Marvel's New Avengers Team Could Have Big MCU Implications

Some fans are suspicious of the comic book team's new lineup and how closely it mirrors recent MCU trends.

By Russ Burlingame

A new team of Avengers, seen in the pages of Marvel Comics, seems like it has some implications for what the next Avengers movie lineup might look like. At least that's the thinking of fans, who are looking at a team that features She-Hulk, Shang-Chi, Spectrum, Wonder Man, and Hercules -- all of whom have appeared in the movies, but none of whom have been in an Avengers movie yet. The team makes its debut in the pages of Avengers Assemble #1, which isn't just the team's catchphrase, but also the name of the first Avengers movie in some international markets.

Sin, the daughter of Red Skull, is the villain seen in the first issue, and there's a Mephisto tease as well -- both characters who haven't yet appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but who easily could. Obviously, there's no guarantee that the comics writers know anything about what's coming, though -- and it's not uncommon for the movies to inform the comics as often as the comics inform the movies.

While there's some fan chatter about the idea of replicating this team in Avengers: Doomsday, it's equally likely that writer Steve Orlando or the editorial team behind the book simply chose some B- and C-tier characters who are in the public eye right now due to their appearances onscreen.

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Avengers: Doomsday will feature a new team of Avengers, but nobody really knows what the lineup will be yet. Producers have said only that not every active MCU character will end up in the movie (which makes sense given how broad the MCU has become). Obvious candidates to appear include The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Spider-Man (Tom Holland), and Captain America (Anthony Mackie), all of whom have existing relationships with Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). It's widely assumed Doctor Doom (also Downey) will be a variant of Stark. While many of the original Avengers are now dead or retired, bringing back characters who have a close relationship with Stark would make dramatic sense. Meanwhile, having some of the younger Avengers struggle with the reality of being constantly compared to Stark and his old buddies could be played up for a different kind of drama.

Joe and Anthony Russo will return for the next two Avengers movies; Doomsday will be followed by Avengers: Secret Wars, and the two are expected to be filmed back to back and released fairly close together.

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