Only 1 Of The MCU's Original Avengers Replacements Has Truly Worked So Far

Published Aug 31, 2026, 11:11 PM EDT Since 2019, Kevin Erdmann has been one of Screen Rant's Senior Staff Writers, covering all kinds of Superhero and Star Wars media with Easter egg breakdowns, theory pieces, breaking news, and more. A huge Star Wars & MCU fan, Kevin also loves Batman (because he's Batman), but could talk for hours about why Nightwing is DC's greatest hero. With 8 years of total experience covering entertainment and pop culture, Kevin has gotten the chance to interview top creatives and talent, and has also attended major media events like Disney's D23 convention. Majoring in Cinema Studies with a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife, adorable dog, and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise. Sign in to your ScreenRant account There's really only been one Avengers replacement hero who's worked so far in the Multiverse Saga. In the previous Infinity Saga, Marvel Studios spent over a decade building Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye into one of the most popular and recognizable superhero teams in cinematic history. Replacing them in the MCU was never going to be easy, but should it really be this hard when we've so far only had one truly solid success? Following Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios naturally spent much of the Multiverse Saga introducing not only new heroes, but also the next generation who could theoretically fill the shoes of the original six Avengers. However, the overall success of some of these MCU introductions is up for debate. Given the full breadth of what's been done with some of these new Avengers replacement heroes thus far, it's clear that most have faced some significant issues (aside from one hero in particular). ​​​​​ Most Of The OG Avengers Replacements Have Had Issues On the whole, several of Marvel's new Avengers replacements have been genuinely great characters. The problem is that being a great character is only one part of what made the original Avengers work. There's also execution to consider. These heroes need to be utilized well, have compelling stories, and have a clear future within the greater MCU, and that's apparently been easier said than done. Sam Wilson is perhaps the clearest example. Anthony Mackie is excellent as the new Captain America, and Sam's gradual evolution from Falcon to Steve Rogers' chosen successor, as seen in Falcon and The Winter Soldier, is one of the MCU's most important Multiverse Saga stories. However, his debut film, Captain America: Brave New World, was poorly received and underperformed, having faced all kinds of reshoots and major story changes that can be felt even in the final cut. Seeing how Avengers: Doomsday will feature Chris Evans' return as Steve Rogers, there's an inherent risk that Wilson's Captain America will quickly be overshadowed. S.H.I.E.L.D. · Clearance Assessment How Well Do You KnowThe Avengers? 🌏OriginsAssembled ☠VillainsInevitable ⚡BattlesEndgame 🛡TeamInitiative 💫LegacyForever AVENGERS ASSEMBLE! → 01 The Avengers first assembled in Marvel Comics in 1963. In the original comic, the team formed to battle a villain who had been manipulated by his adopted brother. Which villain brought the original Avengers together? AUltron BThanos CLoki DKang the Conqueror ✓ Correct! In Avengers #1 (September 1963), Loki manipulated the Hulk into going on a rampage, which led Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, and the Wasp to band together. They defeated Loki and decided to form a permanent team — the Avengers were born. ✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Loki. In the original 1963 comic, Loki tricked the Hulk into a rampage, which brought together Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, and the Wasp. Ultron came later, Thanos is a cosmic threat, and Kang is a time-traveling villain. NEXT → 02 In the MCU, Tony Stark famously declared “I am Iron Man” at a press conference, breaking the superhero tradition of secret identities. In which year’s MCU film did Tony Stark first appear as Iron Man? A2006 B2008 C2010 D2012 ✓ Correct! Iron Man (2008) launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe and starred Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. The film’s post-credits scene with Nick Fury teased the Avengers Initiative, kicking off the most successful film franchise in history. ✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is 2008. Iron Man premiered on May 2, 2008, directed by Jon Favreau and starring Robert Downey Jr. It was the first film in the MCU and set the stage for everything that followed. NEXT → 03 Thanos, the Mad Titan, sought to collect all six Infinity Stones to achieve his genocidal goal. In Avengers: Infinity War, he succeeded in his plan. What