Todd Phillips’ Joker proved that a villain-led film can be both a critical darling and a billion-dollar hit. Marvel has a rogues’ gallery deep enough to do the same — antagonists complex and charismatic enough to carry their own movie. Here are five Marvel villains who deserve the solo-film treatment.
1. Erik Killmonger
The MCU’s most acclaimed villain, and arguably its most sympathetic. Killmonger’s grievance — a stolen birthright and a world that abandoned its own — was so compelling that audiences half-rooted for him. A solo film exploring his Oakland upbringing and black-ops years would be a character study worthy of the Joker comparison.
2. Thanos
The Mad Titan anchored a decade of storytelling, but we never saw his origin on Titan or his cosmic crusade before the Avengers. A solo film charting his rise — and his warped, genuine conviction — could be the MCU’s Godfather-scale tragedy.
3. Magneto
Few villains have a backstory as cinematic as Max Eisenhardt’s. A Holocaust survivor turned mutant revolutionary, Magneto is a tragedy and a warning in one. With the X-Men entering the MCU, a solo film built around his radicalization would be devastating and timely.
4. Norman Osborn
The Green Goblin is Spider-Man’s greatest nemesis, but Norman Osborn is also a fascinating figure in his own right — a brilliant industrialist consumed by his own creation. A film tracing his descent from corporate titan to fractured madman could rival Joker‘s psychological intensity.
5. Xu Wenwu
Tony Leung’s Wenwu was the rare MCU villain praised as the best part of his own movie. A thousand-year-old conqueror driven by grief and love, the real Mandarin has centuries of untold story. A solo film spanning his long life would be an epic in the truest sense.
Frequently asked questions
Which Marvel villain deserves a solo movie the most?
Erik Killmonger is the most frequently cited — his sympathetic motivation and acclaimed performance make him an ideal candidate for a Joker-style character study.
Has Marvel ever made a villain-led movie?
Sony’s Spider-Man Universe has tried with Venom, Morbius, and Kraven, but Marvel Studios itself has yet to give a true antagonist their own solo film.
Why was Joker so successful?
Joker (2019) succeeded by treating its villain as a serious character study, earning critical awards and over a billion dollars — a model Marvel could follow.
