Let's face it- aside from Tom Hiddleston's fan-favourite Loki, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is in short supply of truly great villains. When I say 'memorable villains', I'm talking about the likes of Heath Ledger's Joker, Tom Hardy's Bane, Michael Shannon's General Zod and Ian McKellen's/Michael Fassbender's Magneto. These guys are unique in that they went beyond merely being a baddie and became memorable, unique and dynamic characters of their own, instead of merely being an opposition for the hero. Fortunately, the upcoming slate of Marvel films enables them to bring some truly great villains of their own into the Marvel fold. We know that the maniacal AI Ultron will be menacing Earth's mightiest in Avengers: Age of Ultron next year, and that before that, psychopathic Kree warlord Ronan the Accuser will be coming up against the Guardians of the Galaxy this summer. I have high hopes for both of these characters, as both are great baddies being brought to life by great actors. But beyond that, let's speculate about which of the many evil-doers from the pages of Marvel comics could be popping up in future films!
Let's start with Edgar Wright's Ant-Man. If you ask me, there are many villains who could be a viable threat for the Man in the Ant HIll, but my favourite pick is:
MODOK
If you ask me, MODOK is long overdue an appearance in the Marvel movies. Yes, this look probably wouldn't cut it in live-action, but I'm sure Fiege's guys could come up with a unique and intersting look for the character. MODOK is a ruthless, calculating psychopath, who heads up the villainous organisation AIM, which was introduced in Iron Man 3. And who do I think should play this remorseless sociopath?
Ralph Fiennes
Fiennes in my opinion is the best choice for MODOK. He has the voice, the acting chops, and we know he can play a relentless, cold villain thanks to his turn as Voldemort in the Harry Potter films.
Now onto Captain America 3. It's all but confirmed that Baron Von Strucker and Crossbones will be appearing in the film, but I reckon there is space for one more bad guy. And in my mind at least, the only villain worthy of taking that spot is:
Baron Zemo
Baron Zemo is one of the few great villains in Cap's rogues gallery. A former Nazi general whos purple mask was attached to his face in an accident involving an enhanced adhesive, Zemo is a force to be reckoned with, as he is a master swordsman and an expert strategist. And who better to play a ruthless, calculating German bad guy than:
Christoph Waltz
WAltz, in my opinion, is Baron Zemo. He's got the accent, the action chops and the villainous credentials (thanks to Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds) to flawlessly pull off the ruthless, precise and merciless Zemo.
Now let's pick a baddie for the unofiicially confirmed Doctor Strange movie. A lot of people want to see Dormammu as the villain here, but I think that that's sort of jumping the gun. If Strange faces the Lord of the Dark Dimension straight out of the gate, that puts a serious damper on any possible sequels, as they would have used up his most powerful villain in the origin story. With that in mind, i think the villain should be:
Baron Mordo
Mordo is a former apprentice of Strange's master The Ancient One. After his attempt to kill his master was foiled by Strange, he became embittered towards the good doctor and has plagued him regularly ever since. Unlike the other villains we've covered so far, Mordo is not a mastermind. He is a single-minded, arrogant, revenge-driven sorcerer, who also can be creepily scary. So my choice for him would be:
Javier Bardem
We know Bardem can pull off the revenge-driven, creepy psychopath thanks to his role as Silva in Skyfall. Not only does he look like Mordo, Javier has the acting chops and the attitude to do justice to the Baron.
Now we must pick a villain for Thor 3. Most people are vouching for the Enchantress and the Executioner to oppose the Thunder God, but my pick for the villain will always be:
Surtur
Do I even need to explain this? Surtur is by far the most dangerous, the most intimidating, the most formidable for Thor has ever faced. Ruler of Mispelheim, the realm of the Fire Demons, Surtur seeks to retrieve the Eternal Flame (which was seen briefly in the Asgardian weapons vault in the first Thor), igite his sword and bring about Ragnarok, the Twilight of the Gods. And who should voice this titanic fire demon?
Ian McShane
This guy has proven time and time again that he can play a terrifying, powerful villain. He is the only voice actor I can see as the Lord of Mispelheim.
And I'm sure that there are many other movies scheduled for Phase 3, with other villains. Let me know in the comments which villains you would like to see and who should play them. be vigilant, true believers. Excelsior!!