For several months, it has been teased that the Avengers team seen next month in Avengers: Age of Ultron will not look the same by the time the story is finished. Old members will take their leave and new heroes will replace them, following suit with the constant rank changes that occur with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in the comics. Thanks to a new rumor, we may know who will comprise the team’s new lineup, and they’re all familiar faces.
Warning: potential spoilers for Avengers: Age of Ultron ahead!
It’s being reported that the Avengers 2.0 lineup will consist of Falcon, Scarlet Witch, The Vision and War Machine, all of whom will be lead by Captain America and Black Widow. This means that Iron Man, Thor, Hulk and Hawkeye will be vacating their positions for heroes that we’ve either met in previous movies or will be introduced in the May blockbuster. Superhero News also notes that the recent reports of Quicksilver’s death in Avengers: Age of Ultron have not been greatly exaggerated. Evidently he will meet his demise while he is protecting a fellow Avenger. So if you’re a big fan of the Marvel’s most famous speedster, be prepared for the possibility that he won’t survive the battle against Ultron and his army.
We still don’t know the precise circumstances of how this new team will form, but rest assured this won’t be the last we see of the outgoing members. Tony Stark and Hawkeye will be returning for Captain America: Civil War and Thor will have plenty to deal with in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok. As for Hulk, his next appearance hasn’t been announced yet, although with the character’s popularity and actor Mark Ruffalo having four movies left on his contract, he’ll likely turn up sometime before or during the Avengers: Infinity War movies.
So much like how Captain America recruited a new team of Avengers way back after the original lineup disbanded in the comics in 1965’s Avengers #16, he and Black Widow will do the same in the finale of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Despite not including any new heroes that will be featured in Phase 3, this seems like it would be a well-rounded lineup. James Rhodes has been part of the MCU since the beginning, and as War Machine (note, not Iron Patriot) he can pack the same armored punch Tony does as Iron Man. Sam Wilson, a.k.a. Falcon, debuted last year in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and was well-received by most fans, and the combination of his military skills and wing pack will come in handy. We haven’t gotten to know Scarlet Witch and Vision yet on the big screen, but they’ve been Avengers mainstays for decades, so they certainly deserve to stay on the team after helping defeat Ultron. Who knows, maybe those crazy kids will eventually get hitched in the films like they did in the comics.
Avengers: Age of Ultron will be released in theaters on May 1.
