The mysterious Phase 4 of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe is on the horizon, and we’re all trying to rack our brains to figure out what’s next. Major Avengers like Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man are probably on their way out, making way for new characters, and new teams to take over.
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The Avengers will need a facelift in the coming years and, when you consider the events of Black Panther, that re-vamped team could be taking up residency in the Golden State. Are the West Coast Avengers on the way?
WARNING: Major Spoilers ahead for Marvel’s Black Panther! Continue reading at your own risk…
At the end of Black Panther, T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) takes his sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) to Oakland, California. The king then reveals that he has purchased an old rundown apartment complex, which happens to be the same building where his father killed his uncle, essentially setting the events of the movie in motion.
T’Challa explains that he’s opening a Wakandan education center right there in Oakland. Shuri will run the technology aspects of the campus, while Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) will handle social outreach.
While this is going to be a center designed for education, it gives characters who are likely going to be around in the next phase of Marvel a base of operations on the West Coast. To this point, all of the major Avengers properties (Avengers Tower, Upstate Avengers Facility, Sanctum Santorum) have been located in New York. As we already know, the Marvel universe kind of revolved around the Big Apple.
Now that there is a changing of the tide, it makes sense to offer a glimpse at another part of the country, and set up a new version of the team. Shuri, who in the comics goes on to become the Black Panther, will have an established place in the Bay Area. Now you’ve got the MCU’s most brilliant mind just across the Golden Gate bridge from who?
Hank Pym, Scott Lang, and Hope van Dyne.
When you think back to some of the more prominent members of the West Coast Avengers from the comics, who comes to mind? Hawkeye, Wasp, War Machine, Hank Pym, Scarlett Witch – all characters that have already been established in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If you substitute a character like Tigra with Shuri, you’re all set.
The Avengers will need a new look as the MCU flips the script in Phase 4. It seems like Shuri and the state of California could provide just that.
