The Masters of Evil
Really, when it comes to taking over from Thanos as the MCU’s big-bad, very few individual characters can match the Mad Titan’s might and power, so what better way to do it than by replacing him with the most formidable team of villains in Marvel comic books?
The Masters of Evil have had many incarnations in the comics, but they all have one thing in common – they’re a credible threat to the Avengers.
Marvel Studios could use the opportunity to unite existing villains in the MCU (Loki, Abomination, Brock Rumlow, Justin Hammer), some that were thought dead (Ultron, Red Skull, Ronan, Malekith) and some new villains (the real Mandarin, Doctor Octopus, the Leader the upcoming Baron Zemo) to form a formidable team capable of matching the Avengers member for member.
The entirety of Phase 4 could focus on assembling them – just like the Avengers slowly assembled in Phase 1 – and the final movie could see the two teams face-off in an epic climatic battle.
