Last week, Marvel Studios officially revealed to the world the next big bad on Disney+. From Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) in WandaVision to John Walker (Wyatt Russell) in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, villains have always been essential to the MCU's Disney+ product in the 2020s. There have been some clear misses, like Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir) in Secret Invasion, but also some memorable performances, like the encore of Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio). That said, the future of Disney+ villainy is here, with a new killer taking center stage while Kingpin and Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) wait in the wings for their 2027 finale.
The rest of this article will contain some VisionQuest spoilers
That new enemy is Paladin (Todd Stashwick), the mercenary currently hunting Vision (Paul Bettany) in VisionQuest.
With Ultron (James Spader) seemingly playing nice inside Vision's head, Paladin has been presented as the next big MCU baddie through two episodes. He isn't calling the shots, though, as he's working for a mysterious "client" desperate to get their hands on Vision.
Episode 1 shows Vision's newfound real life, holding a bar job in Edinburgh (where he and Wanda used to frequent) until armed guys open fire at closing time, killing his boss. The new, merciless Vision takes out every last one of them, locking eyes with their ringleader, Paladin, as he takes to the sky.
That's the hitman's first attempt, getting a fierce talking-to from his client, reminding him that this job needs to be completed.
Episode 2, debuting the same day on Disney+, ramps up just how seriously Paladin takes the job. Along with a van full of gadgets, he comes armed with bullets made from adamantium (the notoriously Wolverine-related metal the MCU introduced in Captain America: Brave New World).
Those rounds tear right through Vision's body, but the Bettany's character slips through Paladin's fingers yet again, and his client's patience is running out heading into Episode 3.
It's also revealed by F.R.I.D.A.Y. (Orla Brady) that Paladin's name is actually a title that elite assassins have been inheriting for hundreds of years. That means Stashwick isn't playing the one and only Paladin, just the newest to carry the mantle. For now, though, he's the one who's got Vision on the ropes.
Paladin may be the Disney+ villain of the moment, but here's another wave of villainy approaching in 2027.
Biggest Upcoming MCU Villains on Disney+
Kingpin
Few villains have fallen as far, or as fast, as Wilson Fisk in the Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 finale, where Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) finally forced him out of New York City. His exile is only part of his downfall; Fisk also lost his wife, Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer), at Bullseye's hands.
Still, Vincent D'Onofrio returns for Season 3, the series' final season, expected in Spring 2027, 12 years after he began playing the character over on Netflix.
Based on the set photos from Season 3, a bearded Fisk will return to New York City, but he will ultimately retain his more iconic look. As far as how his and Matt's rivalry ends, who knows, but it needs to be satisfying after Marvel Television canceled any future seasons.
Bullseye
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 sent Bullseye down a twisted road toward (a form of) redemption. Dex foiled Fisk's plot to assassinate the governor, then took a sniper shot at the Kingpin in the finale, only to hit Fisk's right-hand man, Buck Cashman, instead.
The season closed with Dex beside Mr. Charles (Matthew Lillard), who Mike Colter's Luke Cage had been working for overseas.
Wilson Bethel has warned The Direct that wherever Dex's head is at now, fans shouldn’t "expect him to be there at the beginning of Season 3," making him a wildcard who could help or hurt the remaining Defenders.
Norman Osborn
When Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man returns to Disney+ on January 13, 2027, Peter Parker (Hudson Thames) may find his biggest threat is the man who once championed him.
The series' alt-MCU reality swaps Tony Stark for Norman Osborn (Colman Domingo) as Peter's mentor. Season 1 hinted at his true agenda, as Oscorp scientists used Peter's blood to try building an army of Spider-Men.
By the finale, Peter was questioning their partnership, and Norman had quietly pocketed a piece of the alien symbiote. Season 2 is expected to push him further into mentor-turned-enemy territory, with secret Oscorp experiments that could spawn even more villains.
Only a matter of time until fans get Domingo's take on the Green Goblin, "Hahaha!"
Doc-Ock
It took an entire season, but Otto Octavius (Hugh Dancy) is finally ready to fight Spider-Man himself. In Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 1, the ex-Oscorp scientist armed lower-tier villains from the shadows, and the finale left him in prison, sketching a familiar set of mechanical arms.
Season 2 merch reveals Otto in his full Doc Ock costume, mirroring his 1963 debut in The Amazing Spider-Man #3. D23 footage showed him crashing a gala to abduct Harry Osborn (Zeno Robinson), which could end up being his first confirmed fight with Spider-Man.
Venom
The symbiote was lurking in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man since the very first episode. Season 1 traced it to a portal tied to Norman's Project Monolith, and while Spider-Man and Doctor Strange sent it back, Norman kept a leftover piece.
That little, alien piece is poised to play a major role in Season 2, with D23 footage confirming the symbiote will bond with Peter and turn his costume into the classic black suit.
Another related arrival is Eddie Brock (Josh Keaton), a familiar voice for anyone who remembers Keaton's Peter in The Spectacular Spider-Man.
Mystique
Mystique (Randall Carpenter) is officially back in X-Men '97, and her return came with a body count. Season 2's post-credits scene showed United Nations officer Val Cooper (Catherine Disher) reviewing a file on Mystique as Graydon Creed wins the presidency. Then a second Val walks in, exposing the first as Mystique in disguise, and the shapeshifter kills the real one.
From that moment, every viewer knew it was on, and she's coming back for Season 3, expected in mid-2027.
