This year, Deadpool was released not only to critical acclaim but immense box office success. With Captain America: Civil War and X-Men: Apocalypse set to follow in May and Doctor Strange making his debut in November, there’s never been a better time to be in the business of Marvel superheroes. There is one glaring complaint that can usually be pointed at superhero movies and that’s the unappealing villains, however. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is perhaps one that has continued to impress moviegoers as the films are released. With that in mind, and with countless more Marvel movies on the way, we’ve come up with ten Marvel villains we want to see on the big screen and we’re crossing studio lines so X-Men, Avengers, and Spider-Man villains are all welcome!
Marvel Villains: The Leader
Though briefly teased in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, a complete villainous version of Samuel Starnes has never made it to the big screen. What makes The Leader a compelling villain for the screen is that he’s not a physical match for The Hulk, who honestly has no real equals in the strength department on screen be it Thor, Abomination, or Iron Man’s Hulkbuster. Forcing the character to fight a foe as both Banner and his alter ego is where the potential for a unique cinematic bout is at.
Marvel Villains: Mister Sinister
Though there have been a number of villains present in the X-Men films, few have stuck with audiences like Magneto, and rightfully so. The upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse will seek to change that, but the franchise could still use new villain blood and the super powerful Mister Sinister is a good choice. The character has a number of powers including teleportation, telekinesis and complete control of his body down to the cellular level. Sinister’s origins also tie into not only the larger mythology of the emergence of mutants in the world, but he is directly responsible for the creation of Nathan Summers, aka Cable, who we already know will appear in the sequel to Deadpool.
Marvel Villains: Vulture
We already know that the upcoming Spider-Man reboot will feature a villain previously unseen on the big screen, and what better character to fight the webhead than Vulture? An inventor who was wronged by his business partner, Adrian Toomes created a flightsuit that not only allowed him to soar through the skies but grants him enhanced strength. As a winged predator, Vulture can force Spider-Man into fighting situations that few other villains can, the open skies. Especially if he puts his webs out of the reach of buildings and forces him to fight one on one as they tumble through the air.
Marvel Villains: Serpent Society
When Marvel Studios was detailing their plans for “Phase Three,” they offered up one title for Captain America: Civil War by first saying it was Captain America: Serpent Society. Though that ended up being a ruse, it was met with warmth by fans and is actually an interesting idea. Each member of the society is named, and powered, after a different snake including Anacaonda, Black Mamba, Cobra, Copperhead, Diamondback, Sidewinder, Viper, and a host of others. The group as a whole has also been used in comics to make a commentary on various groups, leaving plenty of potential for additional appearances depending on the relevant political landscape at the time.
Marvel Villains: The Spot
Though a C-lister for sure, The Spot has one of the most interesting set of super powers as far as Marvel villains come: He can create portals to another dimension that allow him to travel through great distances in short spans. Even further he can send his fists, feet or head through the portals and to different areas as seen above. The character has mostly only tussled with the likes of Spider-Man and Daredevil, but if Batroc the Leaper can appear in a MCU movie there’s no reason The Spot can’t follow suit.
Marvel Villains: Fin Fang Foom
A giant dragon in pants may not sound like the type of villain that is pertinent to the current superhero movie climate, but that’s all the more reason to try it. Superhero movies can only continue to thrive as long as they take risks and try new things, and Fin Fang Foom is a giant risk. A villain of both the Fantastic Four and Iron Man, it remains to be seen who actually would control the film rights to the character, but given his enhanced strength, acid breath, and flight ability he would be an even match for anyone that took him on.
Marvel Villains: Sin
Since it seems like Hugo Weaving’s Red Skull is never coming back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, perhaps the character’s daughter could swing by? Legacy is an important recurring theme in Captain America stories, be it the hero’s own legacy or Bucky Barnes’ transformation into the Winter Soldier, there is always room to explore the gaps from the past to the present. Bringing in Sin further explores this territory. Sin is also a bit of a risk in terms of being “very comic booky” for a film as the character was accelerated to adulthood via a machine created by the Red Skull, which also gave her super powers such as telepathy and telekinesis. Using Sin could also be a good gateway for the return of Johann Schmidt.
Marvel Villains: Arcade
Fans may know Arcade best for being the title villain in some 90s video games, but the character’s wacky sensibilities are tailor made for a feature film. An assassin, Arcade creates elaborate death traps for superheroes based around their weaknesses, all themed to carnival games, which he calls “Murderworld.” Think Jigsaw from the Saw films but more literally more colorful. The character has faced off against Avengers, Spider-Man, and others, so he might be the best choice for a villain to bring the heroes of the MCU together for a fight, even if its only an opening scene like Baron Strucker in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Marvel Villains: Mysterio
Above I asked what better character to fight Spider-Man in the upcoming reboot than Vulture and all due respect to birds of prey, but Mysterio is the real answer. Mysterio is a great character for film not only because of his grand illusions but also his ties to movies. The character can create this grand tapestry that isn’t actually real but offers a big set piece for an IMAX 3D Marvel movie. Another important aspect is that the character lacks true self confidence in himself and in some stories is portrayed as a fraud, giving this new Peter Parker the perfect mirror to look into and embrace his heroism as Spider-Man.
Marvel Villains: Squadron Sinister
In 2017 the Justice League will be getting their own feature film and though there is a playful rivalry between Marvel and DC, there’s never been any outright middle fingers to the other in the films. That could change with the inclusion of the Squadron Sinister though as the characters were modeled after the heroes from DC comics, albeit villainous versions. Characters that make up the team include Doctor Spectrum (based on Green Lantern), Hyperion (based on Superman), Speed Demon (based on The Flash) and Nighthawk (based on Batman). The team is created as pawns in a scheme against Kang (another villain worthy of being on the big screen) and forced to fight The Avengers. It’s perhaps a pipedream to hope the meta-wackiness of these characters can appear on the screen, but we can dream.
Which Marvel villains do you want to see on the big screen? Sound off below!
