The MCU Still Need To Reveal What Happens To 4 Phase 1 Villains

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Summary

Emil Blonsky/Abomination returned after over a decade's absence in She-Hulk, setting up potential appearances in upcoming projects like Doctor Strange 3 and Thunderbolts.
Thaddeus Ross will appear in Captain America: Brave New World as the President of the United States, and may also join the Thunderbolts given Marvel Comics' Red Hulk storyline.
Loki's complex character arc and crucial role in the multiverse make his return to the MCU essential after his Loki series, while Justin Hammer could return in the upcoming Armor Wars movie.

Phase 1 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe ended 12 years ago, yet there are still four villains whose fates are left unknown. When watching the Marvel movies in release order, Phase 1 consists of six movies. These six projects are often regarded among the highest-ranked MCU movies, primarily due to their centrality in catapulting the franchise into the period of dominance it sustained throughout much of the 2010s.
Despite the likes of Steve Rogers' Captain America and Tony Stark being killed off in the MCU, the legacy of Phase 1 is still felt in the other surviving Marvel characters who began the franchise. This will continue to be the case in the long list of upcoming MCU movies in which Phase 1's remaining heroes will live on. Interestingly though, the future of the franchise could still reveal the status of some MCU villains, four of whom still have lingering stories left to tell over a decade after they appeared in Phase 1 of the sprawling universe.
MCU Phase 1 Movie
Main Villain(s)
Iron Man (2008)
Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Emil Blonsky/Abomination & General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Ivan Vanko/Whiplash & Justin Hammer
Thor (2011)
Loki
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
The Red Skull
The Avengers (2012)
Loki
Emil Blonsky/Abomination The primary antagonist of Bruce Banner in 2008's The Incredible Hulk. Close The first villain to appear in the MCU, at least chronologically, who still has a future in the franchise is Emil Blonsky/Abomination. In 2008's The Incredible Hulk, Blonsky was a soldier captivated by the power of the Hulk. Eventually consumed by this lust for power, as well as a warped version of Captain America's Super-Soldier Serum, Blonsky used Bruce Banner's blood to turn himself into Abomination. By the film's ending, Abomination was defeated by the Hulk before being arrested by Thaddeus Ross and the U.S. Army.
For over 10 years, Emil Blonksy/Abomination did not appear again in the MCU. In 2021, however, the character had a brief cameo in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, setting up his appearance in 2022's She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. In this Disney+ show, Abomination appeared again only as a more reserved, zen-version of Blonsky who broke his parole before being given refuge at Kamar-Taj by Wong, the MCU's Sorcerer Supreme.
While he could appear in an upcoming Doctor Strange movie given his ties to Wong and Kamar-Taj, one other MCU project set for Phase 6 would be a better fit for Abomination's return: Thunderbolts.
This was the last time Blonsky has been seen in the MCU, leaving him off for more potential stories. While he could appear in an upcoming Doctor Strange movie given his ties to Wong and Kamar-Taj, one other MCU project set for Phase 6 would be a better fit for Abomination's return: Thunderbolts. Thunderbolts will tell the story of a group of vigilantes and former MCU villains coming together to form the titular team. Abomination has been on the team in Marvel Comics before and could add a much-needed dose of raw power to the announced line-up.

Related Who Are MCU's Thunderbolts? Team Members, Origin & Comic History Explained Marvel Studios is officially working on a Thunderbolts movie, with production to begin in 2023. Here's all you need to know about the Thunderbolts! General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross The long-lasting antagonist of several MCU Avengers.

The secondary antagonist of The Incredible Hulk alongside Abomination was Thaddeus Ross, a U.S. Army General who wished to capture the Hulk after unintentionally creating him. Failing to do so, Ross left the U.S. Army and became the Secretary of State, which led to several more MCU appearances after Phase 1’s ending. The first of these came in Captain America: Civil War, in which Ross pushed for the Sokovia Accords, an act that would provide government oversight to The Avengers. This split The Avengers in two, meaning they failed to stop Thanos’ snap in Avengers: Infinity War.
The last time Ross was seen in the MCU was after his resurrection in Avengers: Endgame, attending the funeral of Tony Stark. Despite his absence in the franchise since 2019, Thaddeus Ross' next appearance will come in 2025's Captain America: Brave New World. Played by Harrison Ford after the passing of William Hurt, Ross will return as the President of the United States in an antagonistic role to Sam Wilson's Captain America. Given Ross' comic book transition into Red Hulk, he could also appear in Thunderbolts, playing a similar role to the theorized Abomination inclusion.
Loki - The God Of Mischief & The Multiverse The villain-turned-hero still likely has a part to play in the MCU's future. Close Perhaps the most intriguing Phase 1 villain to still have a role in the MCU is Loki, if only for the overwhelmingly complex arc the character has undertaken since 2012's The Avengers. Loki was the primary villain of both Thor and the 2012 team-up movie, proving to be one of the MCU's strongest major villains at the time of Phase 1's conclusion. After his villainous turn in The Avengers, Loki began a character arc that saw him become an MCU hero throughout Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok before he tragically died in Avengers: Infinity War.
Avengers: Endgame then introduced a variant of Loki, stemming from his personality in 2012's The Avengers, who became the lead of his own Disney+ show. As an agent of the Time Variance Authority, Loki became a hero once more in the MCU by defending the multiverse from various threats. Eventually, the character became God Loki and took up a noble position at the center of the Yggdrasil tree, physically holding the branches of the multiverse together so that it can flourish in seeming peace.

Related What Is The Multiverse Tree At The End Of Loki? Huge MCU Meaning Explained Loki season 2, episode 6’s ending turned the TVA into a multiversal tree. What does this mean and how does it connect to the titular God of Stories? As such, Loki is now a character who used to be a Phase 1 villain whose future has never been more integral to the MCU. While many are not certain about Loki's return given that his post at the End of Time is seemingly one he can never leave, it would seem a waste of such a strong, vital character for him never to appear again. With Loki also serving as one of the few MCU characters who knows of Kang the Conqueror’s threat, his return to the MCU going forward is all but essential after his long character arc.
Justin Hammer The long-standing rival of Tony Stark is due an MCU return.

The final MCU villain from Phase 1 whose story is unfinished is Justin Hammer. Hammer has only appeared in one live-action MCU project, 2010's Iron Man 2, played by Sam Rockwell. Since then, Hammer has been absent from proceedings, frustratingly so given how well-received Rockwell's performance was as the rival of Tony Stark. Iron Man 2's story centered on Hammer's attempts to match Stark Industries, only to have his illicit means of doing so exposed before being arrested.
Sam Rockwell returned to voice a variant of Justin Hammer in 2023's animated What If...? season 2, potentially hinting at the actor's willingness to reprise his role in live-action.
Despite his arrest, Hammer's return to the franchise makes sense given the promise of one upcoming MCU movie. The overall story of the MCU's Armor Wars, set to star Don Cheadle as James Rhodes/War Machine, is the attempts to stop Tony Stark's technology from falling into the wrong hands following his death in Avengers: Endgame. No other character would best fit this story than Justin Hammer, who could be positioned as seizing the void left by Tony's death and getting what he has wanted since Iron Man 2.
This would not only make sense for Hammer's character, but it would be beneficial for Rhodey. Rhodes is aware of Hammer's villainous ways given that he was integral in helping Tony stop the ambitious businessman in Iron Man 2. It also makes sense for Rhodes to desire the protection of his best friend's legacy, especially if Hammer is the one attempting to steal it. Therefore, Justin Hammer is the fourth villain from the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase 1 whose future in the franchise is far from over.

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