Careful internet observers may have stumbled across some Avengers 4 concept art revealing a team roster obvious to anyone who has seen Avengers: Infinity War, but thanks to its ABC Networks shows and streaming platform offerings, the Marvel media universe is a much bigger place for Captain America (Chris Evans) to recruit from.
Rumors suggest the relationship between Marvel Studios and the rest of Marvel Entertainment (which includes its television production unit) are on the frosty side and that the chilly detente is the main reason Marvel TV stars and characters never appear in the films.
And even if the rumors are false, the wildly different pace in production between film and television means the films would always be playing catch-up to events on, say, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
But for a moment, let us assume these obstacles are not as massive as they generally appear to be and imagine Cap assembling a new Avengers team with members of its TV districts. Who would he pick and why? And what would prevent them from being able members of the team? Perhaps there will come a time when the apparent divide between TV and film will disappear and some of these choices will stand alongside the film Avengers.
Then there is her Inhuman ability to manipulate gravity itself. It is so strong at this point that Daisy readily believed she could rip the planet apart given the right conditions, like the boost she used to push Talbot (Adrian Pasdar) into space. Presuming threats after Thanos (Josh Brolin) will not be able to change the very fabric of the universe, her abilities could be a great asset to a new Avengers team.
Super-strength and bulletproof, Luke could be a formidable asset in a new Avengers unit. Back in the comics, he was member of the New Avengers after the old team was decimated by Ultron early in the 2000s. Under Cap’s leadership, they could do great things together as their philosophies share a number of commonalities. Even with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in charge, he could prove to be a great foil and conscience for the motormouthed hero.
Of course, the biggest obstacle to Luke joining the team is his sense of protectiveness toward his community. To him, his powers are the exact right size for his neighborhood while defeating aliens and other nasties he doesn’t want to admit exist is best left to Iron Men, webslingers, and talking raccoons. Well, provided he knew about Rocket (Bradley Cooper), anyway. Convincing Luke to leave Harlem and join the team might prove to be a greater challenge than any the Avengers would face with him on their team.
While Misty Knight (Missick) and Colleen Wing (Henwick) have yet to actually form their partnership in the Netflix corner of Marvel’s New York, a recent clip of the pair serving a smack-down in a bar teases the potential the two characters have to change the face of their respective shows. Back in the comics, the pair debuted as the Daughters of the Dragon in 1977, where the name was originally intended as sick burn while Iron Fist villain Davos (played by Sacha Shawan on the series) fled from their attack. Though Colleen and Misty are popular supporting characters, they did not receive a title of their own until a 2006 miniseries.
In their MCU forms, the two could be very effective against agents of a reborn Hydra or even a Skrull invasion should Phase 4 bring that alien race to Earth. And unlike Luke, they may be more willing to leave New York and face whatever menace the Avengers would need their help in defeating. Well, Colleen anyway. Misty might need a little more of a nudge to leave the NYPD entirely and become a costumed hero.
The alleged Avengers 4 image leaves the team light on supernatural allies. One TV character they could pick up to balance out their mystic readiness is Ghost Rider (Luna). Though he returned to Hell to remove the Darkhold from the Earthly plain at the end of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s fourth season, the character does possess the ability to return to Earth should something threaten the darker dimensions of Marvel’s reality. Those mystic places Avengers like Tony and Cap have yet to see will likely become a greater source of threats as the years roll on. And even if Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) returns in the next film, he is still just one man with an understanding of eldritch horrors beyond the rest of the group’s imagining. With Ghost Rider, you get an ally who is actually one of those horrors.
Of course, the benefits of befriending a horror comes with the curse that, ultimately, he may turn on you. Coulson learned this when he had to give up his extended life to Ghost Rider in order to secure his aid against AIDA (Mallory Jansen). Strange or Cap would find themselves in a similar spot before too long if they kept the Ghost Rider around on a semi-permanent basis. At the same time, he would still look spectacular fighting Skrulls, Chitauri, or creatures from the Dark Dimension.
Yes, Marvel’s Inhumans was a terrible series and a less-than-stellar showcase for both Black Bolt as a character and Mount as a performer. Nonetheless, Black Bolt has a powerful ability – a destructive voice that is arguably the most powerful of the superpowers in near-Earth orbit aside from Thor (Chris Hemsworth) – and a special understanding of the cosmic threats that could be coming to Earth now that its significance is known across the cosmos. If he could be convinced to ally with the Avengers, his knowledge and power would represent the most important addition to the team to date.
Granted, getting Black Bolt to join the team would mean accepting his leadership. That would definitely be a sticking point for Cap and Tony, who could barely share the leadership role when they were on the team at the same time. There is also the communication issue, though one imagines Strange could spell up a way for Black Bolt to “talk” to the others.
But the biggest issue keeping Black Bolt on the bench is the mismanagement of Inhumans as a series. It doomed a powerful and interesting character to the scrap heap of MCU concepts, like Edward Norton’s version of the Hulk and the Runaways feature film script.
Newcomers Tandy (Holt) and Tyrone (Joseph) have just become aware of their powers on Cloak & Dagger, but their abilities could prove to be formidable in a group setting. Tyrone’s abilities to envelope people and teleport are amazing tactical powers strategists like Cap could use effectively. Tandy’s ability illuminate her surroundings and produce hard-light daggers makes her great for both investigation and front-line assault.
Of course, in their current forms, they are far from trained combatants – and it is still a little unclear if the show is happening in the MCU or its own contained universe far from the Avengers and the X-Men. Also, it seems they have a prophecy condemning one of them to death, but given time to develop their individual abilities and test the limits of their combined strength, they could be the greatest secret weapon in the Avengers arsenal.
Despite not being a MCU character and appearing on a show outside of ABC’s purview, David Haller could be an impressive addition to the team. His telepathic and telekinetic powers are pretty much unmatched. And those are ranged abilities the Avengers completely lack in their current MCU manifestation. As both an intelligence gatherer and a front-line fighter, he could be a valuable ally. Granted, Tony might find David more of an asset than Cap.
Giving Steve pause would be David’s history of mental health issues and the general feeling that he might be taking advantage of him. Considering David has been manipulated most of his life, it would be difficult for Steve to reconcile that even for the sake of a mission. Tony, ever pragmatic, would slip right into the manipulator pattern.
Also, like Ghost Rider, David is something of a time bomb with the potential to rewrite the universe, as he did in the mid-1990s X-Men story line “Age of Apocalypse.” His decision to go back in time to kill Magneto ended with Charles Xavier dead before he could found the X-Men, leaving the Earth at the mercy of Apocalypse. Granted, the Avengers wouldn’t know about his potential for such devastating decisions until it was too late.
These are only a handful of the Marvel characters available to future films from the TV stable. Cases could also be made for Matt Murdoch (Charlie Cox) of Marvel’s Daredevil to join up should he ever get his act together or S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Deathlok (J. August Richards). Considering the S.H.I.E.L.D. contingent represented by Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Agent May could find a new home with the Avengers as well.
But as long as the supposed divide between the MCU and Marvel TV offerings remains, we may never find out what nicknames Tony would give these individuals.
