Kang The Conqueror is supposed to be the Thanos of this current phase of the MCU. The biggest issue lies with Jonathan Majors, who’s still waiting for his court trial for assault and harassment to begin. There’s no telling on how the pending case will swing, but one thing’s for sure, Marvel is on a time crunch on what to do with Kang following the latest season of Loki.
Marvel is between a rock and a hard place. Kang has been a vital component of Phases four and five so it won’t be easy to simply get rid of him. Plus, there’s not a foregone conclusion about Jonathan Majors’s case to know whether it’s the right move to shift focus onto a new villain. However, Marvel is a business first and foremost, so it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if the studio made a verdict about the future of Kang following the Loki season finale. Here are five villains who could slide into the villain role should the studio decide to switch focus to a different character.
Loki
There’s no telling where Loki is going in the second season. The show has done the best job exploring the different dimensions of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The complexity of the series is quite rewarding, and it would be easy to slip Loki back into the villain role with a little bit of work. But this is the part where Marvel and Kevin Feige can play with the dimensional aspects and bring out a darker Loki from the multi-verse.
There would need to be some changes within the story, but not too much. Loki has been the primary name to dabble in the multiverse and displaying the consequences of the different dimensions can add depth to the overall world and character itself.
Scarlet Witch
I know that Scarlet Witch has been confirmed as dead in the MCU, but her death could be an easy recon. We didn’t particularly see her die in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so Marvel can cleverly craft a story that showcases how she managed to escape that tragic moment. Scarlet Witch doesn’t have much depth in the multiverse like Loki, but she’s very familiar with the different worlds.
Having Scarlet Witch living in one of the many dimensions opens up so many possibilities. She can get revenge on Strange and the MCU for trying to kill her. The forbidden book that enhanced her powers in Multiverse of Madness can enhance her abilities and make her more dangerous than before.
Sure, Sam Raimi and Kevin Feige messed up big time by ignoring the events that took place in WandaVision, making her return feel disjointed and misguided in Multiverse of Madness. But bringing her name back gives the writers a chance to course-correct her character. Wanda is already a very powerful villain. It wouldn’t be hard for fans to believe that she’s a huge threat to the new Avengers.
The Punisher
Bringing in a different Punisher could do wonders for the story. Jon Bernthal was great as the Netflix character, but his family is already dead. Marvel can adopt the Punisher Kills The Marvel Universe comic and bring in a new version that saw his family killed at the hands of the Avengers. It’s a very fun comic and though The Punisher isn’t on the level of Thanos in terms of power, the character is an elite assassin who can be a credible threat to the Avengers cast.
This Punisher can be a different variant of the original character that was introduced in the Netflix series. It would mean that the current cast of characters wouldn’t have to change too much. Granted, Marvel shouldn’t just rush to bring this story to life. In fact, the studio can simply end the current phase and start fresh with a brand-new saga. This arc would introduce something new to the MCU, and it allows different stories to come out of it.
Deadpool
Deadpool can used for the same reason as The Punisher in terms of wanting to kill the Marvel Universe. Deadpool 3 is supposed to be another take on the multiverse saga, though mostly with X-Men canon. Deadpool’s morals and values don’t align with any of the current generation of the MCU. In fact, you can call the character an outright psychopath.
Still, he’s moralistically a good human being, but stripping him of his good nature can make for a terrifying villain. Deadpool has the invincibility that Wolverine does. Plus, he’s a skilled fighter who can easily stand up to the current generation of MCU heroes. Marvel/Disney has a unique character on their hands so it’s unlikely that they would give him the big bad treatment since it would mean instant death for Wade Wilson. But it would be a fun departure from the bland storytelling that’s running rampant in the MCU.
The Hulk
The Hulk hasn’t had much purpose in the MCU since Endgame. It doesn’t help that they don’t have the rights to the character, so they can’t put out any solo content with The Hulk. Marvel can use the crash that happened in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law as the catalyst for his dark descent. The Hulk is a very complex and interesting character, but he’s been unable to evolve much because he’s always stuck in someone else’s story. Like the last three names on the list, it would take some elbow grease to course correct in the direction of making The Hulk a big bad. However, the current MCU is a chaotic mess, and fans would forgive Marvel if they scrapped the Kang story and switched gears to a new chapter focusing on one of these villains.
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