A flaw in the so called "Marvel Formula" is their villains. Besides the Netflix shows, most MCU villains are either killed or underdeveloped. A villain that has yet to die and is very prevalent is Hydra. The problem I have with this is that almost every human villain is an evil version of the hero, or they're Hydra. That was okay in the early days of the MCU but not so much anymore. Marvel needs to start introducing new evil organizations and here is why:
Hydra Overexposure
As I said before, Hydra is everywhere in the MCU. Hydra is a large an important organization so we should feel like they have their hands, or heads(Hydra pun), in most diabolical schemes but not nearly ALL of them. I feel like the organization has lost its gravitas. When Hydra shows up, it should feel like a really big deal but instead I always end up thinking "Of course it's Hydra."
I also feel an extreme disconnect between movie Hydra and TV Hydra. They never really feel like the same organization since after the AoS/Winter Soldier crossover. Agents of Shield's Hydra is obsessed with an Inhuman and has been for centuries apparently but I feel like we will never hear any mention of that on the big screen. I would've preferred for the Agents of Shield to be fighting maybe the Serpent Society or the Secret Empire. This way the can build out their universe without diluting the Hydra brand.
Style and Substance
One of the reasons I like comic book criminal organizations are their distinct and outlandish themes and uniforms.
Some can be pretty silly but nothing that an MCU redesign couldn't fix. This could help make them more intimidating while still being faithful to the comics.
As phase 3 moves us more into magic and mysticism, it would be interesting to see the Secret Empire, a group with ties to magic, come out of obscurity and cause some trouble.
A.I.M would also be a cool contrast in this growing world of fantasy. A group that rejects magic as it becomes more and more prevalent and pushes for more advanced science to accomplish their agenda. Maybe some alien tech too?
Some of these groups are so unknown that you could split them up between the Avengers and the Defenders too. I am happy about the introduction of the Hand into the Daredevil Season 2 and I feel like the Hand may be involved in the Defenders show, so thats good.
New Big Bads
We have no Red Skull and we are still waiting to see how faithful Civil War's Baron Zemo will be to the comics. An evil organization is only as good as its gaudy looking leader and we desperately need one. M.O.D.O.K or the Scientist Supreme would be great additions to the MCU. A.I.M was in Iron Man 3 but they were immediately ignored after that movie. I was hoping that M.O.D.O.K was going to be atleast hinted at but no luck. He would definitely be a character that would shock newcomers who have never heard of him and it would be a cool shoutout to comic book readers.
The great thing about the Scientist Supreme is that its just a title. There have been male and female Scientist Supremes that have led A.I.M so we could have more diverse villains in the MCU, something that has also been lacking.
What are your thoughts? Are you also getting bored with Hydra? Who would you like to get some screen time? Who would you cast for M.O.D.O.K or the Scientist Supreme? Let me know in the comments!
Comments (20)
I love this post. Marvel had a huge amount of cool villains but onscreen (big screen) it seems that they have failed to deliver a powerful/developed villain. They should go with your suggestions haha
Agree on so many levels. They have definitely overused Hydra in the MCU
I've noticed Hydra's pretty much the main start villains now. My mother watches Agents of Shield and I'm surprised Hydra's still the main villains! Hahaha
Agree! I do hope in AoS Season 4 that Hydra will be no more like literally (maybe reference them or something but don't even bring a f****** Hydra agent). A.I.M. could be the replacement we could finally see big head (M.O.D.O.K.) in the MCU.
M.O.D.O.K. would be very different i seen him in the comics but he was never very interested to me. Maybe marvel.could do him right.