9 MCU villains who could show-up in Avengers 4

Avengers: Infinity War crafted arguably the MCU’s greatest villain in Thanos. But there’s plenty of other bad guys still lurking in the MCU, ready to pounce once the Mad Titan’s been defeated in Avengers 4.

So, assuming they survived the snap (and with this lot, we wouldn’t put it past them), here’s all the villains who could join the party in Avengers 4.

Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl)

Zemo is one of the most underrated villains in the MCU, having arguably had the most lasting impact on the Avengers (we’ve had seven films since Civil War and the beef Zemo exploited still hasn’t been properly resolved).

The last time we saw him, he was being taken into custody by Black Panther, who refused to kill him, stopping him from committing suicide. “Vengeance has consumed you. It is consuming them. I am done letting it consume me,” Panther said.

As Panther put it, “The living are not done with you yet.”

Which means we could see Zemo return to the MCU. We’d love to see the Avengers consulting with the manipulative genius to find out how they can take down Thanos, Silence Of The Lambs style.

Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell)

Iron Man 2’s supporting nemesis was basically wasted in one of the worst MCU instalments.

Last time we saw him, in a post-credit cameo at the end of All Hail The King, he was still in prison, looking pretty happy with his situation. But how happy will he be if his boyfriend vanishes in a puff of dust? Could Thanos’ snap inspire a prison break-out if all the wardens disappear but the criminals remain? Now there’s a spin-off we’d like to see.

We’re really hoping we haven’t heard the last from Hammer. If he doesn’t show up in Avengers 4, he’d make a perfect future Spider-Man villain, as a grieving Peter Parker tries to find a father figure to replace Tony Stark…

Ronan The Accuser (Lee Pace)

Killed off in Guardians Of The Galaxy, Ronan The Accuser will be making a return in Captain Marvel, because that movie’s set in the ‘90s, so he’s still alive and dancing back then.

But with Captain Marvel rumoured to involve time travel, there’s a chance that Ronan could piggyback to the future and land in our universe. With the Skrulls said to be the villains of the next phase, Ronan would make a pretty solid re-addition to the timeline – he’s a pretty significant character in the Kree-Skrull war comic-book storyline.

Baron Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor)

Of everyone on this list, Baron Mordo is easily the most likely to actually turn up in Avengers 4. Last time we saw him, he was making the life-choice to kill as many sorcerers as possible. But as far as the good guys are concerned, he’s still one of them. So could the surviving Avengers try to consult with the Baron following Strange’s disappearing act?

With Doctor Strange 2 confirmed by Kevin Feige, people will need reminding of Mordo’s evil (especially if they didn’t bother to stay until the end of the Doctor Strange credits), and Avengers 4 is a great place to do it.

Scorpion (Michael Mando)

One of Spider-Man’s earliest comic villains, with one of the coolest looks, Scorpion (aka Mac Gargan) has been set-up in Spider-Man: Homecoming (threatening Peter to Adrian Toomes in a mid-credit scene), which is part of the MCU.

So, expect to see him sooner rather than later. Especially when Parker stops feeling not so good, and returns to cinematic universe in Avengers 4, just in time to star in Spider-Man: Far From Home. We expect Scorpion will join Mysterio in Far From Home, where he’ll get his big screen costume for the first time. Yep, we’re expecting Far From Home to have a sting in the tail.

Vulture (Michael Keaton)

Speaking of Spider-villains, Vulture is currently locked up with Scorpion, so if one returns, expect the other to show up too. We’d love to see a sequence early in Avengers 4 where we see a wide range of characters who were off-screen in Infinity War reacting to people around them disappearing into dust. Imagine Toomes’ disappointment when Mac Gargan doesn’t vanish.

The Mandarin (???)

As we’ve previously discussed, the Mandarin is still out there. And, while Trevor Slattery is the most controversial character in Marvel’s history (causing the kind of fan backlash that Last Jedi haters would find familiar), that doesn’t mean the actual Mandarin won’t turn up at some point. The situation’s probably be a bit too convoluted for Avengers 4, but if the Red Skull can show up in Infinity War, anything’s possible.

Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum)

He might be more charming than George Clooney in a tuxedo, but let’s never forget that the Grandmaster is one of the most insidious villains in the MCU.

He was still alive – just – in the Thor: Ragnarok closing credits, and we’re prepared to bet our last disco spaceship that he survived Thanos’ snap.

With Thor proving to be arguably the most powerful Avenger in Infinity War’s final battle, he’ll be extremely important in Avengers 4 – he’ll be keen to atone for his failure to finish off the Mad Titan. Let’s hope the Grandmaster doesn’t pop up to distract him.

The Red Skull

If we don’t see Red Skull show up in Avengers 4, it’ll feel like a bit of a loose thread – especially if it really is Captain America’s final film in the franchise. So, we’re pretty much definitely expecting him to appear – especially if the movie involves time travel.

Just think, if Cap uses his increased experience to defeat Skull just a little bit earlier in the timeline, Bucky never becomes the Winter Soldier, the Red Skull doesn’t guide Thanos to the Soul Stone, and the snap never happens. Oh, and Cap gets to have his dance. If that’s not the final scene of Avengers 4, we’ll eat our shield.

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