Summary
It’s no secret that Marvel/Disney are considering moving forward with the MCU’s “Multiverse Saga” without Kang the Conqueror, due to all the accusations Jonathan Majors is facing. Whether true or not, Disney want to separate themselves from the situation and transition the ultimate villain of this saga to somebody different. Rumors have been throwing around the name Doctor Doom, which has some validity since Doom was a major player in Jonathan Hickman’s 2015Secret Warstitle. However, there’s a better option than Doctor Doom for the role of the multiversal big bad guy.
With the upcoming introduction of theFantastic Fourin the MCU,The Makerwould be the ultimate villain to continue and conclude the Multiverse Saga with. He’s a terrifying character who poses just as much of a threat, if not more, than Kang. The two are actually similar in a way, making the transition seamless. There thousands of variants of this character, many of which the comics have introduced already. More importantly, the Maker has direct ties to Hickman’sSecret Warsstoryline.
Who Is the Maker?
In simple terms, the Maker is a variant of Reed Richards,Mister Fantastic of theFantastic Four. While there are a number of Reed variants that tread the line between good and evil, the Maker crosses that line and sees it only as a speck in the distance. This variant came from the Ultimate Universe of Marvel Comics and serves as a cautionary tale for all other Reed Richards variants. No matter how benevolently he tries to portray himself, there is a price that can pull him over to the dark side.
The events ofUltimatum, whereMagneto attempted to extinguish the planetof all humanity, push Mister Fantastic to devise more permanent and dramatic solutions to issues in the universe, including killing his villains. As if matters weren’t already at an all-time low for the man, Susan Storm rejects his marriage proposal, prompting the young genius to move back in with his family. From there, he formulates a plan to create a better world than the one that already exists. This mission puts him at odds with other superheroes, including his old team.
His actions eventually saw him exiled into the Negative Zone for 1,000 years, where he created a group of genetically engineered superhumans he called the Children of Tomorrow. These “children” go on to destroy Asgard and wreak havoc on a cataclysmic scale. The Maker’s ultimate goal was to remake his universe, theUltimate Universe, in his own image, where people were better and he could have everything he wanted. He almost gets his way.
The Maker still plays into Secret Wars
The Maker discovered that the multiverse was in danger and ended up taking part in Hickman’s 2015Secret Warsevent, playing a very large role. He tried to eliminate the Reed Richards from Earth-616, but failed. Eventually, he ended up on Earth-616, where he repeatedly tried to gain power and failed. He would eventually attempt to create a new Ultimate Universe devoid of any heroes.
It wouldn’t be difficult to put the Maker at the center of the upcomingSecret Warsmovie responsible for creating Battleworld in an attempt to create his own universe devoid of any heroes. In fact, Battleworld could be the place where he keeps the heroes and villains of the MCU while his own universe “thrives.”
An Evil Reed Richards Would be Terrifying
Thanos was the closest audiences saw to a truly frightening villain on the big screen, but an evil Reed Richards would prove significantly more terrifying.Ultimate Fantastic Fourestablished that Reed Richards’s brain, unlike his 616 counterpart, constantly grows and never runs out of space for new knowledge, giving him a universal-level intellect. During the events ofUltimate Invasion,when the Maker commits to creating his own universe, he develops a new power that sees him psychologically reprogram a group of therapists thanks to his mind’s continuous growth. The Avengers would have a challenging time taking on a villain who can develop new abilities.
If the studio doesn’t want to use Pedro Pascal as an evil variant, it has its choice of Reeds from previous movies. However, since Ioan Gruffudd’s version got married and John Krasinski’s iteration mentioned having children, the most likely candidate is Miles Teller’s Reed Richards from Josh Trank’sFantastic Four. This wouldn’t remotely upset fans either, as it would give the movie more purpose. Teller’s returning to the fold as a powerful villain might even breathe new life into the 2015 flop.
Marvel has been having fun with bringing back actors to play variant characters, such as Patrick Stewart returning as Charles Xavier inDoctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, or Kelsey Grammer showing up as Beast again in the post-credits scene forThe Marvels. This avenue would also give the MCU’sFantastic Fouran unexpected villain, saving Doctor Doom for his own storyline as opposed to one intended for another character.
