Warning: Full spoilers follow for Avengers: Endgame.
There’s a reason Marvel has started referring to the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as “The Infinity Saga.” Each of these 22 films has played a part in advancing an overarching story about Earth’s Mightiest Heroes banding together to stop Thanos from wreaking havoc on the universe. Even if Thanos himself only ever appeared in a handful of these movies, he was the catalyst that fueled the MCU for an entire decade.
Now that Avengers: Endgame has arrived and brought the Infinity Saga to a close, we have to wonder what villains could possibly fill that void. What Marvel characters are twisted enough, ambitious enough and fascinating enough to shape the next decade of the MCU in the way Thanos shaped the first? Here are a few worthy candidates.