Marvel Phase 3: Predicting The Villains

Rampant informed bad guy speculation...

By Jack Morrell /

A hero is defined by his or her actions, sure: but not every hero is a Captain America, straight as an arrow with no moral blemishes on their reputations. That€™s why the murkier of superheroes can rest easy, knowing that compared to their rogue€™s gallery they€™re going to look like four-colour saints. Wolverine is a hairy runt with anger management issues and steak knives sticking out of his hands, but compared to Sabretooth he€™s the Silver bloody Surfer. The Punisher looks like a psychotic basket case standing next to the Fantastic Four€ but at home in the urban jungles, taking out squads of amoral Mafioso hitmen and child-murdering gangbangers, he actually does look a little like justice, albeit in a bad Hot Topic t-shirt. So everyone's keen to know who Marvel Studios intend to pit against their carefully selected roster of heroes during the next phase of their expansion as rulers of the multiplex and kings of the box office. After all, would their Netflix Daredevil have been as well-received if Vincent D€™Onofrio hadn€™t been such a revelation as the Kingpin? We already know quite a lot about next year€™s Captain America: Civil War€ but what about the rest of the films on Marvel€™s slate for the upcoming Phase 3? Well, I have as much insider information as you do€ but that just means there€™s plenty of room for some informed speculation, which (along with dodgy videos and arguing about pro wrestling) is exactly what the internet is for. So here comes four years worth of considered deliberation, a fresh villain on every page, and some inspired casting choices thrown in on top because I had just that much free time on my hands. There are no spoilers here, because this is the future€ but I can tell you that none of these movies will feature War Machine. Why? Because where we€™re going, we don€™t need Rhodes. Boom-TISH.