The MCU‘s Multiverse Saga has not gone according to plan. Marvel has faced myriad issues in moving on from the Infinity Saga, and the loss of some of the faces of the franchise, including Chris Evans’ Captain America and Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man. Previously, the MCU had looked almost invincible: even with individual missteps, the larger whole was always protected, box office success was near guaranteed, and reviews were rarely bad. And of course, at the center of all of this was the idea that Kevin Feige had it all mapped out.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The interconnectivity, Easter eggs, and gradual momentum of the Infinity Saga helped make it so compelling to watch. It wasn’t quite as neatly planned as history would suggest – the change to Thanos’ motivations, the introduction of Spider-Man, and the cancellation of the Inhumans movie are all testament to that – but what mattered was that it felt cohesive. It was building to something, and delivered on both the journey and the destination. The Multiverse Saga, in stark contrast, has been muddled, scattered, inconsistent in quality, and (through no fault of Marvel) forced to radically alter its villain plans.
That leads us to Avengers: Doomsday, which is very clearly a course-correction. That much is obvious by the fact that those two franchise faces, Evans and Downey Jr., are coming back: the former as Steve Rogers (but maybe not Captain America), and the latter as Doctor Doom, the overarching villain of this and its sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars, from somewhere in the multiverse.
This course-correction can be seen in other ways, too: nostalgia is a big factor, with the original X-Men returning. But also, finally, we’re getting a sense of momentum that’s been missing, with several post-Endgame heroes involved in the movie after being MIA for years.
Avengers: Doomsday Can Finally Give The MCU’s New Heroes A Bigger Role
While Marvel continued making a lot of sequels after the Infinity Saga, it did also introduce several interesting new characters, like Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi and Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel. The problem, though, is that there’s not been enough time spent with them. Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova is the main exception, and likely to have a heavy presence in Doomsday, but in general audiences haven’t been given the opportunity to connect with these new heroes like we were the original Avengers.
Doomsday is at least going some way toward fixing that, because it’s confirmed to bring several characters back. Liu will appear as Shang-Chi for the first time since The Legend of the Ten Rings in 2021, and is expected to be part of the Avengers team that’s (presumably) led by Sam Wilson’s Captain America. After debuting last year, all four members the Fantastic Four will be involved, again likely in a significant role. Thor’s daughter, Love, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever‘s Namor, and Thunderbolts*‘ Sentry are also going to be making their second MCU movie appearances.
Juggling all of the characters in the movie is another matter, and, while the Russos proved themselves adept at that across Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, several of these probably won’t get too much of the spotlight. But nonetheless, it’s a significant step in the right direction, especially if they appear across both upcoming Avengers movies.
If even a couple of them can get a great moment or two, that’ll endear them to a much larger audience than they’ve had before, and hopefully provide some greater momentum once Marvel gets to Phase 7. For as much as a selling point of Doomsday is the old guard returning, it needs to be able to lean more on its newer characters and stars going forward long-term, and this can, ideally, get us much closer to that point than we’ve been during the Multiverse Saga so far.
There are still other Phase 4-6 characters we need to come back: I’d love to see more of Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop and Vellani’s Kamala Khan, and Xochitl Gomez’s America Chavez should really be involved in such a multiversal story, but some of these will inevitably have to wait.
There are also those who we are probably never going to see again, unless Marvel is playing a really long game with the Eternals and Harry Styles’ casting. It’s too late in the day for it to match the Infinity Saga, but it can at least provide a stronger foundation for Phase 7 and beyond, with heroes who can take the MCU forward, rather than being stuck in the past.
Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18th, 2026, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on December 17th, 2027.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Paramount -
Image Courtesy of Disney
