Warning! Spoilers for Captain America: Brave New WorldCaptain America: Brave New Worldleft the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a stunning revelation that could see more variant heroes going up against the Avengers of the Sacred Timeline. Thepost-credits scene ofCaptain America: Brave New Worldsaw the Leader promising Sam that “the others” will soon be coming to the main reality of the MCU. In this case, “the others” refers to variant evil versions of MCU heroes and protagonists of other parallel dimensions.
The MCU has a lot of opportunities with this multiversal threat, which will likely culminate inAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars.The recentcameos ofDeadpool & Wolverinehave opened wide the floodgates for which earlier characters might show up in a new Marvel movie, making deep-cut references to previously-established universes. However, entirely new evil versions of well-known heroes, perhaps played by now “retired” Avengers cast members, may be closer to the truth.
10Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom
Might be a reprise on Iron Man
Almost certainly included within the Leader’s group of “others” and a known quantity forthe cast ofAvengers: Doomsday, Robert Downey Jr.’s casting as Doctor Doom is one of the most shocking announcements the MCU has ever made. Obviously, Doom will be the next big bad for the franchise, taking over after the lukewarm reception of Kang the Conqueror. However, there are many different multiversal directions the MCU could go with this new take on Doctor Doom.
There’s always a chance that Doctor Doom will simply follow his comic’s origin for the first time in cinematic history. Yet this would make casting Robert Downey Jr. in particular a strange choice for the character. It’s very possible that the MCU’s version of Doom will instead by an evil Iron Man variant, using his genius designs for his own selfish ambition rather than world peace.
9Captain HYDRA
Or another evil Steve Rogers variant
If the MCU is audacious enough to bring back Robert Downey Jr. after such a perfect retirement, it stands to reason that Chris Evans could be coming back as well. After all, the series already brought the flagship actor back once already as Johnny Storm, his old character from the FoxFantastic Fourmovies, inDeadpool & Wolverine.An evil Steve Rogers Captain America would be the perfect foil to Sam Wilson’s newly-minted version of the same iconic hero.
In particular, the Marvel Cinematic Universe might choose to adapt a version of Steve Rogers from the comics who famously allied with HYDRA starting from a young age, calling himself Captain HYDRA. The movie franchise could replicate an infamous panel from the series Captain HYDRA hails from, in which Steve Rogers says the terrorist cell’s famous salute, “Hail HYDRA”. Seeing Chris Evans' stern face on a villain would be a chilling sight for the nextAvengersduology indeed.
8Captain Britain/Carter
Another Captain the franchise has used many times before
Something of a staple in the MCU multiverse, Captain Britain, also known as Captain Carter, might be another strong contender for a variant hero the Avengers could face. In some realities, Captain America’s old English love interest from the 40s, Peggie Carter, becomes the star of her own super soldier program, gaining similar powers and brandishing a similar shield to her alternate self’s romance option. Carter has shown up as Captain Britain multiple times already, inWhat If…?andDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Captain Carter isn’t much of an evildoer, possessing the same pure heart that made the super soldier serum work so well on Steve Rogers. However, just as withthe main MCU timeline’sCaptain America, it’s easy to envision a circumstance in which she might be prompted to take up arms against other heroes. Ultimately, Captain Carter would likely end up on the right side of things before the end ofAvengers: Secret Wars.
7A Real Savage Hulk
Bringing Hulk back to his roots
The Hulk is now a very different character compared to the start of his journey in the MCU. Originally a tortured scientist cursed with the burden of a terrible other half, Bruce Banner was inexplicably able to reconcile with The Hulk off-screen during the five-year timeskip of The Blip, turning into the affable Professor Hulk. These days, Hulk spends most of his time being comic relief, as emphasized in his appearance in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
It has been amazing to finally see another classic, rampaging monstrous Hulk inCaptain America: Brave New World.Perhaps the upcoming multiversal crossover event could introduce an older version of Bruce Banner that still struggles with controlling the archetypal Savage Hulk, an angry being of immense power with a limited vocabulary and worldview. The series could even pull back Edward Norton for the role, or go even further back with Ang Lee’s Eric Bana Hulk from 2003.
6The Fantastic Four
Might not be so keen on their new friends at first
Even though they’re unequivocally good guys, it’s not hard to imagine the first meeting between The Fantastic Four and the Avengers coming to blows. The Fantastic Four will have to migrate to the main timeline of the MCU, withFantastic Four: First Steps' confirmed alternate realitytaking a clear diverging path thanks to its 60s retrofuture sci-fi aesthetics. As the famous superhero quartet enter the MCU proper, it’s not hard to imagine that they might put this new world as a lower priority compared to their own home.