did Thanos do with the completed Infinity Gauntlet? ADestroyed the universe BSnapped away half of all life CBecame ruler of Earth DTraveled back in time ✓ Correct! With a single snap of his fingers, Thanos wiped out half of all living creatures in the universe. Known as “The Blip,” this devastating act erased trillions of lives and set the stage for the Avengers’ desperate time heist in Endgame to undo the damage. ✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is that Thanos snapped away half of all life in the universe. His twisted philosophy of “balance” drove him to commit universal genocide with a single snap, making it one of the most shocking moments in cinema history. NEXT → 04 In Avengers: Endgame, Captain America proved worthy of wielding Thor’s enchanted hammer during the final battle against Thanos. What is the name of Thor’s hammer? AStormbreaker BGungnir CMjolnir DJarnbjorn ✓ Correct! Mjolnir, forged in the heart of a dying star, bears the inscription “Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” Captain America wielding it in Endgame was one of the most celebrated moments in MCU history. ✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Mjolnir. Stormbreaker is the axe Thor forged in Infinity War, Gungnir is Odin’s spear, and Jarnbjorn is an axe Thor used in the comics before Mjolnir. Mjolnir is the iconic enchanted hammer. NEXT → 05 Black Widow, born Natasha Romanoff, is one of the founding MCU Avengers. Before joining S.H.I.E.L.D., she was trained as an assassin in a secret Soviet program. What is the name of this program? AThe Red Room BHYDRA Academy CThe Winter Soldier Program DDepartment X ✓ Correct! The Red Room was a covert Soviet training facility that turned young girls into elite spies and assassins known as Black Widows. Natasha was subjected to brutal conditioning and sterilization. Her escape and defection to S.H.I.E.L.D. was explored in the 2021 Black Widow film. ✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is The Red Room. HYDRA is a separate evil organization, the Winter Soldier Program created Bucky Barnes, and Department X is from the comics. The Red Room is the infamous Soviet program that forged Natasha into Black Widow. NEXT → 06 The Hulk was created when Dr. Bruce Banner was exposed to massive amounts of radiation during a weapons test. What type of radiation transformed Banner into the Hulk? ACosmic Rays BPym Particles CGamma Radiation DTerrigen Mist ✓ Correct! Dr. Bruce Banner was caught in the blast of a gamma bomb he designed, absorbing a massive dose of gamma radiation. This transformed him into the Hulk — a being of near-limitless strength whose power increases with his rage. Gamma radiation remains central to the Hulk’s mythology. ✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Gamma Radiation. Cosmic Rays gave the Fantastic Four their powers, Pym Particles are Ant-Man’s shrinking technology, and Terrigen Mist activates Inhuman abilities. Gamma radiation is what created the Incredible Hulk. NEXT → 07 In the MCU, after Steve Rogers retired as Captain America, he passed his shield to a new hero to carry on the legacy. Who became the new Captain America? ABucky Barnes BSam Wilson CJohn Walker DIsaiah Bradley ✓ Correct! At the end of Avengers: Endgame, an elderly Steve Rogers chose Sam Wilson — the Falcon — to carry on the Captain America legacy. Sam’s journey to embrace the shield was explored in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, and he fully took up the mantle as Captain America. ✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Sam Wilson. While Bucky Barnes was Captain America in the comics, Steve chose Sam in the MCU. John Walker was temporarily given the shield by the government, and Isaiah Bradley was a forgotten super soldier from the past. NEXT → 08 Ultron is an artificial intelligence who becomes one of the Avengers’ deadliest enemies. In the MCU’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, which Avenger inadvertently created Ultron? ABruce Banner BHank Pym CTony Stark DVision ✓ Correct! Tony Stark created the Ultron program as a global peacekeeping AI, using technology from Loki’s scepter (which contained the Mind Stone). The AI became sentient and immediately decided humanity needed to be eradicated. In the comics, Hank Pym created Ultron, but the MCU shifted this to Stark. ✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Tony Stark. While Hank Pym created Ultron in the comics, the MCU changed this to Tony Stark. Bruce Banner assisted but it was Tony’s initiative. Vision was actually created from Ultron’s technology, not the other way around. REVEAL MY SCORE → Mission Debriefing Your Avengers Clearance Level / 8 Are you worthy of lifting Mjolnir — or still a S.H.I.E.L.D. trainee? ↻ ASSEMBLE AGAIN Iron Man's replacement hero has an even bigger problem. Riri