Who will (and who won’t) be on the New Avengers line-up in Avengers 4?
By Paul Zuniga
After the events of Avengers: Infinity War took out several of Earth’s Mightiest in one fell swoop, the planet was left with only a ragtag team of heroes. There are plenty of major players still on Earth, we just don’t know which ones will join the New Avengers in Avengers 4.
In the next Avengers movie, a new team of heroes will be assembled. Since the world is in a state of peril and a response team is needed, the Avengers will have to. The team won’t look exactly the same but we should expect Steve Rogers and Thor to come back. At the same time, they’ll likely be joined by some new allies.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
Those of us who’ve seen Avengers: Infinity War know that a lot of heroes have been erased. The ones who are left are going to be in an odd position when Avengers 4 begins because they can’t strike back at Thanos. No matter how much they want revenge, the Avengers will have to respond to the world’s panicked state first. In turn, new alliances will need to be made to cover all territories. And with every new alliance, comes a new team name, namely the New Avengers.
Since the world is going to need a response team to address the disappearance of half its people, the Avengers, or rather the New Avengers, are that team. One might argue that the United Nations or the U.S. government would address the situation but they’re likely suffering from random disappearances as well so they’d be of no help. In turn, the New Avengers are the planet’s only hope.
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How will Captain Marvel factor into Avengers 4?
The other hint towards the New Avengers assembling is that Nick Fury sent out a distress call to Carol Danvers in the post-credits scene of Avengers: Infinity War. During that scene, Fury disappears, but before he does, he uses a communicator to call someone. On the display screen, Captain Marvel’s insignia pops up.
What this means for the MCU is that Carol Danvers is going to be the first one on the scene. The thing is, she can’t do it all alone. Unless she has a team we don’t know about (S.H.I.E.L.D could be), Danvers needs the New Avengers’ help. Plus, it’s not like they wouldn’t cross paths if they’re both addressing disasters around the globe. Nevertheless, the question remains, who would be on this new team?
Not everyone who survived Avengers: Infinity War is going to be up for a team-up. Characters like Shuri and Okoye have a duty to Wakanda, especially now that their King has been disintegrated, and they’re not the only ones who have business to attend to. In lieu of that, we’ve broken down where each of the surviving heroes stands, and whether or not they’ll join the New Avengers.
New Avengers: Steve Rogers
Obviously, Steve Rogers is going to be leading the charge as one of the New Avengers. He just lost Bucky, Sam, and Wanda all at once, and these are losses that are definitely going to weigh on him. And, of course, not being able to stop Thanos the first time is a big motivator as well. Together, that should be reason enough for Rogers to start the New Avengers initiative. Although, I wouldn’t rule out Carol Danvers being the one who takes the initiative and does it for him.
Asgard: Thor
Despite losing to Thanos, Thor came away from the fight with one good thing, his hammer, Stormbreaker. He’s going to be focused on using Stormbreaker to stop Thanos but there’s something else that needs attending, Asgard. Thor left Surtur and Hela battling on the planet in Thor: Ragnarok and it’s presumably been laid to waste by now. The good news is that Thor can stop them by using Stormbreaker.
Reasonably speaking, one of the deities has won by now. Unless by some far off chance that they’re locked in endless combat, someone won. Whoever it was, is likely ruling over Asgard’s remains as we speak. Luckily their reign will end once Thor returns with Stormbreaker in hand.
New Avengers: Black Widow
Black Widow is most likely going to stand with Steve Rogers as he reassembles the Avengers. She’s one of the last members of Rogers’ team from before Infinity War so it’s reasonable to assume they’re on the same page. Keep in mind that the distress call Fury sent out to Captain Marvel could’ve also gone out to all former S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, including Widow. If it did, Black Widow might respond to that call before she has a chance to join the New Avengers. Of course, Rogers will probably make a good case for why Widow should stay with him if she decides to answer Fury’s call.
New Avengers: War Machine
War Machine is a bit difficult to pin down since he holds allegiances to Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, and the U.S. government but he’s probably going to reteam with Rogers on the New Avengers. They’re going to leave Wakanda’s battlefield together and staying together is the most feasible option for them both. There is, however, a possibility that Rhodes will see the mass vanishings as a major hit to the United States and go back to help with the aftermath.
Remember, Rhodes was the Iron Patriot at one point and he still holds those loyalties to the state. Although, the lack of an Iron Man on Earth will probably result in Rhodes covering more ground as one of the New Avengers — that is unless villains start running rampant across the U.S. In that scenario, Rhodes would probably address the problems of his home-country before attending to the rest of the world.
Wakandan Guard: Okoye
After seeing T’Challa get vaporized, Okoye is going to be preoccupied with Wakanda’s state. The Kingdom relies on the King’s guidance at all times but without him, the state could erupt in panic. For that reason, Okoye will return to her post to protect the vacant seat of power.
For those who don’t recall, there are multiple tribes fighting for the throne in Wakanda. Now that the seat is vacant, there’s going to be a line of candidates stepping up to become King. Or, who knows, maybe Okoye will take on the burden herself. She has the necessary military experience to be a Panther, and she’s willing to make good on T’Challa’s promise to the world. With that known, Okoye sounds like a perfect candidate to become the next Black Panther.
