The dust has barely settled on Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, but fans of the
popular superhero franchise have been clamoring for more from the bosses at Marvel Studios.
We don't yet know what Avengers 5 could look like, but that won't keep us from speculating.
In terms of the cast, there are a few characters we can safely say won't be returning to the
Avengers. Iron Man is definitely out of the mix, considering that he sacrificed himself
at the end of Endgame to save the universe from Thanos.
"And I am Iron Man."
Black Widow also said a heartbreaking goodbye when she threw herself off a cliff to ensure
that Hawkeye would get his hands on the Soul Stone. Captain America won't be making an
appearance either, as he's lived out his life with Peggy Carter in the past, and is now
a senior citizen.
The only member of the original big three that could still play a role is Chris Hemsworth's
Thor, who is part of the Phase 4 plans with that fourth solo film, Thor: Love and Thunder,
due out in 2021. However, that flick is set to see him hand over the mantle of Thor to
Jane Foster, who will appear as the first female Thor and could form part of a new Avengers
team.
So who does that leave? Well, we know that Captain Marvel is thought to be leading the
franchise from here on out. There's also Spider-Man, although his future role in the MCU is still
very much uncertain after his third solo film. We also have Doctor Strange, Black Panther,
Valkyrie, War Machine, the Winter Soldier, and the Falcon, to whom Cap gifted his shield
at the conclusion of Endgame. Many of these characters already have new movies or series
in the works due for release in Phase 4, so it seems pretty inevitable that they'll appear
in a team-up movie.
Of course, it's quite possible that a totally new iteration of the Avengers will make its
debut in Phase 4. Teams from the comics such as the New Avengers, Young Avengers, and even
the West Coast Avengers might soon see some of their members introduced on the big screen
or in Disney+ series.
With Marvel Studios' recent emphasis on diversity, the Young Avengers are probably the best option
for the films going forward. The group includes superheroes such as Wiccan, who is gay and
dates his teammate Hulkling, and black bi-sexual hero Prodigy. Heroes such as these could help
bring the MCU into the 21st century, and be a bit more representative of today's society
than the franchise has been in the past. A key member of the Young Avengers is Kate Bishop,
the second character to take on the mantle of Hawkeye. She is already confirmed to be
included in Phase 4, as she is set to have a role in the Hawkeye Disney+ series.
Marvel president Kevin Feige has already confirmed that many of the characters introduced in
those Disney+ series will have roles to play in the films going forward. To what extent,
we don't know yet. But Marvel does certainly look to be setting up the Young Avengers to
take center stage at some point in the future.
The casting call for the Disney+ series She-Hulk has been revealing, with The Independent reporting
that its final line stated that whoever lands the role of Jennifer Walters will eventually
be a, quote, "future member of the Avengers."
"Huh? Hey, cool! Kelly green abs of steel."
That would make She-Hulk the first character set to be introduced on Disney+ that the studio
has actually confirmed will play a major role in MCU films in the future. Feige had previously
talked about She-Hulk crossing over to the big screen at some point, but the casting
call is the first confirmation that she will actually be an Avenger one day.
The studio is looking for a woman between the ages of 26 and 34, with no preference
as to her racial background. Currently, there has been no casting announcement, so presumably,
the search for the newest member of the Avengers is still on.
Another major addition to the MCU could come in the form of the X-Men. While their introduction
into the MCU was previously impossible, Disney's acquisition of Fox Studios has made it inevitable.
"We'll figure everything out together, just come back to me. Remember you said you'd always
come back to me. Come back to me."
Fans have been clamoring for this ever since the deal, and there's even a compelling theory
or two about how the mutants could materialize in the universe.
One has to do with the upcoming Disney+ series WandaVision, which will lead directly into
the events of the feature film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and which will
see the Scarlet Witch's reality-warping powers finally start to come into play. Wanda's incursions
into other realities within the multiverse could provide a door through which the X-Men
could arrive in the MCU fully-formed.
Another concerns the Reality Stone, which was last seen being transported safely back
to 2013 Asgard by Captain America. The stone could theoretically allow a powerful enough
user to breach interdimensional barriers without the use of magic... but all of this is, of
course, speculation at the moment. It certainly seems likely that the X-Men will make their
first MCU appearance at some point in Phase 4, but it remains to be seen whether any of
their number will be pressed into service as a member of the Avengers.
What is certain is that Marvel is taking some time to allow legacy characters to breathe
while introducing new ones into the MCU, given that this is the first time no Avengers film
was announced in an entire phase. With many established heroes saying their goodbyes at
the end of Endgame, the universe needs to bulk up the hero bank before they'll be able
to take on another major villain that needs to be faced as a collective.
Feige has said that for him, Endgame was an ending, and while he hasn't closed the door
on the possibility of more Avengers films at a later date, he wants the studio for now
to be focused on telling new stories. Given the lineup for Phase 4 and the next few years,
it seems clear they're trying to do just that before considering another major crossover
film.
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