I can’t believe the MCU is set to debut two of Marvel’s most powerful heroes of all time in the same year. Following the release of Captain America: Brave New World, 2025 will also see the release of Thunderbolts* and Fantastic Four: First Steps. Remarkably, both upcoming Marvel movies will each introduce a mᴀssively powered individual who will more than likely change the MCU’s entire status quo going forward.

It’s funny to remember that the MCU first began in 2008 with Tony Stark building himself a suit of high-tech armor. In the years that have followed, the universe has only kept expanding, as have the power levels we’ve seen from various MCU heroes and villains. That being said, some could argue that the MCU might be going too far in 2025 with two heroes who are undoubtedly overpowered, even in the original Marvel Comics.

The MCU Already Has A Problem With Overpowered Characters

Especially In The Post-Endgame Landscape

Particularly when looking at the Multiverse Saga post-Avengers: Endgame, multiple characters currently possess some very high power levels. Carol Danvers’ Captain Marvel is certainly high on the list, thanks to her powers from the Space Stone. Secret Invasion’s Gi’ah is very high-ranking as well – the Super-Skrull who has not only Carol’s abilities but also the powers of multiple Avengers and villains across the MCU. That said, it wouldn’t be surprising if we never see G’iah again considering Secret Invasion’s very poor reception.

Loki has also become incredibly powerful in recent years, having become a brand-new god and multiversal protector following the events of Loki season 2. There are also plenty of cosmic and supernatural beings who’ve been introduced, such as Arishem the Judge, Eternity, Death, and more. However, 2025 is set to feature two heroes who will easily change the game with recurring roles in the MCU.

Marvel Just Confirmed Franklin Richards Is Coming To The MCU

Sue Storm Is Pregnant In New Fantastic Four Footage

While it had long been theorized ever since the MCU’s Fantastic Four was confirmed to have the full тιтle Fantastic Four: First Steps, exclusive footage released at Disney’s recent CinemaCon panel confirms that Sue Storm’s Invisible Woman will indeed be pregnant. In the comics, Sue and Reed Richards’ first child is named Franklin, a mutant possessing immense powers of creation, the likes of which had never been seen before in the Marvel Universe.

Currently known as the teenage hero “Powerhouse”, Franklin could create entire worlds on a whim even as a young child. As such, Reed and Sue’s son even gained the attention of other incredibly powerful beings, like the Celestials, and notably Galactus himself, the cosmic World Devourer who’s also set to debut in Fantastic Four alongside the Silver Surfer. Perhaps Franklin’s birth and his ability to warp reality itself could be what draws Galactus to Earth in the upcoming MCU movie. After all, they’re closely tied together in the comics, and are often viewed as cosmic opposites.

The Sentry Is Also Coming in 2025

“Bob” Is Also Going To Be A Major Game-Changer

Besides Franklin, we can’t forget about Bob in Thunderbolts*. Effectively Marvel Comics’ version of Superman with many of the same powers, Robert “Bob” Reynolds became the incredibly powerful hero known as The Sentry, a meth addict who took a compound serum created by the government remnants of the Weapon X and Project Rebirth programs. Gaining “the power of a million exploding suns”, Bob became one of the most powerful superheroes in the entire Marvel Universe.

It seems as though the MCU’s Bob will have a similar origin by being a creation of the government, including the darker aspect of his powers known as “The Void”. On the page, The Void is a dark manifestation of Sentry’s powers who was responsible for the deaths of one million New Yorkers during its first emergence, a dark fact that does not bode well for the MCU’s New York considering what’s been shown in the trailers for Thunderbolts*. As such, it’s currently hard to imagine how the Thunderbolts are supposed to survive The Void, let alone defeat or kill the corrupted hero.

How Does Marvel Plan To Deal With Bob and Franklin’s Insane Power Levels?

Can They Really Operate In The MCU Indefinitely?

In the case of both Franklin and Bob, it does seem as though the MCU intends to give them multiple appearances. After all, Franklin hasn’t even born yet, and probably won’t be until the Fantastic Four’s third act (or even its ending). It’s also worth nothing that Sue and Reed’s son plays a crucial role in restoring the Multiverse in the aftermath of Secret Wars and Doctor Doom’s Battleworld in the comics. As such, the same could very well be true at the end of Avengers: Secret Wars as well.

Additionally, Lewis Pullman was recently confirmed to have a role in Avengers: Doomsday, suggesting that The Sentry and/or The Void will have a role beyond his debut appearance in Thunderbolts*. Keeping that in mind, one has to wonder just how long Marvel Studios can continue having meaningful stakes when they have one hero who can rewrite reality and create whole new worlds with ease, and another who can take on nearly every Marvel hero with relative easily.

Notably, the comics do eventually mitigate Franklin and Bob’s powers to help maintain the universe’s overall stakes, though it involves both heroes “nerfing” themselves. In the case of Sentry, Bob realized that the only way the Void could be defeated was if he and everyone else in the Marvel Universe forgot about the Sentry, which worked for a time. Likewise, the Sentry was ultimately murdered in 2020’s King in Black event when his body was ripped in half by Knull the Symbiote God, one of the few beings who’d even have a prayer besting Bob.

Similarly, Franklin secretly altered reality to make it look like he’d lost his powers after Secret Wars down to the genetic level, wanting to liveas a normal kid. Aside from one day a year, Franklin removed his ability to access his powers and memory of still having them, making everyone believe, including himself, that he’d been depowered. As a result, it’s evident Marvel Studios will likely have a tricky time navigating how to close the Sentry/Powerhouse box once it’s been opened, as exciting as it will be to see both MCU characters debut in 2025.

Marvel’s Thunderbolts* is set to release in theaters May 2nd, while Fantastic Four: First Steps releases July 25th.

Upcoming MCU Movies

• 
  

  
  

  Captain America: Brave New World

  Release Date

  
  February 14, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  

  
  

  Thunderbolts*

  Release Date

  
  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  

  
  

  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  
  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  

  
  

  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  

  
  

  Spider-Man: Brand New Day

  Release Date

  
  July 31, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  

  
  

  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  
  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse