With The Avengers film already being shot, and less than a year away from being released, the biggest question on everyone's mind is...who will they face? The villain(s) of this film will need to be something serious to make Fury want to form a team of super heroes, yet, because it is the first film, the threat can not be something over the top. We've all heard rumors of certain villains appearing and we all have villains that we would personally like to see. I'm going to go through some of the possible villains of this film chosen out of The Avengers' rogues gallery and hopefully try to make some sense out of who seems more plausible. Let the fun begin, shall we? Well...shall we? Okay, here we go!
Loki: God of Mischief and Lies
Loki has already been confirmed as being part of the main threat in this film. He still deserves to be included because he will definately have some kind of effect on the other villain(s) that will be appearing. SPOILER: In the after credit scene of Thor, we see Loki mind controlling a scientist. The scientist is meeting with Nick Fury. Fury shows him the Cosmic Cube and we can see Loki smiling as he looks upon the Cube. Its easy to assume that Loki is trying to gain control of the Cosmic Cube for his own purposes. Thor was able to defeat Loki by himself, so its very easy to think that he will not be the only villain. Also, it has been confirmed that another "BIG" threat will be appearing.
Ultron
A lot of people would love to see Ultron on screen, me included. However, I think this is highly unlikely for a number of reasons. First of all, Ultron is the Avengers arch-nemesis. Putting him in the first movie would be kind of counter-productive. We also know that Hank Pym creates Ultron. Hank has not been introduced as of yet, and its still in question if he will appear in The Avengers. Also, with everything else going on that we already know of, I think they would be cramming too much into the movie if they did Ultron. It would be best if it showed Hank building him, and possibly activating him, red glowing eyes turning on and all, during the after credits scene to lead into Avengers 2.
Kang The Conqueror: Master of Time
Kang would also make a decent villain to put in a movie, assuming you are the type of person who likes time traveling stories. I think he is even less likely than Ultron. In the comics, Kang kind of always just appears out of nowhere, or more appropriately, anywhen. There is usually no warning of when he will appear. Its part of his charm, you see, as he does not exist in our time. No one would be able to have any idea of when he was going to pop up, and therefore, would never have even heard of him. Fury definately seems to have some kind of agenda for forming the Avengers. I don't think the Hulk is his only reason for putting together a team. I could be wrong, but it definately seems to me like he knows of some other threat that requires the attention of multiple heroes. Kang would not fit that threat, as no one would see him coming.
Red Skull
SPOILER: The last time we saw Red Skull he was being pulled through a portal created by the Cosmic Cube. It definately looked like he was being pulled into one of the other realms depicted in Thor. He could be likely as a candidate, but I don't think so. I find it hard to believe that Marvel would make this hugely anticipated movie, and just reuse the same two villains from previous films. Again, Whedon recently stated that the second threat in the film would be "HUGE". This secrecy leads me to believe that it is going to be something we have yet to see in a Marvel movie, and lets face it, Loki and Red Skull teaming up just seems a little underwhelming.
Masters of Evil
I'll admit, I would love to see a movie based on the classic Avengers story where the Masters of Evil break into Avengers Mansion and lay waste to everyone and everything. But the bottom line is that there have not been enough villains introduced to make them the threat in this film. When you get down to it, there are only three villains introduced that could be used. Loki, Red Skull, and Abomination. The rest of the team would need to be introduced during the movie and that just isn't going to happen.
The Wrecking Crew
Come on, look at these guys. Yes, I realize they are very powerful, but really? Does anyone honestly feel like Marvel would include them in this? Look how cheesy these clowns are. Construction workers with magically enchanted construction tools. Riiiiiiight. I thought they were worth mentioning because I have actually seen some people on this site and around the web bring them up as people they would like to see. In my eyes its obvious they will not be involved, probably ever.
Fin Fang Foom: Alien Dragon
As cool as it would be to see this monster on screen, I can assure you it will never happen. It would turn this film into a giant rampaging monster film, and the only characters that could even really hurt him would be Iron Man and Thor. What are the other Avengers going to be doing while they square off against him? If anything, he would appear in an Iron Man movie, but thats also something I can't see happening. Iron Man has many more believable villains to use, like the Mandarin. I just can not wrap my head around him appearing in The Avengers, or anything for that matter.
Hulk: Rampaging Green Goliath
While it is pretty much expected by everyone who has been paying attention, the Avengers, or at least some of their members, will be throwing down with the Hulk at some point. Could he be the "HUGE" threat mentioned? Could be. I have a hard time believing that Loki controlling the Hulk is all this movie is going to be about though. I would also guess that Loki will not be controlling the Hulk at all. He has already been on a rampage through populated areas, so there doesn't need to be any other reason for SHIELD to want to bring him in. I'm guessing that the Avengers' first mission will be to bring in the Hulk. After doing so, Banner will be held captive and studied while SHIELD scientists try to find a cure. I also believe that whatever the main, "HUGE" threat is, will be so dangerous that SHIELD will have no other choice but to point the Hulk at it like a weapon.
Thanos: Avatar of Death
There is not a single fan of Marvel comics who would not absolutely love to see this guy on film. Thanos is arguably one of the most powerful and cunning beings in the universe. Unfortunately, this is also the reason why I say thee nay! He is simply too powerful for the Avengers to take on in their first film. They will already be too busy trying to learn to get along with each other and fight as a team, so they will not even be at their best yet. On top of that, none of the Avengers in this film are anywhere near on par with his might. It would be like the Blade films. Yes, I know everyone loved the first two Blade films, but I always had one problem with them. They threw their biggest gun at Blade in the first movie. The vampire god. How do you beat that as far as threatening villains go? Even Dracula, the first vampire, wouldn't compare to a god, right? Well this is the same reasoning I'm using here. If they throw Thanos at the Avengers in the first movie, no other villains will be able to compare after that. Save him for the third movie.
Skrulls: Shapeshifting Aliens
In my humble opinion, these guys make the most all around sense. The story that Marvel has been building toward almost points directly at them as being the other "HUGE" threat. I would like to go on record and say that there are already an advanced scouting party of Skrulls on Earth and Fury/SHIELD is fully aware of them. The power of the Cosmic Cube has called to them from across the cosmos and they need its power to fix their dying planet. I believe that Skrulls are already impersonating certain characters, and have infiltrated certain parts of Earth in hopes of gaining control of the Cube. Knowing this, Fury has decided to do the only thing he can think of, form Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Where does Loki fit in? Who knows. Maybe he is manipulating them, or perhaps when he gains control of the Cube he uses it and it sets off a flare across the galaxy that alerts the Skrulls and their entire armada to its exact location, initiating an invasion. Those are just my thoughts based solely on what we know, and certain rumors that we have heard that seem to fit in perfectly with what is confirmed. Another point I would like to make is that it seems as if these movies draw quite a bit of elements from the Ultimate Universe. Anyone who has read the Ultimates Volume 1 knows that this story would be similar in a lot of ways. Mainly, the WAY the Avengers are formed, and WHY they are formed.
Okay, so there you have it. My opinions on why certain villains will or will not be appearing. I put a lot of thought into each candidate, so I'm really looking forward to hearing everyone's opinions.
Thanks for reading and as always, EXCELSIOR!
~CDB