The Avengers have come a great distance since six heroes first teamed as much as cease Loki in New York. Again then, Marvel may match its greatest characters round one desk and nonetheless give everybody one thing to do. Now, the MCU has heroes from totally different universes, characters who’ve barely met, and a multiverse that’s turn into a significant a part of the story. Seeing all of them share the display screen seems like a dream for Marvel followers.
However there’s a catch. The larger the group will get, the tougher it turns into to make each character depend. Sadly, Marvel has by no means come out with an official listing documenting the Avengers’ group roster. By my depend, there are in all probability round 15–20 totally different characters who’ve been related to the group. Technically, combating alongside the group doesn’t depend, however there are nonetheless too many. And with the MCU’s subsequent Avengers motion pictures going through threats that go far past a easy invasion, Marvel has much more to fret about than discovering room for everybody in the identical shot.
The Avengers Have By no means Been This Large (& That’s a Drawback)
Bear in mind when the primary Avengers film introduced the group collectively? There have been solely six heroes, and half of them couldn’t stand one another. Tony Stark saved getting beneath Steve Rogers’ pores and skin. Thor had his circle of relatives drama to cope with. And Bruce Banner was nonetheless making an attempt to maintain the Hulk beneath management. It labored as a result of everybody had a purpose to be there. Even Hawkeye and Black Widow received their moments, regardless of not having superpowers or fancy armor. Marvel took its time increase these characters earlier than throwing them into the identical film. That made the team-up really feel particular. By the point Avengers: Endgame arrived, the roster had grown significantly. The ultimate battle was full of heroes, and seeing Captain America decide up Mjolnir was a type of moments followers had been ready years to see. However there’s a purpose that scene labored so properly. We’d spent years attending to know Steve, and the film gave his large second room to breathe.
The subsequent Avengers film has to do lots. The Incredible 4 are becoming a member of the MCU, whereas the X-Males are ready within the wings, for starters. And the multiverse offers Marvel an excuse to carry again nearly anybody. It may be very fascinating, particularly for followers who grew up studying crossover comics like Secret Wars. However these tales additionally present how tough it’s to handle an enormous forged. Somebody invariably will get pushed apart. Marvel can’t give each hero ten minutes of display screen time and count on the film to work. And let’s be sincere, no one needs to observe their favourite character spend three hours standing within the background. Endgame received away with an enormous roster as a result of it was the payoff to greater than a decade of storytelling. The subsequent motion pictures must do greater than recreate that last battle with a number of further faces. They should give these characters a purpose to be there within the first place.
The Avengers Have By no means Confronted a Menace This Sophisticated
Thanos was an evil villain, little doubt about it. He needed the Infinity Stones so he may wipe out half of existence, and the Avengers needed to cease him. The comics explored “The Mad Titan” and his evil plot in even better depth, however his character wasn’t totally realized within the MCU. And the multiverse is a unique story. Loki launched branching timelines and the chaos that adopted. Spider-Man: No Approach Residence introduced three variations of Peter Parker collectively. Then, Physician Unusual within the Multiverse of Insanity explored the hazard of incursions. Every film had its personal guidelines, and holding monitor of them hasn’t all the time been straightforward. Now think about making an attempt to clarify all of that whereas introducing an enormous group of heroes and a villain who may threaten actuality itself. Marvel followers may love digging via each little element, however not everybody has watched each Disney+ sequence. The story nonetheless must make sense to somebody who simply needs to see the Avengers save the day.
The comics have already proven Marvel the right way to deal with a narrative this large. Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Wars is an effective instance. It introduced collectively totally different universes and put Physician Doom on the heart of a battle that threatened all the things. Doom wasn’t simply one other dangerous man trying to blow up the world. He genuinely believed he may reserve it, even when that meant taking management of all the things himself. That’s a way more fascinating setup than giving the Avengers one other villain who’s merely extra highly effective than the final one. Marvel wants a battle that feels private, even when the stakes contain complete universes. Infinity Battle understood this. Thanos had a transparent purpose, and the heroes had loads of causes to cease him. The multiverse saga has launched some fascinating concepts, however now Marvel must carry them collectively. It has the characters, the comics, and a long time of tales to attract from. The trick is making all of that work with out turning the subsequent Avengers film right into a three-hour historical past lesson. An even bigger group and an even bigger villain may look nice on paper. What issues is whether or not there’s a great story beneath all of it.