Avengers Assemble – Speculating on Marvel Studios Phase Two
Silver Samurai has been cast in The Wolverine, and will apparently be played by Will Yun Lee. Ooh, exciting! But, since The Wolverine is not part of the Marvel Movie Universe, that really doesn’t matter here. Last week, we finished looking at every single Avenger ever, and rating their chances of appearing in the next run of Marvel films. Some predictions were probably quite accurate. Some were probable way off base. But, it’s a bit of fun, eh? Still the Marvel movies are about more than just the superheroes populating their universe. They’re also the home to some cracking supervillains! Which is what we’ll be looking at over the next two weeks. Now, while the Avengers have faced a veritable legion of bad guys, both as a team and solo, we won’t be looking at all of them here. That would take another ten weeks, at least. Rather, I’ve picked twenty-four choice enemies to look at, beginning with this major spoiler for the Avengers movie…
Thanos
First Appearance: Iron Man #55 (1973)
Created by: Jim Starlin
Marvel Studios Film Appearances: Avengers (2012)
I guess it’s no secret any more that Thanos was the guy pulling the strings of Loki and the Chitauri in Avengers. His brief appearance during the closing credits was a major surprise for fans (which, it has to be said, Marvel did well to keep secret in advance of the film’s release), and Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige has stated that this scene was the set-up for phase two of the Marvel film universe. Expect Thanos, who is more than powerful enough to fight the combined Avengers to a standstill, to appear in the post-credits stings for Iron Man 3, Thor 2 and Captain America 2, before exploding onto the scene properly in Guardians of the Galaxy, then having a final showdown with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in Avengers 2.
Loki (Loki Laufeyson)
First Appearance: Journey Into Mystery #85 (1962)
Created by: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Larry Lieber
Marvel Studios Film Appearances: Thor (2011), Avengers (2012)
The primary antagonist of both Thor and Avengers, we already know that Tom Hiddleston (absolutely perfect in the part) will be return as Thor’s foster brother in Thor 2. The only real question is, what role will he be playing? In the comics, Loki is a slippery customer (as befits the god of mischief), and has been an ally to Thor almost as often as he’s been an adversary. It wouldn’t be a big surprise if Marvel wanted to bring in a different villain for Thor 2, and whether Loki will be working with or against this other bad guy (or both during the course of the film) remains to be seen. Potentially, the character could then reappear in Avengers 2, but it’s unlikely.
Red Skull (Johann Schmidt)
First Appearance: Captain America Comics #7 (1941)
Created by: Joe Simon, Jack Kirby and France Herron
Marvel Studios Film Appearances: Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Sure, it may look like Hugo Weaving’s Red Skull was killed off at the end of Captain America, but he wasn’t. He was simply sucked into Asgard, or one of the other nine realms, somewhere. He’ll be back to renew his enmity with Cap sooner or later, whether that’s in Captain America 2, Captain America 3 or Avengers 2. There’s even a chance, given where he’s gone, that we could see him in Thor 2. A slim chance, but a chance nonetheless.
Ultron
First Appearance: Avengers #54 (1968)
Created by: Roy Thomas and John Buscema
Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None
Loki may have brought the Avengers together and been the first villain the team faced, but when it comes to Avengers bad guys, Ultron is the ultimate enemy. Created by one of their own, Ultron has twisted family ties to many on the team. He sees Hank Pym, his creator, as his father, and has developed a disturbing Oedipal complex regarding his “mother”, the Wasp. Ultron himself created the Vision, making Vision his own son, and used the brain patterns of the deceased (at the time) Wonder Man to do so. As such, Vision and Wonder Man see each other as brothers, bringing Wonder Man and his biological brother (Avengers villain the Grim Reaper) into the Ultron clan. Ultron also created another Avenger, Jocasta, using the brain patters of the Wasp, and another robot, Alkhema, using the brain patterns of Mockingbird, who married Hawkeye. Lost yet? Don’t worry, very little of this will make it into the Avengers movie series, and has already been covered in more detail by myself elsewhere on the site. Ultron will appear somewhere down the line in the Marvel movie universe, but probably not in phase two. You need to introduce the Hank Pym version of Ant-Man first, and there’s no guarantee that will happen in phase two. Also, Ultron is such a big villain, that having him share screen space with Thanos would be a disservice to both characters. However, if Avengers goes to a third movie (which it will), then Ultron would be an excellent villain to use there to close off the first trilogy. Ultron in Avengers 3. You heard it here first.
