With the induction of the Avengers into theaters, Joss Whedon utterly re-invented the increasingly formulaic superhero spectacle. Reinvigorating the genre wavering dangerously close to faddishly stale, he peppered his renowned witty banter and character development to directly counter-balance the overwhelmingly visceral aspects with heartfelt sincerity and emotional investment. With the foundation expanding upon individually defined solo films and drawing from decades of classic source material, the intricately layered equation resulted in one of the biggest cinematic payoffs of all-time. There’s just one problem…how do you one-up it?

Comic book superhero sequels have an unstable history that’s fluctuating more chaotically than their bipolar super-villain stars, yet with the standard higher than ever…how will the untitled but inevitable Avengers sequel live up to the quality of its predecessor? Imagining Marvel Studios as nothing but this giant chessboard with the pieces set, their apparently coined “Phase 2” is about to begin. Yet unlike their precognitive X-Men brethren…I can’t foresee what’s to come, but I can attempt what the future may hold.

Iron Man 3 – Within the framework of the Iron Man film universe, relative realism is emphasized over certain other more fantastical heroes.  This rule would expel extra-terrestrial magic rings, despite the wink that was the Ten Rings terrorist organization mentioned in the original, leaving the jewelry-wearing Mandarin to feel nothing but inappropriate. That was…until the Avengers hit and threw Tony Stark into an expanded universe that includes fantasies of hulking monsters, Norse Gods, and other dimensional armies.

Meet Iron Man’s approaching racist arch-nemesis; the Fu Manchu to the Marvel Universe now appropriately fills in one of the up-and-coming puzzle pieces. Confirmed as Sir Ben Kingsley in Iron Man 3, the Mandarin feels, perhaps at first glance, oddly pitted against the technology-reliant Tony. Much like Captain America’s unending fight against Nazism in the 40’s, the Silver Age Iron Man was the commie-smashing hero of his day, most-noteworthy conflicting with communist China and in the case of the Crimson Dynamo, Russia. Completely mismatching in every way, long-time Stark and Mandarin battles hold strongly metaphoric resonance when broken down into the relevant real-world duels between fact and fictions, science versus faith. With his ten multi-purposed pieces of blinged-out rings powerful enough to make any Lantern envious, Kingsley is sure to plague Tony and (quite possibly) the Avengers, you know…aside from the already cheaply made slave-labor products (with hidden carcinogens) he keeps sending to the states. The fiend!

Somehow, I have the strong belief that Mandarin is in cahoots with yet another corrupt business organization. Pssh! Hydra? There’s a new super-villain association in town. Leaked photos from the set of Iron Man 3 revealed that the Advanced Idea Mechanics, otherwise known as A.I.M., will somehow be inducted into the Marvel film universe. While the comic book variant may be led by the mutated supreme intelligence called M.O.D.O.K, I think it’s safe to say that seeing his giant cranium float around would only give immense headaches. However, I do think that perhaps the acronym (Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing) points to an adapted version that might factor somehow into the villainous ploy.

Thor: The Dark World – Siphoning from Norse mythology, Journey into Mystery thrust the thunder God from the Vikings and into Americana. Alongside his brother, the once only mischievous now turned evil Loki, Asgardian legends help to populate this world. Outside of the God of trickery, the second-in-line foe would be the Enchantress, sure to be summoned up sometime in the future. One of the long-standing staple of Thor comics, the manipulative Amora offers as much depth as she does deceit with her on-and-off romantic feelings for both of Odin’s sons. When she’s not begging to be…ah…hammered, she’s a force to be reckoned while loyally guarded by her enforcing Executioner, also known as Skurge, both of which helped to eventually found an early version of the Masters of Evil, the super-villain equivalent to the Avengers. As the seeming shoe-in for the follow-up, the Asgardian witch would be sure to charm Gods and audiences alike. Disappointingly, she still hasn’t been announced as a role in the upcoming installment, though I still hold out due to her overwhelming presence in the comics. Adding salt to the wound, she’s been beaten out in favor of the far more obscure dark elf, Malekith the Accursed.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Since WWII, Captain America has been haunted by many foes, most of which were admittedly forgettable. Red Skull taking the trophy for most infamous, the skeletal goose-stepping Nazi was side-kicked by the questionably attired, complete with an accidentally glued-to-face KKK hood that would make Cobra Commander jealous, Baron Heinrich Zemo. Just how he eats is ever the mystery, but the frustration directly caused him to be the untimely death of Bucky Barnes, Cap’s youthful partner. By circumstance, much like Steve Rogers and Red Skull, Heinrich too happened to agelessly endure to the modern era and live past the fall of the Reich. Convenient! Coming to lead the original inception of the Masters of Evil with his malicious brilliance, it didn’t stop him from being the klutz he was and causing another, though this time fatal, accident. He was survived by his infinitely more stylish heir, Baron Helmut Zemo, who continued his father’s villainous works of terrorism in new inceptions of the Masters of Evil. Considering the relevance of the Zemo linage, even though the legacy soared as well as the Hindenburg while against the likes of their super soldier enemy, I think the inclusion of, especially when considering the close associations with the death of the eventually revived Bucky (Winter Soldier) Barnes, points to one of the Zemo’s being in the deck.

Avengers 2 – It’s usually assumed that Avengers 2 will be going the way of Infinity Gauntlet, the stories main antagonist being Thanos, the shadowed mid-Avengers credits character, but the revelation that Marvel Studios is going to do the obscure Guardians of the Galaxy has me alternatively pondering our options. Could Thanos be anchored only in the intergalactic, not pitted against earthly heroes? If so, perhaps there will be building blocks established by the solo films that stack toward an adapted Masters of Evil. With Marvel Studio’s buying up certain rights to characters like the cosmic Galactus, this is leading some to speculate that the apocalyptic  Fantastic Four debut of the world devourer and his herald may be modified into an Avengers story, one that will inevitably put to shame the hunger-cloud that was Rise of the Silver Surfer. Considering his confirmed solo picture, one safe bet seems to be the indoctrination of Antman (who may grow into Giantman once tossed into Avengers 2) and more than likely Wasp, who’s now known to have been cut from the first draft of the original film. This also has fans naturally wondering who else may be in store. Will Agent Coulson be uploaded into the android Vision? Will Marvel ever acquire the rights to mutants, enabling us to get hex by the Scarlet Witch? With so many rosters and rousing events, your imagination is almost limitless in what  could play out. The only certainty is…regardless of the outcome, we’ll all assemble in theaters when it’s released.