The Avengers will be returning to the big screen in 2025 with a two-part installment in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. Yet, we still have no clue what the lineup for the titular team will look like in these two movies, given that the team is no longer active within the MCU.
Figuring out the lineup for the Avengers in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is essential because this film will assumably be much more about the team and the movie’s villain, something more akin to the first two Avengers movies. While Avengers 5 may have some easter eggs, these will probably be saved more for Avengers: Secret Wars.
So, without further ado, let’s look at the ten heroes we think are the most likely to form the Avengers in The Kang Dynasty.
Warning: Spoilers for the MCU, all the way up to the latest episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
Captain America
10 Heroes Most Likely to Form the Avengers in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
Sam Wilson was given the mantle of Captain America during the ending of Avengers: Endgame, a fact that viewers saw him wrestle with in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. However, Wilson seemingly accepted that he would be the next hero to don the shield during the show’s final episodes. Evidently, the next place that Wilson will show up is with Captain America 4, Captain America: New World Order, a movie that is set to show Sam Wilson in all his star-spangled glory.
There are a few reasons why Captain America will likely be an Avenger in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, including the simple fact that Sam Wilson has already been an Avenger. There is also the element that the whole mantle of Captain America is associated with the word Avenger, as Steve Rogers was known as the First Avenger, something that doesn’t necessarily have to end with Steve.
In the long run, we’ll have to wait and see, and hopefully, we’ll get a better idea of what’s next for Sam Wilson at the end of Captain America 4. In all honesty, he is one of the heroes that is much more of a lock for the team.
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Heroes who were included in the original Avengers comic book lineup, both Ant-Man and especially Wasp, have been unfortunately a bit overlooked when it comes to this superhero team in the MCU. Ant-Man did finally become an official Avenger in Avengers: Endgame, though it was just for a short time, while Wasp hasn’t been involved with the MCU team at all. Also, no, we’re not counting Avengers: Endgame’s final battle.
Storywise though, it would also make perfect sense to include at least one of the duo in the team’s lineup, in large part because the duo’s movie stars the villain of the upcoming Avengers movie. Kang will at least have some scenes in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, a storyline that will obviously impact The Kang Dynasty.
Ant-Man and/or Wasp could be the ones that warn everyone about the threat that Kang poses to the Multiverse, thus being the ones needed to form this new Avengers team. Yet, there are rumors that both Ant-Man and Wasp won’t survive the film, especially since this is the end of their trilogy, so there’s a good chance we won’t see both as members of the upcoming Avengers lineup.
Thor
Thor is currently the only MCU superhero to have movies past a trilogy, a fact that should not be overlooked as it means that Marvel sees value in the hero. Something else worth noting is that comic book teams that have multiple iterations tend to have at least one consistent member, which Thor is a perfect fit for.
The only thing that gives a bit of pause on whether or not the Asgardian hero will be a member of the team has to do with where the character is at after Thor: Love and Thunder, as it adds a new wrinkle to the character’s story. Thor now has an adopted daughter to contend with, which might end up ruling him out for the team. On the flip side, though, it might be a good story reason as perhaps Thor wants to help the Avengers stop Kang in an effort to protect Love. He could always leave Love in the care of New Asgard for a bit.
Hulk
Bruce Banner is another choice if Marvel Studios wants there to be a consistent member of the Avengers. Another reason, though, as to why Hulk could be showing up in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is because, unlike other heroes, he has had no projects where he is the lead since 2008. While this would be another project where he wouldn’t be the lead, it would give the fan-favorite character something to do other than making guest appearances in other people’s projects.
The no Hulk-focused movies thing is a big deal, but it is also worth mentioning that there is a possibility that this could change after the events of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Perhaps after seeing what’s next for the character, likely during his cousin’s show, we won’t feel the need to include Hulk in an Avengers lineup. However, as there is no true confirmation of any of this, there’s no reason not to have him on any possible lineups as of yet.
