The MCU has reportedly lined up its next three villains to succeed Thanos as saga-level big bads in Phases 6, 7, 8, and 9. The superhero franchise famously built its first decade of storytelling around Thanos and his mission to collect the Infinity Stones to eliminate half of all life. That journey began in 2012's The Avengers, was followed by cameos in other projects where he was played by Josh Brolin, and came to a head in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.
Marvel Studios once stated that, in the wake of Thanos' defeat and the Infinity Saga's conclusion, it was putting Phases 4, 5, and 6 on the "shoulders" of one villain and actor: Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror. Unfortunately, that didn't work out, as, coupled with the rising star's assault conviction against his ex-girlfriend, fans didn't cling to Kang Variants, unlike their attachment to the Man Titan, across Loki and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter and other outlets at a roundtable event in July 2025, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirmed that, even before Jonathan Majors' firing, they had realized Kang "wasn't big enough" to replace Thanos, and there was only "one character" who could do that:
“We had started even before what had happened to the actor happened, we had started to realize that Kang wasn’t big enough, wasn’t Thanos, and that there was only one character that could be that, because he was that in the comics for decades and decades."
While there may only be "one character" who can fill the MCU's coveted big bad role for now in Avengers 5, there will be more villains to come who will antagonize Earth's Mightiest Heroes in the next saga, rumored to be the Mutant Saga.
Almost two years on from Majors' firing, Marvel Studios is already on a new course toward three villains who could "shoulder" the MCU for years to come...
The MCU's Next 3 Thanos Have Reportedly Been Revealed
Doctor Doom
The MCU is already on course to its next Thanos, as Doctor Doom will arrive in 2026, played by the former Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. The Fantastic Four villain, Victor von Doom, will bring a blend of genius intellect, magical expertise, and advanced technology, all while bearing the face of a fallen friend.
Much like Thanos, Doom sees himself as the hero as he looks to prevent the Incursions from destroying the Multiverse, utilizing one of Marvel's most powerful characters. Many believe Doom's actions will spark the creation of Battleworld, a patchwork reality made from the Multiverse's remnants and ruled over by him.
In the same sit-down with various outlets discussed prior, Kevin Feige confirmed they had begun considering Doctor Doom "before [they] officially pivoted from Kang." In fact, he even had talks with Downey Jr. about Doom before Ant-Man 3 disappointed fans in the same month that Majors was arrested in March 2023:
"Because of the Fox acquisition, we finally had it, and it was Dr. Doom. So we had started talking about Dr. Doom even before we officially pivoted from Kang. And in fact, I had started talking with Robert [Downey Jr.] about this audacious idea before Ant-Man 3 even came out. It was a long plan that we had, to take one of our greatest characters and utilize one of our greatest actors."
Fans caught a glimpse of Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom this year in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The MCU's next Thanos will make his true debut on December 18, 2026, in Avengers: Doomsday before returning one year later in Secret Wars on December 17, 2027, but Doom may be recast into Phase 7 and beyond.
Apocalypse
Doctor Doom will officially be the MCU's next big bad in Avengers 5 and 6, and a recent scoop from Daniel Richtman may have revealed the two X-Men villains who will succeed him in the third saga after Secret Wars resets the franchise.
En Sabah Nur holds a special place in X-Men lore as not just one of their greatest foes, but also the immortal first mutant, who was born around 3000 B.C. in Ancient Egypt, where X-Men '97's heroes will soon face him in Season 2.
Apocalypse is driven by a belief in "survival of the fittest," believing this is the only way for humans and mutants to evolve into their strongest selves. Ultimately, he seeks to enforce this ideology by culling the weak and through destruction, often placing him in conflict with the X-Men and other heroes' compassionate beliefs.
Originally, En Sabah Nur was born as a powerful mutant with powers of superstrength, shapeshifting, adaptive physiology, and a longer lifespan. These powers were only enhanced by the Celestial technology left on Earth, amplifying his powers to include immortality, teleportation, and matter manipulation.
Mr. Sinister
As fans will be well aware, Marvel Studios is gearing up to reboot the X-Men after Avengers 6, and Dr. Nathaniel Essex, aka Mr. Sinister, will reportedly be one of three villains in the Phase 7 flick. But that may not be where his story ends, as Sinister is rumored to be one of two villains at the heart of the next saga.
Born in Victorian England, Essex was a genius scientist who was obsessed with evolution and creating the perfect mutant race. He was granted superpowers by Apocalypse, who believed his research and genius could be useful to him, such as superstrength, telepathy, shapeshifting, telekenesis, and immortality.
One has to wonder if Mr. Sinister's role in the next saga could be equivalent to Tom Hiddleston's Loki in the Infinity Saga, appearing early on and being a recurring character, ultimately setting the stage for Apocalypse's arrival closer to Phase 9.
Reportedly, Marvel Studios has "some actors in mind" for both Apocalypse and Mr. Sinister, but neither has been cast. Mad Men actor Jon Hamm was almost cast as Mr. Sinister in The New Mutants, but he has yet to make his live-action debut; meanwhile, Apocalypse was portrayed by Oscar Isaac in X-Men: Apocalypse.
