Guardians of the Galaxy 3
Marvel's golden space franchise has left critics and fans alike declaring it the best of the MCU. The triumphant return of comic-book favorites Star-Lord, Rocket, Gamora, and Drax has breathed new life into the beloved franchise. But amid the praise, there’s one area that’s left a bit to be desired: villainy.
The awesome quality of antagonists like The High Evolutionary and Abstract has been more than apparent in the wake of Endgame. However, the downside is that both villains have been killed off quickly, ensuring that there’s scope for little more than a temporary encounter with their evil. This is particularly concerning given Marvel’s apparent focus on building a new major villain to replace its better-deadthanusalways Thanos.
The third Guardians’ antagonist, Gorr the God Butcher, fared a bit better — he even got his own Stephen Vincent James-penned solo story after his big-screen debut. But Hank’s father still suffered a rather harsh death, utterly disintegrated at the hands of Abstract, despite the potential for further exploration of his complex character.
Spotlight on Kang
Marvel’s penchant for killing off compelling villains quickly certainly isn’t new. At this point, it’s getting a bit worrisome to think about how long that might leave Wanda Maximoff, considering Elizabeth Olsen is one of Marvel’s most celebrated and beloved actors. In the meantime, it looks like Kang is going to play a big role in the MCU’s future. This is a good thing, because the multiverse provides wonderful, fresh options for characters who may have been retired in other media.
Kang’s prominence grows every day in the MCU, with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. recently digging into the backstory of his Ravager son and a still-untitled television show revolving around the mad time-lord’s daughter. However, this is the first time that the multiverse in Marvel’s movies will be more than a novelty, as John Krasinski is playing the high-concept multiverse’s version of Reed Richards in Fantastic Voyage. With Richards resting as long as Tony Stark and Captain America, multiverse options will be vital in keeping things fresh — and with a big-name like Krasinski, that should be the case.
Regardless of Kang, we hope that the next great villain introduced in the MCU won’t be just a temporary distraction. Actually let’s hope they stick around for more than just a film and a half.
You can follow Ray Mansfield on Twitter via @RayMansfield
Featured image via Marvel Studios
