Yesterday evening, the news broke that Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy is being eyed to helm Avengers 5. Marvel Studios must be pleased with the Merc with the Mouth's upcoming threequel, but the report also featured another major revelation.
Apparently, the movie - previously titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty - will feature upwards of 60 Marvel characters!
As you might have guessed, that got us thinking about who we'll see in Avengers 5. While Marvel Studios has already introduced hundreds of heroes and villains, not all of them would fit into this movie.
So, no, this isn't just a list of 60 MCU characters, it's our breakdown of who we believe would fit into the story as well as which corner of this shared world they hail from. There are bound to be some surprises and glaring omissions which upset some fans, but we think this is a pretty definitive list of exciting possibilities.
To see who we believe will make the cut in Avengers 5, click on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
Avengers
The MCU doesn't currently have a confirmed team of Avengers, but we're bound to see these heroes assemble in the movie.
We've excluded The Wasp because of Evangeline Lilly's recent retirement and included Rescue and War Machine as they'll almost certainly cross paths with a familiar face from their past in Avengers 5.
Scarlet Witch is bound to be key to this Multiversal adventure as is Doctor Strange. Oh, and it's about damn time Sam Wilson step up to lead this team after becoming Captain America in 2021.
1. Ant-Man (Scott Lang)
2. Black Panther (Shuri)
3. Captain America (Sam Wilson)
4. Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers)
5. Cassie Lang
6. Doctor Strange
7. The Falcon (Joaquin Torres)
8. Hawkeye (Clint Barton)
9. Hulk (Bruce Banner)
10. Nick Fury
11. Pepper Potts/Rescue
12. Scarlet Witch
13. She-Hulk
14.Thor
15. Valkyrie
16. War Machine
Cosmic Heroes
The new Guardians of the Galaxy led by Rocket Racoon need to factor into Avengers 5 and are sure to do so given his history with The Avengers (it's easy to forget Rocket was a member of the team during The Blip).
With Peter Quill on Earth, Star-Lord could also act as the bridge between both teams. Oh, and while including Nova feels like a leap, Avengers 5 isn't a bad place to introduce the character before his rumoured Disney+ series.
17. Adam Warlock
18. Cosmo
19. Groot
20. Nova
21. Rocket
22. Star-Lord
Street-Level Vigilantes
Earth's Mightiest Heroes are going to face a Multiversal threat in Avengers 5 and even though they're not necessarily as powerful as some of The Avengers listed above, these street-level vigilantes are likely to be a key part of this story.
Spider-Man supposedly has a major role in the movie and can bring together a team comprised of vigilantes like Daredevil and Ms. Marvel.
Shang-Chi's Ten Rings are expected to be tied to Kang and there's really no one better than Moon Knight to lead a team against his Rama-Tut Variant.
23. Daredevil
24. Ghost Rider
25. Hawkeye (Kate Bishop)
26. Ironheart
27. Katy
28. Moon Knight
29. Ms. Marvel
30. The Punisher
31. Scarlet Scarab
32. Shang-Chi
33. Spider-Man (Peter Parker)
Mutants
Okay, we're cheating a little here.
It's hard to predict exactly which X-Men will show up in Avengers 5, though we'd be shocked if the movie doesn't take us to the reality first teased in The Marvels' post-credits scene. Heck, this might end up being a full-blown Avengers vs. X-Men event if their respective realities are about to collide in the Multiverse's final Incusion.
Regardless, Deadpool and Wolverine being part of the movie is a must given their history with the TVA (and Shawn Levy likely back in the director's chair).
34. Deadpool
35. Wolverine
36. The X-Men
Variants
Avengers 5 is a Multiversal movie, meaning we're sure to get cameos galore. Those are typically pretty hard to predict as some actors will pull double duty and others who starred in non-MCU movies are sure to be asked back.
We anticipate the original six Avengers reassembling, albeit with Variants filling in the gaps. Kahhori and Captain Carter should 100% make their live-action debuts in the movie, while Peter #2 and Peter #3 returning to lend Peter #1 a hand has all the makings of a fan-pleasing moment.
Throw in the Thor Corps and Agent Coulson for good measure, and we're set!
37. Agent Coulson
38. Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff)
39. Captain America (Steve Rogers)
40. Kahhori
41. Iron Man (Tony Stark)
42. Mighty Thor (Jane Foster)
43. Peggy Carter/Captain Carter
44. Spider-Man (Amazing)
45. Spider-Man (Friendly Neighborhood)
46. Sylvie
The TVA
The Time Variance Authority factoring into Avengers 5 is inevitable and this is the perfect place to give these characters the chance to shine on the big screen.
They need to steer Earth-616's heroes in the right direction and perhaps even give them a heads up about who sits at the centre of the Multiverse.
We wouldn't bet on the God of Mischief showing up until the end of the movie - probably when the Multiverse is no more - but that just means he'll be a significant part of Avengers: Secret Wars.
47. Hunter B-15
48. Loki
49. Mobius
50. O.B.
More Of Earth's Mightiest Heroes
There are lots of miscellaneous MCU characters who will be a big part of Avengers 5. Wong is Sorcerer Supreme and teaching Abomination and America Chavez, with the latter able to hop between realities, remember.
Then there's Clea, Namor, and Wiccan, supporting players we think will have crucial roles in the story.
Oh, and if you're wondering why we haven't mentioned the Fantastic Four in this feature, given the proximity between their reboot and Avengers 5, we'd hold off and give them a part in Secret Wars.
51. Abomination
52. America Chavez
53. Bucky Barnes
54. Clea
55. Happy Hogan
56. Monica Rambeau/Photon
57. Namor
58. Okoye
59. The Sentry
60. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
61. Wiccan
62. Wong
63. Yelena Belova