After Endgame, Marvel has given the “Avengers” title a bit of a break. Phase 4 has marked an influx of new characters, and many are still on their way. The world-building has gone to the next level as we’re getting expansion on Earth, in the cosmos, and throughout the Multiverse! It’s like the MCU is setting itself up for an even bigger crossover event than Endgame. This big event will most likely turn out to be Secret Wars. A lot of MCU and Marvel Multiverse heroes could appear in this event, but you’ve got to be excited as we’ll also be seeing the 6 Legacy Avengers spawned from the original Avengers team. 2022 is the year when they all come to the MCU.
2021 Characters
Steve Rogers is more or less out of the MCU. Maybe we could see him return on a special occasion like Secret Wars, or perhaps in Captain America 4 itself. But the name Captain America lives on as the mantle has been passed on to Sam Wilson. He finally stepped up to take the responsibility of carrying the shield and become the symbol of freedom that Steve always thought he could be. Now, he is set to become the leader of the New Avengers (maybe alongside Captain Marvel).
After Sam Wilson, the second legacy Avenger to join the MCU was Yelena Belova. Natasha went out, but she left us with the most lovable assassin played by Florence Pugh. And while it seemed that Yelena would go on to be a part of the Thunderbolts, it is also possible that her appearance in Hawkeye has tilted her fortunes towards becoming a new Avenger. She’s already a Black Widow, and we won’t mind her becoming the Black Widow of the next team for sure!
Along with Sam and Yelena, 2021 subtly introduced us to MCU’s next Hawkeye as well. Clint Barton quietly passed on the baton to Kate Bishop. She is probably set to lead the Young Avengers now. But in the big Avengers 5 event film, we’d love to see her in the big leagues as one of the New Avengers.
2022 Characters
The first legacy Avenger coming this year is none other than the Mighty Thor. Jane Foster will wield the original Mjolnir by having it reforged somehow. And rumors have suggested that Natalie Portman is supposed to get her own solo project after that. So, she’d become quite the franchise regular being Earth’s new Thor. So, that would make her eligible to join the New Avengers too. Meanwhile, the OG Thor would be out in the cosmos, being the true God of Thunder and helping out people across the galaxy.
Following Jane closely would be Tatiana Maslany’s Jennifer Walters. She would turn into She-Hulk in her upcoming Disney+ series, and we would even see Smart Hulk mentoring her. So that’s another legacy character ready to be in the next Avengers lineup.
Now, the sixth one is going to be quite tricky. Many would argue that Spider-Man was MCU’s Iron Man legacy character. But I’d say that Peter Parker is out of Tony’s shadow now. He is his own hero. So, the real candidate taking on Iron Man’s mantle would be Riri Williams. Before starring in her own series, Dominique Thorne would play Riri in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever later this year. It’s still doubtful how she’d end up having a connection with Tony Stark from thereon. But I believe that Ironheart should also join the New Avengers.
The Original team included had 5 male heroes and 1 female. The Legacy team is the absolute opposite, with just one hero being a male.
Now, it is obvious that the likes of Captain Marvel, OG Thor, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and Ant-Man would be the mainstays in the New Avengers lineup. But the Legacy characters of the originals should get at least one team-up shot, just like the money shot of the first Avengers movie, don’t you think?
Excited for the New Avengers? Avengers 5 should hit theatres in the next 3 years or so.
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