The Marvel Cinematic Universe has featured plenty of unforgettable supervillains — Thanos, Killmonger, Green Goblin, and Mysterio, just to name a few. But only in Phase 4 of the MCU are the villains finally starting to take the role of protagonist.
Loki got his own Disney Plus series last year, even if he did take on a more heroic role within it, and both Agatha Harkness and the Ten Rings are set to follow suit. However, there are plenty of other Marvel villains who would be perfect candidates to headline their own MCU projects. Here are just a few bad guys who could easily carry their own spin-off.
Baron Zemo
Baron Helmut Zemo, played by Daniel Brühl, proved to be one of the biggest breakout villains of the MCU after he debuted in Captain America: Civil War, thanks to his tragic backstory, sympathetic characterization, and cunning master plan. Zemo’s popularity only grew when he returned as a major character in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, this time as an ally to the heroes instead of an enemy. So between his fan-favorite status, talented actor, and nuanced personality, it’s a no-brainer that Zemo would fare well in a leading role.
In fact, unlike most villains, Zemo’s helmed his own ongoing series before. In the comics, Baron Zemo was the original leader of the Thunderbolts, a group of ostensibly reformed supervillains who are essentially Marvel’s own answer to DC’s Suicide Squad. Many fans have theorized that the Thunderbolts are the team that the mysterious Val Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is putting together, though it’s unlikely that Zemo would be willing to work with a super-soldier like U.S. Agent. Alternatively, if Marvel isn’t ready to redeem Zemo any time soon, his spin-off series could focus on him assembling the Masters of Evil, the villain team he led in the comics.
Wenwu
Speaking of fan favorite villains, the MCU’s true Mandarin, Xu Wenwu, left quite an impact on audiences in last year’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, thanks in no small part to the incredible performance of Tony Leung. While Wenwu’s daughter Xialing (Meng'er Zhang) has her own spin-off series in production, the man himself could easily be the center of his own MCU project. After all, he spent thousands of years as an immortal warlord, so he’s definitely had an eventful life. Granted, Wenwu’s backstory probably couldn’t carry more than a miniseries or even a single special, but it’d certainly be a treat to see more of Tony Leung as this incredibly fascinating character.
Kingpin
Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk recently made his triumphant return to the MCU in the season finale of Hawkeye. And while speculation abounds regarding a possible Daredevil revival, the MCU’s Kingpin is the exact sort of villain who would work excellently as the protagonist of his own series. He’s ruthless yet noble, terrifying yet sympathetic, cruel yet loving — without a doubt, one of the MCU’s most complex villains yet. Just imagine a Godfather-style crime drama set in the Marvel Universe, with Wilson Fisk at its center. And with Kingpin trying to rebuild his empire in the post-Blip world, the premise writes itself. Then again, with an Echo series on the way, fans will probably be seeing plenty more of Kingpin very soon anyway.
Kang the Conqueror
Audiences technically haven’t been properly introduced to Kang yet, but he’s already poised to be one of the biggest villains of Phase 4 and beyond. For starters, of Kang’s multiversal variants, He Who Remains, appeared in the final episode of Loki Season 1. And even with only 11 minutes of screen time, Jonathan Majors managed to leave viewers spellbound with the effortless charisma and gravitas he brings to the role. Kang himself will be making his proper debut in next year’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. But with a villain like Kang who transcends all of time and space, he’s bound to have an absolutely massive history, waging war all across the multiverse. And with Jonathan Majors in the role, watching some of Kang’s past conquests in detail would no doubt be a thrilling tale.
Magneto
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Speaking of villains who have yet to enter the MCU, there are few Marvel antagonists more iconic — or more complex — than Magneto. An origin film for the Master of Magnetism was in production over a decade ago, before the story was eventually folded into X-Men: First Class. However, the MCU has the opportunity to make a Magneto-centric spin-off a reality at last. Whether it’s an origin story detailing Erik Lehnsherr’s tragic past or a more contemporary story focused on his time with the Brotherhood, Magneto definitely has what it takes to be the lead of his own MCU project.
Doctor Doom
But of course, there’s no villain whose MCU debut is quite so highly anticipated as Victor Von Doom, the tyrannical king of Latveria and arch-nemesis of the Fantastic Four. While Doom’s past film incarnations have been less than memorable, comic fans know him as one of the Marvel Universe’s most compelling and multifaceted antagonists. He’s the ultimate “ends justify the means” bad guy, whose traumatic past drives him to save the world by any means necessary. And in his megalomaniacal mind, that means becoming the all-powerful ruler of humanity. And while Doom is at his best when he’s matching wits with earth’s mightiest heroes, his origin story is perfect material to adapt into a Disney Plus series, or even a feature film. If there’s any villain who’d be right at home as the hero of his own story, it’s Doctor Doom.