10 Biggest Marvel Villains Who Can Fill The Void Left By Thanos

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the most popular franchises in the cinematic landscape right now, and that is largely due to Thanos’ involvement for most of its run. He had everything you could ask for in an overarching antagonist, and his defeat left a huge vacuum that has proven hard to fill.

Characters who could replicate his role require not just strength, but the foresight and intellect necessary to enact grand schemes and take on multiple powerful heroes. Comic lore is filled with many entities fitting this mold, and even characters who have already featured in the MCU could do a great job if explored to their full potential.

Apocalypse

Apocalypse is an immortal being widely regarded in the Marvel Universe as the world’s first mutant. He was born about five thousand years ago in ancient Egypt and possessed considerable potential from the moment he was born. After being augmented with Celestial technology, he became capable of molecular manipulation, granting him obscene power.

Just as Thanos was obsessed with curbing the universe’s population to restore balance, Apocalypse believes in the survival of the fittest. He actively seeks to eradicate the weak and is associated with his Four Horsemen. Though he was defeated in the X-Men: Apocalypse movie, he has yet to formally appear in the MCU and could still pose a significant threat.

High Evolutionary

The High Evolutionary, also known as Herbert Wyndham, is a narcissistic egomaniac obsessed with genetic excellence. He believes the universe is fundamentally imperfect and seeks to thoroughly reshape it into what he considers perfection. As a result, he has ruthlessly destroyed entire planets and holds little to no regard for life in general.

As proof of his genius, he oversaw the creation of numerous species and worlds. He created races like the Sovereign, and his powers stem from his Evolutionary Accelerator, which is incorporated into his suit and can evolve him millions of years in seconds. He debuted in the MCU with key differences and could still serve a larger purpose if revisited.

Onslaught

Onslaught is a being born from the combined dark impulses of Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto. During a fierce confrontation, Magneto tore the adamantium from Wolverine’s skeleton, a cruel act which deeply enraged Charles. He proceeded to assault Magneto telepathically, which inadvertently led to the birth of a separate persona in Xavier’s psyche known as Onslaught.

He eventually manifested in the physical plane and elevated his powers drastically by absorbing Nate Grey and Franklin Richards. He initially aimed to enforce mutant supremacy, but later shifted towards complete extinction. He grew to be a godlike threat, and could only be stopped after the Avengers and the Fantastic Four sacrificed themselves.

The Magus

The Magus is the dark alter ego of Adam Warlock, a future version of himself who manifested owing to the efforts of Lord Chaos and Master Order. Warlock himself is a powerful being capable of manipulating cosmic energy and channeling Quantum Magic to rewrite reality. Consequently, the Magus inherits these abilities, making him an exceptionally dangerous reality-warping antagonist.

He is also a master strategist, having outsmarted cosmic powerhouses like Thanos, the Silver Surfer, and even the Living Tribunal. Notably, he is also capable of creating an army of alternate versions of powerful beings. With Adam Warlock already introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the MCU choosing to explore his dark persona is very much a possibility.

The Beyonder

The Beyonder is a nigh-omnipotent entity belonging to the Beyonders race. He is vastly powerful and originally existed as his own universe, only becoming aware of Earth after the emergence of Molecule Man. He has undergone multiple retcons over the years, but in his most powerful form, he can alter reality at will.

He is driven by dangerous childlike curiosity, as he is an omnipotent being whose actions have great consequences for the universe. He famously abducted several heroes and villains, placing them onto a planet called Battleworld to fight one another. An appearance in the MCU would trigger an event of unprecedented scale, which could easily rival Thanos’ exploits.

Annihilus

Annihilus has his origins in the anti-matter dimension known as the Negative Zone and is widely known as the lord of the realm. He obtained a special helmet from the Tyannan ship where he was born, which he used to assimilate all of its people's knowledge, as well as the Cosmic Control Rod, which granted him great power.

In arguably his most famous exploit, he led a full-scale invasion of the positive-matter universe, capturing Galactus, decimating the Nova Corps, and forcing some of the most powerful beings to form a united front regardless of allegiances. Furthermore, he is continuously reborn no matter how many times he is killed, making him a threat that can never be truly eradicated.

Dormammu

Dormammu is the Lord of the Dark Dimension who mainly acts as Doctor Strange's arch-nemesis. He is of a race known as the Faltine, differing from his brethren in that he lusts for physical matter. He became extremely powerful after merging with the energies of the Dark Dimension, and waged extradimensional wars to expand his influence.

He is most notably able to consume entire realities and merge them with his own realm. He has already appeared in the MCU, where he was outsmarted by Stephen Strange and forced to halt his assault on Earth. Though he promised to leave the planet alone at the time, there is still a possibility he may return.

Knull

Knull existed prior to the creation of the universe in a peaceful darkness known as the Abyss. When the Celestials arrived and brought light and creation into existence, Knull was enraged. As a result, he decapitated a Celestial using a blade of darkness and made a temporary base out of that head, now known as Knowhere.

He bonded his living darkness to lesser organisms and sent out symbiote dragons to spread his influence. His connection to these agents was severed, and they then circled back to rebel against their creator and imprison him on the planet Klyntar. He soon escaped, however, and descended on Earth, covering it in a symbiote sphere that blocked out the sun.

He proceeded to kill the Sentry and decimate Earth’s most powerful forces in mere hours. He was only stopped after Eddie Brock bonded with the cosmic Enigma Force and became Captain Universe. Such a threat would be more than fitting to take over Thanos’ mantle as the MCU’s premier overarching villain.

Galactus

Galactus is one of the few Marvel entities to have existed before the Big Bang. He is a cosmic entity with an insatiable hunger for planet-scale life force energy. He possesses god-like control over the fundamental forces of the universe, and can grow to the size of entire solar systems if he wishes.

He is usually heralded by the Silver Surfer and opposed by the Fantastic Four, though stopping him often requires the combined efforts of several groups of heroes. He has also appeared in the MCU, but was contained and transported to the edge of the universe. Since he remains at large, he could still play a major part in future projects.

Dr. Doom

When compared to genuine cosmic entities predating the birth of the universe, Dr. Doom may seem to pale in comparison, but he remains one of the most formidable villains in Marvel history. He is a genius with an obsessive desire for power, determined to expand his rule from his native Latveria to the rest of the world.

He is immensely skilled in both science and magic, rivaling the brightest minds in the universe and its greatest sorcerers. Over several storylines, he has grown to harness cosmic powers and overpower some of the universe’s strongest beings. He is set for his full MCU debut in Avengers: Doomsday, and promises to be a thoroughly captivating antagonist.