10 Wolverine Villains The MCU Can Finally Introduce

Wolverine is finally coming to the MCU, and the famed X-Men member has no shortage of villains he could face off against. Almost 25 years after Hugh Jackman first brought him to life in Fox’s X-Men film series and over 15 years after the start of the MCU with the release of the first Iron Man movie, the beast-like hero will become MCU canon, starring with Wade Wilson in Deadpool 3. Ever since Disney acquired Fox, and with it, the rights to the X-Men, there has been much speculation about the direction Marvel would take in order to consolidate all of its characters into one franchise.

With regard to Wolverine, there is a lot of potential for Marvel to put him up against some really powerful, captivating villains. With Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton and regenerative healing factor granting him near invulnerability, the MCU’s take on his story could lead to some incredible fight scenes and battles with the villains they end up choosing. While many villains have already been brought to life in the original X-Men film series, there are many others that are still only in the comics that would make great additions to the MCU. Here are ten of these villains and the roles they could play in the MCU’s future.

10 Wendigo

Due to an ancient curse, if any person consumes human flesh in the Canadian wilderness, they are forced to become a furry, humanoid beast called the Wendigo. In the comics, the curse afflicts a man named Paul Cartier, whom the Canadian government sends Wolverine to subdue. Wolverine arrives to see Paul fighting the Hulk. This crossover between a major Avenger and X-Man likely explains why this villain never appeared before on-screen. Now that Disney owns the rights to both sets of Marvel superheroes, and has surviving versions of Hulk and Wolverine in the MCU, it could introduce the Wendigo as a way for them to meet each other.

Related: Every X-Men Movie, Ranked Worst To Best

9 Ogun

Ogun in the comics is a ninja and master of the mystic arts that starts off as Wolverine’s mentor, teaching him how to control his animal urges. Ogun soon discovers a technique to cheat death through the possession of other people’s bodies, and he tries to possess Wolverine, causing them to become adversaries. Ogun is similar to Professor X as a telepath and father figure to Wolverine, so it makes sense that he has not been introduced. But as the MCU further explores alternate timelines, it could explore Wolverine and Ogun’s dynamic in the comics, diving into Wolverine’s relationship with his powers and how he copes with Ogun’s betrayal.

8 Daken

Daken is Wolverine’s long-lost son who, after the death of his mother Itsu, was raised by a wealthy couple in Japan. After his adoptive family dies, Daken, a mutant with similar abilities to his father, spends much of his life as a cold-blooded villain who is manipulated into seeking revenge on Wolverine. Itsu was never introduced as a cinematic love interest for Wolverine, so Daken hasn’t appeared on-screen. The MCU could chart his journey from villain to morally gray antihero, similar to how it did with Loki.

7 Gorgon

The Gorgon in Marvel comics is a god-hating, exceptionally intelligent mutant who forms his own death cult. He kills his own family to prove his worthiness and loyalty to the ancient ninja organization the Hand, which he joins and eventually leads. In the comics, the Hand lures Wolverine into a trap, and Gorgon brainwashes Wolverine into becoming an agent of Hyrda, with whom Gorgon has an alliance. Introducing the Gorgon would give Marvel the opportunity to expand more on the history of two, powerful villainous organizations that are already MCU canon, Hydra and the Hand, and how they transformed as they were forced to take their operations underground.

6 Cyber

Before becoming the villain known as Cyber, in the comics, Silas Burr was a murderer with a notable talent for pushing men beyond their emotional limits. He was recruited to become commander of a Canadian Army unit by the mysterious Romulus. There he meets and brutally tortures Wolverine into becoming an animalistic killing machine, even going as far as to kill Wolverine’s love interest Janet to scare Wolverine into not caring for anyone. Cyber beats Wolverine so severely that he becomes one of the only villains Wolverine truly fears, which would be a compelling emotional arc for the MCU to explore for such a stoic character.

Related: 7 Failed X-Men Movie Villains The MCU Can Finally Get Right

5 Romulus

Romulus in the comics is an ancient member of the Lupines, a tribe of feral humans once believed to have been descendant from canines. Not only does he take Wolverine’s son Daken and raise him to be a ruthless killer, he also secretly manipulates Wolverine his entire life. Romulus’s ultimate goal is for Wolverine to fight Daken to the death so that one of them could take his place at the top of the food chain. Wolverine in the X-Men movies struggled with humans trying to control him and make him into an animal, so the MCU could explore how Wolverine handles someone with a very similar background to him doing the same thing.

4 Lazaer

Lazaer was introduced in Marvel Comics as the Angel of Death, responsible for sending souls to the afterlife and killing those who don’t follow death’s rules, be it cheating death or inflicting someone’s death before their time. He became a recurrent foe for Wolverine after Wolverine suffered a near-death experience but was able to fight Azrael off. Every time Wolverine has a near-death experience, he must face off against Azrael to keep his life. Previous films like Logan have explored how Wolverine’s healing factor, and subsequent near-immortality, can be corrupted, so the MCU could introduce a version of Wolverine with a weakened healing factor that struggles to fight off Lazaer.

3 Bloodscream

17th-century surgeon Zachariah Ravenscraft was close to death when a spell was put on him, transforming him into a vampire-like creature who is trapped between life and death. Dagoo, the person who made Zachariah that way, tells him that the blood of an immortal is the only way the spell can be undone. Becoming Bloodscream, Zachariah eventually comes across Wolverine during World War II and is convinced that Wolverine is immortal and starts hunting him, but Wolverine is able to get away. Because vampires are now MCU canon, the franchise has ample opportunity to have Wolverine face off against Bloodscream while working with fan favorites like Blade.

2 Maestro

Old Man Logan, an aged, weathered version of Wolverine in the comics, has fought Maestro, a villainous version of the Hulk from an alternate future, multiple times. Old Man Logan has a compromised healing factor, leading to him not being able to recover as quickly from Maestro’s beatdowns. Once Logan is adequately healed, he confronts Maestro again, ultimately beheading him. The battle almost proved to be deadly for Wolverine, who nearly didn’t heal from Maestro’s injuries. The MCU already toyed with the idea of dark versions of heroes in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so it could expand on this idea with Maestro.

1 Omega Red

Once a vicious serial killer, mutant Arkady Rossovich was recruited to be used for the Russian super soldier program, transforming him into Omega Red. He’s given carbonadium implants that start to poison him from the inside out, leading him to use them to drain people’s life energy for survival and hunt Wolverine and his crew for stealing the Carbonadium Synthesizer devices that Omega Red needs. While the MCU has depicted some ruthless villains, none come close to how diabolical Omega Red is. As the MCU incorporates storylines with darker themes like much of Wolverine‘s, this is one villain who could be a perfect fit.

Key Release Dates

 Which Wolverine villains should appear in the MCU?  Read More