One of the defining movies of the MCU, particularly of the first phase, is 2012's The Avengers. It was a satisfying entry to the universe because it tied the stories of these characters together, and finally started to resemble the roster that could be found in the comics. The movie still holds up ten years later because of the way it combined the tones of all the individual movies into something that was thoroughly entertaining. The actors had chemistry and did a great job bringing their respective characters (as well as their relationships with the others) to life onscreen.

It stands to reason that Marvel would want to try and recreate that feeling in this newest era of the MCU. A lot of the "old guard" of Avengers are no longer in the picture, so there might be a need for a new team-up movie with a totally different roster. However, with so many brand new and seemingly unconnected characters being introduced in Phase 4, and even some that were introduced late into Phase 3, will Marvel be able to repeat the same magic that made The Avengers so successful? Or is any new attempt at a team-up movie already doomed for failure?

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Before The Avengers came out, most of the characters on the team were unconnected to each other, or had only interacted briefly. The whole point of the film was to bring the unlikely crew together and show that they could work together despite their differences. So while it first appeared that these characters might not work well together, that was kind of the point, and there was at least a precedent for it in the comics. The original Avengers, while powerful, also mostly had their own unique power sets and none of them were particularly overpowered.

The original Avengers lineup in the 2012 movie

Taking a look at the current roster of heroes in the MCU reveals a bit of a different story. There are now a wide range of standalone heroes — almost too many to combine at this point, in order for a film to properly dedicate enough time to each person. Virtually none of these heroes are connected in any way, and those whp are just vaguely know of each other from different connections to the original Avengers. This might make it hard to find a plot line that naturally draws them together (unless the new team-up movie begins with SHIELD seeking them all out). In comparison to the original team, there are also a lot more of these heroes that have some sort of supernatural power. While this is interesting in its own way, it also might make it difficult to have fight scenes with any tension. For example, a team with both Captain Marvel and Doctor Strange on it seems a little overpowered already.

There are also, of course, characters that carry over from the Infinity Saga and were part of the Avengers team, like Thor and Bruce Banner — although whether they would come back for the team-up is really up in the air. It might be wiser for the MCU to omit them from the new Avengers, at least at first, in order to differentiate the teams and avoid comparison whenever possible, since fans will always be nostalgic for the original lineup. Character that have been adjacent to the Avengers and at least semi-joined the team, like Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, or Captain Marvel, however, would be good starting points for a new team. These characters are still known to the audience, but don't have the precedent of being a part of that original Avengers movie.

sam wilson captain america tfatws Cropped

It might even make sense to have someone like Sam Wilson lead the team. Though he was on the Avengers during the Infinity Saga, he wasn't one of the original six, and a leadership role might give him more time to shine and would be fitting with his role as the new Captain America. He has the benefit of being known to the audience without feeling like someone the viewers have seen too much of already, and it would make sense for him to have connections to multiple members of the new team.

This also doesn't take the Young Avengers into account, who will likely have their own team-up movie or show at some point. They're being teased more than any other Avengers team, and so perhaps they will be the only "Avengers" in future phases of the MCU. They already have the comics precedent behind them and seem like a more coherent team than any of the remaining new heroes. They might even add younger heroes like Ms. Marvel to the mix to tie more of the MCU together.

endgame characters putting fists together

Of course, it may be the benefit of hindsight that allows fans to look back on the Infinity Saga team-ups with fondness while holding a bit of skepticism towards any potential new team-up movies. At the time, to people unfamiliar with the comics, perhaps the old Avengers team looked like an unlikely match from the start, the same way that current fans might see a team made up of people like Shang-Chi, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, and Bucky Barnes, for example. Fans might very well look back on the next Avengers team-up with the same fondness once a few years have passed and the team feels coherent, if Marvel decides to take that route again.

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