The new Avengers team will have new and old faces - these could be them
Fans hoping to see the next generation of Avengers assembled are going to have to hold their horses. July's Comic-Con announcement mapped out Phase 4, and there were no group movies to be seen.
Fear not, Phase 5 will have a group Avengers movie. If you're hoping to see the return of your favourites, however, you may be disappointed.
Marvel CEO Kevin Feige was as obtuse as ever when revealing details of the 2022 movies. Speaking to MTV, he said: "It will be a very different incarnation of the team, with some people you've already met and some people you haven't."
So who might these people be, anyway?
New and Old
To know where Marvel might go in its Phase 5 group movie, you've got to look at the Phase 4 movies headed our way. As of writing, Phase 4 consists of Black Widow, The Eternals, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder.
Though Black Widow is a beloved character, her fate in Avengers: Endgame renders her, well, dead. Shang-Chi will likely be a new addition to the team.
Of the swathes of heroes who make a miraculous appearance at the end of Endgame, there are a few core superheroes who could make up the new Avengers team.
Black Panther is certainly in the mix, as Wakanda is rumoured to be the new key location taking over from New York City. Spider-Man is also being teased as the heir to Iron Man, not only because of their relationship but also Peter's penchant for technology.
Captain Marvel is undeniably going to be part of the new team, whether she's around all the time or not. She proved herself both worthy and aloof in Endgame, and it's hard to see how she'll change much.
Falcon, too, will be a key player as he assumes the mantle of Captain America from Steve Rogers. Doctor Strange will stay part of the team and may open the door to more worlds in his Multiverse of Madness. Oo0oOoOoo00oo0...
Though fans will undoubtedly want to see more of Thor and Professor Hulk, the veteran heroes will likely only feature in a small way as the old guard makes way for the new.
As for The Eternals, the ethereal group will likely team up with the Avengers, much in the way the Guardians of the Galaxy joined forces with the Avengers.
Young Avengers
Another iteration of the Avengers which could hit cinema screens is the Young Avengers. They were teased – albeit unintentionally – during the opening scene of Endgame.
The moment shows Hawkeye, aka Clint Barton, training his daughter with a bow and arrow. Many presumed this would be the introduction of Kate Bishop, who takes the mantle of Hawkeye in the Young Avengers.
In fact, Clint's daughter is named Lila, and the introduction of Kate Bishop to the MCU in the Young Avengers will be a wholly separate endeavour.
The comics see Kate brutally attacked, spurring her on to train in self-defence with Hawkeye's weapons (which she discovers). At the time, Barton is dead, but eventually is resurrected and becomes her mentor.
As far as the Young Avengers movie goes, they likely won't kill off Clint Barton, but Kate Bishop is definitely being introduced into the MCU via the new Hawkeye TV series on Disney+. These shows, run by the film studio, will be part of the MCU.
So Kate Bishop will be an integral part of the team, perhaps along with Cassie Lang – daughter of Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man.
Though Ant-Man 3 is far from a sure thing, his daughter Cassie has a starring role in Young Avengers as Stature. In the comics, Cassie has secretly been stealing Pym particles from her dad, never seeing their effect.
But then in a heated moment, Cassie suddenly grows very large. She also can shrink, like her father, hence the superhero monicker Stature. Due to her young age, however, her emotions often get the better of her, which leads to size mishaps.
Other stars of the Young Avengers include the confusingly named Hulkling, who is, in fact, a shape-shifter and the son of a Skrull Princess and Mar-Vell, the Kree warrior (who in the comics is male, but in the movie is played by Annette Bening). This would tie nicely into the Captain Marvel movies, too, adding to the depth of the shared universe.
The Young Avengers also features Miss America Chavez. Bringing her into the MCU would be a huge step towards the expanding representation in Marvel movies. In Young Avengers vol 15, she comes out as lesbian; in fact, most of the Young Avengers eschew strict sexual-orientation labels.
She is also part of A-Force, the hotly anticipated all-women Avengers team.
Young Avengers could also include Marvel Boy, Prodigy, Speed and Wiccan. The latter two are Scarlet Witch's sons and could be introduced in the new WandaVision TV series on Disney+.
Dark Avengers
Black Widow is priming us for the introduction of the Dark Avengers, a group of super-villains disguised as heroes.
David Harbour's character in Black Widow is Alexei Shostakov, AKA The Red Guardian. He is characterised by many as the Russian Captain America and could very well be the leader of the Dark Avengers.
In the comics, The Red Guardian redeems himself by saving Black Widow and Captain America before dying. Though Marvel often takes inspiration from the comics, it doesn't always stick too closely to them.
Then there's the other Black Widow, Yelena, played by Florence Pugh, who could easily fit into the Dark Avengers team.
Other baddies include Norman Osborn (previously played by Willem Dafoe in the Spider-Man movies), Ragnarok (a robotic clone of Thor, but bad), and Superia (Dr Deidre Wentworth, an evil Captain Marvel).
It's a lot to chew over, but luckily we've got a while to wait. In the mean time, get excited for Phase 4...
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