The Avengers have battled some of the most notorious villains in Marvel Comics, many of which have been killed during their encounters with the formidable superheroes. Of course, a major theme in comic books is resurrection, reinvention, redemption, and revenge with several characters like Doctor Doom returning from the grave in some fashion to continue their villainous schemes.
As such, Marvel Comics ought to consider reviving several slain Avengers villains. Whether Thanos, Loki, Ultron, or other past fallen foes, bringing back the most powerful Avengers villains is sure to increase the dramatic storytelling, keep readers glued to the page, and set up future MCU plotlines.
10 Baron Heinrich Zemo
Baron Heinrich Zemo had long been a thorn in Captain America's, leading to several battles with the Avengers over the years. In their final fight, the Marvel supervillain died too soon when Captain America blasted a rock with a ray gun, causing a deadly avalanche that took Zemo's life.
Now that Heinrich's son Helmut, the 13th Baron Zemo, has assumed the mantle and formed the Thunderbolts, and resurrected the Masters of Evil, bringing his father back now makes perfect sense. After all, Zemo has been largely relegated to a background character in the MCU. Doubling the Zemo efforts with a villainous father-son tag team would be an epic way of setting up the release of Thunderbolts in 2024.
9 Grim Reaper
As the personification of death, Grim Reaper has been terrorizing the Avengers since 1968 alongside such villainous groups as the Lethal Legion. Born Eric Williams, who's also the brother of Wonder Man, Grim Reaper has died a half-dozen times in the comics, including at the hands of Rogue and Virginia.
A Grim Reaper return would go a long way in fleshing out the character, whose powerful ability to resurrect the dead led to him being named one of Apocalypse's Four Horsemen. Grim Reaper's final demise at the hands of Virginia presents a great opportunity to continue the storyline involving Vision and Scarlet Witch, which also ties back to the days of the "Chaos War" and "Uncanny Avengers" storylines.
8 Killmonger
Erik Killmonger was a ruthless villain who opposed T'Challa for the throne of Wakanda. As King Killmonger, the supervillain fought Thor and Prehistoric Iron Fist, the latter of which ultimately killed him when Killmonger was a member of the Multiversal Masters of the Universe.
Killmonger made a brief spiritual cameo in the astral plane in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, indicating fans' desire to see more of the character. Beyond the importance of resurrecting a prominent Black comic book character oozing with charisma, Killmonger ought to be brought back to advance the Wakanda legacy. While it didn't transpire, a fan theory via Men's Health explaining how Killmonger could return as the future king of Wakanda as a way to tie into the events of Thor and Moon Knight's story arcs.
7 Korvac
Gone but not forgotten, Michael Korvac was one of the Avengers' mightiest past foes. Korvac was a human being who escaped the future to correct his past and forge brighter days ahead. One of the worst things Korvac did was slay several Avengers before it took the whole team, including Captain Marvel plus the Guardians of the Galaxy, to thwart his efforts.
Despite the iconic "Korvac Saga" storyline, Korvac ultimately took his own life after Iron Man, Thor, Vision, and Starhawk combine forces and weaken Korvac's power. At the very least, a Korvac return would atone for such a lackluster demise that never quite squared with his character. Korvac has limitless cosmic power and the ability to see into the future, and like Kang The Conqueror, can use the skills to manipulate timelines and cause all kinds of temporal mischief.
6 Loki
Despite his penchant for cheating death (as proven in Avengers: Endgame), the trickster Loki Laufeyson died in Marvel Comics when Captain America and the greedy Marvel villain Norman Osborn unleashed the Void on him. Even Kid Loki couldn't escape the Void's lethal clutch when he tried to be revived and escape death once more.
However, given Loki's tragic, almost Shakespearean relationship with Thor and Odin, it would be foolish for the character not to return in some capacity. Since the character's backstory will continue to be explored in season two of Lokion Disney+ in 2023, now is the perfect time to bring the character back in comic form to dovetail into the MCU's version of events and reconcile the differing storylines.
5 Ronan The Accuser
The villainous Kree warrior Ronan the Accuser notoriously passed away in Death of the Inhumans #3 by Donny Cates, Ariel Olivetti, and Clayton Cowles. In the MCU, Ronan was done in by the Guardians of the Galaxy, prompting Thanos to exact revenge with the power of the Infinity Stones.
During Ronan's death, he notably vowed to return from death and get revenge on Captain Marvel after she betrayed the Kree empire. Bringing the character back in comic form to tie in with the release of The Marvels and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 later in 2023 would be a great way of honoring Ronan's thinly-veiled threats while also drumming up interest for Carol Danvers' return to the big screen.
4 Surtur
Surtur was a formidable fire giant who spent much of his time fighting its sworn enemies, Odin and Thor. Introduced in 1963, Surtur finally died in 2021 when Beta Ray Bill beheaded him with the Twilight Sword in Muspelheim.
Given Surtur's long-held feud with the Asgardians and how unclear his demise was in the MCU, the character should return to provide a better sense of closure if nothing else. Surtur's ties to Loki and the ice giant Ymir provided some of Thor's most memorable storylines, eventually leading to Surtur's epic battles with Black Knight after he becomes an Avenger. Given the unclear fate of Eternals 2, Surtu's return could help clear things up.
3 Thanos
Responsible for snapping half of the Avengers from existence, Thanos was the Avengers' most powerful adversary during the Infinity War. Although Tony Stark risks his life to kill the Mad Titan in the MCU, Drax brutally rips Thanos' heart out in the comics, marking just one of Thanos' fatalities. Adam Warlock, Thor, and Squirrel Girl also killed Thanos in the comics.
Given how much damage he caused during his cosmic reign of terror, Thanos should return in some fashion to allow the heroes, Thor especially, to further avenge Iron Man's sacrificial demise. Thanos caused so much pain and suffering that there still feels like unfinished business. According to GamesRadar, Marvel Comics' Thanos: DeathNotes #1 may bring the supervillain back after appearing by the Tower of Death, indicating the need to complete Thanos' storyline in a more satisfying conclusion.
2 Ultimo
Ultimo was a giant robotic android who first appeared on the pages of Marvel Comics in 1966. The alien doomsday machine was ordered by Mandarin to attack Washington, D.C., prompting a response from Iron Man and the rest of the Avengers in one of many epic showdowns. In Iron Man 2020, Ultimo was felled by War Machine and Force Works.
Of course, given Ultimo's relationship with M.O.D.O.K., the villain currently starring in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quntumania, it makes sense to bring Ultimo back sooner than later. M.O.D.O.K. reawakened Ultimo after years of dormancy and created a group of Deathloks when Ultimo failed to comply. Ultimo and its commander fused to become UltiMODOK, a villainous monstrosity that would be a great matchup for the Avengers moving forward.
1 Ultron
Ultron is one of the Avenger's most iconic villains as well as one of Marvel's mightiest superheroes. It's that dichotomy that has led to dramatic storylines and various upgraded versions of the character, none more villainous than during the "Age of Ultron" storyline.
Ultron died multiple times in the comics, with Vision and Iron Man taking his life on separate occasions, among others. As the corrupted creation of the Avengers' Hank Pym, who currently takes center stage in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, bringing Ultron back full circle in comic form would be timelier now than ever. Ultron has always been a paragon of evolution and progress and bringing him back to deal with his own creators would be a great way of honoring the character's past.
