The Marvel Cinematic Universe did virtually the impossible: it created a world filled with superheroes with their own stories and gradually connected them. It all started in 2008 with Iron Man. Next, we got solo movies from the Hulk, Thor, and Captain America, which culminated in the first Avengers film in 2012. This film proved that these heroes could work together on the big screen for one epic adventure.
Nearly six years later, the MCU has expanded its world even more with new characters like Star-Lord, Doctor Strange, and even Sony’s Spider-Man. These heroes are ready to join the Avengers for Marvel’s most ambitious project yet — Avengers: Infinity War.
This third Avengers film marks the culmination of everything the MCU built towards. Nearly every character that has ever appeared in one of these films will take part in the battle against Thanos.
After all is said and done, it’s pretty likely we may have to say goodbye to some of our favorite Avengers. This means that, following the end of Phase Three, someone new will need to step up to the plate and lead this “team of remarkable people.” Luckily, there are plenty of people in the MCU who would be up to the task — even though there are some that aren’t.
Here are 10 Characters Who Could Take Over The Avengers After Infinity War (And 5 Who Can’t)
Could: Sam Wilson/Falcon
Sam Wilson/Falcon first appeared in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, where he and Steve Rogers took an instant liking to one another. Since then, he’s been a devoted member of the Avengers, and he could definitely take over the team in the future.
Sam led the team for a period of time in the comics as well. In that storyline, Steve asked him to take up the mantle of Captain America. From there, Wilson took command over the Avengers.
In the MCU, Sam is a potential candidate to become Captain America if Steve no longer can be.
Not only does he have Steve’s trust, but Wilson is an honorable character and skilled fighter in his own right. This makes him an ideal leader for the Avengers.
Could: Sharon Carter
Sharon Carter was a member of S.H.I.E.L.D. — an organization co-founded by her great aunt Peggy Carter. Strong leadership runs in her blood, which would give her a good reason to take command over the Avengers.
Although S.H.I.E.L.D. fell due to the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Sharon is an established and capable agent who knows her way around a battle. She also shares a connection with Steve Rogers/Captain America and stood by his side during Captain America: Civil War.
Sharon is loyal to the Avengers’ cause and what it stands for — specifically, what Captain America stands for. She would no doubt uphold those values as the leader of the Avengers.
Can’t: Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange made his first appearance in 2016. Although his powers are impressive, they do not make Strange a good candidate to take over the Avengers.
As of now, Doctor Strange is not a member of the Avengers. He’s had little contact with any of them except Thor — who himself is a mythical god and probably the most out of touch member. Not only that, but Strange is an important member of the Masters of the Mystic Arts. This group literally deals with interdimensional space and time, which is already enough for Strange to deal with.
Outside of logistics, Strange clearly doesn’t have the leadership skills necessary for the role.
He’s driven but selfish. He also doesn’t have the best interpersonal skills. Doctor Strange is an important character, but he shouldn’t be running the Avengers.
Could: Shuri
Black Panther took the world by storm when it came out back in February. We got to see T’Challa/Black Panther back in action in his home country of Wakanda. With that solo outing, the film introduced us to one of the MCU’s best new additions: Shuri.
Shuri is T’Challa’s brilliant, technologically savvy younger sister.
Her talents and knowledge rival — and maybe even surpass — that of Tony Stark.
She’s already running the tech division in Wakanda, and T’Challa places her in charge of a new outreach program at the end of the film.
Shuri proved that she is more than capable of handling the challenges that come her way, which makes her a great candidate to lead the Avengers. She may be young, but she’s wise beyond her years and will no doubt be a valuable asset in Infinity War.
Could: Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier
Virtually no other supporting character has had as much impact on the Avengers as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier. He is Steve Rogers’ best friend, and believes in his leadership. He’s a likely candidate to take up the mantle of Captain America, so why not take it a step further and make him the leader of the Avengers?
Captain America has been the most prominent leader of the Avengers in the comics. If Steve Rogers’ time comes to an end after Infinity War, someone would need to fill those shoes and take command. Steve would take a literal bullet for Bucky. There’s no character he believes in or cares about more than Bucky.
Bucky is a well-known character in the MCU. He will likely play a big role in whatever follows Phase Three, and that may just include taking over the Avengers.
Can’t: Luke Cage
Luke Cage is another character who took control over the Avengers in the comics. He is a relatively new addition to the Avengers at this point, but led the team for a fair amount of time. However, it’s highly unlikely that Luke will take over the Avengers in the MCU — let alone join them.
The Marvel Netflix shows are technically part of the MCU, but the connections are loose at best.
For the most part, Luke and the other members of the Defenders exist in their own world. Although Luke is a nearly indestructible hero, it doesn’t look like he’ll be using his powers to help the Avengers any time soon.
There’s still a chance that Luke could cross over into one of the MCU films at some point, but a lot of things would need to happen before he could lead the Avengers.
Could: Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch
Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch hasn’t been around for very long in the MCU canon. In that short time, though, she’s proven to be a powerful character and a formidable addition to the team.
Wanda started out as an antagonist to the Avengers. She and her brother Quicksilver were under Ultron’s influence in Avengers: Age of Ultron. However, Quicksilver’s death gave Scarlet Witch something to fight for, and she committed herself fully to the Avengers under Captain America’s leadership.
She has had one of the most prominent character arcs out of any of these heroes, which has built up her skill level and confidence.
Scarlet Witch is an established member of the Avengers, and she deserves to be in the running to lead the team.
Not to mention, her powers of mind manipulation would come in handy during interpersonal conflicts.
