The end of Avengers: Age of Ultron seemed to set up a new Avengers team that would be important to the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward - however, only one of these Avengers has not since faced a grim fate. With so many Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, the series must continue to do meaningful things with its characters, and to introduce more along the way. To do this, however, older heroes need to be done away with. Unfortunately, this has been done in some undesirable ways since the film was released, especially to members of this new team.
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The state of the Avengers is currently unclear in the MCU, however Captain America: Brave New World will answer team questions. This is imperative, as so many of the original members of the team, and even their successors, have since been done away with in the universe. Knowing exactly where Shang-Chi and Captain Marvel fit in within the framework of a new Avengers team is important. Unfortunately, only one of Age of Ultron's new Avengers team appears to still be a part of the remaining team going into the story of Avengers: Doomsday.
Age of Ultron Set Up A Whole New Avengers Team
The New Heroes Were Set To Be The Future Of The MCU
Avengers: Age of Ultron set up a new Avengers team in its final scene, and only Sam Wilson still appears to be around to continue that team's legacy. Under Captain America's leadership, an assemblage of heroes was put together, including Vision, Scarlet Witch, War Machine, and Black Widow. This was suggested to be the makeup of the Avengers moving forward, and could have created some interesting conflicts in their future. With new and old powers combined, the heroes would have made a fascinating team.
However, the MCU is known for its ability to reinvent and change ideas on the fly. Much of what was set up with this team, including its makeup, was not ultimately executed. Iron Man's return to the universe and the addition of heroes like Spider-Man to the team shifted the focus to some of the more popular characters, surprising many. This unexpected turn of events contributed to the MCU's success in the following years, but also raised some intriguing questions, especially after what was done with much of the remaining team.
All But One Of The New Avengers Suffered An Awful Fate
Only Sam Wilson Escaped Unscathed
Each of these new Avengers has had a difficult time in the MCU. Vision paralyzed Rhodey, who was then replaced by a Skrull, leading to a horrible experience for Iron Man's best friend. Based on everything known about Armor Wars, this will hopefully be further examined soon. Black Widow has since died, giving up her life to procure the Soul Stone, and Vision had to experience death twice, with Thanos first killing him in Avengers: Infinity War before Vision surrendered himself in WandaVision. However, a new version of the hero still exists, and has a series coming.
Scarlet Witch too went through a great deal before having a villainous turn in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. She was killed in that film, although some MCU questions concerning her fate remain. Only Sam Wilson, the new Captain America, has avoided a dark fate in the MCU. However, this does cause some trepidation for the future of the hero. Captain America: Brave New World is set to feature Sam as the titular hero, although this trend concerning his teammates suggests things may not go so well for the new Captain America in the MCU.
Why The New Avengers Failed
The MCU's Trajectory Changed After Age Of Ultron
The plan for the MCU clearly changed after the events of Age of Ultron. After a lower reception than its predecessor, it seems that Marvel pivoted with their plans, and began to integrate Iron Man more into the Infinity Gauntlet storyline. This led directly into Captain America: Civil War, which saw the team fragment. Since then, heroes like Hulk, Doctor Strange, and even Wong have become more integral parts of the Avengers team, making the Ultron team into background characters.
It seems that the new Avengers were, unfortunately, just not made up of characters that the franchise had enough interest in examining. While projects still exist for many of these heroes, the focus of the overall universe tended to grow bigger and to tie things more directly into Iron Man's story. Creating a new legacy for this Avengers team was not a priority, and this squad, unfortunately, fell apart as a result. However, heroes like Scarlet Witch have since grown in popularity.
The future of the Avengers team is still in doubt, and many of these heroes, despite their dark fates, could still return to the team. However, Sam Wilson is the only figure who has so far escaped more or less unscathed in the MCU. With the future of the Avengers set to be examined in Brave New World, it is clear that Sam Wilson is important to the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Audiences can hope that he does not wind up suffering a grim fate as well.
