How Powerful Every Upcoming MCU Villain Is Compared To Thanos

As the Marvel Cinematic Universe moves on to other villains following Thanos' defeat, it can be hard to imagine that any villain is more powerful than the Mad Titan. For nearly a decade, the MCU carefully crafted the Infinity Saga and set up Thanos to be the worst threat imaginable to create an epic finale for the original Avengers. He was an intergalactic tyrant that took two movies, time travel, and a whole team of superheroes to finally bring down. Because of that, Thanos has certainly left big shoes to fill as Marvel prepares for its next big bad.

So far, Marvel has debuted villains such as Namor, Agatha Harkness, and even a few familiar villains like Doc Ock and Green Goblin returning to the big screen in a new way. Thor: Love and Thunder introduced potentially the biggest threat since Thanos with the villain Gorr. The god butcher who wielded the Necrosword was defeated, but the MCU is just getting started when it comes to their villains and Gorr is only the first to challenge the incredible power of the Mad Titan, with several other huge threats set to make their big screen debut in phases 5 and 6. Here is how each compares to the big bad of the Infinity Saga.

High Evolutionary

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will introduce a new villain to the MCU, High Evolutionary. Along with powers such as superhuman strength and durability, he can also manipulate matter, alter his size, and has telepathy and telekinesis. Physically, he also possesses a nearly indestructible exoskeleton and advanced brain power, making him incredibly intelligent. When he makes his screen debut, High Evolutionary will definitely be a Thanos-level threat.

Due to the wide range and scope of his powers, High Evolutionary may even be more powerful than Thanos if the MCU stays true to his character from the comics. Thanos gradually grew stronger and gained powers due to the Infinity Stones but High Evolutionary has many powers without external help. He gained his powers by experimenting on himself and altering his genes, resulting in powers that are permanently a part of him. This will make him harder to defeat, as it won't be as simple as taking away the Stones to drain his power.

The Leader

The Leader will be making a comeback instead of a debut in the upcoming film, Captain America: New World Order, but in a somewhat altered form. His first MCU debut was back in 2008 in The Incredible Hulk portrayed by Tim Blake Nelson. Similar to the Hulk, the Leader was exposed to Gamma radiation but instead of providing him with unlimited strength, it gave him unlimited intelligence. Some even believe that The Leader helped to create Smart Hulk.

According to the comics, although the Leader can be killed, he can resurrect himself at will. He can do so by passing through the Green Door, the bottom layer of the multiverse that only gamma mutants have access to. Because of this, he is basically immortal and will provide a huge challenge for Sam Wilson to face in New World Order.

If the upcoming version of The Leader has the ability to resurrect himself through the Green Door as seen in the comics, that would mean he is nearly impossible to defeat. While his physical powers may not be as strong as Thanos, his ability to stay alive forever will certainly be a huge problem when it comes to taking him down, similar to how Thanos could manipulate time with the Time Stone. Thanos and the Leader appear to be equal threats in the MCU, just in different ways.

Kang the Conqueror

An image of Kang looking serious in Ant-Man Quantumania

Kang is the upcoming MCU villain that has certainly been teased the most and thanks to the season 1 finale of Loki, an alternate version of him has been introduced. He Who Remains, a variant of Kang, warned Loki and Sylvie that killing him would only unleash infinite Kangs throughout the multiverse. While Kang may not possess god-like powers similar to other villains, he is extremely smart and strong.

Since his variants are scattered across the multiverse he could appear anywhere and influence many points and places throughout the multiverse. Due to this, he will ultimately be more dangerous than Thanos and the biggest threat the MCU has seen so far. Unlike villains of the past, getting rid of him will not be simple, because there are so many other variants to take his place.

As the MCU closes Phase 4 and rolls out its Phase 5 movies, these villains are starting to rear their heads and present the biggest challenge the heroes have ever faced. While it is still unknown if their powers will closely resemble their comic book counterparts or if they will deviate somewhat, it is likely that all three of these upcoming villains will be just as powerful (if not more so) than Thanos was. It appears that the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are going to have their hands full over the next few years as they work to keep the multiverse safe.

Next: Every Power Thanos Has In The MCU (Without The Infinity Stones)