But the Marvel Cinematic Universe could go even further in developing a villainous version of the Fantastic Four, or at least one member of it in particular. In the comics, the Ultimate universe’s version of Mr. Fantastic becomes a megalomaniacal villain called The Maker. The MCU could pull Miles Teller’s Mr. Fantastic from the woefully-received Josh Trank movie and insert him into the chaos as The Maker, perhaps even becoming the next major crossover villain after Doctor Doom.
5The Fox X-Men
Still aren’t done for the count
Deadpool & Wolverineproved that some Fox X-Men universe characters are here to stay. The ending ofDeadpool & Wolverineassured viewers that the Fox X-Men universe is still intact, even if the series won’t be getting any new movies thanks to Disney’s buyout of the X-Men characters. However, that’s not to say that they won’t be able to migrate into the main universe of the MCU in the turbulent chaos ofAvengers: Secret Wars.
The post-credits scene ofThe Marvelsalready laid the groundwork for this idea, bringing back Kelsey Grammer’s Beast to deliver some vague exposition to Monica Rambeau. It’s very easy to see the X-Men coming back as a third faction between the heroes and villains dumped together inAvengers: Secret Wars.In fact, in the originalSecret Warscomic crossover event, this is exactly what happens, with the mutants opting to stick among themselves rather than form a giant alliance with the other heroes of the Marvel universe.
4Nicolas Cage’s Ghost Rider
Still a sorely missing cameo for the MCU
Though Wesley Snipes' Blade and Jennifer Garner’s Elektra are both impressive pulls for the MCU, there’s one fiery motorcycle-riding hero that sadly got away fromDeadpool & Wolverine.Nicolas Cage’s Ghost Rider from the early 2000s duology of the same name was one of the earlier pre-MCU Marvel adaptations that has its own close-knit cult of fans. Though conversations were had forCage’s Ghost Rider to appear inDeadpool & Wolverine, the cameo sadly fell through.
This admission will make the sudden appearance of the Spirit of Vengeance all the more of a welcome sight inAvengers: DoomsdayorAvengers: Secret Wars.Even if Nicolas Cage opts not to return, Ghost Rider has still yet to appear in the MCU, and the war between hero variants would be as good a place as any to finally introduce the gritty anti-hero. Perhaps even the Robbie Reyes Ghost Rider fromAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.could sub in for Cage instead.
3The Inhumans
A bizarre new faction of heroes with no other good introductory point
The Inhumans have always been an odd franchise for the Marvel universe to develop. The Inhumans are a superpowered race of alien beings who live on the moon, with a ruling royal family that occasionally work on Earth as superheroes. Marvel Comics once pushed for the Inhumans to replace the X-Men, and the group had their own live-action show that was so disastrously received that any traces of its existence are hard to find.
The Inhuman king, Black Bolt, or at least a version of him, appears in the Illuminati inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.The Inhumans would be a hard group to suddenly implement in the mainline Marvel Cinematic Universe after supposedly being absent for so many world-ending threats. This would mean that a battle with the mainline Avengers could be the best chance the MCU has at finally introducing them beyond a simple cameo.
2King Thor
By far one of the singlemost powerful MCU Avengers, the idea of Thor’s strength being weaponized against the good guys is a frightening one indeed. Like most flagship Marvel heroes, there is some precedence for an evil version of Thor in the beloved superhero franchise. Specifically, Dan JurgensKing Thorstoryline, in which Thor follows in his father’s footsteps by conquering the world. A version of this Thor already appeared in the MCU withWhat If… The Avengers Assembled in 1602?
Thor has also sometimes displayed the ability to go into a sort of “battle frenzy” in the comics, in which his lust for blood and battle outweights his rational thinking, causing him to strike out at friend and foe alike. Some alternate variant of Thor in the MCU that explores these ideas won’t be out of place in the upcoming multiversal story arc. After all, the amount of loss the main timeline version of Thor has suffered and Odin’s dark past as a tyrannical warmonger in the series already lays the groundwork for such.
1The Sony Universe Villains
Could give Sony one last stab at relevancy
In 2024, the Sony Spider-Man villain spin-off universe sadly came to a conclusion, with three back-to-back critical and commercial flops that failed to sell the idea of a Spider-Man story without the main attraction. These films implied a connection with the mainline Marvel Cinematic Universe at several points, such as Morbius meeting Michael Keaton’s Vulture or Tom Hardy’s Venom acknowledging Tom Holland’s Spider-Man on TV. In the same wayDeadpool & Wolverinesaluted the Fox characters, the upcoming Avengers films could do the same for Sony’s villains.
Even if they weren’t able to convincingly hold down solo movies on their own, seeing the likes of Kraven the Hunter, Venom, Madame Web and Morbius go up against the classic MCU heroes would be more than worth the series' failure.Avengers: Secret Warswould also be a prescient time to introduce Peter Parker to the Venom symbiote as well, as it’s the first time he encounters it and wears the black suit in the comics. Perhaps the Sony villains are who the Leader was referring to as “the others” inCaptain America: Brave New World.
