Avengers: Doomsday is shaping up to be a dream for fans who loved collecting all their action figures and pitting them in all-out brawls. Basically, anyone who is anyone in the MCU has their name attached to the upcoming team-up movie, with a few notable exceptions. And as is par the course for a Marvel Studios production, the heroes that are already part of major teams are getting all the good press.
It all starts with the X-Men, who are making their return to the big screen after a hiatus. Doomsday‘s marketing, including the trailer shown at CinemaCon, promises that the merry band of mutants will be part of some eye-popping action scenes, including one in which they go up against Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. But the conflict between the two superhero groups probably won’t last long, as they have a common goal: survival.
When it comes down to it, all the good guys will have to get on the same page if they want any chance of coming out of the movie victorious. However, a few dynamics threaten to throw everything out of whack. That’s because some antiheroes are going to have to be in the same room as the hero that they once tried to get the better of.
Forgotten Antihero Team-Ups That Could Have Major Ramifications For Avengers: Doomsday
John Walker and Sam Wilson
Sam Wilson thought giving up the Captain America shield in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was the right move. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine the US government would hand it over to John Walker, a decorated soldier with an ego problem. John meant well at first, but it quickly became clear that he wasn’t cut out to be the Star-Spangled Man.
After taking the shield away from John, Sam stepped into the Captain America role and immediately made it his own, taking down the Flag Smashers and The Leader. John had to go down a different path, teaming up with the Thunderbolts and facing his demons before becoming a New Avenger. However, Sam isn’t happy about John and his buddies taking the Avengers name. Things are sure to get awkward once Cap visits Avengers Tower in Doomsday, a moment that was teased in the film’s CinemaCon trailer.
Ghost and Ant-Man
Ava Starr watched her parents die right in front of her as a child. And before she could even deal with her grief, SHIELD began experimenting on her, trying to get the most out of her newfound powers. After growing up, the newly dubbed Ghost looked everywhere for a solution to her phasing problem, which led her to pick a fight with Hank Pym and his pals. She and Scott Lang went a few rounds in Ant-Man and The Wasp, and the titular hero rarely got the better of his opponent.
The movie ended with the two on solid footing, though, as Hank and Co. figured out a way to help Ava control her abilities. Unfortunately, they lost touch after everyone was turned to dust for five years (or, in Scott’s case, got stuck in the Quantum Realm). Without her new friends, Ghost turned to a life of crime and eventually joined the Thunderbolts. Despite ending up in a good spot, she might have some choice words for Scott, who the world has embraced as a hero, when the two link up on her home turf in Doomsday.
Namor (with Talokanil) and Shuri (with Wakandans)
Namor did what few comic book villains can do without dying: killing a hero’s parent. Talokan’s leader took Queen Ramonda’s life in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, putting him on a collision course with Shuri, the new wielder of the Heart-Shaped Herb. Shuri’s brain defeated Namor’s brawn in the climax of the sequel, and a peace was brokered between Talokan and Wakanda.
But Doomsday promises to test the treaty’s boundaries. The movie’s fourth teaser showed Shuri and Namor wandering around what appeared to be a desert. Doomsday‘s CinemaCon trailer actually revealed that it’s a base that Namor has surrounded by a giant wall of water, likely in an attempt to protect his people. When the punches start flying, Namor probably won’t hesitate to betray Shuri if it means he comes out on top.
Bonus: Professor X and Magneto
Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr have a well-documented feud. Both men think they know what’s better for mutantkind, leading them to butt heads. And their allies are almost always the ones that pay the price when they go at it.
Based on the vibe of Doomsday‘s third teaser, Magneto and Professor X are seeing eye-to-eye in their first live-action MCU team-up. Maybe the threat of total annihilation is bringing them closer together. No matter how much chess is being played, though, Professor X should keep his head on a swivel around a mutant strong enough to destabilize Earth’s power grid.
