Phase 4 is set to burst the Marvel Cinematic Universe wide open. In addition to the film slate, Marvel Studios is developing numerous Disney+ limited series that will introduce new superheroes like Moon Knight, She-Hulk, and Ms. Marvel into the MCU.
Since Marvel’s The Avengers, the Avengers team has grown in number with each subsequent instalment. The six original members—Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye, and Black Widow—were joined by Vision, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and War Machine in Age of Ultron. Falcon also appeared as a member near the end of the Avengers sequel.
Captain America: Civil War split the team in two, with Iron Man and Captain America both leading their own Avengers factions. Black Panther, Spider-Man, Ant-Man, and the Winter Soldier all formed connections with the rest of the Avengers that by Infinity War, most of them were basically honorary members (if not confirmed ones). However, membership exploded in Endgame when Captain America assembled every hero in the final battle and referred to them all as Avengers.
The MCU has come a long way since the first Avengers team. With so many new heroes being introduced each year, it would not make sense to have everyone come together as one Avengers team. That is why Phase 4 should set up three active Avengers teams that can monitor situations on Earth. Here are my three team names and who I think should be apart of each version.
Avengers International
Leaders: Falcon and Captain Marvel
Rest of Team: Doctor Strange, Hulk, Thor II, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Shang-Chi
This is a continuation of the main team established in Marvel’s The Avengers. They focus on the major threats facing the world and the greater universe. I chose Falcon and Captain Marvel as co-leaders due to their military backgrounds. For the rest of the team, I chose characters who I think would mesh well with each other or provide interesting team-up/power sets. Doctor Strange and Hulk have a previous relationship from Infinity War as do Scarlet Witch and Vision. Shang-Chi and Thor II are the only new Avengers recruits and they are included to add some diversity to the mix (Shang-Chi to make the team not have everyone based in America and Thor II to help bolster the intergalactic angle).
West Coast Avengers
Leader: War Machine
Rest of Team: Hawkeye, Ant-Man, Wasp, Moon Knight, She-Hulk, Winter Soldier, Black Widow II
Based in the West Coast, this team is comprised of Avengers who either live in and around California or are characters without major superpowers. I wanted to keep this team grounded so they could focus on street level threats. War Machine seemed like the most likely candidate to lead given his military background and connections with Stark Industries. I added Black Widow II into the mix given that she is set to make an appearance in the upcoming Hawkeye series, so I wanted to continue the relationship she will no doubt be building with Hawkeye. I placed She-Hulk on this team mostly so there weren’t two Hulks on one team, and Moon Knight was thrown in as a wild card pick. I think this is my favorite lineup of the three. I can already picture this group getting into arguments and throwing quips at one another.
Young Avengers
Leader: Spider-Man
Rest of Team: Hawkeye II, Stature, Mantis, Ms. Marvel, Shuri, Ironheart, Wiccan, Speed
This lineup seems the most likely to happen given the current status of MCU’s upcoming production slate. The appearance of Wiccan and Speed as children in WandaVision point to their eventual inclusion as superheroes in a later property while Hawkeye, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Ms. Marvel, and Ironheart are set to introduce fans to Kate Bishop’s Hawkeye, Cassie Lang’s Stature, Kamala Khan’s Ms. Marvel, and Riri Williams‘ Ironheart.
Spider-Man leading the team was a no-brainer. He has the most superhero experience and has been an important part of the Avengers since Civil War. He holds the team’s best interests at heart and will make sure that the team’s great powers are used with great responsibility.
As for the inclusion of Mantis, I thought it would be fun to see her interactions on Earth with fellow humans. I like her with the Guardians of the Galaxy, but she hasn’t been given much to do so far.
What about Thor Odinson? Well, I have him staying in outer space with the Guardians of the Galaxy for further adventures with them. As much as I love Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, I thought it would be smarter for him to stay away from Earth and only have one Thor be apart of the Avengers. Plus, I think there’s more story for him if he stays with the Guardians than the Avengers. Infinity War did a really good job of showing fans why a buddy comedy starring Star-Lord and Thor would make billions of dollars.
With the odds of another massive ensemble film like Endgame decades away, it would be wise on Marvel Studios’ part to establish multiple Avengers teams. Not only would it lead to more Avengers films, but it would allow the actors to not be constantly filming only Marvel productions.
There are going to be a lot of new superheroes in the MCU over the next few years, and while they don’t have to crossover it’s definitely more exciting when they do. Here’s hoping that Marvel decides to introduce more than one main Avengers team to allow for more crossovers and team-up dynamics.
What would your Avengers team rosters look like? Share them with us down in the comments!
