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Avengers 5 currently has no villain. Initially, the film was supposed to feature Kang the Conqueror, but that has since been changed since Jonathan Majors was fired from the studio. Rumors have been circulating as to who could be the next villain that the Avengers face and Hercules seems to be a likely candidate for that.
Hercules, played by Brett Goldstein was introduced in the MCU in the mid-credit scene of Thor: Love and Thunder, and was explicitly commanded by his father, Zeus (Russell Crowe) to eliminate Thor. Given that Chris Hemsworth is keen on a tonal shift in the next Thor film, and that seemingly two unrelated storylines have been set up by the two end credit scenes of Thor Love and Thunder, using Hercules as a villain for Avengers 5 can solve multiple problems at once.
In the mid-credits scene of Thor: Love and Thunder, audiences see an injured Zeus lamenting the joke that godhood has seemingly become in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Zeus is especially irked by the fact that mortals do not pray to gods anymore, but hope to see their superheroes when they look up to the sky. This line of thinking already sets up Hercules’ future, as it will not be a while before the character becomes a superhero or starts working on a superhero team.
Hercules is specifically tasked to hunt Thor, but the motive of this hunt is to get mortals to fear the gods again. This sets up the perfect opportunity for Hercules to bring a lot of trouble to Earth, causing the Avengers to assemble to fight him. Hercules is a strong enough character to hold his own against multiple heroes and would be the perfect villain for Avengers 5.
Given that this would be the second villain that Thor brings to Earth by not being careful who he makes enemies of, this could set up the final arc in Thor’s MCU saga, where he tries to figure out what kind of god he wants to be, which could then lead into Thor 5.
The Avengers was filled with quite a few big-name celebrities, but the film was as great as it was because Loki was a terrific villain. Hercules, while nowhere as conniving as Loki, is a beast of a character, that will have no problem taking on the Avengers head-on. Brett Goldstein is an Emmy-winning talent, and there is no doubt that he could do justice to the character of Hercules. However, how great of a villain would the character be if he were indeed the reason that the Avengers assemble in Avengers 5?
To begin with, Hercules already has a connection to Immortus, the Kang variant seen at the end of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantimania. The character first made his appearance in Marvel Comics when Immortus pulled him from the past to face the God of Thunder in battle. It was later revealed that Hercules was a different character altogether, but given that Avengers 5 is set to feature smaller multiversal villains, Hercules could be one of these characters, if not THE character who is on Kang’s payroll to fight the Avengers.
Hercules in the comics is very similar to the Drax of the MCU, while not as stupid. The character has a sense of charm around him. While a hero through and through, Hercules is very susceptible to mind control and has fought Thor and other heroes on multiple occasions while under magical influence.
While there was a heap of precedent in the comics for Loki to be an Avengers villain, Hercules as a character has never held his own against a team of heroes. However, given that Hercules of the MCU is depicted as a little more villainous, the character, with a few henchmen from Zeus, could make for a great antagonist for the Avengers team-up, which could establish the team ahead of Avengers: Secret Wars.
Chris Hemsworth as Thor (image credit: Marvel)
If Marvel decides to use Hercules in Avengers 5, Thor 5 can take a more serious tone with another set of characters that are yet to be explored in the MCU. There are a host of characters from Thor’s comic book mythology that characters want to see in the MCU, such as Beta Ray Bill, but one of Thor’s greatest foes could be the main antagonist of what could be Thor’s final solo film.
The Midgard Serpent served as a nemesis for Thor well before Marvel Comics, or even comics in general were a thing, and this rivalry has been echoed in the various adaptations of Thor. Even in Marvel comics, The Midgard Serpent is destined to fight Thor, and the battle is expected to end with both combatants dead at each other’s hands. Thor 5 could see the character facing off against his nemesis, one that he truly believes he has no escape from.
Given the nature of the relationship between Thor and the Midgard Serpent, the fifth Thor film could take a more serious tone and work with the iteration of the character that Chris Hemsworth wishes to bring to the big screen. This could serve as the swan song for Thor in the MCU as we know him, as he enters Valhalla to reunite with his family. This way, the MCU can give Thor the ending he deserves, but also keep hi around should he ever be required for a future MCU project.
“}]] Avengers 5 could see the Avengers assemble to take on yet another Thor villain in the MCU, proposes Marvel theory. Read More