Adam Warlock
Out of any character out there, Adam Warlock is the one that makes the most sense to be introduced in Phase 4. Also known as just Adam, the character was introduced in the 60s, appearing in comics from the Fantastic Four and Thor series.
Since then, Adam has been an integral character in many Marvel plotlines.
Adam has actually already been teased in the MCU, in one of the five post-credits scenes in Guardian of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The one in questions shows the leader of the Sovereigns, totally defeated and staring at a new birthing pod which she says is “more capable of destroying the Guardian of the Galaxy.”
She then calls it Adam, just before the scene cuts.
While Adam Warlock has generally appeared as a hero, there is an incarnation of Adam called The Magus that serves as a villain, representing the dark side of Adam.
In terms of powers, Adam Warlock might be one of the only characters who could go toe-to-toe with Captain Marvel, possessing many of the same powers and a control of cosmic energy. Considering Phase 4 will probably be leaning into the whole “Cosmic” thing, Adam Warlock is inevitably on the way.
Moon Knight
The MCU has introduced all of the core Avengers at this point, but there are still plenty of ancillary members that could be introduced in future phases.
By far one of the most interesting Avengers not currently in the MCU is Moon Knight, a character who’s been a member of the Avengers, Secret Avengers, West Coast Avengers, Defenders, and more.
Moon Knight, or Marc Spector as his alter ego is known, was first introduced in the 70s as a villain for Werewolf By Night. The character showed popularity and was later reintroduced as a hero, over the years becoming a staple member of the aforementioned superhero teams.
Moon Knight has the chance to be an incredibly unique movie in the MCU, a kind of detective-thriller mixed with plenty of trademark superhero action. Moon Knight is an ace detective, oftentimes using his skills of deduction to help the Defenders figure out mysterious of villainous schemes.
On top of that, he’s an expert martial artist, and the character gains increased strength and abilities based on the cycle of the moon, hence the name.
If Marvel is looking to introduce any new Avengers in Phase 4, Moon Knight should be on the top of that list. In fact, one of the Avengers: Endgame screenwriters, Christopher Markus, recently said that Moon Knight is one character he’d be interested in bringing to the big screen.
She-Hulk
There are few characters in all of the Marvel universe that can match Hulk for strength, but She-Hulk has done that on multiple occasions.
With so many fantastic female characters in the MCU now, Phase 4 is the perfect time for an A-Force movie to hit. Captain Marvel, Valkyria, Gamora, Scarlet Witch, Okoye, and Wasp are all characters that’d be perfect for the team.
However, you just can’t have the A-Force without She-Hulk, or Jennifer Walters as she’s also known. A She-Hulk origin movie would also give us another chance to see the fantastic Mark Ruffalo, and his incarnation of The Hulk.
She-Hulk has consistently been a major character in the Marvel universe for decades, and her abilities could make for a much more diverse and interesting film than The Incredible Hulk did.
This is because Jennifer retains most of her intelligence and personality when she transforms, creating a hero that’s able to be much more strategic and thoughtful with her strength.
Phase 4 is bound to bring some massive changes to the MCU, and She-Hulk is just the new blood the franchise needs to keep things interesting.
Galactus
The big question on everyone’s mind; who replaces Thanos after the end of Phase 3? There’s certainly some convincing proof that Kang the Conqueror might be next in line, but if the next phase is anything like Phase 3, it’s going to be a pretty slow build to the major villain.
Of course, nothing is set in stone, and we don’t yet know who the big bad will be. Outside of Kang, Galactus seems the other obvious choice, and who knows, we could even see more than one major villain.
The Devourer of Worlds, as he’s known, has been one of the most formidable adversaries in Marvel since the 60s. It makes sense as Galactus has almost limitless power from the cosmic energy he uses, known as the Power Cosmic.
With it, he’s been able to use things like Cosmic Awareness, telepathy, resurrection, destroying multiple solar systems at once, and much more.
It’s very possible that Galactus has been aware of the events in the MCU up until now, and has simply been biding his time to make his move.
With the MCU pivoting to a more “Cosmic” tone, what with Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain Marvel, and the Eternals, Galactus would make perfect sense as the next big villain.
It’d also be great to see a film do justice to the iconic character, and not just make him into a cloud of dust.
Doctor Doom
You can’t talk about Marvel villains without Doctor Doom coming up in the same sentence. Undoubtedly one of the most iconic, if not the most iconic, of Marvel villains out there.
Victor Von Doom was, of course, originally introduced as a Fantastic Four villain, but he’s gone on to be one of the most brilliant masterminds of the Marvel universe. He’s constantly come into conflict with other heroes like Spider-Man, the X-Men, Dr. Strange, Iron Man, Thor, and more.
Doctor Doom has appeared in the previous Fantastic Four films, but the quality of those movies is pretty apparent, and they don’t nearly do justice to the character.
While we don’t know the overall format of Phase 4 yet, Doctor Doom would be the perfect villain to play the “Loki” role this time around.
By that , I mean the recurring villain that acts as a harbinger for the big bad of the phase. Considering Doom is one of the most brilliant characters in all of Marvel, he could be directly tied to the coming of either Kang of Galactus, or both.
It’s unlikely that there would be plans to introduce the Fantastic Four to the MCU anytime soon, but Doom could easily work on his own, before tying into a reboot of Marvel’s first family.
No matter how you cut it, the MCU has to introduce Doom at some point, and I’d much rather see him sooner rather than later.
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