After Thunderbolts, the MCU Has to Deliver This Pivotal Avengers Showdown

No matter the iteration, the Avengers always butt heads. It starts all the way back in 2012’s The Avengers when Tony Stark and Steve Rogers can’t agree on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s tactics when it comes to global defense. They trade words but don’t come to blows until Captain America: Civil War, when two sides form after the United Nations demands Earth’s Mightiest Heroes sign the Sokovia Accords to keep them in check. The rift that Civil War forms has ripple effects for the rest of the Infinity Saga and is at least partly responsible for the heroes’ loss in Avengers: Infinity War. Unfortunately, the Avengers team that forms in Thunderbolts* isn’t learning from the past and is already beefing with another group.

The post-credits scene of Thunderbolts* reveals that the New Avengers aren’t off to a great start. The public is turning against them after just a year because of Sam Wilson and his team trademarking the name “Avengers.” It sets the stage for a conflict between the two groups in Avengers: Doomsday, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe has to handle it right.

The MCU Always Delivers on Interpersonal Conflict

While seeing heroes bring bad guys to justice can be fun, it gets stale after a while. It’s much more interesting to focus on moral dilemmas that push heroes to pick a side. Civil War, of course, is the most famous example of that idea in the MCU, but there are several instances of it. Doctor Strange loses an ally in Baron Mordo because he bends the rules too often, and the Eternals duke it out over whether to allow a Celestial to tear the Earth into a million pieces. However, thus far, Phase 5 hasn’t focused all that much on interpersonal conflict, and it’s worse for it.

The Phase 5 movies, including heavy hitters like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Deadpool & Wolverine, see their main characters argue, but at the end of the day, they all go home happy. The Phase 5 villains, with the exception of the High Evolutionary, also leave a lot to be desired, having lackluster or convoluted motivations. Fortunately, Thunderbolts* sets the MCU back on track by teasing a conflict between two Avengers teams that’s sure to be at the center of Doomsday.

[RELATED: Sentry Recasting Addressed by Thunderbolts* Director (& What It Meant for the Film)]

Doctor Doom Can’t Be the Only Threat the Avengers Face in Doomsday

When Doomsday kicks off, it’s probably not going to take long for Doctor Doom to reveal himself and become the center of attention. However, before that goes down, Sam Wilson and his team should settle their beef with the New Avengers. As Bucky reveals in the post-credits scene of Thunderbolts*, Sam isn’t happy about the New Avengers forming, and it has clearly formed a wedge between the two heroes. It took Sam years to believe himself truly worthy of the Captain America mantle, and the moment he does, his “friend” goes behind his back and starts a team with a bunch of former criminals, including the man who sullied the shield, John Walker. And it’s not just Captain America who may take offense to the Avengers’ name being stolen, as Thor and Bruce Banner are still active and may have something to say about the situation.

The battle to see who the real Avengers are can start Doomsday off on the right note, with the movie calling back to the start of Infinity War when the team is no more, and the heroes are unprepared to fight Thanos. After all, even with all of the power that’s sure to be at Doctor Doom’s disposal, if all of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes come together at the start of Doomsday, the villain’s probably not going to last very long. The MCU needs to ensure that they’re not on the same page, and then they can work out their differences in Avengers: Secret Wars when things look most dire. It may feel like Marvel Studios is just repeating beats from the Infinity Saga, but in reality, it’s the only way to make things work since the two Avengers teams don’t have much time to marinate.

Thunderbolts* is in theaters now.

Do you hope the New Avengers and Sam Wilson’s team come to blows in Avengers: Doomsday? How do you think they will settle their dispute? Let us know in the comments below!