We noted before Christmas that Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. is finally going to have a true supervillain in the form of Blizzard/Donnie Gill. Sure we had a glimpse of the character that could become Graviton and weaponry inspired by characters like Klaw. We even have Crossbones/Brock Rumlow tease in the upcoming Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which could be used as a nice crossover (but probably won’t be). There has never been an honest to God villain though and the confirmation of Blizzard is exciting.
This got my geeky nerve endings firing and I thought we could look at some of the other supervillains that could be molded and brought into the Marvel Cinematic Universe via Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
One prevalent criticism of the show to this point has been the lack of connectivity to the movie series that gave birth to the series. Other than one episode with a connection to Thor: The Dark World and passing references to numerous macguffins from the cinematic storylines, very little ever has to do with what we see in the theaters. Agent Coulson can only carry you so far in a world we know features thunder gods and green rage monsters.
An injection of some villains could do the show some good and fill out the universe past the big enemies that will populate the silver screen. Instead of having to battle nameless villains, the deep roster of Marvel’s rogues gallery could be dusted off and put into circulation. Not to mention the interesting story turns one could take. And even though a bulk of the coolest villains are in limbo due to contractual obligations with Fox and Sony (think Chitauri instead of Skrulls in The Avengers), that doesn’t mean we still don’t have some options.
Any suggestions on who I might’ve missed are welcome in the comments. I’m sure there are plenty I overlooked in the process.
(Lead image via ABC )
The Serpent Society
In the comics, The Serpent Society is a union of sorts for serpent themed supervillains that banded together in order to battle Captain America. Think Cobra without the terrorist ambitions and poor aim. They sometimes have their own major storylines, but my experience has always seen them as the bit players the occupy the James Bond-like cold open to the universe threatening events to come.
How they could be used: Well the union for supervillany is right out. Especially considering the way villains are treated in the movie and television realm, it wouldn’t have sustainability. But what I could see is the Serpent Society becoming some sort of cult running things behind the scenes. A festering sore that could plague the team across an entire season, much like the Centipede group is right now.
This Serpent Society could ditch the costumes and become a real creepy threat. Think Thulsa Doom’s crew in a more modern setting. Clashing with culture and scaring the crap out of conservatives watching network TV.
Doctor Demonicus
Doctor Demonicus is a cut-rate Doctor Doom that originates from the Godzilla comic series Marvel published back in the late-70s. Studying mutated monsters and trying to control Godzilla were his claims to fame and he even succeeded once in using the giant monster to attack the West Coast Avengers.
Later he became more grounded in the normal Marvel Universe, becoming an Avengers villain that battled Iron Man, joined evil groups and occupied space during those big two-page spreads.
How he could be used: Doctor Doom is solely owned by Fox thanks to their Fantastic Four license, but that doesn’t mean his megalomaniacal aspirations can’t find a home in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Demonicus could fit the role and is an actual doctor with a PhD and everything. It would be interesting to see how S.H.I.E.L.D. would handle a supervillain creating his own nation out of an island raised from the oceans. It is the perfect blend of spy/espionage type action and superheroics that the show seems to want.
He’s a far more interesting character than just “Godzilla wrangler” would lead you to believe. And the costume could go of course because honestly, look at it.
Radioactive Man
A former Chinese communist threat turned petty criminal, the Radioactive Man’s stock has fallen quite a bit in the Marvel Universe in recent years. But this is a villain who was able to laugh off the strikes of Thor’s mystical hammer and could properly feature more fearsome powers in a modern age than he ever could’ve during the old Marvel Silver Age given our knowledge of atomic energy today.
How he could be used: Much like Demonicus, Radioactive Man poses that perfect threat of political espionage and superheroism. In the wake of the New York battle, world governments have to be scrambling to create their own superhumans for defense. It’s the way of the world. Radioactive Man could be a way to show one of this experiments gone wrong. It is also a nice way to show what type of contingency plan S.H.I.E.L.D. has in effect for when an Avenger goes insane or loses control. Could be an interesting episode or two.
Taskmaster
A teacher to supervillains that would rather prepare future supervillains than fight on his own, even though he could. Taskmaster is a brilliant tactician that has been a thorn in the side of the Avengers for years and, more recently, Deadpool. His claim to fame is a power known as “photographic reflexes” where his muscle memory takes over and he can copy an opponents every move before they even make it.
How he could be used: How couldn’t he be used is more like it. You basically have Osama Bin Laden here, but with a more marketable look and business plan. Training thieves, murderers and villains how to do their job at their highest abilities. Ditch the costume, keep the brilliant mind and you have a villain that could pop up time and time again, having living chess matches with the team.
I could see him as some sort of Moriarty to Coulson’s Sherlock Holmes, even though that might be kind of a stretch considering the show’s current acclaim. It’d just be interesting to have a real recurring threat on the show as opposed to the faceless bad guys attacking now.
Living Laser
A career lackey that started as a complete joke of a villain, the Living Laser was the butt of jokes and of little threat to the heroes of the Marvel Universe. That is until he became a being of pure energy that nearly killed Iron Man and The Avengers. It took all the brilliance the team had to offer to take him down and even then they could only contain him.
It’s sort of like the ugly duckling that becomes the powerful supervillain swan in the face of ridicule. A henchman that becomes the real threat.
How he could be used: Petty crook turned being of extreme power. It’s something we’ve seen a few times this season already, but with varying results each time. What the Living Laser provides is a character that isn’t some tweener being used by a greater evil power. Laser is a bad guy from the start, but he isn’t ready for the big time. He’s given this power well before he’s prepared and it has negative consequences for the world at large. Who stops him? The S.H.I.E.L.D. team.
Ultron
Maniacal robotic psychopath that is one of the Avengers greatest enemies and the main antagonist from 2015’s Avengers 2: Age Of Ultron.
How he could be used: Let me just say that if Ultron doesn’t appear in some capacity on Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. in 2015, if it is still on the air of course, I will be quite upset. If the unofficial synopsis is to be believed, the government is one of the main entities behind the creation of Ultron in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
I would hope that by that time the show has a little bit more Marvel injected into it and we get a preview of what is in store for the movie. I don’t need to see him destroy, I don’t even need to see him. Just give me some sort of connector or bridge that shows me these things are related past one character and some references. That’s all I want.
(Images via Marvel)
