First and foremost, the recent MCU movies have done a decent job of setting up the next Avengers. From adorning Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) with a shield and wings to crowning Shuri (Letitia Wright), the new Black Panther, audiences have a good idea of who to expect when the heroes assemble for Doomsday and Secret Wars. The latter film may see a more diverse array of characters unite since the combatants hail from across time and space, but when Doomsday approaches, it'll be up to the heroes on Earth and them alone.
Regarding who's on the roster, Captain America and Black Panther are obvious picks. Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) is also in contention to join them. Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) fits the bill, too. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) could round out the lineup, except his multiversal adventures have the potential to keep him indisposed. There's also a more concrete reason the Avengers' lineup will look different than audiences expect.
Earlier this year, Disney updated its Marvel banner to reflect the universe's current heroes. You can check out the image on the Disney Plus homepage.
Among the characters portrayed—not including the ones we've listed already—are a few surprising faces. Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), and Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) are alongside the current roster of heroes. Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) is also there, though she's not surprising when we account for her upcoming role in The Thunderbolts.
While it's impossible to say if the Disney banner reflects the fully fleshed-out team, the roster seems believable. One might wonder how Scarlet Witch could contribute since she's currently dead under a pile of rubble, but Marvel has plans to resurrect her. It's anyone's guess what role Maximoff would play, though a popular theory is she'll be instrumental to the Mutant Saga. There is a precedence for such entanglements in the comics, so Wanda Maximoff could serve as a bridge to the X-Men's universe.
Yelena is another unexpected pick for the Avengers since she'll be Director Fontaine's footsoldier moving forward. The latter manipulates Belova into working the Thunderbolts' mission, presumably through blackmail or veiled threats. Mind you, Yelena won't be underneath Val's thumb forever. Villains always get their comeuppance in the MCU, and Val's had it coming for a while now. Once the Director is out of the picture, Yelena will be free of her obligations.
Marvel Teases The Next Team-Up With An Animated Trial Run
A more canonical precedent for the presumed team-up lies in Marvel's What If?... latest episode.
In Season 3, Episode 1, the original Avengers fall to an army of gamma monsters. And in the wake of their defeat, a new team arises. A lineup including Sam Wilson, Monica Rambeau, Shang-Chi, Bucky Barnes, Nakia, Moon Knight, Red Guardian, and Melina Vostokoff throws down with the gamma army, eventually succeeding by combining into a giant mech robot.
While they're not identical to the lineup featured in the Disney Plus banner, it's close enough. Sam Wilson, Captain Rambeau, Shang-Chi, and Moon Knight are all current heroes in the MCU who can—and will—show up when Doomsday rears its ugly head. The Red Room collaborators and Nakia are harder sells, though their respective comrades can more reasonably fill the vacancies. We're speaking, of course, about Shuri and Yelena Belova. Both are also legacies, so they have even more reason to become the next Avengers.
Avengers' Unorthodox Backup
Now, you may be asking how the outliers fit into the Avengers' dynamic and they play supporting roles. Loki, for instance, is helping the team from afar. He protects the Sacred Timeline, as well as all branched histories by remaining at the heart of Yggdrasil. Without him, the tree breaks down similar to how the loom collapsed under the weight of too many timelines.
Scarlet Witch will also resurface in the coming years in an undetermined context, placing yet another member of the Disney banner in contention to headline the superhero team. That only leaves Deadpool unaccounted for. However, after seeing a glimpse of Wilson besides Thor in Deadpool And Wolverine, he likely meets up with the Avengers in the near future. Moviegoers have tried to debunk the scene as a red herring since Thor's appearance doesn't match his most recent look, but that doesn't take into account how a Secret Wars battle could pull the version of Thor from 2013—around Thor: The Dark World era—into Battleworld. The Beyonder picks and chooses from obscure places, so he may have a purpose for selecting Dark World Thor instead of the more developed God of Thunder from the fourth entry. Every hero and villain chosen is in the same boat.
Captain America: Brave New World premieres on February 14, 2025