MCU Villains Who Could Be More Powerful Than Thanos In Phase 4 (& Beyond)
Villains more powerful than Thanos could join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Phase 4 and beyond. Played by Josh Brolin, the Mad Titan has proven to be the most challenging adversary the Avengers and the heroes of the MCU have fought so far. Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Ultron (James Spader), Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace), and more have certainly been worthy opponents, but the dangers they posed paled in comparison to what Thanos was able to unleash with (and without) the Infinity Stones.
Being one of the strongest beings in the entire universe, Thanos effortlessly defeated the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) in close combat and is also capable of facing down swarms of superheroes. Even Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) couldn’t beat him in a one-on-one fight, and had to rely on other heroes to restrain him in Avengers: Infinity War. Once Thanos achieved his goal and assembled the Infinity Gauntlet, he cemented his status as the MCU’s greatest villain by erasing half of the universe. It took another movie (and an entire army of superheroes) for Thanos to finally be defeated for good.
The Avengers have put Thanos behind them, but more threats will arise in future MCU installments. However, many - such as Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl) and Taskmaster - will be smaller in scale when compared to what they went through in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Marvel will also be bringing in an incredibly powerful Marvel Comics villain when it introduces Mandarin (Tony Leung) in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, but as menacing as he may be, he can’t rival Thanos. That being said, there are some characters expected to show up in the near future that could actually outclass the Mad Titan.
Unless Marvel makes significant changes to the Deviants, the ancestral enemies of the Eternals won’t be even close to as dangerous as Thanos in the MCU, but the creators of the Eternals are a totally different story. The Celestials are a race of cosmic, god-like beings capable of destroying whole planets and eradicating civilizations. It’s no wonder that they’re a greater risk to the MCU than even Thanos, when taking into consideration the fact that they created the Eternals.
The Eternals could have beaten Thanos without the help of the Avengers, yet they’re all no match for the power of the Celestials, which is why the Eternals are forced to respect their wishes and avoid angering them. If the Eternals end up going against the Celestials in the upcoming MCU movie, the planet will be in serious danger.
Admittedly, Ant-Man 3’s Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) doesn’t have the raw power that the MCU’s Thanos does, but his intelligence and arsenal of weapons puts him on the Mad Titan’s level. His ability to go anywhere in the timestream makes it possible for him to threaten the MCU in a way that Thanos couldn’t. Kang could cause irreversible damage to various timelines in the multiverse and bring about all sorts of world-ending catastrophes.
It’s not clear exactly when Marvel will get around to bringing Galactus to the MCU, but he feels like a character who will be explored eventually. As an eternal, cosmic entity who feeds on planets, Galactus is one of the strongest forces in the Marvel Universe. Even Thanos has recognized him as a potential threat on certain occasions. Heroes like Thor and Hulk are usually inferior to Thanos in terms of physical prowess, but are at least strong enough to be regarded as challenges to him.
However, to Galactus, they’re but fleas that he can swat away with a flick of his hand. That’s why Galactus does indeed stand a chance at overshadowing Thanos when he joins the MCU, whether it be in Fantastic Four or a different Marvel movie. As Marvel dives deeper into the cosmic corner of Marvel Comics, opportunities to use Galactus will continue to present themselves.
Arguably one of the greatest battles in the history of the Avengers occurred in the late 1970s when they went up against Michael Korvac, a man who had secretly stolen some of the Power Cosmic from Galactus. Armed with the Power Cosmic, Korvac had a ton of impressive abilities at his disposal. Unlike other villains, Korvac didn’t want world domination; what he really wanted was to remake the world into a better place. Naturally, the Avengers stood in his way. What took place during their fight was a messy, lop-sided showdown. Even though the Avengers called in nearly every member they had, they couldn’t beat Korvac. It didn’t matter that Thor, Vision, Wonder Man, Carol Danvers, Hercules, Iron Man, and the Guardians of the Galaxy were all fighting on their side.
A big part of what made him so fearsome was how ruthless and efficient he was in combat. Instead of fighting them, Korvac could kill each character with one blow and then move on to the next. The only reason Korvac didn’t get what he wanted isn’t because he lost fair and square; it was because he lost faith in his own dream and killed himself. According to rumors, Korvac could be the enemy Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) will have to face in Captain Marvel 2. Though Carol had the strength to push Thanos back, her power won’t be enough to get her a victory over someone like Korvac in a fair fight.
One established MCU villain who is more powerful than Thanos is Doctor Strange’s Dormammu, who could easily return as an antagonist in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In his own world, the Lord of the Dark Dimension is nearly unbeatable. How formidable he is was clearly demonstrated in Doctor Strange when the Sorcerer Supreme faced him in the Dark Dimension. Strange died repeatedly and didn’t attempt to put up a fight, whereas he could at least hold his own (temporarily) against Thanos in Infinity War. The time loop spell was the only advantage Strange held over him. If Dormammu finds a way to break his deal with Strange (just like in the comics), he can come back in Doctor Strange 2 and restart his plan to consume the Earth.
Another candidate for Captain Marvel 2’s villain is Annihilus, an evil alien beast and the focus of the Marvel Comics crossover event, “Annihilation”. In the comics, the monster originated as a prisoner of the Negative Zone whose attempts to escape have been foiled on numerous occasions by his biggest enemies, the Fantastic Four. Annihilus’ threat level increased tenfold when he finally did leave the Phantom Zone and launched his Annihilation Wave, a fleet that he intended to use to conquer the universe. During this time, Thanos was counted as one of his allies, which just goes to show just how dangerous Annihilus really is. Typically, Thanos is the primary threat in stories that involve him, but when Annihilus is concerned, Thanos is more of a secondary antagonist.
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