MCU Phase 4’s Next Big Bad Will Be An Avenger:
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to enter a grand new era. Thanos no longer lives to terrorize the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. The Avengers are out-numbered. Many of its prominent members are dead, retired, or absconding. This will be the perfect time for a supervillain to strike at the core of the Avengers and nip things in the bud. There have been many theories as to who it might be. Some say it will be Kang. Some claim it will be Galactus. Some even go so far as to say Marvel’s next big bad will be Doctor Doom or even the Celestials. But a new theory suggests that the primary antagonist to strike terror in the hearts of Marvel’s Superheroes will be someone not living faraway in the corners of the cosmos but someone who is living amongst the heroes. Presenting – After Thanos, New Theory suggests MCU Phase 4’s next Big Bad will be an Avenger!!!
It is true what they say – a truest friend makes for the greatest of enemies. The Avengers might be in for one hell of surprise. They have fought countless villains over the years. The Red Skull, Loki, Ultron, Hydra, Zemo, Thanos, and so many others that we have lost count! None of them have managed to make a dent in their armour. Thanos tried to use the Infinity Stones to wipe out half of all life in the entire universe. Even though he succeeded, the Avengers found a way to reverse Thanos’ doing anyways. In the end, Thanos not only got decapitated, his entire armada turned to dust. The Avengers seem more or less unstoppable no matter the severity of the adversaries.
In such a scenario, Marvel Studios needs to come up with a villain that is strong enough to not just break them from the outside but also deplete them from the inside. With new heroes like Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, and Black Panther bolstering their ranks, the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are stronger than ever. Can any Super Villain be strong enough to challenge them now?
Some claim only a few big bad wolves of the Marvel Comic Book Universe have the power to challenge the sovereignty of the Avengers. Galactus, Kang the Conqueror, and Doctor Doom are the three primary candidates. Let us try to analyse if these villains have what it takes to challenge the ones sitting on the Iron Throne.
We start off with Kang the Conqueror. The time-traveling supervillain uses time travel technology to conquer entire timelines. Using advanced knowledge of events, Kang has conquered countless timelines and aims to invade many more. He even has a Council of Kang’s to advise and support him in this endeavor. With Time Travel having already been established as a concept within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Kang could be the most obvious choice to become the newest MCU Grand Super Villain.
Galactus could also fit the list. The Disney Fox Merger has brought the Fantastic Four into the MCU (Finally!!). This means the Devourer of Worlds is also coming to the MCU. Captain Marvel and the Guardians of the Galaxy movies as well as Thor: Ragnarok, have taken the boundaries of the Marvel Movies to the Final Frontier of deep, outer space. With cosmic beings like the Celestials revealed to be very much a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as seen in GOTG Volume 1, we see no reason why Galactus could also not fit the narrative.
Doctor Doom has already made a name for himself during the Secret Wars saga when he saved the entire Multi-Verse using the power of a Beyonder and became God Emperor Doom, literally the ruler of the entire cosmos. He is sinister, suave, and seething with rage and villainy – a damn perfect fit. Kang, Doom and Galactus are good choices and many actually get behind any one of the three to be the next Big Bad after Thanos in the MCU.
But a new theory that has been gaining a lot of traction proposes something even more disastrous is in store for the Avengers. It claims that the Avengers will be facing off against one of their own. A former Avenger will embrace the Dark Side and go down the Super Villain route.
Any guesses regarding who it might be? The Avenger we are talking about is the Incredible Hulk! This Theory states that the new Avengers Super Villain will be none other than Bruce Banner!! And there are several plot points to support that claim. The Hulk has gone through a lot over the years in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He was scoffed at for being an uncontrollable giant, shunned and feared by his own friends. In Endgame, he lost Natasha – the one true love of the Hulk.
Thanos beating the guy to a pulp was a huge blow to the Green Giant’s ego. The final nail in the coffin was when The Hulk used the Iron Gauntlet to snap everyone who died in Infinity War back to the real world but it was Tony’s Snap that became the spotlight. Instead of sharing the credits, Tony Stark posthumously took it all for him-self. The Snap also damaged the Hulk a lot when he snapped his fingers. This theory states that the snap did not just give external damage but also mental damage. The Iron Gauntlet Snap changed the Hulk. And the changes were in ways beyond human comprehension.
In the comics, we have come to realize that Bruce Banner suffers from a multiple personality disorder. Based on each of his personalities, the Hulk transformation is different. The Grey Hulk, the World Breaker Hulk, the Berserker Hulk and the likes are all results of one of Bruce Banner’s many personalities in control of his mind. The Hulk Snap either fragmented the Hulk’s psyche giving him a split personality disorder or multiple personalities already existed within the Hulk and the snap merely gave someone else permanent control.
But who this other personality might be? There are several possibilities. It could be the World Breaker Hulk, the Jade Giant that almost wrecked the Earth. The Illuminati’s core members are already present within the MCU. The Hulk has already visited Sakaar. World Breaker Hulk could be one possibility. But if we go truly wild, then there is one more persona that could make the Hulk a truly formidable villain. We are talking about Maestro – the far future version of the Hulk that absorbed all the gamma radiation after a nuclear holocaust wiped out all life on Earth. Maestro is insanely more powerful but also crazy and a megalomaniac.
Given the fact that top Marvel executives have already mentioned that there may be no more superhero Hulk story lines for Marvel to deliver to their fans, maybe they are planning for the Hulk to go down this dark path and become the bane of the Avengers.
The Last Solo Marvel movie to be released under the Disney banner is Spider-Man: Far From Home. The movie was released on the 28th of June, 2019. The official film synopsis for the movie reads:
Peter Parker’s relaxing European vacation takes an unexpected turn when Nick Fury shows up in his hotel room to recruit him for a mission. The world is in danger as four massive elemental creatures — each representing Earth, air, water and fire — emerge from a hole torn in the universe. Parker soon finds himself donning the Spider-Man suit to help Fury and fellow superhero Mysterio stop the evil entities from wreaking havoc across the continent.
Avengers: Endgame released on the 26th of April, 2019. The official film synopsis of the movie has been released and it states:
“After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in ruins due to the efforts of the Mad Titan, Thanos. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers must assemble once more in order to undo Thanos’ actions and restore order to the universe once and for all, no matter what consequences may be in store.”
