The MCU Has Already Set Up 5 Villains Bigger Than Kang

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has already set up five villains more powerful than its current big bad, Kang the Conqueror. While the 31st-century time traveler is the overarching villain of the Multiverse Saga, he isn’t necessarily the greatest threat lurking in the MCU. Marvel’s Phase 4 projects indicate that like the world depicted in the comics, the MCU is filled with characters capable of threatening not just the Earth, but the entire universe.

Of course, the heroes of the MCU are expected to be busy for a while with Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror. Looking at the number of appearances he’s expected to have by the end of Phase 6, Kang is looking to cast a long shadow over the MCU. In addition to fighting Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, he may or may not return as their opponent in Avengers: Secret Wars. Given the heavy amount of attention given to Kang right now, it may be easy for other, potentially more powerful enemies to be overlooked. Depending on how they’re utilized, they could be villains in projects releasing after Phase 6, if not before. So far, Marvel has set up five villains more dangerous than Kang.

Chthon

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness laid the groundwork for Chthon to enter the picture at some point in the MCU’s future. Directly mentioned in the movie by Wong, Chthon was described as a demonic being and the author of the Darkhold. Apparently, it was he who crafted the prophecy of the Scarlet Witch. This development was taken straight from the comics, where Chthon was revealed as the reason for Scarlet Witch’s destructive potential. In Marvel Comics, it was said that Chthon, centuries after becoming entrapped in Mount Wundagore, infused a fraction of his Chaos Magic power in Wanda's body at the moment of her birth on the mountain.

The point of this was to turn Scarlet Witch into the catalyst for his return. It was always his intention for Scarlet Witch to be the vessel he would use to wreak havoc on Earth when he finally escaped from his imprisonment. Doctor Strange 2 saw his temple collapse, but that doesn’t rule out Chthon’s emergence in a future MCU movie. In fact, it’s been heavily theorized that Chthon was the movie’s real villain. His history of manipulating people from his prison makes it a real possibility that Chthon quietly influenced Scarlet Witch’s actions in the interest of using her power to gain his freedom. If Scarlet Witch returns after Doctor Strange 2, Chthon could one day get a second chance at an escape, possibly in a Midnight Sons movie.

Set

Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and Scarlet Witch battle demons in Marvel Comics.

Moon Knight’s additions to the MCU mythos opened the door for another member of the Elder Gods – Set – to join the MCU. In Moon Knight episode 4, Khonshu was imprisoned alongside some of his fellow Egyptian gods. Who they are and why they’d be locked up wasn’t explained, but this particular reveal can lead to the MCU official introduction of a major Marvel Comics villain. Since Set is an Egyptian deity, it’s not implausible that he’s one of the trapped gods. If that’s true, Marvel can use this reveal to introduce the Serpent Crown, one of the most powerful artifacts in the Marvel Universe. In the comic books, the Serpent Crown is seen as a conduit for the god’s return.

Due to his absurdly high power level, Set has been the subject of multiple crossover events. Attempts to weaponize the Serpent Crown have led to heroes like the Avengers, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and more to rally together to stop his return from coming to pass. By drawing upon this particular interpretation of the mythological deity, Marvel can unleash one of its strongest villains on the MCU.

Mephisto

A number of misdirects and teases that ultimately went in different directions generated all sorts of theories about the debut of the MCU’s Mephisto. Various details linked Marvel’s take on Satan to Doctor Strange 2, WandaVision, Loki, and even Spider-Man: No Way Home. None of these panned out, but one legitimate Mephisto tease can be found in Phase 4, regardless. In She-Hulk episode 4, a sorcerer named Donny Blaze opened up a portal to a demon realm. One of the characters in the show, Madisynn, spent some time there offscreen and encountered a goat demon who tried to get her to bargain for her soul. By confirming that this dimension exists in the MCU, Marvel created a world for Mephisto to inhabit that’s consistent with Marvel’s depiction of Hell and the ways of the demons that live there. And, if rumors of Sasha Baron Cohen's Mephisto project are to be believed, the villain could officially join the MCU before Kang is even defeated.

Annihilus

Starting out as a Fantastic Four villain, Annihilus evolved into a top-tier villain when Marvel launched the Annihilation crossover story. Leading an army called the Annihilation Wave, Annihilus posed a danger to all life in the universe, forcing even Thanos himself to align with the heroes. Based on the damage he wrought, it’s not hard to imagine Annihilus showing up as a villain in a cosmic MCU movie. The chances of that one day happening were drastically increased by Ms. Marvel’s season finale, which teased the Negative Zone, Annihilus’ prison in Marvel Comics.

In the episode, Kamala Khan’s bracelet caused her to seemingly swap places with Captain Marvel in a moment that was reminiscent of a comic story where the original Captain Marvel and Rick Jones shared a similar bond. When banging the nega-bands together, Rick would be transported to a dimension called the Negative Zone, and Mar-Vell – who was already stuck there – would subsequently leave and take Rick’s place on this Earth. By borrowing this story, Ms. Marvel has set the stage for the Negative Zone to get a proper introduction in The Marvels. If that happens, the MCU will have an easy way of bringing in Annihilus.

Knull

Knull, a relatively new character in Marvel’s villain library, has a pathway to the MCU after Phase 4. Much like Chthon and Set, Knull is one of the oldest and strongest beings in the history of the Marvel Universe. He’s also the creator of the symbiotes, thus forming an intrinsic link between him and Venom, who exists in the MCU via the multiverse. The first symbiote born from his power was All-Black the Necrosword, the weapon wielded by Gorr the God Butcher. The MCU avoided confirming the sword’s status as a symbiote, but the way in which it gradually corrupted Gorr supports this connection. Since Thor: Love and Thunder didn’t give any concrete answers as to who made it, it may be that Marvel’s plan is to delve into Knull at a later date.