By the time Avengers: Doomsday opens in theaters in 2026, it will have been seven years since Avengers: Endgame's release. While you can deduct a couple of years for the pandemic and Hollywood strikes, that's still an awful long time to leave Earth's Mightiest Heroes on the shelf.
Heading into the last wave of storytelling for the Multiverse Saga, we anticipate seeing multiple teams, including the New Avengers (a.k.a. the Thunderbolts) and Young Avengers assemble to do battle with Doctor Doom.
Today, scooper @MyTimeToShineH brings word that, "There is a plan for the West Coast Avengers in the MCU."
This isn't the first time we've heard of possible plans for the team and them coming together is something that's been speculated about ever since T'Challa set up a base in California in 2018's Black Panther.
Having two teams of Avengers post-Secret Wars would be a fun way to increase the number of movies we get featuring team-ups (a must when the MCU is now so jam-packed) and gives Marvel Studios the opportunity to tell a greater variety of stories moving forward.
Created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall, the West Coast Avengers debuted in 1984. The team was founded by Hawkeye at the behest of the original Avengers to expand their reach and protect the United States West Coast.
Initially, the lineup included Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Iron Man (James Rhodes, at the time), Wonder Man, and Tigra. Over time, the team roster evolved, adding the likes of Scarlet Witch, Vision, Moon Knight, and the original Human Torch. The West Coast Avengers faced threats distinct from the New York-based Avengers, including villains like Ultron, Graviton, and the Masters of Evil.
Rumour has it the upcoming Vision TV series will set the stage for the West Coast Avengers, though we're not sure how that will happen unless the WandaVision follow-up features a lot of cameos.
While Avengers: Secret Wars is expected to softly reboot the MCU's Sacred Timeline, we'd imagine the plan is for us to get regular Avengers movies in whatever form the next Phase takes (even if the focus is primarily on the X-Men).
If, for example, we have several different franchises under the Avengers banner, Marvel Studios can finally do something with sidelined characters such as She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, and Hercules. However, Kevin Feige will need to be careful not to dilute the team too greatly.
As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.