The 10 Most Important Phase 5 Avengers Explained: Where They Are & How They Can Return*

Summary

• Vision's return to the Avengers is simple- teased solo project or Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
• War Machine's history and role make him a key member of the Avengers' future narrative.
• Wanda Maximoff's importance as an X-Men member and Avenger sets her up for a significant MCU return.

The MCU has introduced many Avengers, and certain heroes are incredibly important for the franchise's present and future. Throughout the MCU’s movie timeline, the franchise has enlisted a number of heroes to make up the ranks of the Avengers. From the very beginning of Phase 1, the MCU was planting seeds of the team’s future, establishing the importance of the Avengers within the shared universe, initially by teasing it and later by making the Avengers the Earth’s foremost line of defense against major threats.
Across the movies and TV shows of the MCU, the stories of individual Avengers have become increasingly complex and have seen the franchise’s heroes scattered, particularly since the events of Avengers: Endgame. As such, there are many heroes who are important to the Avengers’ franchise future, and each of their paths to joining or returning to the team look remarkably different.
Related All Marvel Movies Releasing In 2025 The Marvel movies releasing in 2025 offer a variety of storylines and superheroes, with many hitting theaters after previously announced delays.
10 Vision Is One Of The MCU's Most Powerful Forgotten Heroes Vision's Resurrection Story Still Needs Resolving Close First introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Vision proved to be an important member of the Avengers across a handful of stories. However, his death in Infinity War followed by Wanda’s grief in WandaVision saw Vision’s story take an interesting turn. With his memories and consciousness transferred into a new body, Vision flew away, and has yet to resurface, making his specific whereabouts one of the MCU’s longest-running mysteries.
Exactly how Vision can return to the Avengers in upcoming Marvel movies is incredibly simple. Either his return will be addressed in his teased solo project, or he could appear to support the Avengers in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Vision’s return would likely see the plot clear up a handful of unanswered questions about his status in the MCU, as well as resolving the questions raised by his departure in the finale of WandaVision.
9 War Machine's Return Will Answer Multiple MCU Questions Rhodey Can Clear Up Some MCU Mysteries Close Having appeared in many movies in the MCU, War Machine’s first solo outing is finally on the horizon. In spite of his role as a supporting hero, War Machine has proved a consistent member of the Avengers, aiding the team in many of their greatest conflicts. Combined with his connection to the US government, War Machine’s role in the Avengers is more important than ever, especially as he’s now one of the team’s veteran heroes.
The ending of Secret Invasion saw the shocking revelation that Rhodey had been replaced by a Skrull at some point in his MCU story, causing much speculation about where in the timeline this happened. This makes his return all the more important, but it’s also his history with the team and his political connections that make War Machine such a key member of the Avengers. War Machine’s story will continue in Armor Wars, potentially paving the way to him becoming one of the MCU’s most prominent Avengers.
8 Scarlet Witch Deserves A Place Alongside The MCU's X-Men Wanda Maximoff's Return Would Enable Key Marvel Storylines Close After her full MCU debut in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Wanda Maximoff swiftly became one of the MCU’s most powerful Avengers. However, Wanda’s true potential was only unlocked upon her villain turn, ultimately leading to her death in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ ending. The MCU’s planned future highlights the importance of Wanda’s continued existence within the franchise, including with a clear route to reintroducing her into its narrative after her death.
With the X-Men set to appear in the MCU, Wanda’s importance as both a mutant and an Avenger has never been more prominent. As the X-Men have been introduced as part of the MCU’s Multiverse narrative, it’s possible for a variant of Wanda to enter the MCU to play a part in future narratives. As she serves as a central figure in multiple important X-Men stories, her MCU future is potentially important even despite her death.
7 Spider-Man Is One Of Marvel's Most Iconic Heroes Spider-Man's New MCU Role Makes Him An Important Street-Level Avenger Close When it comes to Marvel heroes, few figures are as iconic as Spider-Man. The character’s introduction into the MCU was especially well-received, with the franchise putting an original spin on the hero’s origin story. As one of the youngest members of the Avengers, Spider-Man’s role in the team has largely proved a supporting one, but the death of Tony Stark and the story of Spider-Man: No Way Home may well have changed that.
With No Way Home rendering Spider-Man a street-level hero, his Avengers status is currently unknown. Whether he will rejoin the team is a burning question that the MCU must answer, as his role in upcoming Avengers movies would be a considerable boost considering his popularity. Exactly how the MCU will handle Spider-Man’s Avengers future is yet to be confirmed, but the unanswered questions combined with his continued popularity make the hero’s place in the team particularly important.
6 Thor's MCU Story Is Far From Over Thor Remains An Important Avenger Close Before the MCU, Thor was notably less well-known, though he has typically played a role in major Avengers stories. The MCU made Thor one of its founding Avengers, and the franchise’s handling of the character ultimately made him an incredibly popular figure as well as a powerful member of the team. Thor’s MCU story took a new turn with Thor: Love and Thunder, but it would seem that his narrative is far from over.