Kang the Conqueror (Nathaniel Richards)
First Appearance: Fantastic Four #19 (1963)
Created by: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None
A time travelling despot from the far future, Kang is the villain who just won’t stay down. And why should he? First appearing as the Pharaoh Rama-Tut in the pages of Fantastic Four, Kang later returned in his more familiar guise in Avengers #8. The thing about Kang is, he can fight the Avengers, and if defeated (as he inevitably must be, lets face it), he can spend years coming up with another scheme, then simply travel back to five minutes after the Avengers beat him and try again. Kang is one of the more imaginative Avengers bad guys, especially when you consider he not only has his own future incarnation in Immortus as a separate Avengers villain, a younger, heroic incarnation in Iron Lad of the Young Avengers, and may even himself be a possible future incarnation, or at the very least a descendant of, Doctor Doom and/or Mister Fantastic. The problem lies with the fact that Kang can be very difficult to write well, as many scribes of the comics have proven, and the writers of any movie featuring him would have to be very careful indeed, but if they can do it and get it right, it would make for an awesome movie. He’s a way off, if ever, but he’s a definite front-runner to appear somewhere down the line. Combine his first Avengers appearance with Kurt Busiek’s epic Kang War storyline, and you’d have the basis for a hell of a movie. Oh, and if anyone brings up the Fantastic Four characters rights issues, those are easily ignored. Just don’t mention the Doom or Richards ancestry, and you’re fine.
The Mandarin
First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #50 (1964)
Created by: Stan Lee and Don Heck
Marvel Studios Film Appearances: Referenced in Iron Man (2008)
Iron Man’s erstwhile enemy has yet to appear himself in the Marvel movie universe, but the Ten Rings, an organisation with a prominent role in the first Iron Man film, was a definite reference to him, and there were overt hints that he was the man behind the group. Everything is also pointing to Ben Kingsley playing the character in Iron Man 3, though we’re still awaiting the official confirmation of this. Still, at the very least, even if Marvel are bluffing us and Kingsley’s playing someone else, expect them to continue referencing the Mandarin in the Iron Man films.
Magneto (Erik Magnus Lensherr)
First Appearance: X-Men #1 (1963)
Created by: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None
Yep, the Master of Magnetism and main X-Men bad guy (or, member of the X-Men, depending on which week it is) has fought the Avengers plenty of times, both on his own and alongside his Brotherhood of Mutants. He has ties to the Avengers through his children, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch (which also puts him into Ultron’s family unit, given Scarlet Witch married the Vision) and his powers make him a heavyweight in the Marvel universe. The guy’s fought Thor to a standstill for crying out loud! How awesome would it be to see Sir Ian McKellan, so perfect as Magneto in the X-Movies, hurling Mjolnir right back at Chris Hemsworth’s face while he peels apart Robert Downey Jr’s armour? Very awesome, that’s how awesome! It won’t happen, ‘cos of that whole rights thing with the X-characters, and that’s a damn shame!
Count Nefaria (Luchino Nefaria)
First Appearance: Avengers #13 (1965)
Created by: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None
Not only does Count Nefaria have super powers comparable to those of Wonder Man, himself a pretty heavy hitter, but he also runs the Maggia, one of the Marvel universe’s major crime syndicates. Nefaria is the father of Madame Masque, one of Iron Man’s enemies, and his ex-girlfriend. Having him in a movie also allows them to bring in any number of bad guys who have worked for the Maggia in the past, including the Taskmaster, a villain with photographic reflexes who can mimic any move he sees, which makes him pretty handy in a fight against someone like Captain America. The Maggia is something which could easily be seeded in other movies, with Madame Masque appearing in an Iron Man film, Taskmaster in a Cap movie, and onwards, culminating in an Avengers movie where the team take on Nefaria. However, this isn’t likely to happen for a long time, if ever.