King Of Wakanda: M’Baku
One of the smaller cameos in Avengers: Infinity War was M’Baku. He showed up during the climactic battle of Wakanda and made it to the end. While M’Baku is in the position to return to his tribe, the vacant throne of Wakanda could be enticing. His goal in Black Panther was to become King so that might be where M’Baku is headed. Except, Shuri is next in line for the throne.
Queen Of Wakanda: Shuri
While we didn’t get to see what happened to Shuri after she was blasted out of her lab’s window, she probably survived. There was neither a definitive death scene or an erasure so Shuri is likely safe. Assuming she did survive the culling, Shuri is next in line to lead Wakanda. Since her brother was the former Pather, she stands next in the line of succession. One of the other tribe’s leaders could step up but the disappearance of their own people will presumably be a bigger concern than who is sitting on the throne. Therefore, Shuri could be crowned the new Queen. It also doesn’t hurt that her comic counterpart became the Black Panther, too.
New Avengers: Bruce Banner
At the moment, the Hulk is out of commission. He took a beating from Thanos at the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War and then refused to come out for the duration of the film, Banner, however, was not. Due to this, he was forced to suit up in Iron Man’s Hulkbuster armor. It didn’t match up to the Hulk’s raw strength but the suit kept Banner from being torn apart by the Outriders. Unfortunately, the Hulkbuster was badly damaged by the end of the fight, making it unusable. Banner could repair the suit, though he’s probably going to get to the bottom of his Hulk problem first. Either way, he’s going to stand by Steve Rogers as they deal with the fallout of Thanos’ culling.
Space Avengers: Iron Man
After Thanos took the Time Stone from Doctor Strange, he left Strange, Tony Stark and the Guardians stranded on Titan. By the end of Avengers: Infinity War, everyone except for Tony Stark and Nebula was erased. There were no hints towards what Stark’s next move will be but he’ll probably concoct a plan to get off the planet. The only problem with Stark’s plan is that he doesn’t have a suit of armor.
The nanites in his Bleeding Edge were all used up during his fight with Thanos so he’s going to need a new suit to get home. There’s a chance Stark can assimilate foreign metal into new nanites but if he can’t, Stark will need to scavenge tech off of Thanos’ crashed ship. Or, perhaps Stark will team with Nebula to hail a ship.
Whatever the case may be, Stark is going to be in space when Avengers 4 begins. There, he’ll be faced with the dilemma of how to get home. But at the same time, Stark will be in the perfect position to gather some new tech to use against Thanos. He obviously won’t take his time, though we could definitely see Stark making some strange acquaintances during his scavenging. Who knows, Stark might even find some decent spacefarers to call his team of Space Avengers, gaining some valuable allies in the process.
New Avengers: Hawkeye / Ronin
Despite not making an appearance in Avengers: Infinity War, Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) is definitely returning in Avengers 4. Set images from earlier this year revealed that Renner is back but he’s taken on a new superhero moniker: Ronin. Renner was spotted walking to set, sporting some leg guards identical to that of his character’s Ronin alias. He also wore a black costume under his blanket, adding more evidence to the claims of Ronin entering the fold.
Additionally, the presence of Ronin means a group of “new” Avengers must’ve been assembled. Clint Barton would need a good reason to leave his family and running around by himself isn’t something he’d do. That said, it’s safe to assume Steve Rogers will assemble the New Avengers and Ronin is part of the team.
Undecided: Rocket Raccoon
While Rocket did witness Groot vanishing into nothing, he has no idea that the rest of his team are gone too. He’ll probably go out and search for the other Guardians but that might be difficult. Thor brought Rocket to Earth and there aren’t any ships nearby so he’s going to have a hard time finding them. He could get Thor to send him back the Guardians’ last location but that might be pointless.
The other option for Rocket is that he stays on Earth to wait for the Guardians. He could also use his time there to send out a distress call, though it’ll go unanswered. On the positive side, Rocket Raccoon could be extremely useful to the New Avengers, that is if he decides to stay and help. He possesses knowledge of alien technologies that’ll easily translate to Earth tech, making him a worthy teammate to have. However, Rocket could go in a completely different direction.
Considering Rocket just lost his best-friend, again, he might not be feeling the hero game anymore. Think about it, Rocket has struggled to be an upstanding Guardian for the longest time, and his latest setback might just be what sets him back onto the path of a dirty mercenary. Fortunately, he has some Avenger friends to coach him and possibly teach him to how to become one himself.
Undecided: Nebula
Most of us expect Nebula to go after Thanos but she doesn’t have a feasible method of defeating him, especially with the Infinity Gauntlet in his possession. Nebula might make a foolish attempt on Thanos but it’s likely that Tony Stark will convince her to help him because he has the tools necessary to stop Thanos. It also doesn’t hurt that the situation calls for uneasy alliances to be made. Therefore, Tony Stark and Nebula could partner up.
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Assuming Stark and Nebula come to some kind of accord, their first stop would likely be to a nearby planet to resupply. There, they’d probably come across tech that can help with their Thanos problem. What that could be is anyone’s guess but if Stark gets his hands on alien tech, he’ll take his armors to the next level, possibly creating the Godkiller armor. Nebula would also be able to assist in prepartions of a new suit. Although, Stark may have to come up with a weapon more effective than a suit of armor.
Avengers 4 opens in theaters on May 8, 2019.