Avengers 5’s Line-Up Makes Infinity War’s Hero Problem Look Laughable

No matter what the line-up of Avengers 5 turns out to be, the team will have an even more complex hero problem than Avengers: Infinity War. Nearly three years after Avengers: Endgame, little has been revealed about the plans for the Avengers in MCU’s Phase 5. Audiences are speculating about which heroes, both new and old, might be part of the team in the franchise’s next installment.

Nick Fury’s initiative to protect Earth from alien threats has grown into one of the greatest forces in the galaxy. The Avengers evolved from a team of five people to a wide collection of the most powerful heroes from throughout the universe. Nearly every hero who has appeared in the MCU has been an Avenger, so putting together the team for Avengers 5 will not be an easy task.

The events of Infinity War and Endgame greatly affected the surviving Avengers as well as the people who were inspired by the heroes, with Kate Bishop’s backstory in Hawkeye serving as a strong example. The losses and the overall aftermath of the victory against Thanos will continue to affect MCU’s next phases, especially when it comes to reassembling the Avengers.

Avengers 5’s Hero Line-Up Could Be More Powerful

In terms of their power scale, the potential Avengers 5 line-up doesn’t match up to the team’s previous iterations. The end of the Infinity Saga saw the Avengers lose some of their heavy hitters. However, a lot of the new heroes who are stepping up as Earth’s defenders aren’t as powerful as their predecessors. Iron Man and Vision are dead, Captain America’s mantle has passed onto a normal human, Hulk is injured and lacking his warrior spirit, Doctor Strange doesn’t consider himself an Avenger according to Benedict Cumberbatch, and Scarlet Witch seems to be walking down a path of self-destruction.

Considering the heroes that could be featured in Avengers 5, Captain Marvel and Thor are by far the most powerful. Carol Danvers was able to go toe-to-toe with Thanos, and Thor reached an unparalleled level of power after the events of both Thor: Ragnarok and Infinity War. However, the two heroes are from the cosmic realm of the MCU and might not always be available for the Avengers’ missions on Earth.

Phase 5’s Avengers Line-Up Has Lost Its Heart

The upcoming Avengers for MCU’s Phase 5 will also have to deal with the loss which originally bonded the team and contributed to their strong dynamic. It wasn’t really Nick Fury’s Avengers initiative that made the team a thing, but rather the fact that the original five heroes came together over the death of Phil Coulson and the need to protect the Earth. The deaths of Tony and Natasha, along with the retirement of Steve Rogers, will be felt not only for the franchise but for the team as well.

The remaining Avengers aren’t all rookies, but that doesn’t mean they’re prepared to be in charge of Earth Mightiest Heroes. For example, the new Captain America Sam Wilson has just accepted the shield previously used by Steve Rogers and is still figuring out what the super soldier’s legacy is. As mentioned, Doctor Strange has never considered himself an Avenger, and the character seems to always dealing with his own demons, along with mystical threats. Strange was a key hero in Infinity War and Endgame, but the former Sorcerer Supreme isn’t the best of team players.

Despite being one of the founding members and one of the most developed characters in the MCU, Thor is not suited for a leadership role. This was evident when the God of Thunder handed over the responsibility of leading New Asgard to Valkyrie and went on a trip with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Captain Marvel has the discipline and experience necessary to join or even command a team like the Avengers, but the character doesn’t have a very strong personal connection to Earth’s heroes and to what the Avengers’ members mean to everyday people. That might begin to change with Ms. Marvel, as the young hero will be one of the people that the Avengers and Captain Marvel helped inspire.

Avengers 5 Has A Bigger Hero Problem Than Infinity War

Infinity War proved the how strong the bond between the Avengers had become. Even scattered throughout the galaxy and forced to fight alongside strangers, the Avengers felt like a universal team prepared to face any challenge. Even the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War wasn’t enough to break the bonds between the members, who shortly after joined forces again to fight Thanos’ invasion. However, Avengers 5 will be a fresh start for both the team and the franchise. It took four years after Iron Man for the first Avengers movie to happen, and one could argue that it wasn’t until MCU’s Phase 2 that the heroes bonded. The heroes that will be part of the Avengers 5 line-up will likely go through a similar journey, with the aggravating factor that there will be pressure for them to fill in the shoes of the former team.

While there are many experienced heroes around like Sam, Strange, Rhodes, Carol, and Thor, a lot of the likely names for Avengers 5 are new faces to the MCU. Shang-Chi, the next Black Panther, Kate Bishop, and Yelena are some examples of characters who will have to build their relationships with new and old team members from scratch. Even Spider-Man, who already has a history with the team, will likely stand more apart from the pack considering that no one has any memory of Peter Parker.

The Avengers are the heart of the MCU, and not even the arrival of the Fantastic Four or the X-Men can diminish the importance of Avengers 5. It will be a challenge to rebuild the team following the events of Endgame. Whether it’s for power levels, experience, or personal connection to their peers, the new members of the Avengers do not have an easy future ahead of them.

About The Author

Marcelo Leite
(184 Articles Published)

Marcelo Leite is a senior writer for Screen Rant with years of experience in creative and academic writing. Although his chosen field was structure engineering, there is nothing he likes better than writing about the things he loves.

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