Who is Dark Might in My Hero Academia? The fourth movie's antagonist, explained

Modified Mar 05, 2025 14:30 GMT

My Hero Academia and who is Dark Might (Image via Bones). — My Hero Academia and who is Dark Might (Image via Bones)

My Hero Academia might ask who is Dark Might if they haven't watched the films, but that highlights how these projects can contribute something different within the franchise. It gives the possibility of adding new villains, new adventures, and new lore that is beneficial for the series as a whole, which is probably why author Kohei Horikoshi chose to add the movies to the series' canon.

Dark Might is the main villain of the fourth My Hero Academia film, You're Next!, and he is also an Italian crime lord— whose true name is Valdo Gollini— and the leader of the Gollini family mafia. He is obsessed with taking over All Might's legacy and patterns himself in his image, leading to some of his nefarious actions, such as kidnapping Ana and engaging in combat with Deku and the UA class.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a publication.

Dark Might's origins and role in My Hero Academia's fourth movie

The character as seen in the movie (Image via Bones)

As mentioned earlier, Dark Might is the main villain of the You're Next! film, and is someone who was inspired by All Might's last stand in Kamino against All For One. The villain took this moment as the Pro Number One Hero choosing him as his successor, which was only delusion from the former's part, and ended up taking a similar image to him, hence why he was nicknamed "Dark Might."

He runs havoc with his group, the Italian crime gang known as the Gollini family, and uses his Quirk, powered up by the ability of the girl he kidnapped, Ana, to look like All Might. Moreover, he uses his powers to build a massive fortress and begin his reign of terror, which leads Izuku "Deku" Midoriya and the rest of Class 1-A to step in.

It is through the film that audiences discover his identity as Valdo Gollini, and how his obsession with All Might led him to an even darker path, killing his own father when he was confronted. This confrontation was ultimately stopped by Deku, whose truly heroic ideals managed to overpower him and his narcissism.

Dark Might's Quirk and other abilities, explained

It is difficult to answer the question of who Dark Might is in My Hero Academia without explaining his Quirk, since that defines his physical similarities to the legendary hero. His Quirk is Alchemy, and he can alter the nature of anything he touches, including his own body, even going as far as changing the state of their respective matter.

Once he gets his hands on Ana and receives the boost of her Overmodification Quirk, Dark Might becomes capable of using Alchemy without needing his hands. His range increases greatly, as evidenced during his battle with Deku, Katsuki Bakugo, and Shoto Todoroki. All of this also allows him to use his own interpretation of All Might's signature moves, titled Bologna Smash and Torino Smash.

Final thoughts

The question of who Dark Might is in My Hero Academia makes sense, given that people who have only watched the anime series or read the manga wouldn't know who he is. That also shows the value of these films, since they give the franchise the chance to explore other concepts and ideas, as evidenced by this movie.

Edited by Ahana Mukhopadhyay