Thanos is going to be one hell of a hard act to follow as the “big-bad” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
One way that he could be topped is if several villains team-up to form an evil counterpart to the Avengers – and what better team than the Masters of Evil?
There have been several iterations of the supervillain group in the comic books and there’d be no need to emulate any particular one – simply bringing together various villains, both old and new, from the movie franchise and giving them the name “Masters of Evil” would suffice.
We’ve hand-picked eleven villains to potentially form the team on screen – each with good reason – and we’d like to know what you think.
Baron Zemo
Baron Zemo – a villain to both the Avengers and Captain America in the comic books – is set to appear in Captain America: Civil War, played by Inglourious Basterds star Daniel Bruhl.
He would be a great inclusion in a future on-screen depiction of the Masters of Evil, as he has led the group in the comics, has strategy and leadership skills, is a scientific genius, is a formidable fighter, would give the group links to HYDRA and their resources and would provide the personal connection to Captain America.
He’d be a threat on various levels and would be a formidable piece in the team’s jigsaw.
Enchantress
Enchantress is a sorceress from Asgard who specialises in manipulating the minds of men. There is a great likelihood that she will appear in Thor: Ragnarok.
With that in mind, she’d be a great inclusion in an on-screen Masters of Evil in the future.
In the comic books, she was exiled to Earth by Odin and joined Baron Zemo’s version of the team. She would provide the team with magic, a much-needed female, the ability to manipulate opponents and would provide a personal connection to Thor.
Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus is, of course, a Spider-Man villain (he’s arguably the second most prominent one behind Green Goblin) and has already been portrayed on screen by Alfred Molina in Spider-Man 2.
In the comic books, he has actually led a Masters of Evil group, so if anyone is going to provide a Spidey link in an on-screen team, it should be him.
He’s a scientific genius and a major physical threat with his titanium tentacles and it would be cool to see him in a movie again – and it would be a refreshing way to include him if it was as part of a team.
Baron Mordo
Baron Mordo is due to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2016’s Doctor Strange movie, played by 12 Years a Slave actor Chiwetel Ejiofor.
While he has never been in the Masters of Evil in the comic books, he would provide the personal connection to future-Avenger Doctor Strange in a movie depiction of the team and would provide the bulk of the team’s magical power.
Like many other characters on this list, Mordo would probably have his own motives, but he in particular would pose a threat to his supposed allies from within with his notorious deceptiveness and potential deceit.
Carl Creel
Carl “Crusher” Creel AKA the Absorbing Man has the ability to absorb the properties of anything he touches and is, therefore, a potentially very dangerous foe (imagine if he touched Mjolnir or an Infinity Stone, for example).
He has, thus far, only appeared on television – played by Brian Patrick Wade – in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and would, therefore, provide a connection to the television world and the characters within it.
He could rekindle his rivalry from the comics with the likes of Thor and Hulk and would be a very versatile member of the Masters of Evil – whom he has been a part of in the comics as well.
Justin Hammer
Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer was one of the best things in Iron Man 2 – which isn’t saying much, as it wasn’t one of the best Marvel Cinematic Universe offerings. That being said, he was pretty damn good in general and the fact that he is still alive means a return to the screen is very possible.
He is currently in custody in Seagate prison (as seen in the Marvel One-Shot All Hail the King), but should a Masters of Evil team wish to make use of him, they could easily break him out.
He could provide them with an army of his drones in a bid to finally get one over on Tony Stark and would provide comedy relief alongside the powerful villains he’d be working with.
Kingpin
Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin AKA Wilson Fisk has been one of the best things about the Netflix series Daredevil – and that’s really saying something, as it has been a fantastic series in general so far.
Both the actor and the character deserve to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and what better way to do so than as part of an MCU Masters of Evil?
He would provide the connection to the Daredevil character and television series, but could also provide the evil team with finances and henchmen. Mostly, however, it would just be a really cool excuse to bring him to the big screen, because it would be cool to see him taking his rightful place alongside the big guns of the franchise.
Abomination
A character who didn’t die, but who has been inactive for a long period of time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is Emil Blonsky AKA the Abomination.
Played by Tim Roth in The Incredible Hulk, Abomination was incarcerated after his defeat at the hands of the titular green hero and he has been so ever since.
Should a Masters of Evil team emerge in the MCU, it would be absolutely awesome to see them break him out of his prison and have him join them – something he would surely revel in doing, thanks to the fact that he craves power. He would provide them with muscle and a direct connection to the Hulk, giving the green brute a personal reason to fight against the evil team.
Loki
Would a Marvel Cinematic Universe Masters of Evil really be complete without Loki? We think not. Tom Hiddleston’s character has become one of the go-to characters for the franchise since his first appearance in Thor and that is set to continue.
His quest for power knows no bounds and he is set to appear in Thor: Ragnarok and the Infinity War movies – and, no matter which side he appears to take in both movies, he’ll be out for himself ultimately.
That would probably be the case if he was to join the villainous team as well. He would provide them with a lot of power and experience, as well as a built-in Avengers villain, but he would ultimately be looking to turn on his team-mates – as is always the way with the God of Mischief.
Ultron
There’s no way of knowing for sure if Ultron is gone for good in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In fact, he probably isn’t, as the nature of his character means there are a number of ways in which he could return, despite his apparent death in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
With that in mind, there’s every chance he could join the MCU Masters of Evil, should they emerge – particularly as he has led his own version of the team in the comic books.
He would provide another in-built Avengers villain for the team and, given that he’s a robot, something entirely different to the other members. He provides brains, brawn and the potential for more of his drones to aid the team’s cause. And James Spader’s return would definitely be welcome to the big screen.
The Mandarin
After the horrid depiction of the character in Iron Man 3 (bumbling British actor Trevor Slattery portraying him on camera as a ruse for Aldrich Killian to go about his business), it has now been confirmed that the “real” Mandarin does exist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – and he’s not happy that someone else was using his name.
That being said, it would be foolish to have the character appear in another Iron Man solo outing, what with there being an abundance of completely different Iron Man villains who deserve a shot.
So why not have that “real” Mandarin leading a Masters of Evil team? He would provide a direct counterpart to the Avengers’ main man Tony Stark, given their history in the comics. He’s incredibly powerful with his ten magic rings and it would also just be awesome to finally see a faithful depiction in a movie.
What do you think? Should these guys be in the Masters of Evil in the MCU? Which other characters do you think should be members? Have your say below.
