Summary
- The new Avengers team has been slowly teased since Endgame.
- Likely candidates for Sam Wilson's new team include Joaquin Torres and Shang-Chi, as confirmed by Avengers: Doomsday casting.
- MCU powerhouses like Thor and Bruce Banner are also likely recruits for the new Avengers team.
Spoiler Warning: This list will delve into story spoilers for the MCU up to and through Thunderbolts*, as well as Casting news for Avengers: Doomsday.
The formation of a new Avengers team has been a main focus of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Avengers: Endgame, and this plot thread has been slowly developing with each new release. Not only was it the main focus of Captain America: Brave New World, in which President Ross asks Captain America (Sam Wilson) to help him make a new team, but it was also a crucial part of the shocking ending of Thunderbolts*.
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At the very end of the MCU’s most recent film, Thunderbolts*, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine forces the titular team to become the “New Avengers,” and it’s later revealed in the post-credits scene that Sam Wilson is suing them over the use of the name “Avengers,” which heavily implies that he has already formed a brand-new, more official team on his own. Naturally, fans couldn’t help but wonder: which heroes was he able to recruit off-screen? There are a lot of well-known MCU characters to choose from, but the following eight are the most likely candidates.
8 Joaquin Torres (Falcon)
Captain America’s Loyal Sidekick
- Portrayed by: Danny Ramirez
- Debut: The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (2021)
If there’s one character that is surely part of Sam’s new Avengers team, it would definitely be his good friend and sidekick, Joaquin Torres, who took on the mantle of Falcon after Sam became Captain America. He proved to be a trustworthy ally in his debut appearance on the Disney Plus show, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, and he even effectively learned how to use the old Falcon gear in order to assist Captain America on the battlefield before and during the events of Brave New World.
Sam trusts Joaquin with his life and vice versa, so there’s little-to-no chance that he hasn't already recruited him for his new Avengers team. On top of that, Sam himself was part of the Avengers when he used to go by Falcon and worked as Steve Roger’s sidekick, so it makes sense that he would want to replicate that dynamic with Joaquin. Lastly, Danny Ramirez was confirmed for the cast of Avengers: Doomsday, so Falcon’s recruitment has most likely already happened off-screen.
7 Thor Odinson
One Of The Few Original Avengers Who Is Still Around
- Portrayed by: Chris Hemsworth
- Debut: Thor (2011)
Not many members of the original Avengers team are available to work in the current MCU timeline, either because they died or because they retired. There are two exceptions, however, with the most notorious one being none other than Thor Odinson. After the world-changing events of Avengers: Endgame, he’s the only one of the original team who got a fourth movie, Thor: Love and Thunder, which concluded with him adopting and raising Love (and even teaching her how to fight).
Thor is one of those MCU characters who is in a very favorable position: If Marvel Studios wants to, he could easily stay retired forever, but he could also just as easily join the fight in future films as well. Considering that Chris Hemsworth is currently confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday, he is most likely already part of Sam’s new team, which would be both very important and very useful, because the God of Thunder is one of the most powerful heroes in the entire MCU.
6 Scott Lang (Ant-Man)
An Iconic Character Who Never Joined The Old Avengers Team
- Portrayed by: Paul Rudd
- Debut: Ant-Man (2011)
Curiously enough, despite being an iconic fan favorite, Scott Lang (AKA Ant-Man) was never officially part of any Avengers team. He briefly fought on Captain America’s side in Civil War, he was not present during the events of Avengers: Infinity War, and he obviously joined the battle against Thanos’ forces in Avengers: Endgame, but he never officially received the title of Avenger, like other characters did.
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Scott joining the new team would be the perfect opportunity for the MCU to rectify this mistake, because he’s a really loveable character with unique powers, not to mention that his immense knowledge about the Quantum Realm literally saved the day in Avengers: Endgame. He was obviously last seen in his third solo movie, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, after having defeated Kang, and he worried about Kang's potential return, but since Marvel Studios has pretty much ditched that plot thread, he most likely won’t have to concern himself with that anymore. On top of that, Paul Rudd has also been confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday, making his addition to the Avengers an even bigger possibility.
