Heading into Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, Jonathan Hickman's Avengers and New Avengers runs are absolute must-reads. Both series culminated with the Secret Wars event, and it's been rumoured that the writer's work is heavily inspiring Marvel Studios.
Hickman came up with the idea of Incursions; when the Beyonders decided to kill the universe, they destroyed an Earth and caused a cascading series of "Incursion Events" which led to countless worlds colliding. When that happened, both universes would be destroyed, and the only way to delay the inevitable was for the denizens of one Earth to destroy the other.
Eventually, it came down to Earth-616 and Earth-1610 (the Ultimate Universe), leading us straight into Secret Wars. Hickman's run was full of incredible moments and mind-bending ideas—don't even get us started on the Builders; they could carry a film of their own—and we've now singled out half a dozen we'd love to see adapted in Avengers: Doomsday.
Crucially, each of these would fit the story being told, and you can check them out by clicking on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
6. Meet The Maker
After transforming Ultimate Reed Richards into the 1,000-year-old Maker during his brief stint in the Ultimate Universe, Jonathan Hickman put this twisted hero-turned-villain front and centre during the latter stages of his Avengers run.
The Maker joined forces with the Cabal, a group comprised of Namor, Thanos, Maximus, Terrax, Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, and Black Swan. When the Illuminati decided it didn't have the stomach to destroy alternate Earths, the Cabal stepped in, and the people of Earth-616 turned a blind eye and allowed them to kill countless billions.
The Maker had his own plans, of course, and those came to fruition in Secret Wars when he attempted to steal God Emperor Doom's power for himself. Needless to say, Miles Teller should absolutely return to play this twisted Variant.
5. Evil Avengers
An underrated moment during Hickman's run saw A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) inadvertently bring a team of Avengers to Earth-616. Decked out in classic costumes, this Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man, and The Wasp appeared to be heroic...at first.
It turned out they were full-blown villains, with a lobotomized Bruce Banner under the control of his teammates and "Iron Monger" actually a version of Edwin Jarvis who murdered the Starks and stole their technology.
Avengers: Doomsday could bring back the original six Avengers from the 2012 movie, making it appear as if they were there to save the day...before revealing that they planned to conquer Earth. Now that's a good use of the Multiverse.
4. Black Panther vs. Namor
A common thread during Hickman's Avengers run was the ongoing tension between T'Challa/Black Panther and Namor the Submariner. The latter had attacked Wakanda months before they reunited as part of the Illuminati, and these two frequently struggled to put their differences aside.
T'Challa struggled to balance his desire to enact vengeance on Namor with doing what was best for Earth. When it became clear that there was no saving the Multiverse, the hero stabbed Namor and sent him plummeting to his apparent demise on a world moments away from exploding.
In the MCU, Shuri might have to take her brother's place. They have a built-in history after Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and we'd like to see Avengers: Doomsday to do something with this dynamic.
3. "Everything Dies"
"Everything dies. You. Me. Everyone on this planet. Our sun, our galaxy and, eventually, the universe itself. This is simply how things are. It's inevitable. And I accept it. What I will not tolerate -- what I find unacceptable -- is the unnatural acceleration of that end. Which is why we were summoned here...as the untimely end of everything is what we now face."
That's the speech Reed Richards delivers to his fellow Illuminati members at the start of Hickman's New Avengers run. It would be an absolute joy to see Pedro Pascal's Mister Fantastic deliver these lines on screen, especially as they're revisited when Secret Wars ends.
As for this group, it should go without saying that they'd be a worthy addition to the next Avengers movie. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness failed to do the concept justice, but Doomsday can make up for those missteps.
And yes, we absolutely need to see this group agonise about destroying another Earth before one of them is forced to pull the trigger. In the comics, Iron Man, Mister Fantastic, Beast, Iron Man, and Black Bolt can't face it, prompting Namor to step in.
2. Thor's Sacrifice
Hickman's stint on Avengers was so lengthy that the status quo of many characters changed throughout. During the tail end of the main series, Thor had been deemed "unworthy" in his comic and no longer wielded Mjolnir.
Having befriended Hyperion, the God of Thunder embarked on a suicide mission to confront those who had started the Incrusions (the Beyonders). These two laid waste to a few of their number, but ultimately died in battle...after Thor had once again proved himself worthy.
It was a great send-off for the hero—don't worry, he returned alongside the Thor Corps in Secret Wars—and we'd love to see this recreated on screen. Who should join Thor in this moment? Thunderbolts*'s Sentry seems as good a choice as any. Deadpool too.
1. One Final Confrontation
Captain America is initially a member of the Illuminati, but when he opposes their plan to build a weapon capable of destroying another Earth, they wipe his memory. Steve eventually remembers what they did to him and sets out to bring each of his fellow heroes down.
As Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., the aged-up Cap relentlessly pursues Iron Man, who, thanks to Axis, had become the villainous Superior Iron Man. The last Incursion finally arrived, and as the heroes of Earth-616 and Earth-1610 went to war, these two finally reunited.
A violent battle followed, with both men dying when a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier fell on top of them from the sky. It was a great way to show that their conflict and hatred paled to the bigger issues at play and, moments later, the Multiverse's final two realities were destroyed.