The days are waning until the end of Phase Four of the MCU with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever quickly approaching on November 11th. The overall response to Phase Four has been mixed, with some fans calling it lackluster following the highs of Avengers: Endgame or jumbled thanks to pandemic restrictions. Others have celebrated it for its bold storytelling choices in exploring different mediums, genres, and tones.
As to the latter, hopefully, Phase Five will be able to build on those explorations starting with The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and Secret Invasion. An incredibly crucial part of that is their choice of villains, and with the plethora of upcoming projects over the next two years, there are some very exciting and inspiring prospects to consider. Many villains have a strong chance of appearing as it is, but these might be the best choices.
Doctor Doom
Right now going into Phase Six, there is one established candidate worthy of filling the Thanos-level big bad of the Multiverse Saga and that’s Jonathan Major’s Kang the Conqueror. However, someone else who could play a pivotal role is Doctor Doom. He is one of the most prominent and storied villains yet to appear in the MCU, and he could come into play in Phase Five ahead of a subsequent appearance in Fantastic Four.
There are rumors, though, that he might squeeze his way into Phase Four, in a post-credits scene in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. However, if that’s not the case, then he should do so in Phase Five.
Queen Veranke
Although an official date hasn’t been revealed, Secret Invasion is set to be Phase Five’s first Disney+ show, and it’s been the subject of incessant fan theories. Recently some were put to bed with the reveal that Kingsley Ben-Adir is playing the Skrull rebel leader, Gravik, who is seemingly leading the invasion of Earth. However, there’s still a chance for another villainous Skrull to feature, possibly even played by Emilia Clarke.
In the comics, it is Queen Veranke who launches the invasion, convinced that Earth is the Skrulls' rightful new home. Importantly, she poses for a long time as Jessica Drew AKA Spider-Woman. Therefore, their introductions could be linked and whoever plays Veranke could have a prolonged future as Spider-Woman.
Moonstone
Thunderbolts will be the final film in Phase Five, hitting theaters on July 26th, 2024. The team is currently comprised of Yelena Belova, Winter Soldier, Red Guardian, US Agent, Taskmaster, and Ghost, organized by The Contessa. There are some omissions like Abomination, Titania, or even Bullseye from Daredevil, but some theories suggest there could actually be two teams. One could be this more heroic one, and the other, led by Baron Zemo, are the film’s antagonists.
One prominent Thunderbolts member that should be introduced is Karla Sofen AKA Moonstone. She is Carol Danvers’ villainous foil, having temporarily gone by the Ms. Marvel title for a time. As such, she could also be introduced in The Marvels ahead of Thunderbolts, but in general, Carol deserves to go up against one of her best foes in the comics.
Magus
Just as the Thunderbolts roster was revealed this summer at San Diego Comic-Con, so too was Chukwudi Iwuji’s role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. He walked into the event costumed as the High Evolutionary, but there’s a good chance he’s not the only villain featuring. Importantly, Will Poulter is set to debut as Adam Warlock – after being teased in a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 post-credits scene – and with him should come his evil counterpart, the Magus.
Interestingly, Adam Warlock is intrinsically linked to the Infinity Gauntlet, yet he was omitted from the MCU’s Infinity Saga, so it’ll be interesting to see what kind of role he’ll play in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and beyond. Perhaps the High Evolutionary gets his hands on Adam and experiments on him, in turn, releasing Magus and threatening the safety of the universe.
Scarlet Centurion
Jonathan Majors will make his official debut as the real Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania after his introduction as He Who Remains in season 1 of Loki. He could still have a role in season 2 as well. However, they should use the opportunity to introduce some of his powerful variants like Iron Lad, Immortus, Rama-Tut, and the Scarlet Centurion.
Whether they are working together or strangely opposing each other, Loki and/or Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania could introduce the Council of Kangs. Scarlet Centurion and the main Kang the Conqueror have a strange relationship, with Kang resenting him as a signifier of his loss of innocence. That alone could make for an interesting story, but introducing Scarlet Centurion or other variants in Phase Five could set up something great in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, giving the heroes multiple Kangs they have to defeat.
Sin
After him taking up the shield and title in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson is finally getting his own film with Captain America: New World Order. Much to fans’ surprise, it was recently announced that Tim Blake Nelson is returning as Samuel Sterns AKA The Leader from The Incredible Hulk. While he might be the main antagonist, he could still be joined by several other great villains, such as Red Skull’s daughter, Sin.
Red Skull is still alive, although it’s anyone’s guess how he could’ve gotten off Vormir following the Soul Stone’s destruction in Avengers: Endgame. Sinthea Schmidt AKA Sin could be an interesting way to link Captain America: New World Order to Captain America: The First Avenger.
Dracula
There are some great prospects for future Halloween Specials building on Werewolf by Night, but even beyond that with Blade and Agatha: Coven of Chaos, Marvel horror will be a prominent feature in Phase Five. As such, it’s the perfect place to introduce Dracula, the King of Vampires.
Of course, he’d make a great villain in Blade opposite Mahershala Ali, though he could be going up against other vampires like Deacon Frost or Dracula’s son, Xarus. One thing that is certain is that Dracula will at least be acknowledged in Blade, teasing a future appearance in a sequel or future Halloween special. He could make for a great recurring villain like Doctor Doom or Baron Zemo and a member of their Cabal.
Nicholas Scratch
As for Agatha: Coven of Chaos there are several magical prospects. It’s still unknown whether the Disney+ series will be an origin story for Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness set in colonial times or if it will pick up from where WandaVision left off with her being imprisoned in Westview. Most likely it will be a combination of the two.
Originally Agatha: Coven of Chaos was titled Agatha: House of Harkness, which might be the best indication of who should join – her son Nicholas Scratch. He is a powerful and cruel warlock, predominately opposing the Fantastic Four, though he’s dedicated himself to Dormammu too.
Mephisto
Agatha: Coven of Chaos might finally be the best chance for Mephisto to join the MCU. He has been the center of many theories ever since the premiere of WandaVision, with fans expecting him to pop up in nearly every subsequent project.
It’s past time to put the theories and fan-casting to bed, and Mephisto could come into play in Agatha: Coven of Chaos should she wish to gain truly destructive powers. Alternatively, another powerful mystical figure that could be introduced is Nightmare, the dastardly ruler of the Nightmare World in the Dream Dimension.
Serpent Society
There is no shortage of well-known and popular villains that could come into play in Phase Five, but perhaps they should continue the work of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and bring in some underrated and ridiculous villains.
One of the best options available is the Serpent Society, which could be introduced in Captain America: New World Order. They are a team of mercenaries and villains – though some like Diamondback are heroic at times – who could be hired by the Leader. While their snake theme might be kitschy, they could be adapted in live-action to be quite dangerous and deadly opponents.