Could: King T’Challa/Black Panther
T’Challa/Black Panther was the breakout star of Captain America: Civil War, and it’s no surprise that his solo film, Black Panther, is doing so well. He’s one of the biggest new characters in the MCU, and he could lead the Avengers after Infinity War.
T’Challa is the newly appointed King of Wakanda. This is already a big responsibility, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be able to oversee the Avengers, too. If anything, his ruling shows that he has the necessary leadership skills and responsibility over his people. His importance within the MCU will only grow now that he has revealed the true nature of Wakanda to the world.
Few characters have the powers and the personality to be a leader, but T’Challa has both of these things and then some.
The current Avengers already respect him, and they would continue to do so if he became their leader.
Can’t: Hank Pym
It may seem like a no-brainer to keep Hank Pym out of the conversation when it comes to the Avengers. However, there’s actually precedent in the comics where Hank Pym’s Ant-Man was a leader of the Avengers. Regardless, he shouldn’t be the one to take over the team in the movies.
Pym is a brilliant physicist and entomologist who actually used to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. He made a hero out of Scott Lang by giving him the ant-suit. Despite all of those qualifications, Pym isn’t the central focus when it comes to the Ant-Man storyline — Scott and Hope van Dyne/Wasp are.
By choosing to focus on these characters and this version of Ant-Man, the MCU has already chosen to sideline Pym. His role is already limited as it is, so it wouldn’t make much sense for him to head up the Avengers.
Could: Scott Lang/Ant-Man
Speaking of Ant-Man, Scott Lang’s version of the character could step into that leadership position. He hasn’t been a hero for very long, but his solo outing and his role in Captain America: Civil War proves he has what it takes.
Ant-Man is an underrated, yet refreshing installment in the MCU, making for an unlikely hero in former thief Scott Lang/Ant-Man. He’s a fun, likable, and skilled hero who showed he was willing to fight for what is just. The upcoming film Ant-Man and the Wasp will undoubtedly showcase that even more.
Since Hank Pym’s Ant-Man was one of the leaders of the Avengers in the comics, it’s not a real stretch to think that Scott Lang could take up that position within the MCU.
Could: Vision
Everyone seems to believe that Vision will meet his end in Infinity War. After all, he has the Mind Stone in the middle of his forehead — an Infinity Stone that Thanos will need to complete his gauntlet.
However, because his doom seems so obvious, the Russo brothers might subvert some expectations and let him live. If he is going to live, it might as well be so he can lead the Avengers in the future.
Vision is another leader of the team in the comics, but the MCU version of the character offers plenty of reasons to make him a leader. For one thing, he has shown he’s worthy of Thor’s hammer when he lifted it in Age of Ultron. For another, he’s an incredibly powerful character.
Infinity War may not be the last time we see Vision, but it could indicate that he’ll have a bigger role to play.
Can’t: Peter Quill/Star-Lord
Peter Quill/Star-Lord is the leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy. He’s cocky but good-natured, and he’s got amazing taste in music (or at least, his mom does).
He’s an important member of the Guardians, but that doesn’t mean he’d make a good leader for the Avengers.
Although Peter is half-human and was born on Earth, he’s spent most of his life away from his home planet traversing the galaxy. This makes him less familiar with the other events that have led up to Infinity War. Not only that, but Peter’s already preoccupied by his own responsibilities as a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
With their appearance in Infinity War, the Guardians will likely be a big help and fun allies to the Avengers. However, Peter has enough going on by himself without having to worry about the Avengers full-time.
Could: Hope van Dyne/Wasp
Hope van Dyne/The Wasp hasn’t had much opportunity to showcase her full talents. However, based on her portrayal in Ant-Man and her upcoming outing in Ant-Man and the Wasp, Hope seems to have what it takes to lead the Avengers.
Like many of the other characters on this list, the Wasp enjoyed a stint as the leader of the Avengers. This was the Janet van Dyne version of the character — Hope’s mother. Because the MCU has introduced Hope’s version, it’s reasonable to think that she could take the reigns and lead just like her mother did.
Just like Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Hope will probably become a bigger part of the MCU moving forward — especially after Ant-Man and the Wasp gets released. That could take the form of leading the Avengers.
Could: Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel
Although we have yet to see Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel in action on the big screen, she seems like the most likely option to take over the Avengers.
Behind Captain America, Captain Marvel is probably the most prominent leader of the Avengers team in the comics. She’s also a very powerful character, with superhuman strength, speed, and the ability to fly — assuming the MCU version of the character includes these abilities.
Captain Marvel is the most significant character yet to be introduced into the films. The decision to withhold her for so long must be for a reason. That reason could be because the filmmakers want to set her up to take over the whole thing.
Based on what we know so far, this character seems like a good bet.
Can’t: Peter Parker/Spider-Man
Peter Parker/Spider-Man is one of the most popular comic book characters of all time. No one thought it would be possible to bring him into the MCU — until it was done in Captain America: Civil War. As iconic as the web-slinger is, though, there’s no way he’s ready to lead the Avengers yet.
Peter is a new member of the team. It’s important to keep in mind that Peter hasn’t been a hero that long.
He’s young, and he’s still learning about his powers and how he fits in.
From a production standpoint, no one knows how long Marvel’s deal with Sony will last. We know there will be at least one more Spider-Man solo film, but not much is known beyond that. With the character’s future in the MCU somewhat undefined, it wouldn’t make sense to put him at the center of the Avengers team right after Infinity War.
Who do you want to see take over the Avengers? Let us know in the comments.