5 Shuri (Black Panther)
The New Black Panther Would Be Another Crucial Addition To The Team
- Portrayed by: Letitia Wright
- Debut: Black Panther (2018)
After the tragic and sudden death of T’Challa (and his real-life actor, Chadwick Boseman), his sister, Shuri, had to take on the mantle of Black Panther, which was the main plot of 2022's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Since she left the throne of Wakanda, allowing M’Baku to become king instead, and she seems to be currently traveling around the world, she’s in a perfect position to join the Avengers.
Having the second Black Panther in the team would be really useful, because Shuri is not only very proficient in combat, but she’s also extremely intelligent, not to mention that she would be able to carry on her brother’s legacy. Not only is Letitia Wright already confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday, but Namor’s actor, Tenoch Huerta, will also be appearing in the upcoming film, so it would be interesting to see what these two reluctant allies have been up to and how they are going to interact.
4 Shang-Chi
This Expert Martial Artist Needs To Make A Comeback
- Portrayed by: Simu Liu
- Debut: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Among all the MCU projects that were released after Avengers: Endgame, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was definitely one of the best received, since audiences really resonated with Shang-Chi as a character, his martial arts expertise, and the complicated relationship with his father, Xu Wenwu (AKA The Mandarin). After the exciting post-credits scene of his debut film, in which he can be seen interacting with Wong, Carol Danvers, and Bruce Banner, fans have been begging Marvel Studios to bring him back in some shape or form.
Fortunately for them, it has already been confirmed that Simu Liu will be part of Avengers: Doomsday, so there’s a very realistic chance that Sam Wilson decided to recruit Shang-Chi for the Avengers off-screen, especially if Wong, Carol, or Bruce told him about his heroic actions and the ten powerful rings he inherited from his father.
3 Carol Danvers
One Of The Most Powerful Superheroes In The MCU
- Portrayed by: Brie Larson
- Debut: Captain Marvel (2019)
Captain Marvel is one of the weirdest characters in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, because she’s so unbelievably powerful (even more so than most of her contemporaries) that it almost seems like Marvel Studios doesn’t know exactly what to do with her. She was last seen in The Marvels, back on Earth and inspiring Kamala Khan to form her own team of young heroes, so there’s no good reason for Sam Wilson to not contact Carol Danvers and recruit her for the new Avengers.
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While her actress, Brie Larson, has currently not been confirmed to be in the cast of Avengers: Doomsday, it's still highly likely that Captain Marvel has joined Sam’s new team off-screen, and she may be busy with something else before and/or during the events of that film. After all, she already showed how powerful she is during the battle against Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, so she would undoubtedly be a crucial addition to the team.
2 Bruce Banner (Smart Hulk)
This Classic Avenger Is Finally Back On Earth
- Portrayed by: Mark Ruffalo
- Debut: The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Because of some convoluted copyright issues between Disney and Universal, Bruce Banner’s appearances in the MCU have been quite odd, to say the least. Despite being a founding member of the original Avengers, most of his character development happened off-screen — like when he managed to combine his Banner and Hulk personas into Smart Hulk — not to mention that he hasn’t starred in a project of his own since his debut film, back in 2008 (where he was played by an entirely different actor).
The distribution rights for the the 2008 Hulk movie have recently reverted to Disney and Marvel Studios, but it's unclear exactly what that might mean for future Hulk solo projects. Fortunately, he was last seen in the final episode of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, where he returned to Earth with his Sakaarian son, Skaar, so he’s in a very good position to join Sam Wilson’s new Avengers team. Alternatively, if he can’t (or doesn’t want to) join them, maybe his cousin, Jennifer Walters (AKA She-Hulk) could take his place instead.
1 Peter Parker (Spider-Man)
This Friendly Neighborhood Hero Has Recently Restarted His Journey
- Portrayed by: Tom Holland
- Debut: Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Even though the existence of Spider-Man in the MCU depends on the rights issues between Disney and Sony, Marvel Studios has been able to use him very effectively throughout many projects, both in his solo trilogy and in three different non-Spider-Man movies. So, there’s no reason for Peter Parker to join the Avengers for a second time. The only real problem is that, after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, nobody in the MCU should be able to remember who he is.
However, at the very end of that movie, he restarted his solo career as a street-level superhero in New York City, so if he has been doing a good job at it, there’s a very good chance that Sam Wilson tried to get in contact with him and recruit him for the Avengers. However, with Tom Holland being unconfirmed for Avengers: Doomsday, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day currently in production, it’s unknown if Marvel and Sony actually want to include him in the team or if they would much rather have him go on more street-level adventures instead.
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