Wilson Fisk has returned, though it remains unclear whether this is the same one Matt Murdock brawled with on Netflix or if he's the MCU variant. A few throwaway references aside, the universe of the Marvel Netflix shows has remained fairly independent of its cinematic counterpart. Hawkeye has shattered everything viewers understand about this relationship courtesy of its fifth episode.
Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin foreshadows a cityscape of rogues native to Hell's Kitchen now eligible for a continued presence via the MCU proper. They may have died or continued on in their universe, but every Netflix villain can now begin anew.
9 Cottonmouth Requires A Recast
Renowned actor Mahershala Ali delivers a masterful performance in the Kingpin-esque role of Cornell Stokes a.k.a. Cottonmouth. In an interesting twist of fate, Ali was cast as another MCU character and is currently slated to appear as Eric Brooks, better known as the vampire hunter Blade. Readers and viewers alike agree that he will make for a fearsome Blade.
Should Cottonmouth reappear, he would more than likely be portrayed by a different actor. Nevertheless, the character proves complex in his relationship with his cousin, Mariah Dillard and deserves a cinematic iteration. It'd also be an opportunity for another actor to reinvent an iconic character as is the modus operandi for superhero fiction.
8 Bushmaster Matches Luke Cage Blow-For-Blow
Coming out of The Defenders, Marvel Netflix seemed to falter under the pressure of quality AND quantity. Too much of a good thing and said thing loses its way, reflecting the debut of Iron Fist leading into the crossover. Afterward, Luke Cage faced an uphill battle with its second season, enlisting actor Mustafa Shakir to portray the threatening Bushmaster.
This villain is enhanced to the point of withstanding blows from the titular hero and besting him throughout the series. Draft up a sympathetic backstory and Bushmaster, much like Cottonmouth before him, ascended from anonymity to contender for Cage's arch-nemesis.
7 Trish Walker Has Only Begun Reaching Her Potential
Patricia "Trish" Walker is a tragic villain, descending into depravity tinged by jealousy over her best friend. Over the first two seasons of Jessica Jones, Trish emanates an earnest, heroic instinct fueled by her genuine compassion for Jessica. Seeing all that her friend can do, Trish can't help but desire powers of her own to fight "evil," whatever she determines that to be.
She's corrupted by the resulting resentment and embraces her villainous side by the time the show's final season rolls the credits. Having only scratched the surface with this character, giving her a proper evil variant (or even a workable costume) would ease Jessica Jones viewers back into their world with a familiar foe.
6 John Pilgrim Proves Worthy Of Frank Castle
He's an original character loosely inspired by a nameless comic counterpart, but John Pilgrim demonstrates his lethality repeatedly in The Punisher's second season. Fundamentally religious yet also integrally violent, Pilgrim is a walking contradiction that compels viewers to face unsettling questions regarding male identity and white supremacy.
The character is brought to life by actor Josh Stewart, who imbues him with a warmth that draws his victims inevitably to their demise. Frank Castle is notoriously savage but meets his match in Pilgrim and the show concludes in a suitably bloody fashion. Adapting the Punisher to the MCU is going to be a challenge, with fan-favorite villains like Pilgrim only adding more gore to tone down.
5 Shades Is Meant For More
Theo Rossi is an underrated actor and likewise, Hernan "Shades" Alvarez didn't receive the spotlight he deserved in Luke Cage's run. Shown as a seemingly perpetual underling, Shades follows the directive of Mariah Dillard for most of the series and acts as a sort of foreshadowing of her arrival. In this regard, the MCU should go its own way and simply allow Shades to be the big bad in place of Dillard. The villain proved a formidable force against Cage, but a revival of her story could prove repetitive. Shades has the added benefit of already having a moniker, of sorts, and his crew would be easily identifiable by their respective sunglasses.
4 Elektra Is Essentially Confirmed
With Kingpin's arrival, the entirety of Daredevil's world is ushered into the MCU alongside him. The Man Without Fear has an MCU counterpart to oppose this Fisk and, likewise, presumably has met an Elektra, too. Actress Elodie Yung is alluring and dangerous as the antiheroine, despite her relegation to mindless drone in The Defenders.
A big-screen version leaning more into her heroic instincts would be a relatable way to reimagine Yung's take, but this doesn't mean the MCU should eject her villainous tendencies altogether. What makes the character fascinating is the struggle inside of her between the promise of Matt Murdock and the instincts she believes in her nature.
3 Ben Poindexter Becomes Bullseye
Daredevil fans were demoralized on November 29th of 2018, which was the day Netflix announced the show's cancellation after three seasons. A longtime enemy of the titular character is Bullseye and the character was finally introduced as FBI agent Ben Poindexter in its final season.
While he did not fully become the supervillain from the comics, this evolution is hinted at in one of the show's final shots. Wilson Bethel brings an aggressive naivete to the psychopathic Poindexter, which is easily manipulated by the show's looming big bad, Wilson Fisk. This is an opportunity tailor-made for MCU adaptation: no origin story required!
2 Billy Russo Is A Personal Punisher Foe
The Punisher is unapologetically devoted to its source material: the show has a grounded atmosphere that belies its superheroic nature. The creators leaned heavily into Frank Castle's background as a soldier and the resulting world that springs from that narrative seed.
The classic Punisher villain Jigsaw is remade as a former serviceman who was by Frank's side during the war, coming home to find he's not the same person he was when he shipped out. An aloof CEO and eventual psychiatric patient, Billy Russo is given an emotional depth anchored in his similarities to Frank. Ben Barnes relished the dark material he was given, but would undoubtedly relish the opportunity to revisit Russo again.
1 Kilgrave Rivals Kingpin
Adherents of the Marvel Netflix shows will often cite Kingpin as the best baddie to come of the endeavor. David Tennant shattered expectations with his Kilgrave in Jessica Jones' inaugural season, giving the heroine a modern foe that reeks of societal sickness.
He's charming, he's evil, he's interesting, and, perhaps most importantly of all, he's relevant. Tennant's take on the character is a conduit through which to examine the lives of women in the modern world, specifically the predatory people and surroundings they may encounter. All in all, Kilgrave should be next in line after Willy Fisk.