Avengers 4: Five Marvel heroes that can be introduced
By Jon Hawley
Who could arrive in Marvel’s Avengers 4? Spoilers are ahead from Avengers: Infinity War.
Fortune cookie wisdom: endings are also beginnings, and that begs the question: what new Marvel heroes could we see in Avengers 4?
The end of Avengers: Infinity War focused on Thanos murdering many familiar and beloved characters, and left us wondering whose deaths would be reversed in Avengers 4. Yet for all the focus on old faces, we also know Marvel is thinking hard about new ones, and who will carry the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Phase 4 and beyond.
We already know one new face is coming: Captain Marvel, who will debut in her own movie before providing our heroes desperately needed backup in Avengers 4. Yet the film is a golden opportunity to introduce a few more key faces to the MCU, considering it will draw massive audiences and should be able to manage a few new superheroes. I say that because Thanos’s finger-snap of death should allow a manageable number of protagonists for most of the movie.
So what other new Marvel heroes could Avengers 4 introduce? I have five candidates to offer. To keep things interesting, I’ve tried to avoid obvious characters the MCU may soon have access to, including the Silver Surfer, Fantastic Four, and X-Men.
This list is also based on three factors:
First, could the superhero actually make a difference against Thanos? Avengers 4 is not the time to introduce lightweights, even fun ones. Even with an apparently damaged Infinity Gauntlet and the loss of the Black Order, Thanos is still a threat of deific power. Any new character needs to bring serious fighting power, provide crucial knowledge or offer major strategic value.
Second, can the superhero be introduced easily and naturally into the story? Even with Avengers 4 starting out with a smaller roster than AIW, the movie is no place for a long, complicated origin story. It would also help if the character had connections to cosmic Marvel and/or Thanos.
Third, does the character have legs? Could he or she sustain their own franchise, or at least add a lot to existing ones?
So, with that said, let’s get started!