Thor’s rightful place in the Avengers is unquestionable, and his strength and resilience make him a valuable member of the team. He’s also one of the funniest figures in the MCU, highlighting his importance on a conceptual level as well. There are very few reasons that Thor shouldn’t be part of the Avengers’ MCU future, and as Thor is still active within the franchise, there are no real obstacles to him returning to the fold.
5 Ant-Man Is A Deceptively Important Avenger Ant-Man's Experience Fighting Kang Is Incredibly Important Close As the MCU opted not to introduce Hank Pym as a member of the Avengers, it was his successor, Scott Lang, who served as the first Ant-Man in the team. When weighing his power level and intellect against those of his teammates, Lang isn’t the most valuable Avenger, but he does possess a unique quality that makes him a vital part of the team in Phase 5 and onward. Quantumania saw Ant-Man face off against Kang, making him one of the very few MCU heroes with direct knowledge of the villain.
As the MCU’s next Avengers movie is titled The Kang Dynasty, it’s clear that Kang’s role within the MCU is far from over. Ant-Man’s experience fighting Kang makes him a key member of the team for the Avengers’ next outing. What’s more, Scott’s return from the Quantum Realm means that there are no obstacles to his MCU future, making him a likely player in future Avengers narratives.
4 Captain Marvel Is One Of The MCU's Most Powerful Avengers Carol Danvers Is A Valuable Member Of The Team Close When it comes to cosmic-level Avengers, few possess the power of Captain Marvel. The MCU has so far used the hero sparingly, but her abilities and her feats of strength speak for themselves. When it comes to the future of the Avengers, there are few heroes as powerful or as capable of leading the team as Carol Danvers, even though the latter seems unlikely.
The ending of The Marvels saw Captain Marvel resolve the conflict with the Kree and return to Earth, though it was made clear that her story is far from over. With such a powerful hero still active and living on Earth, Captain Marvel’s return to the Avengers seems inevitable. With the looming threat that Kang still poses, it appears something of a certainty that Captain Marvel will return to the team and help in the resolution of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga.
3 Hulk's Unique Skill Set Makes Him A Key MCU Player Hulk Is One Of The MCU's Longest-Serving Avengers Close As one of the MCU’s longest-serving Avengers, the Hulk is a key player in the MCU’s story so far. Despite only having appeared in a single solo movie, Hulk’s story has seen the character undergo significant development, particularly with the reconciliation of the Hulk and Bruce Banner personas. The combination of Hulk’s raw power with Banner’s staggering intellect makes him a force to be reckoned with, as well as an especially powerful Avenger.
Hulk’s potential within the MCU has yet to be fully realized. He’s not just one of the strongest figures in the franchise, but also one of the smartest, making him an especially important hero to the Avengers heading into The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars. Hulk’s role as the Avengers’ powerhouse and Banner’s as one of its greatest minds make his return seem all the more logical.
2 Doctor Strange's Multiverse Mastery Is Crucial Doctor Strange Is The Most Logical Next Leader For The Avengers Close Since his MCU debut, Doctor Strange has been established as the franchise’s foremost magic user. As both an Avenger and a powerful wielder of the mystic arts, Strange’s role within the team is clear, especially as very few other characters within the franchise possess the same skills. His MCU story remains open, as he was last seen heading off to combat threats to the Multiverse.
Strange’s experience with the Multiverse uniquely qualifies him to lead the Avengers against Kang. There is no other figure in the MCU with the same experience and ability to be the Avengers’ Multiversal leader, with the simultaneous threat of multiple variants being something Strange alone has experience with. As it was Strange’s actions that unlocked the MCU’s Multiverse, he’s also the logical choice to head up the team of Avengers who combat the threat.
1 Iron Man Is Still The MCU's Most Important Avenger The Multiverse Could Facilitate Iron Man's Return Close Iron Man’s death proved to be the emotional climax of the MCU’s Infinity Saga, and it was especially powerful as he had proved to be the franchise’s foremost hero. As a founding Avenger and the MCU’s founding hero, no other character has been as influential to the MCU’s overall story as Tony Stark. As such, his return to the fold of the Avengers would see him continue to be the franchise’s most important figure, even if it’s unlikely to happen.
Robert Downey Jr. hasn’t ruled out the possibility of returning, and the MCU’s Multiverse story provides the perfect opportunity for such a development. Iron Man could easily return as part of Secret Wars’ story, and as he remains important even after his death, it’s within the realm of possibility. Although doing so would risk undermining his character arc, Iron Man’s return would see him once again claim the title as one of the Avengers’ most important heroes.
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Upcoming MCU Movies
Release Date
Deadpool & Wolverine
July 26, 2024
Captain America: Brave New World
February 14, 2025
Thunderbolts*
May 5, 2025
The Fantastic Four
July 25, 2025
Blade
November 7, 2025
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
May 1, 2026
Avengers: Secret Wars
May 7, 2027

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