The MCU’s 1980s Avengers Could Easily Beat Marvel’s Original 6

The MCU’s new Avengers team of the 1980s would be more than capable of beating Marvel’s original 6 from the 2000s. Marvel’s What If…? season 2 introduces branched timelines in which variants make crucial decisions that change established events on the main MCU timeline. The most recent episode depicted the events of what would have happened if Yondu handed Peter Quill over to his Celestial father, Ego, changing the course of Star-Lord’s destiny as he is imbued with the Celestial powers that he relinquished in the Sacred Timeline of Earth-616

The effects of Quill being handed over to his father unsurprisingly has some far-reaching effects that sees Quill as a child revisit earth with destructive intent. This occurs in 1988, more than two decades before the Avengers officially assemble in the original MCU timeline. Project Pegasus assumes Quill returns to unleash his Celestial powers on the unsuspecting planet, spurring SHIELD, helmed by Peggy Carter and Howard Stark, to assemble a team of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes as a countermeasure. At the time, the original lineup of the Avengers weren’t in operation, save for one who visits Midgard in his own effort to quell the destructive intentions of the Celestial.

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What If’s 1980s Avengers Line-Up Explained

What If…? Season 2 explores the fact that there were still several super-powered individuals in operation preceding the 2012 lineup. Peggy Carter and Howard Stark oversee the assemblage of these heroes who comprise Hank Pym acting as the 1980s Ant-Man, Bill Foster fulfilling the role of Goliath, T’Chaka as Black Panther, Mar-Vell/Wendy Lawson, and Bucky Barnes in his Soviet-serving role as the Winter Soldier. Later, as the team struggle to overcome the powerful Celestial powers of Peter Quill, Thor descends on Midgard following Quill’s destruction of eight of the Nine Realms, proving how powerful the Celestial Quill has become.

With that in mind, it is difficult for the team to overcome the destructive capabilities of Quill, who manages to avoid being bested by the team before Thor’s intervention. Despite this, the team contain the child capable of destroying entire worlds in a prison reminiscent of the container designed for Hulk that was eventually used to contain Loki in The Avengers. This is because, between the technical prowess of the non-super-powered team and Thor’s godlike powers, the team are an exceptionally powerful rendition of the Avengers.

What If…?

What If… ? is an animated anthology series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe which features fan-favorite characters, including Peggy Carter, T’Challa, Doctor Strange, Killmonger, Thor, and more. The new series, directed by Bryan Andrews with AC Bradley as head writer, features signature MCU action with a curious twist. The show sees Uatu the Watcher, an omnipotent being that observes the events of multiple universes from afar as they unfold, unable to interfere. However, things shift when an entity peers beyond the veil, jeopardizing the multiverse. 

Cast

Samuel L. Jackson , Stanley Tucci , Michael Douglas , Sean Gunn , Mark Ruffalo , Karen Gillan , Tom Hiddleston , Jeffrey Wright , Michael B. Jordan , Toby Jones , Sebastian Stan , Paul Rudd , David Dastmalchian , Natalie Portman , Josh Brolin , Dominic Cooper , Jeff Goldblum , Hayley Atwell , Djimon Hounsou , Chadwick Boseman , Taika Waititi , Chris Hemsworth , Neil McDonaugh , Jeremy Renner , Michael Rooker

Seasons

2

Streaming Service(s)

Disney Plus

Why The 1988 Avengers Are More Powerful

The Avengers, while powerful, have greater counterparts in the lineup of the 1980s version of the team. Hank Pym’s genius is more than capable of measuring up to Tony Stark’s, while Bucky Barnes’ ruthlessness could counteract Captain America’s measured and merciful approach to combat. Mar-Vell, meanwhile, has the super-human abilities bestowed by her Kree blood with the genius to bolster Pym’s and a Tesseract-powered ship. While Black Widow and Hawkeye are formidable in the right situations, a suited-up Black Panther is more than enough to stand up to both.

Goliath’s abilities are illustrated by Scott Lang’s stints as Giant-Man, affording him increased strength and the sheer might that comes with his giant size. He’s essentially the early team’s answer to Hulk. While Ant-Man is far from being the strongest MCU hero, there are a lot of beneficial effects of being a gargantuan body on the battlefield. With all that in mind, however, there is one conspicuous member of the original six Avengers that could still pose a significant threat.

The Most Difficult Original Avenger To Take Down

With all that in mind, it would still be a big stretch for the 1980s Avengers to best Hulk. While it is no secret that Hulk has been nerfed by the MCU compared to his comic book counterpart, his ability to throw an Asgardian god around like a ragdoll and fell a Chitauri Leviathan with a punch is ample illustration of how much of a threat he would pose to the 1980s lineup. Needless to say, he would have been a useful addition in the team’s attempts to best the powers of Peter Quill. With that being said, Thor’s inclusion in both teams was demonstrated to be the true ace-in-the-hole, and an ample countermeasure to the Jade Giant.

In What If…? Season 2, episode 2, Thor seems to have undergone the character growth that took him several years in the original timeline. Quill’s destruction of Asgard alone was enough to prompt him to step-up as the supremely powerful hero he was always destined to be. As Thor demonstrated in Thor: Ragnarok, he was able to defeat Hulk without Mjolnir, so a Mjolnir-wielding Thor on a vengeful path is a true force to be reckoned with in What If…?.