Outside of introducing (and then immediately forgetting about) Adamantium and adding a new Hulk to the mix (before immediately taking him off the board), Captain America: Brave New World didn’t do much to change the MCU’s status quo. Unlike prior installments in the franchise, the latest Captain America film really didn’t set the stage for what comes next and, in some ways, that’s pretty refreshing. After years of fans complaining that every project was just setting up the next one, Brave New World stuck to its own story and even if it wasn’t a great one it was indeed self-contained.
Thanks to significant editing, aside from the asinine post-credit scene and a vague promise that we might have to be further subjected to Giancarlo Esposito‘s Sidewinder, very few threads were left détaché. However, one pretty important plot point was left to become the next guy’s problem: the identity of Sam Wilson’s Avengers.
With Kevin Feige confirming there’s currently no active Avengers unit in the MCU and a pair of Avengers movies coming soon, Sam’s decision to move forward with assembling a new team does seem like a pretty big deal. And with the clock ticking on Earth-616’s best days, Sam might want to get working on putting a team together sooner rather than later. But who makes the most sense for the mighty new team? Let’s look at some likely and less likely candidates and see what the Magic 8 Ball has to say about their chances of making the roster.
Falcon
If Iron Man is the Armored Avenger and Hawkeye is the Avenging Archer, it looks like Joaquin Torres will be the Annoying Avenger. The deal to add Sam’s wingman to the team was done in Captain America: Brave New World, meaning Danny Ramirez will be back for more. Hopefully the Russos have some great stuff in mind for Torres, like flipping water bottles or randomly doing Fortnite dances, while the important stuff is handled by the functioning adults.
Verdict: Unfortunately, it is decidedly so.
Ruth Bat-Seraph
Short of one scene where she was able to show off her Red Room skills, Shira Haas‘s Ruth ultimately had very little to do in Captain America: Brave New World. It seems as though the character and her role were greatly changed since the films conception, leaving her as little more than an afterthought. Unfortunate in that it’s a waste of Haas’ talents, it does seem unlikely we’ll ever see Ruth again.
Verdict: Outlook not so good.
James Rhodes
With Armor Wars moved not just to the back burner but possibly completely off the stove top, it seems likely that Marvel Studios might try to find a large role for Don Cheadle pretty soon…and man, it turns out the Avengers could use an armored guy! Though Sam and Rhodey aren’t best friends by any means, they do have a shared history and after their chat in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Rhodey seems like a guy Sam might call. If course, that wasn’t really Rhodey but you can probably still bank on Sam reaching out to War Machine when shit hits the fan.
Verdict: Outlook good
Moon Knight
A no-brainer on nearly every level, the inclusion of Moon Knight on the roster of Mighty Avengers seems like a way longer shot than it should. Marc Spector was a Marine and Sam Wilson was in the Air Force. They knew each other from a mission. The end. Get Oscar Isaac back in the suit(s) and get this crazy sumbitch back in the game.
Verdict: Ask again later
Shang-Chi
At one point, Shang-Chi was reportedly set to have a major role in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty with one insider revealing that the film would have “essentially served” as a sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. However, with Destin Daniel Cretton departing the project for Spider-Man 4 and the Russo brothers reworking the film into Avengers: Doomsday, things are a little less clear for the hero. However, having access to one of the Earth’s most powerful weapons does seem like a good bit to include on a resume, so it does seem likely Sam will find a way to get Shang-Chi on board.
Verdict: As I see it, yes.
She-Hulk
Feels a little bit like now or never for Jen Walters to find her niche in the larger MCU. And if it’s not on a new team of Avengers, it’s nowhere. But will they bring She-Hulk on the team, knowing full well the shit storm it will stir up or do they let Tatiana Maslany’s incredible talent go to waste?
Verdict: Very doubtful
Spider-Man
Yes, obviously.
Verdict: Yes.
Vision
This is a tough one. I’m if the belief that the Vision that emerges from the D+ Vision streaming series is likely to end up working alongside the MCU’s Young Avengers/Champions; however, given that project is still a ways off, Vision’s presence on that team wouldn’t necessarily mean he couldn’t be on Sam’s team. One problem though: will Vision hit D+ before Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters? I don’t know right now, so I don’t know right now.
Verdict: Cannot predict now.
Captain Marvel
Given Carol’s intimate knowledge of Incursions, it seems absolutely ridiculous to think she won’t have a major role in one or both of the next two Avengers films. That said, it seems incredibly likely that whole she’ll work closely with Sam, Carol will find herself off Earth. So not an Avengers but still an important part of saving the day.
Verdict: My reply is no.
Bucky Barnes
Given his role in Thunderbolts*, it’s likely that Bucky will be an Avenger…he just might be on a different team of Avengers than the one Sam assembles. And that’ll be a good thing for both Bucky and Sam, as each will have his own team and will be able to help them communicate and, potentially, work together.
Verdict: No.
Hulk
What a weird time for the MCU’s Bruce Banner. It’s hard to imagine Hulk sitting out a battle with the world at stake after missing all of Avengers: Infinity War with performance issues; however, depending on just what these Incursions end up being all about, he may well be Earth’s best hope to start thinking about survival from a scientific standpoint.
Verdict: Reply hazy, try again.
Hawkeye(s)
From an experience standpoint, Sam couldn’t ask for a better guy to have by his side. Clint Barton has seen–and survived–it all. Kate Bishop has seen very little but Hailee Steinfeld is a BIG star. There’s not room for two archers, though, so which one gets cut?
Verdict: Better not tell you now.
Ant-Man
You can bet that Paul Rudd‘s Ant-Man was a big part of Jeff Loveness’ original script for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. As fate may have it, he may well have a role to play in Avengers: Doomsday, too. He has a history with Sam Wilson and the Russos really did wonders with Scott Lang in Avengers: Endgame.
Verdict: Most likely
Thor
Like Rudd, Chris Hemsworth is a Russo guy. And given Thor’s incredible powers, he’s definitely going to be a big part of the next two Avengers films; however, like Carol Danvers, don’t expect the Allfather to be spending too much time on Earth which means the Might Avenger probably won’t technically be one of Sam’s Mighty Avengers.
Verdict: Very doubtful
Obviously there are plenty of other characters out there we didn’t discuss here, including Doctor Strange and the Fantastic Four, who are confirmed to be in the Avengers: Doomsday. This isn’t a list of who is in the movie, however, but rather what heroes will fight by Sam Wilson’s side to defend Earth-616 from whatever invading force threatens it. Strange, Thor, Carol, the Fantastic Four and others will have plenty to do as well but it will be up to Captain America to assemble Earth’s Mightiest Heroes when a day unlike any other comes…again.
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