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Every Marvel fan is dying to know what comes next after Avengers: Endgame. After all, Thanos’ (Josh Brolin) quest for the Infinity Stone lingered in the background for years before it was realized. So which villain will be the next Big Bad of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Disney’s Fox deal might have already narrowed down the future of the MCU Phase 4.

The 'Avengers: Endgame' world premiere
The ‘Avengers: Endgame’ world premiere | Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Disney

Doctor Doom could sweep into the MCU Phase 4

Thanks to Disney’s acquisition of Fox, Marvel Studios can finally bring Victor Von Doom into the MCU. On the big screen, the character has been exclusively used as a Fantastic Four villain. But he’s faced off with just about every Marvel hero at one point or another. So there’s good reason to think he could be positioned for something greater in the MCU’s future.

Fans have already speculated how Doctor Doom could come to the forefront in Phase 6. But if Marvel follows a similar template, Doom could be introduced in the MCU Phase 4 first. Thanos first showed up in the mid-credits scene for The Avengers at the tail end of Phase 1. So if Doom is the next Thanos-level foe, Marvel shouldn’t waste any time setting that up.

Galactus deserves redemption for his previous movie role

Just like Doctor Doom, Galactus appeared in the Fox Fantastic Four movies. And both villains were heavily criticized by fans for how little they resembled the source material. Arguably though, Galactus got treated even more poorly than Doom. In Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, he appeared only as a planet-devouring cloud.

But the MCU has excelled by hewing more closely to the comics. So any Galactus that would appear in the MCU Phase 4 or beyond would be much closer to what fans expect. Galactus presents a planet-sized threat worthy of the Avengers, and his story could also introduce the Silver Surfer. Yet, seeing as how much that mirrors what Fox did, the MCU might wait on him.

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Kang the Conqueror could make his big-screen debut

Perhaps the most likely next Big Bad of the MCU is Kang the Conqueror. And there’s a very few clear reasons why. First, the character — previously owned by Fox — has never been featured in a movie. While that seems like a knock against him, it means MCU Phase 4 audiences have no expectations. Similarly, Thanos was only familiar to comics fans when he appeared.

Moreover, Kang would be a novel way to introduce the Fantastic Four. The character is actually Nathaniel Richards, a distant descendant of Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic. Like Thanos, he’s a conqueror of worlds. But Kang’s story builds on how Avengers: Endgame brought in time travel. Fans expect the MCU Phase 4 to lean even more into such concepts.

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