Grim Reaper (Eric Williams)
First Appearance: Avengers #52 (1968)
Created by: Roy Thomas and John Buscema
Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None
The brother of Wonder Man, the Grim Reaper originally fought the Avengers to get revenge on them for the death of his brother. He then continued to battle them after Wonder Man returned to life because, well, he’s a bit of a dick. Grim Reaper has been portrayed both as a normal person with technological gadgets, and as a supernatural being, either of which could work in a movie. If you go the normal human route, then he’s another character with ties to the Maggia who Marvel could bring in. As a supernatural being, he’s a force to be reckoned with in his own right. If Marvel ever bring Wonder Man into their film universe, then don’t be surprised if his brother isn’t far behind.
Space Phantoms
First Appearance: Avengers #2 (1963)
Created by: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None. Probably.
Space Phantoms are a race of beings who serve Immortus (future incarnation of Kang the Conqueror, remember?) and reside in Limbo. They can replace anyone on Earth, taking their physical form and consigning their target to Limbo until they take another form. A Space Phantom journeyed to Earth and battled the Avengers in issue #2 of their comic (though, thanks to the later publication of Avengers #1.5, the Phantom was actually the third villain the team faced, after Loki and Doctor Doom). The Space Phantom managed to create enough distrust within the team, that the Hulk quit at the end of the issue. Space Phantoms have appeared again a number of times, and were used by writer Kurt Busiek to explain a number of continuity errors (and crap stories like The Crossing) in Avengers history. While they may seem unlikely characters to show up in Avengers 2, a pattern may be forming. Avengers issue #1 had Loki as a bad guy. Avengers film one had Loki as a bad guy. See where I’m going with this? What do you mean tenuous? They could already have appeared. As anyone!
The Masters of Evil / The Lethal Legion
First Appearance: Masters of Evil: Avengers #6 (1964), Lethal Legion: Avengers #78 (1970)
Created by: Masters of Evil: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Lethal Legion: Roy Thomas and John Buscema
Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None
We’re lumping these two different teams of villains together because they’re essentially the same concept. Each is a group of Avengers bad guys who banded together to fight Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. The only real difference is, the Masters were originally made up of characters introduced in the Avengers’ various solo titles, while the characters who made up the Lethal Legion all first appeared in the pages of Avengers itself. Captain America’s enemy, Baron Zemo, formed the original Masters of Evil to fight the Avengers, recruiting the Enchantress, the Executioner, the Black Knight, Radioactive Man and the Melter to do so. Meanwhile, the Lethal Legion were first brought together by the Grim Reaper, and was comprised of Living Laser, Man-Ape, Power Man and a pre-reformation Swordsman. The line ups of both teams have changed many times over the years, with any number of characters joining and leaving them, but in one form or another, the Masters and the Legion always return to plague the Avengers. Avengers Under Siege, a storyline in which the Masters invade Avengers Mansion and come as close as anyone ever has to defeating the team, remains a classic story to this day, and you should definitely read it. But what about a film appearance? It’s possible, but it’s a way off yet. There’s every chance that a future Avengers movie will bring together as many of the villains from the previous movies as possible, all taking on the Avengers at once, but it’s an Avengers 3 storyline at the very earliest.
Hydra / AIM
First Appearance: Hydra: Strange Tales #135 (1965), AIM: Strange Tales #146 (1966)
Created by: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Marvel Studios Film Appearances: Hydra: Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), AIM: None
In the Marvel universe, these two groups represent the biggest terrorist organisations going. Many supervillains have worked for them, and there isn’t a hero who hasn’t faced them. Hydra are pretty much the reason SHIELD, run by Sam Jackson’s Nick Fury, exists at all, and while AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics) may have started an offshoot of Hydra, they have since grown to be the leading science-based terrorist organisation going. Hydra have already appeared in Captain America, and set pictures have revealed the presence of AIM in the upcoming Iron Man 3, though in what capacity is currently unknown. Both organisations are easy enough to keep bringing back, and if AIM do take root, then that means we get MODOK! Well, probably not. I mean, I love MODOK. He’s awesome. But he wouldn’t work on film because he looks like this:-
To be continued…
About the Author
PJ Montgomery Writer of various things, lover of comics, films, books and computer games, loveable rogue and proud Sidekick.
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