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(This story contains Ms. Marvel spoilers!!)
So, let’s discuss the Infinity Stone-crazed elephant in the room – the late, great Thanos.
After being developed for almost a decade, Thanos was beaten in Avengers Endgame and fans had concerns that after such an amazing journey in the MCU, who would be the next major villain to step up.
READ MORE: Did ‘Ms. Marvel’ Misstep by including the Djinn in Episodes 3 and 4?
And sadly in Phase 4, we haven’t seen that villain step up just yet. (Yes, I know it’s early and most likely coming, but we’re also seeing a troubling pattern.)
Sure, Kang was introduced in Loki and Scarlett Witch was an absolute powerhouse in Multiverse of Madness, but we’ve begun to see more villains that are one-and-done (at least in their crusades) than what we saw in the Infinity Saga or other projects before.
It must be said that I think the villains have been solid, just seems like their stories come to a close too soon.
You have to remember, villains like Loki and Thanos not only had rich arcs, they had rich demises, where it took 2 films or more to take these characters down.
In MoM, Scarlett Witch’s ending is rather abrupt. (We know she’s not done of course.) But this ending of the film comes after such amazing arc building for Wanda over so many years.
Her pain has been palpable and what we saw in WandaVision was such an amazing backstory. The film just left me wanting more from her. (Which hopefully we get.)
Now, the same can be said for Najma in Ms. Marvel.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Her ending in episode 5 felt so similar to Wanda’s in MoM. She seemed to have a realization and then boom, she’s out.
Sure, previous MCU villains have had their runs cut short.
But I think there was always one or two bigger baddies waiting in the wings, dealing with setbacks and regrouping, unwilling to give up on whatever crazy mission they had in mind.
In phase 4, things just feel a bit scattered. From the Department of Damage Control to Wanda to Kang and the TVA to now Najma and the Djinn, I’m just left wanting more again.
I’m also left wanting to know more about where this is all heading.
And hopefully that’s something we’ll find out in the not so distant future.