She-Hulk
Despite She-Hulk’s show not ending yet, it is clear that Marvel has big plans for the fan-favorite comic book character. This indicates that the superhero may have plenty more adventures to go on, with one such adventure being that she becomes an Avenger in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
The most significant evidence for her joining the team thus far comes in the fifth episode of her series, in which she is called an Avenger by her best friend, Nikki. She is also consistently referenced in relation to both her cousin and the Avengers throughout the show, which means that Marvel Studios is perhaps setting up a payoff with her joining the team’s new iteration.
The only factor that gives a bit of pause for her becoming an Avenger is that she has not embraced being a superhero yet in her own show, though admittedly, this could change in the latter half of the series. We haven’t even been able to officially see her in her superhero attire yet, as it has only been seen through leaked pictures.
Shang-Chi
Shang-Chi has a few reasons why he could possibly join the upcoming lineup, which first and foremost has to do with the director of Avengers 5. Destin Daniel Crettin, the director of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, is set to direct Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Crettin has proven to be an incredible MCU director, but the choice to have him helm an Avengers film would make even more sense if Shang-Chi was involved in the movie as well.
Having Shang-Chi involved with the upcoming Avengers lineup would also give his solo film a new sense of purpose. That’s not to say that every MCU film needs some grand purpose per se, but it is an element that has seemingly helped the MCU have as much longevity as it has. It would be a choice that could even get people to check out Crettin’s film, who may have skipped on Shang-Chi the first time around.
Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel is probably one of the most likely heroes to join the Avengers in their upcoming film. Carol Danvers has very much been set up as a character to join the team, which while she has done already, it was unfortunately for an extremely brief time in Avengers: Endgame.
Like Shang-Chi though, the director of The Kang Dynasty being Crettin also makes it even more likely that Captain Marvel will be a member of the team. This is because Captain Marvel’s actress, Brie Larson, is seemingly good friends with Crettin, as the two have worked together in a plethora of movies. If you take a look at Crettin’s body of work, almost every single one of his works includes Larson in some capacity; a factor which presumably resulted in her being one of the heroes included in Shang-Chi’s end credit scene. While this certainly won’t be the only reason, as Carol’s journey has been set up for her to join the Avengers in a larger capacity, it undoubtedly does help make the case for why she will be a member of the Avengers.
War Machine
A hero who has been more of a minor member of the Avengers in the MCU thus far, War Machine is still around and clearly top of mind for Marvel Studios, which makes him an excellent candidate for a new Avengers team. Rhodey has been appearing in a couple of projects since Avengers: Endgame, as he has appeared in The Falcon and the Winter and Soldier and will be making an appearance in Secret Invasion. Not to mention he will be getting his own project with the series Armor Wars.
It’s also worth noting these projects since they have really been focusing on the governmental aspect of Rhodey, something that could be important to have in a future Avengers team. While there has been no real mention of it as of late, the Sokovia Accords may still cause some problems for the Avengers. This problem could easily be rectified by having a high-standing member of the government involved with the team.
It would also be fantastic to get Tony Stark’s best friend involved with the team so that we still could have versions of both Captain America and Iron Man in this new Avengers group.
Black Panther
Unfortunately, we won’t get to see T’Challa join the official Avengers lineup, at least not for the foreseeable future. However, this doesn’t mean that we won’t ever get to see a Black Panther join the superhero team, as we are unquestionably getting someone else to take on the mantle during the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. While we haven’t gotten confirmation, the next Black Panther will likely be T’Challa’s sister Shuri, especially given that the comics have already set this precedence.
As for why we may see whoever takes on the role of the Black Panther appear in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is because this would be a great time to rectify the mistake of never including T’Challa as a member of the group. It may not be the Black Panther that everyone wanted to join, but having a version of the character in the Avengers could soothe some of the hurt. Also, like Shang-Chi, it could provide a bit of a boost for the Black Panther franchise to have it be connected to the Avengers franchise in a larger way, especially now that the MCU tragically no longer has Chadwick Boseman.
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