Does Marvel have a problem with their villains?

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

There's also this quote going around on the internet. Supposedly it's written in the official concept art book or something, but I haven't been able to find an actual picture or anything.

Just curious, but didn't they also say that about Crossbones after TWS? Then he was gone after 10 mins in CW.

 

[DeGenerate10]

I see a lot of posts about how Kingpin has been one of the best villains in the MCU. This is very true. I think he's the best by far. But I don't think it's particularly fair to cite him as an example when you're talking about movie villains. Daredevil has 20 some one hour long episodes right? Look how much time they are allotted to develop their villain. In the same respect movies are given two hours to do the same thing. This is really an apples and oranges type discussion.

 

[JtheDreamer]

The primary antagonist through multiple films?

You mean like X-men style where every new antagonist is pushed to the side for more Magneto?

Or a character like Thanos who has been alluded to and glimpsed but yet to be truly seen?

Because very few series will have one villain that they are confronting for each film. Didn't happen with Batman, TDKT, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, Superman.

Or do you mean something like Darth Vader, or Sauron, or Biff Tannen...

The latter.

Various screenwriters in the MCU stable have openly discussed the phenomena.

 

[SirStrangefolk]

Just curious, but didn't they also say that about Crossbones after TWS? Then he was gone after 10 mins in CW.

That's true, but Crossbones didn't have the potential the Thunderbolts have.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

That's true, but Crossbones didn't have the potential the Thunderbolts have.

Fair enough, I don't have a huge amount of knowledge on Zemo but I wonder how they will use him next.

 

[Abudefduf]

There's also this quote going around on the internet. Supposedly it's written in the official concept art book or something, but I haven't been able to find an actual picture or anything.

Huh, that's interesting. Even though I suspect that might be just Marvel paying lip service to the fans. I'm not sure they actually have concrete plans in store for him, but eh, what do I know.

 

[TheVileOne]

I just didn't get the sense from Civil War that they have big plans for Zemo and they are going to explore all this apparent royal descendancy he has. Why not explore that in this movie if that's the case?

What we got from his backstory was that he was a black ops soldier for the Sokovian government. He was a family man and he loved his family deeply. His family died in the battle of Sokovia, and he blamed the Avengers for it.

That's his backstory. They changed it to fit their story for Civil War. Now he's going to have a Royal Descendancy from a Nazi family where he comes from a long line of super-villains? Why not mention that the first time around? People aren't going to get it because you completely shifted gears with Zemo.

It's a simple fact, they simply should've made this a different character and not made ZINO.

 

[Iceman]

I definitely think the MCU has a villain issue, although the villains are nowhere near as important as getting the heroes right which they are nailing every time. Really hope they can make Thanos good at least.

 

[cmacexpress]

Most Marvel's cinematic universe villains seem be killed in one movie and never get a chance to thrive and show a better character ark. If Ultron was some how captured by and for UN for testing or something like that, It would give us a chance to see the full potential of James Spader's take on Ultron. The best example is what the Russo Brothers did with the Winter Soldier, we all love him. Hes seen to be a character rather than a disposable villain.

 

[Rorschach2012]

I think it used to be a problem. Not anymore, the mcu has addressed pretty much all of the main fan criticisms

 

[Abudefduf]

I don't think the formula of the recurring villains would work in a movie series as well as it does in comics. Not without making the heroes look like a bunch of incompetents, at least, lol.

 

[Spiderine]

The reason villains like Loki and Winter Soldier are recurring is because they have a very tight connection with the titular hero. Thor and Loki have a sibling rivalry and it goes very deep. Same can be said of Cap and Bucky. They are like brothers. There is more story to explore from their tragic pasts.

Nobody cares to see Ultron again. He had an opportunity to shine in his one film. There are more villains to exploit in the MCU. And villains like Zemo could still play a role with the Thunderbolts should it ever happen.

 

[Ragnaroknroll]

Well I'd sure like to see Ultron again.

 

[Spiderine]

Well I'd sure like to see Ultron again.

I would have really like to see the Ultron I wanted to see in that film. But I really don't know what else they could do. He could never be a main villain again.

 

[Abudefduf]

I really can't imagine people enthusiastically coming back to theaters to watch for the second time a movie where the Avengers take on Ultron the crazy robot. AoU sort of failed to endear him to the casual audience, he's not the new Loki. Yeah, as a main antagonist I think he's done.

 

[Ragnaroknroll]

I really can't imagine people enthusiastically coming back to theaters to watch for the second time a movie where the Avengers take on Ultron the crazy robot. AoU sort of failed to endear him to the casual audience, he's not the new Loki. Yeah, as a main antagonist I think he's done.

You guys are probably right but I still think more could be done with him. We saw him as this kind of needy child but it would be interesting to see him come back as a cold blooded vengeful killer. He doesn't need to be the headline or anything but a surprising re-emergence well played could win folks over. I didn't think Hydra was all that in TFA but TWS brought it back with a vengeance and made it a serious threat. The movie was a big hit.

 

[TeeKay]

I don't think the formula of the recurring villains would work in a movie series as well as it does in comics. Not without making the heroes look like a bunch of incompetents, at least, lol.

Tell that to the X-Men franchise.

 

[Spiderine]

Hydra works well as a recurring criminal terrorist organization because they bring so many different villains to the table. Red Skull, Strucker, Winter Soldier, Crossbones, Alexander Pierce, and Zola etc. Much like in the real world where we have Al Qeada and ISIS. Its never truly defeated.

I guess at this point Im just ready to see Thanos who will basically be doing what Ultron did. Trying to destroy humanity on a wider galactic scale. The threats are getting bigger than earth.

 

[Shikamaru]

I think Homecoming will be a major factor in deciding whether or not Marvel has a villain problem.

Up till now, the argument we've heard in defense was always "they don't have their best villains at their disposal". Now they have (arguably) their best rogues gallery back, so there's no excuse for Homecoming's villain to be "meh".

 

[StormC]

I wouldn't mind Ultron coming back as a secondary villain, but not the main threat.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

I hope at the very least Ultron comes back for Runaways since he's the 'father' of Victor Mancha and it is a crucial part of Mancha's story.

 

[dax]

Most Marvel's cinematic universe villains seem be killed in one movie and never get a chance to thrive and show a better character ark.

Red Skull isn't dead. The tesseract only teleported him to another realm and there's a strong possibility that he will return for the Avengers: Infinity War films.

 

[redlion2]

Actually, I've never felt that Marvel has had any more of a villain problem in the MCU than any other studio. It seems that all the studios have that "problem".

I also feel that the MCU has left the door open for some of the villains to reappear. Red Skull certainly has the capacity to come back. Abomination's broken neck could be healed by now, AFAWK, and he could be a prisoner in the Raft. Ultron could be somewhere biding his time and getting stronger. That random, unregistered flight that Black Widow mentioned in AOU could have some significance. In the comics, Ultron always had a contingency plan just in case he was defeated. Of course, Zemo could engineer a jail break out of the Raft or Ross could make a deal with him. Ross has always been a character to make a deal with the "devil". I would love to see a take on the "Thunderbolts" or the MOE in the MCU.

 

[StormC]

Red Skull probably would have been set to return if it wasn't for Hugo Weaving not wanting to come back to the role. Obviously they could easily recast it given the nature of the character's appearance, but it might have given them pause at least.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Before the movie came out and I saw it, I honestly thought Robert Redford was Red Skull in TWS.