactus' friend, Terrax is a brutal dictator with the power to manipulate the ground itself, and Red Shift can tear the fabric of spacetime apart at will; Firelord is a pyrokinetic who sought Galactus for knowledge and paid the price, Stardust was a brutal ethereal being, and Nova was a metahuman who became a herald to spare Earth.

Terrax Silver Surfer and Nova join forces to take down Morg in Marvel Comics.

Captain Marvel 2 would be the perfect place to introduce one or more Heralds of Galactus. Indeed, she's one of the only MCU heroes who currently operates at the kind of power level needed to match a Herald, let alone defeat them. What's more, Captain Marvel is tied to the Skrulls, and they too are strongly associated with Galactus; their homeworld was actually consumed by Galactus when he was guided there by the Herald Nova. It wouldn't be hard to adapt this plot for the MCU, with Carol Danvers receiving a Mayday from the Skrulls and learning their sanctuary has been destroyed by a cosmic force. While investigating, she would then come into conflict with Galactus' Heralds.

Of course, Galactus has far too much potential to serve as a once-and-done villain in Captain Marvel 2. Rather, the film should set him up as a background presence and instead focus upon the Heralds. That would be a smart way of indicating just how dangerous a force Galactus really is; if the servants are powerful enough to take on Captain Marvel, how mighty must the master who has empowered them be? The threat of Galactus would thus become an intimating and fearful one, and it could be built up through Phase 5's cosmic movies. In the end, Galactus could become to Phase 4 what Thanos was to Phase 3 - the ultimate enemy who forces Earth's Mightiest Heroes to assemble against him.

More: Captain Marvel 2 Could Give Carol A New Power (Thanks To Space Stone Retcon)

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