Avengers as a team goes hand in hand with the concept of crossover. With the announcements of Phase 5 & Phase 6 of MCU and the new reveals of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet coinciding, the ever creative and speculative fans of both franchises could start asking themselves the famous question “What if...?”.
Both the Pokémon are beloved franchises with immense fan . Considering they share a huge number of those said fans, it is only fair to wonder how the iconic team of Avengers would fare in the Pokémon world. In the infinite possibilities of the multiverse, with the planets aligned, the MCU / Pokémon could be a thing, with the of the Avengers having to pick their starter Pokémon.
Captain America: Piplup
The color palette isn’t the only thing that matches Captain America and Piplup. Piplup’s final evolutionary stage, Empoleon is the true selling point of this pairing. After the events of Captain America: Civil War, Steve Rogers relinquished his iconic shield.
During the events of Avengers: Infinity War, Cap sported vibranium shields on both arms, weaponry that is very similar to Empoleon’s steel-enforced wings. The image of these two standing back to back, in similar stances, and ready for action is one Pokémon fans would love to see in theaters.
Thor: Chespin
The starters for the games Pokémon: X & Y had a very interesting theme to them. They were designed after classic RPG classes warrior, rogue, and mage with Chespin and its final stage Chesnaught being the warrior.
Thor’s most hilarious and iconic moments arise when the ancient Viking warrior in him peaks its head from time to time. Chesnaught and Thor would form a formidable duo as two warriors feeding off of each other's strength.
Hulk: Chimchar
Fans of the Pokémon Animated Series all look back fondly on Ash Ketchum’s rivalries and journeys across the Sinnoh region. A key actor throughout those journeys was Infernape, who started out as a Chimchar. As Infernape grew angrier, it gained incredible strength.
This bears an uncanny resemblance to a particular green member of the Avengers. Not only could Bruce Banner help Infernape with its anger issues, but they would be an unstoppable team if anyone dared to make them angry.
Hawkeye: Froakie
The rogue of the Kalos starters is the perfect match for Clint Barton but not for his Hawkeye persona. Hawkeye, in the comics and for a brief glimpse in Avengers: Endgame, goes rogue and becomes the vigilante “Ronin”.
Ronin and Greninja would compliment each other perfectly through their emphasis on agility and stealth. Although not as accurately, Greninja could Barton’s arrows with its powerful Water Shuriken.
Iron Man: Squirtle
When it comes to Tony Stark, the entire process of picking a starter Pokémon becomes complicated. He would probably find a loophole in the system and reverse engineer his way to having an incredibly customized version of Rotom as his starter.
In of official starters, an incredibly fun team-up could be Iron Man and Mega-Blastoise. Pokémon might be straying further and further away from the mechanics they introduced in the sixth generation games, but if Tony Stark wants a starter with equally strong canons to him, he will definitely find a way.
Black Widow: Torchic
Black Widow is known for her great use of the scissor leg take down. She uses her kicks in combat more effectively than any other Avenger. The only starter Pokémon who could match her kick for kick is Blaziken!
The third stage of Torchic, Blaziken is one of the only starter who can learn the move Blaze Kick. The original Fire / Fighting Pokémon could learn a lot from Black Widow, forming a strong and dangerous bond.
Falcon: Rowlet
If Falcon is going to pick a starter, he would definitely form a bond with a Pokémon that can take to the skies with him. This is why the Rowlet line is perfect for Sam Wilson.
With the introduction of Rowlet, Pokémon fans were treated to the first ever flying type starter. While Charizard is also a flying type, the final stage in the Rowlet line, Decidueye with its ghost typing would be a great match for Falcon.
Vision: Sobble
One could think that the sharp-shooting Intellion, the final stage in the Sobble line, could be a great companion for Vison’s teammate Hawkeye, but Vision is the perfect trainer for Sobble.
One of Sobble’s most unique traits is that it is an incredibly sensitive and emotional Pokémon. This is why the always comionate Vision could be a great trainer for Sobble. There is also a parallel between Vision’s phasing ability and Sobble’s ability to camouflage.
Scarlet Witch: Fennekin
The mage of the Kalos starter trio would no doubt form a great team with the Scarlet Witch. The final stage in the Fennekin line, Delphox, has a rare typing in Fire / Psychic. This easily harkens back to the old days of Wanda, getting into the minds of her enemies.
While Delphox is modeled after a witch, there isn’t enough room in the world of Pokémon to explore its magic based origins. A team-up with Scarlet Witch could help dive into this unexplored territory.
Spider-Man: Grookey
One of the main reasons fans fell in love with Tom Holland’s portrayal of the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man was the fact that Tom’s version of the character embraced the inherent goofy aspects of the character the fans knew and loved.
Pokémon starters don’t get any goofier than Grookey, the stick banging, drumming, grass monkey. The two of them could swing all around New York or Galar, getting themselves into trouble, helping others, and making some sweet percussion music the whole time.