Williams is a fantastic comic-book character with plenty of potential, and Dominique Thorne has brought personality to the role both in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and her own MCU series. However, Ironheart was not a major hit, nor do we know anything about her future. Likewise, War Machine has yet to become the standalone hero he was meant to be, with Armor Wars still in limbo. There's no clear future for Jennifer Walters' She-Hulk either after her 2022 Disney+ series, making it hard to argue that she's fully positioned to one day replace her cousin Bruce Banner, who was just featured in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Played by Hailee Steinfeld, Kate Bishop might be one of the biggest missed opportunities. Despite having an excellent debut as someone who could easily be seen leading the next generation of MCU heroes, she hasn't been seen since 2021's Hawkeye, save for a post-credits cameo in 2023's The Marvels that still hasn't gone anywhere. Likewise, it's hard to identify if Thor even has a genuine replacement thus far in the MCU. Too many of these established Avengers replacement heroes are truly great, and yet continue to be underutilized by Marvel Studios. However, there is one exception when it comes to Black Widow's replacement in the MCU. Yelena As Black Widow's Replacement Has Been A Big Success Overall, Black Widow's sister Yelena Belova is the exception because Marvel has actually followed through on her impressive potential in the MCU. Florence Pugh's introduction in 2021's Black Widow immediately gave the MCU another compelling spy/assassin character, and yet Yelena did not simply become Natasha Romanoff's perfect replacement by wearing the same kind of clothes and wielding similar weapons. Marvel Studios has given Yelena Belova her own unique character and personality. She has a unique sense of humor and struggles, both of which have been featured in multiple MCU projects with great success. Her arc of reconciling with her sister in Black Widow before grieving and seeking revenge for Natasha's death post-Endgame was huge, as was seen in Hawkeye. Likewise, Yelena is arguably one of the most important heroes heading into Avengers: Doomsday, having become the leader of the New Avengers as seen in 2025's Thunderbolts*. That movie alone gave Yelena a worthwhile arc as a genuine Black Widow replacement, exploring her intense depression and struggles before finding support with her fellow allies, all seeking to move beyond their dark pasts to become something better and brighter together. More than any of the aforementioned Avengers replacement heroes, Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova is actually being given enough of the right opportunities necessary to become a true Black Widow successor in the MCU (and she arguably has already). Can Marvel Fully Replace The Original Avengers? Ultimately, the bigger question is whether Marvel can ever fully recreate what made the original Avengers work at this point. The answer is probably not, though that's not necessarily a problem. What likely matters more is good execution earning renewed investment no matter who the heroes are, replacements or otherwise. That becomes particularly important with the next two Avengers movies on the way. Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars will bring together an enormous collection of heroes, creating an opportunity to establish which characters will actually help carry the MCU forward after the Multiverse Saga. Yelena is obviously the clearest example of that happening. Sam still has enormous potential to become the definitive Captain America for the new era, Kate could and should absolutely return as an all-new Hawkeye, Riri has plenty of room to grow, and She-Hulk should absolutely be featured again alongside her cousin. Marvel Studios simply needs to USE them far more than they currently are. They need to become just as indispensable as the original Avengers felt back in the day. While there is going to be a pretty big pivot to the X-Men post-Secret Wars, here's hoping these and more new heroes introduced in the Multiverse Saga won't be fully forgotten in the aftermath. Avengers: Doomsday releases in theaters December 18th from Marvel Studios. Release Date December 18, 2026 Runtime 165 Minutes Director Anthony Russo, Joe Russo Cast Vanessa Kirby Sue Storm / Invisible Woman Johnny Storm / Human Torch Ebon Moss-Bachrach Ben Grimm / The Thing Writers Stephen McFeely, Michael Waldron, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee Producers Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Kevin Feige Prequel(s) Spider-Man: Brand New Day Sequel(s) Avengers: Secret Wars Franchise(s) Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers, Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Thor, X-Men