Did 'Avengers: Endgame' Hint Who Will Be the Next "Big Bad" After Thanos?

Please only read on if you have seen Avengers: Endgame or you do not mind SPOILERS, as this article will be discussing points from the film.

To say Avengers: Endgame was a success would be an understatement, as the film is smashing through box office records quicker than Mjolnir flying to Thor's hand. The film concluded a massive story arc which resulted in 22 movies and 11 years of superheroes fighting to save trillions of lives. Fans are still reeling from the conclusion of this saga, but the film may have shown fans who will be the next threat now Thanos has been dusted.

Wanda

Wanda may in fact be the next danger for the galaxy, which would fulfill her comic book destiny through decimation. The signs are all there if you know what you are looking for. Firstly, she is the only hero to face Thanos twice in battle and hold him at bay. Even the combined forces of Ironman, Thor, and Captain America did not come close to defeating Thanos on the level Wanda did. The first time was during Avengers: Infinity War when she used her powers to destroy an Infinity Stone, which has been stated in two films now to require an immense amount of power to do.

During that conflict she destroyed the Stone using one hand and held Thanos back with the other. This is a true testament to her powers, as she wasn't even focused on the Titan as she worked at stopping his plan. As we all know, this effort was undone by Thanos and the galaxy lost to the snap. But, this moment alone showed she was (at the time) the strongest hero in the MCU. However, it was during Avengers: Endgame her true might was shown.

In their second battle she was in a state of rage and if anything she was more powerful than before. She even smirked during the Titan's frantic attempts to simple lay a blow against the Scarlet Witch. His only way to stop her from literally pulling him apart was to order a missile barrage against all the heroes and his own troops. That is the moment that makes it clear how powerful Wanda had become, as in desperation he was ready to sacrifice his own to stop her from killing him. But now you are all surely asking, why does this mean Wanda is set to be the next "big bad" for the MCU?

It is all about her mental health...

In the comics Wanda had a pretty tough time, resulting in a decline in her mental health and she turned on her teammates. Using her powers, she set She-Hulk into a savage rage which resulted in the deaths of Scott Lang and her lover Vision along with hospitalising many of the heroes. The reason behind her mental break was the sheer losses she had experienced through her time as a heroine, and with reality altering powers she decided to change things herself. With no remaining option, the Avengers decided Wanda had to die.

Set to kill her, she was protected by her brother and father who stood in the way of the heroes. Seeing no other option, her brother inspired her to create a new world where mutants were the superior race. This created a new reality with all the heroes and villains now living within the "House of M." Naturally the heroes began to see this reality was wrong, which was painful for some, such as Peter Parker who was married to Gwen Stacey and his Uncle Ben was still alive. But, being heroes, they had to put the world back to how it was meant to be.

In a final battle, Wanda restored the world to how it was, but not before she uttered three little words, "No more mutants." With those words, she took the mutant population from millions to a mere 198. This saw the deaths of many mutants who were depowered mid flight, swimming through, lava or simply due to having a long neck and their head smashing to the floor. With Marvel Comics heading into "Decimation" the mutants were now an endangered species. Thinking all they needed was Wanda to reverse the process was not going to be easy as she also disappeared.

The MCU Wanda hasn't had the easiest of journeys.

You can easily say that Wanda from the MCU has probably had the hardest set of losses when you look at her journey through the films. Yes, other characters have lost things close to them. I mean just look at Thor in Avengers: Endgame and you can clearly see he is going through depression having lost Asgard, his father, his brother, many of his people and Mjolnir. While Thor felt responsible it was not his direct actions that resulted in his losses. But when you consider Wanda lost her brother in their first fight as Avengers and then had to be the one to kill her love to save all the galaxy, it is not an easy pill to swallow. No heroes have had to make sacrifices on the level she has.

With them pairing Wanda and Thanos in perhaps the most one-sided fight in Avengers: Endgame, it almost feels like they were hinting who will be taking his place. Wanda's powers were stronger than ever and there was pure hate burning in her eyes as she aimed to kill. With Thanos being a threat to the galaxy, where could the MCU go next? Perhaps the next fight will be to save reality itself, as alternate realities are now set into motion in the MCU and as Wanda stated herself, even she does not know what she will do now.

Do you think Wanda could be set to decimate the MCU?