Marvel Studios just confirmed its first major villain for Phase 7 to follow in the footsteps of Thanos and Doctor Doom in X-Men. A good superhero story is nothing without the right villain, and the MCU has forged all-time greats like Josh Brolin's Thanos, Tom Hiddleston's Loki, Daniel Bruhl's Baron Zemo, and, hopefully, soon to join them, Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom. Right before Victor von Doom arrives to lay waste to the Multiverse's heroes in December's Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel Studios began peeling back the curtain on Phase 7 and its new X-Men reboot, which hits theaters on May 5, 2028.
Marvel Studios shocked attendees of Disney's D23 Expo in August by unveiling the cast of its upcoming X-Men reboot, from Inde Navarrette's Rogue to Christopher Abbott's Charles Xavier. But the biggest name to board the ensemble was Star Wars' Kylo Ren actor Adam Driver, who is finally joining the MCU as its next villain on par with Thanos and Doctor Doom: Nathaniel Milbury, aka Mr. Sinister.
The news follows reports that both Mr. Sinister and Apocalypse would fill the Mad Titan-shaped void in the heavily rumored Mutant Saga. Now that Driver has been cast as Sinister to debut in May 2028's X-Men, it's easy to imagine that Apocalypse is in line to join him, although perhaps not until a sequel or future event movie.
In a way, Mr. Sinister and Doctor Doom have a lot in common, as both carry supreme intellects and are known for their arrogance and superiority complexes, often orchestrating events from the shadows. Thanos did something similar throughout the MCU's Infinity Saga, lurking in the background and plotting to gather the Infinity Stones before executing his plans in Avengers: Infinity War.
While Doom specializes in physics, robotics, and mechanical engineering, Sinister goes all-in on genetic experimentation and his drive to create the "perfect" mutant. That focus means that, while Thanos and Doctor Doom have often been villains to the entire Marvel universe, albeit with their specialties being toward the Avengers and Fantastic Four, respectively, Sinister is almost exclusively an X-Men foe.
The evolution expert is usually a master manipulator and big bad in line with the MCU's previous saga-level villains, although he has been a loyal lieutenant for Apocalypse. The Egyptian supervillain blessed Victorian geneticist Nathaniel Essex (aka Milbury) with the X-gene and transformed him into the powerful, ageless Mr. Sinister, even providing him with Celestial technology to dabble with.
Sinister's history with Apocalypse may set him up for a role in the Mutant Saga similar to Loki in the early Infinity Saga, helping to tease the saga-level big bad's arrival early on, just as the God of Mischief did with the Battle of New York. Regardless, there is a high chance that Driver's introduction as Nathan Milbury in X-Men is just the beginning, and that he will play a recurring role through Phases 7 to 9, which would explain why Marvel Studios cast a powerhouse Oscar nominee.
How Marvel Studios' Other Upcoming Villains Will Shape the MCU's Future (Ranked by Importance)
1.) Doctor Doom
Fans already know that Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom is coming in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, where he is expected to "save" the Multiverse from Incursions by creating Battleworld from its surviving remnants. While God Emperor Doom will rule over the patchwork reality in the next Avengers movies, he is bound to be defeated before a new Multiverse is born ahead of Phase 7.
After that, it remains unclear whether Doom is sticking around and, if he does, whether he will be recast to avoid RDJ's expensive paydays for future projects. Victor von Doom has a long, deep history with the Fantastic Four and the entire Marvel universe, raising the odds that he will be back, even if it isn't soon.
2.) Mephisto
Coming off Sacha Baron Cohen's debut as Mephisto in Disney+'s Ironheart, it seems inevitable that he will reappear in July 2028's Ghost Rider. After all, Mephisto is classically the one who binds Johnny Blaze to the demon Zarathos to transform him into Ghost Rider, although the jury is out on which iteration of the character Ryan Gosling is playing in the Phase 7 blockbuster, directed by Shawn Levy.
There is a chance that Mephisto takes on a recurring role in the next saga, appearing in more supernatural projects to build him up as the main villain of a Midnight Sons ensemble movie. The Borat star could come face-to-face with Moon Knight, Ghost Rider, Blade, Werewolf by Night, and more in the crossover event.
3.) Ultron
After 11 years of waiting since Avengers: Age of Ultron, James Spader is finally coming back as Ultron for his second live-action appearance in Disney+'s VisionQuest, premiering on October 14. As of now, Ultron still doesn't have a physical body following his Avengers 2 defeat, and is primarily set to appear within Vision's Mind Space as something of an abusive father figure.
In Marvel Comics, Ultron is perhaps the Avengers' greatest recurring villain, who famously keeps coming back, and the same may be true in the MCU. VisionQuest could just be the beginning for Ultron's resurrection, setting him up for a second round with Earth's Mightiest Heroes or in another solo superhero movie.
4.) Elektra
Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 is bringing back Elodie Yung as Elektra for the first time since The Defenders left her fate a mystery. It's unclear whether she is once again a villain working under the Hand, or if Elektra is going down a heroic route to become the next Daredevil while Matt Murdock is in prison.
If this were Phase 4, when Marvel Studios was handing out Disney+ spin-offs like they were going out of fashion, Yung would be leading Elektra after her Daredevil: Born Again return. While Elektra probably won't get another solo outing after her Jennifer Garner-led 2005 movie flopped, she could have a recurring role in future Born Again seasons and perhaps some kind of The Defenders sequel.
5.) Achebe
Black Panther 3's hottest rumor is that Achebe will be its main villain, and presumably, even the role that writer/director Ryan Coogler wrote for The Equalizer star Denzel Washington in the MCU flick. Achebe is effectively the Joker to Black Panther's Batman, seeking pure chaos out of his lifelong hatred for the Wakandan superhero, having grown up as a peasant farmer.
Unfortunately, Achebe is likely to be a one-off, but an extremely impactful villain for David Jonsson's T'Challa II and Wakanda. Especially if Washington does take the Joker-esque role in Black Panther 3, the two-time Oscar winner isn't the type to sign up for a recurring part in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
6.) Jocasta
VisionQuest is bringing a host of Tony Stark's familiar AIs into play within Vision's Mind Space, including one new one with T'Nia Miller's Jocasta. She was created by Ultron to be his bride in Marvel Comics, but the 25-year age gap between Miller and James Spader means that almost certainly won't be her MCU origin.
Strangely, Jocasta has been omitted from VisionQuest's marketing so far, indicating that her role is either minor or top secret. It's tough to predict Jocasta's chances of returning in Phase 7 and beyond until the WandaVision sequel ends, but there is a good chance that if Ultron returns, she will too.
7.) Lady Muse
Having once been tormented by Hunter Doohan's Muse in Daredevil: Born Again Season 1, Matt Murdock's ex-girlfriend Heather Glenn will wear the mask as Lady Muse in next March's Season 3. New York's latest serial killer supervillain is expected to enter the fold while Murdock is incarcerated for Daredevil's crimes.
Just as Muse was over and done with in just a few episodes, Lady Muse is unlikely to be Season 3's primary antagonist and could even be dealt with by other vigilantes early on during Daredevil's prison stint. Regardless, whether it ends in death or incarceration, Heather's MCU storyline probably ends here.
