New Avengers Can Stop The MCU Going Stale After Avengers 4

The future of the Avengers, but with new, legacy characters taking up their mantles to keep it fresh. Over the last 10 years, the MCU has thrived in almost every way. Much of the success has come on the backs of the six characters who helped truly launch what the universe has become today.

In 2012, The Avengers changed the landscape of not just the superhero movie genre but all of Hollywood as well. Marvel Studios proved that an interconnected universe spanning several different franchises could work - and that there's massive box office potential if done correctly. The Avengers was led by the MCU's three leading superheroes - Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) - while also seeing the return of Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), not to mention the introduction of a new Hulk, played by Mark Ruffalo. The movie became a phenomenon and grossed $1.5 billion as a result, and it gave Marvel Studios confidence to continue.

As the MCU has grown, its introduced a number of new characters who have gone on to lead successful franchises of their own. Characters like Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, and Black Panther succeeded on their own, while the Guardians of the Galaxy made the jump from obscure comic book property to a household names. Through it all, Marvel has still relied heavily on the original six Avengers. They were the foundation of Avengers 4 and likely for the last time. However, Marvel already appears to be preparing for a future without the same actors and characters - and it appears to be in making many (if not all) legacy heroes.

This Page: Marvel's Planning To Leave OG Avengers Behind
Page 2: What New Heroes Mean For MCU's Future

Avengers 4 Will Likely Say Goodbye to OG Avengers

It may be difficult for many to it, but Avengers 4 appears to be the last time (for now) that many of the his tweet doesn't spoil anything about Avengers 4's ending, but the writing has been on the wall for some time.

If Evans is leaving (and, as a result, Captain America - or at least the Steve Rogers version), then some of the other original may not be far behind. Robert Downey Jr. is known to receive massive paydays to appear, and while the box office receipts may prove it is worth every penny to keep him around, the MCU is in as great a place as ever to let the old guard leave and a new one to rise. And while no way guarantees she will survive Avengers 4, let alone continue to appear through MCU Phase 4 and beyond.

If Avengers 4 does begin to usher out the original Avengers, there will be a major hole atop the MCU. Theoretically, the likes of Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, and introduction of the X-Men and Fantastic Four that can help fill the void of the original Avengers leaving. But, it also looks like new versions of the original Avengers could come, and thus introduce legacy versions of these characters. After all, Marvel Studios has made almost all of the original Avengers household names, so why get rid of these valuable IPs when they can instead be explored in a new direction?

Legacy Heroes Appear to Be The Next Step

The evidence for such a move comes with a few recent stories in the MCU circle. This possible movement was recently tipped off by Crossbones actor Frank Grillo. He said that with Evans stepping away from the Falcon and Winter Soldier will star in a miniseries for Disney's streaming service, Disney Play.

Now there are rumors Captain America won't be the only one who becomes a legacy character. A new rumor teases Hawkeye could receive a solo project of some sorts and that he'd be training an apprentice. The unidentified apprentice is believed to be Kate Bishop, who takes over the mantle of Hawkeye in the comics. If this is true, then both Hawkeye and Captain America could become legacy characters in the MCU. But, if Marvel Studios is going to evolve these two characters into legacy characters, then they may be planning to do the same for the other four original Avengers.

Page 2 of 2: Comic History & Impact on MCU Future

How It Follows The Comics

Thanks to the long-running nature of Marvel comics, the idea of ing on superhero mantles has been around for decades. Iron Man is best known as Tony Stark, but James Rhodes, Doctor Doom, Pepper Potts, Riri Williams, and Nathaniel Richards are just a few who have Thor's powers have ed to Jane Foster, Beta Ray Bill and others; Bruce Banner has seen Thunderbolt Ross, Betty Ross, Jennifer Walters, and Amadeus Cho gain similar Hulk powers; and Hawkeye and Black Widow have each seen a few people take their name. Fans have already seen an example of this in the MCU with Ant-Man and Wasp. While the Ant-Man franchise focuses on Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne, their titles were previously held by Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne - both in the comics and in the MCU continuity.

Marvel Studios loves to borrow elements from the comics in telling their cinematic story, and president Kevin Feige has even hinted that following this guide could be in the MCU's future. He said "we can look to in the comics" to see how the MCU will continue on as mainstay characters, as the original Avengers are nearing their end, and he specifically noted how Captain Marvel's new backstory. Falcon was promoted to the role of Captain America in 2014, the same year when a cancer-stricken Jane Foster took over as Thor. Kate Bishop's turn to Hawkeye happened in Young Avengers #4 in 2005, so she's been around in this capacity a little bit longer. With the comic precedence for many of the original Avengers' mantles being ed on, the MCU very well could follow it and result in some major changes in Phase 4 and beyond.

What It Could Mean For The MCU’s Future

If the future of the MCU does lie with legacy characters, then one of the first things to happen could be some familiar faces getting promotions. Falcon has just been a side character to this point in the MCU, so promoting him to become the new Captain America would be a major step up. The same could even be said for making Bucky the next Captain America, or if they decide to Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie even more powerful and bestow her with Thor's abilities.

Since only a few of the original Avengers have replacements that have already been introduced, moving in this direction would also set up the MCU with several brand new heroes - many of which happen to be female. Shuri to become the next Black Panther, Kamala Khan taking cues from Captain Marvel, Cassie Lang following in the footsteps of her father, and even how Miles Morales can one day become a new Spider-Man. Legacy heroes could pave the way for the immediate future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but also inform how it develops for years to come - and it could all start with the original Avengers exiting.