The Avengers Are The Only Way To Fix The MCU’s Misguided Multiverse Saga Mistakes

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has created a vast, impressive roster of heroes and villains over its fifteen-year run, but the studio’s success stems from the core of heroic leadership from the Avengers as a through line for its various projects. As Phases 4 and 5 have continued to add new heroes and teams to the ever-expanding MCU timeline, interest has dwindled, projects have failed, and audiences have found themselves overwhelmed. The solution may just lie in the original team of heroes that made the MCU special: the Avengers.

The first 3 phases of the MCU worked toward a common storyline: the Infinity Saga. Although new heroes were introduced periodically, most were on a trajectory toward joining the core team of the Avengers, with the only notably independent team being the Guardians of the Galaxy. Right until the culmination of the Avengers’ battle against Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, each of the original MCU Avengers — Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, the Hulk, and Hawkeye — remained prominent leaders among the heroes until Phase 4.

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The MCU Has Lacked Leadership Since The Infinity Saga

The MCU post-Infinity Saga has entered uncharted territory due to the loss of its most recognizable, box-office-guaranteed heroes, and it has been dealing with a more complicated playing field ever since. The leadership of Iron Man and Captain America cannot be overstated enough as the binding element that made it all work. Phases 4 and 5 have tried to fill the vacuum left by the original Avengers, but these efforts have been somewhat in vain based on much of this era’s reception.

While introducing multitudes of new heroes, the remaining members of the original Avengers lineup — Thor, Hawkeye, and the Hulk — have been treated like leftovers on the verge of retirement, lacking the gravitas to lead the next team of heroes. Meanwhile, although many newer MCU heroes may be more powerful than their predecessors, none yet have demonstrated the staying power of the originals. With this landscape in mind, the studio’s subsequent choices to decenter the importance of a singular leading superhero team has only worsened the issue.

The MCU’s Focus On Building New Superhero Teams Is Misguided

Perhaps the introduction of so many new heroes could have worked, had they all been on track to become Avengers, a focal team for the MCU’s moving parts to rally around. However, instead, the studio has been building towards the creation of new super teams, fragmenting its narrative. Although only one such team, the Thunderbolts, is confirmed, teams like the MCU’s Young Avengers, among others, are being teased.

Splitting up the heroes in this way will only exacerbate the unmoored feeling the MCU has been experiencing lately. Fan-favorites like Bucky Barnes will go on one team while promising up-and-comers like Ms. Marvel will go elsewhere, and groups like the Eternals and Guardians will operate on their own agendas, diluting any potential leadership for a core team of Avengers. Though this makes sense in terms of expanding the franchise, it is likely to only divide audiences attentions further unless the Avengers are set up in a way that provides the MCU an effective anchor for its future.