Marvel Studios already has the next big villains lined up for when Phase Seven of the MCU is ready to go.
When Phase One of the MCU arrived in 2008 with Iron Man, I think few could have predicted the huge success that the movie franchise would become. Despite Marvel Studios and Disney still having high hopes, I’m sure.
That being said, it has not always been a constant flow of highs with the MCU. For the most part, we’ve had some fantastic stories that have taken us on a rollercoaster journey of emotions.
Movies such as Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Thor: Ragnarok will forever live in the hearts of Marvel fans.
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Then we have the likes of Thor: Love and Thunder, Eternals, as well as Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Perhaps the less said about those last three movies, the better.
Regardless, for the most part, the villains of the MCU have knocked it out of the park. Such as Thanos, Scarlet Witch in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, as well as Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming, to name a few.
We already know that Doctor Doom will be the main villain in the MCU Phase Six; his story has been set up in 2025’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, ready for Avengers: Doomsday, and beyond.
However, what comes after the MCU Phase Six? It’s widely expected that the X-Men will play a huge role in Phase Seven, but with so many villains to choose from, it’s anyone's guess as to who will be the new big bad.
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As picked up by The Direct (via DanieRPK/Cosmic Marvel), it’s claimed that Marvel Studios and Disney are planning to reveal Mister Sinister and Apocalypse as the next main villains following the X-Men’s introduction to the MCU.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Marvel Studios is reportedly planning the next saga of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MCU?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MCU</a> around X-Men villains Mr. Sinister and Apocalypse.<br><br>The studio has some actors in mind, but no one has been cast yet.<br><br>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/DanielRPK?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DanielRPK</a>) <a href="https://t.co/xzGR0ShhWe">pic.twitter.com/xzGR0ShhWe</a></p>— Cosmic Marvel (@cosmic_marvel) <a href="https://twitter.com/cosmic_marvel/status/1972238290171400510?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
It’s even claimed that actors are already in mind as to who will play those roles. It will be interesting to see if Oscar Isaac will reprise the role of
En Sabah Nur, as the first mutant Apocalypse.
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Yet, with 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse, not being universally well-received by critics and fans alike, Marvel Studios and Disney might prefer a new actor to assume the role. Plus, I’m sure many fans would prefer Oscar Isaac to reprise the role of Moon Knight.
As for Mister Sinister, if he were to play a role in Phase Seven as a major villain for the X-Men, it would be his debut in live-action form.
What’s more, despite Apocalypse being the main villain in the aforementioned 2016 movie, which was under the ownership of 20th Century Fox. So both characters would be making debuts in the MCU.
Of course, we should keep in mind that these are mere rumours at this time and should be taken with a pinch of salt until proven otherwise. We’ll update you if more information drops related to the potential new MCU villains.
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Avengers: Doomsday is currently scheduled to be released on 18 December 2026, with MCU Phase Six concluding with Avengers: Secret Wars on 17 December 2027.
Topics: Disney, Marvel, MCU, TV And Film, Comics