The hierarchy of power in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to change. After getting an extended break after the events of Avengers: Endgame, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are going to have to unite again to face off against Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom, and they won’t be alone. The Fantastic Four and X-Men are also suiting up in Avengers: Doomsday, which is gearing up to be something special for Marvel Studios. However, it’s hard to put much pressure on Doomsday‘s shoulders, as it’s only the first part of a two-part story, acting as the Avengers: Infinity War to Avengers: Secret Wars‘ Endgame.
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Secret Wars, like the two comic book stories it’s inspired by, is sure to pull out all the big guns, whether it’s cameos from the original Avengers or traveling to a familiar universe. But the fifth Avengers movie still has to be smart about who it brings into the fold. Here are five Marvel characters that have no business being in Secret Wars.
5) Molecule Man
In the 2015 Secret Wars comic, Doom seeks to plant his flag across the multiverse by gaining control of the greatest threat to it: Molecule Man. The Beyonders create the mysterious being as a deterrent, and Doom believes he can exploit that, as any other villain would. Unfortunately, the MCU’s Doom is going to find himself in a very different position.
Since the Beyonders aren’t part of the MCU yet, there’s no force strong enough to create Molecule Man. Marvel Studios will have to get creative, which could mean another character fills the role of the MacGuffin, such as Franklin Richards.
4) Valeria Richards
Speaking of Franklin, he has a younger sister in the comics, Valeria Richards, who has some pretty impressive powers of her own. That’s more or less where the similarities stop, though, as Valeria surrounds herself with a different crown than her brother. Doom is her godfather, and she finds herself on his side at one point during Secret Wars.
While it would be nice for the next couple of Avengers movies to spend more time with the Richards family, especially since Franklin is already the apple of a couple of villains’ eyes, tossing Valeria into the mix might be overkill. Holding her back until the next Fantastic Four movie seems like a good idea.
3) Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man
As it stands, Peter Parker doesn’t have a role in Doomsday, as Tom Holland was the biggest name not to receive a chair during the film’s cast announcement. However, the actor’s sure to show up in the sequel, as he won’t have a solo movie to worry about when it comes time to start filming.
Spider-Man’s role in the original Secret Wars comics sees him interact with the symbiote for the first time. The impulse will be there for Marvel Studios to bring back Tobey Maguire’s Wall-Crawler and offer advice to Peter 1 about wielding the extraterrestrial power. That shouldn’t happen under any circumstances, as the MCU’s Peter needs to learn his own lessons.
2) Ghost Rider
There have been numerous rumors about the Spirit of Vengeance showing up in Secret Wars and Doomsday. It’s hard to argue against utilizing Ghost Rider, as he often finds himself in the middle of cosmic conflicts. But the MCU recently backed itself into a corner, and Secret Wars won’t reveal the way out.
In Ironheart, Mephisto makes his grand entrance by offering Riri Williams a deal. He tries to talk himself up by explaining that he’s already made agreements with many people. Ghost Rider is certainly one of the unlucky few, which means his MCU journey should begin in that corner of the franchise.
1) Thanos
Doom and Thanos are opposite sides of the same coin. They both want to impose their will, albeit in different ways, which puts them at odds with one another. In Secret Wars, Doom even goes as far as to kill the Mad Titan, realizing there’s no way for them to coexist.
As cool as it would be to see one of RDJ’s characters take out Thanos again, it’s a gamble the MCU doesn’t need to take. Doom should be able to stand on his own, without one-upping his predecessor on the big screen.
Avengers: Secret Wars hits theaters on December 17, 2027.
What do you hope to see in Avengers: Secret Wars? Let us know in the comments below! And then head over to the ComicBook forum to see what other fans are excited for.
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