The X-Men Are Coming to the MCU and We Need to See These 5 Villains on the Big Screen

The X-Men are about to become the focus of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is something that fans have been waiting for. The men and women of X are some of the most popular superheroes of them all. The ’90s saw them become one of the most beloved properties out there because of X-Men: The Animated Series and their 2000 big screen made them even bigger. The MCU has been having a rough time of things since Avengers: Endgame and the X-Men are looking to be the shot in the arm that they need. The mutants form their own micro-Marvel Universe, bringing loads of amazing characters to the big and small screen.

One of the best parts about the X-Men have always been the villains. The team has some of the greatest villains ever, and some of them are definitely going to make their MCU debuts sooner rather than later. Magneto, Apocalypse, Mister Sinister, Mystique, and many others are a shoe-in for the MCU, but there are some lesser-known villains that also deserve their place in the picture shows. While they aren’t as popular as the big names, they can be just as cool. These five X-Men villains need to make their MCU debut, giving fans some cool bad guys they never would have expected.

5) Zaladane

The Savage Land is one of the coolest parts of the Marvel Universe. Located under Antarctica, it’s full of dinosaurs and cavemen; somehow, any plane that flies near it crashes. Magneto has used it as a base, creating technology that could make people into mutates, and the X-Men have been down there numerous times. A whole culture popped up down there, with Zaladane acting as a priestess of the Petrified Man, a sun god worshiped in the Savage Land. She battled against Ka-Zar and would eventually end take control of the whole land, leading the Savage Land mutates. She ended up fighting a battle against Magneto and Rogue, and has since battled the X-Men several more times. She’s known for her grudge with Magneto and is rather powerful, making her a great addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Bringing her into the MCU means that you have to bring the Savage Land and that’s money. Getting to see the X-Men battle Zaladane and her mutates all while trying not to get eaten by dinosaurs is something that we should all want to see on the big screen.

4) Graydon Creed

Sabretooth is Wolverine’s most savage enemy and Mystique has proven to be one of the X-Men’s greatest villains. The two of them have known for each other for decades and even had a sexual relationship while they were working as spies in Germany during the Cold War. They ended up having a baby, with Mystique naming him Graydon. He was abandoned by his parents because he wasn’t a mutant and ended up becoming a virulent racist, leading the Friends of Humanity and trying to become president. He’s most recently showed up after a trip into the multiverse to take revenge against his father, whom he hates nearly as much as he hates the X-Men. It would be interesting to see how the MCU uses the character; he’s not the traditional superhero movie villain. Creed could show moviegoers the breadth of the X-Men’s villainous roster and allow Marvel Studios to show that there’s more to the MCU than just one-dimensional bad guys.

3) Nimrod

The Sentinels are humanity’s hatred made of metal. The mutant-hunting robots are a shoe-in for the big screen and there’s numerous models to choose from. There’s the big ones that everyone recognizes, the Master Molds that create them, the human-sized Prime Sentinels, and the various Wild Sentinels. However, the one that we definitely need to see in the MCU is Nimrod. Nimrod is the ultimate Sentinel, first created in the future and sent back in time to destroy the mutant race in the past. In the Krakoa Era, the Orchis Initiative were able to create one and it became the chief enemy of the mutant nation, working with the Omega Sentinel (a former X-Men ally who was possessed by her future self from a time when mutants destroyed humanity). Nimrod is the perfect enemy for the X-Men on the big screen. It can nullify most mutant powers, so even the most powerful mutants have a problem fighting it, and is even potent against non-mutants. It’s the perfect addition to the MCU.

2) Shadow King

The Shadow King is one of the X-Men’s greatest villains and unless you’re a comic reader, you know very little about him. Amahl Farouk was a young telepathic mutant a few centuries ago who was possessed by the Shadow King, a being that was the sum darkness of all living things and existed on the Astral Plane. The Shadow King wants one thing – to take control of every being in the universe – and has been an enemy of Professor X since before he formed the X-Men and Storm worked for him as a thief in Cairo as a child after the death of her parents. He’s battled the X-Men numerous times over the years, pulling them into the Astral Plane and using their own minds against them. He’s played a big role in X-Men history and is easily one of their most potent villains, with even the most powerful mutant telepaths dwarfed by his power. The Shadow King deserves to be a bigger deal and the MCU could help make that happen.

1) Reverend Stryker

X2: X-Men United is often considered the best of the Fox X-Men movies and its main villain was a man by the name of Colonel Stryker, a racist who hated mutants and used the military to wage his own private war against them. Stryker in the comics, though, was very different. He wasn’t a member of the military, but a reverend who used religion to make his bigotry more palatable for the world. He was the leader of the Purifiers, targeting mutant children and bringing together the X-Men and Magneto while they were still enemies. He’s returned several times over the years and definitely needs to make an MCU debut. However, he needs to be Reverend Stryker; making him a soldier takes away what the villain is meant to be: a character meant to show the hypocrisy of religion and how it’s used for hate. The MCU is pretty milquetoast; while haters call it left-wing, it is the most center right thing imaginable. Making Reverend Stryker will prove that Marvel Studios understands what the X-Men need to be and will be a perfect addition to the MCU.