Though the Marvel Cinematic Universe has obviously given multiple characters the spotlight in their solo movies over the years, Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) emerged as the unofficial power "trinity" of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
After standing together one last time to face Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, Tony Stark gave his life to put an end to the Mad Titan and his forces, Steve Rogers passed on the Cap mantle to Sam Wilson after returning to the past to live out his life with Peggy Carter, and while the God of Thunder is still around, it probably won't be too long before he decides to hang up Mjölnir.
In the new book, MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, author Joanna Robinson notes that Kevin Feige always knew it was only a matter of time before Evans, RDJ and Hemsworth parted ways with the franchise, and had a plan in place for three specific actors/characters to step in to their lead positions in the Avengers.
Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), and Spider-Man (Tom Holland).
"[Chadwick Boseman] told me the story about how on the set of Endgame, he and Brie Larson and Tom Holland sat around and talked about how they were the future of Marvel and how exciting that was for them. [Then] you look at the breakdown between the Sony-Marvel deal over Spider-Man, you look at Chad Boseman passing away, and you look at Brie Larson either not being a great fit or just, you know, being damaged by toxic fandom. So many factors came into play that sort of knocked their plan out [from] under them."
Boseman's tragic passing will obviously have forced the studio heads to rethink this plan, but Holland and Larson could still be positioned as two of the new "faces" of the MCU down the line - although we're sure Feige and co. have considered various other possibilities, especially with the recent influx of new heroes in the Disney+ shows.
Which characters would you most like to see take over from Rogers, Stark and the Odinson as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's new trinity? Be sure to let us know in the comments section.