Marvel Studios made some controversial choices with several characters in Phases 4 and 5 of the MCU, so these heroes deserve redemption in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars more than anyone else. In the wake of Avengers: Endgame and the Infinity Saga’s conclusion, Marvel hit a bit of a lull, with the expansion into long-form projects on Disney+ meaning Marvel’s crew was stretched thinner. This drop in quality meant several brilliant MCU characters have recently been neglected and misused, but Marvel now has the perfect chance to solve this.

At the end of March, Marvel Studios confirmed the first 27 actors that have been cast in Avengers: Doomsday, but this likely isn’t the full line-up, as some key MCU stars haven’t yet been mentioned. This includes some iconic characters that Marvel has recently failed, as some have been the subject of disappointing or poorly-received projects, such as Secret Invasion, Thor: Love and Thunder, The Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The Russo brothers’ upcoming crossover movies can finally give these characters redemption in the MCU’s Phase 6.

8

Carol Danvers’ Captain Marvel

Carol Danvers Debuted In The MCU In Captain Marvel (2019)

Brie Larson made her first appearance as Carol Danvers in 2019’s Captain Marvel, where she was revealed to have been empowered by the energy from the Space Stone, making her one of the MCU’s most important and powerful superheroes. She proved pivotal in defeating Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, but has been seriously neglected in the MCU since then. Larson has received a lot of unnecessary criticism ever since her casting as Captain Marvel, mostly aimed at her being the first female lead superhero in the MCU, which has unfortunately persisted in the Multiverse Saga.

Brie Larson hasn’t yet been confirmed to be returning in Avengers: Doomsday, but after settling down on Earth and forming a close bond with Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau in 2023’s The Marvels, Captain Marvel’s inclusion in Phase 6 would make a lot of sense. The Marvels, despite being positively received by audiences, became the MCU’s lowest-grossing movie, which may have hurt Carol Danvers’ future prospects. Captain Marvel is one of Marvel’s most formidable heroes, so it would be great to see her finally get the love and attention she deserves.

7

Scott Lang’s Ant-Man

Scott Lang Debuted In The MCU In Ant-Man (2015)

After his 2015 debut and his 2018 sequel acted as welcome palate cleansers following epic Avengers movies, 2023’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania did not have the same impact for Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang. Paul Rudd has been confirmed to be returning in Avengers: Doomsday, meaning Ant-Man can get redemption after Quantumania failed to capture what made the grounded, street-level character so exciting in the MCU’s Infinity Saga. Quantumania tried to do too much with Ant-Man, but Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars can bring him back to his roots.

Ant-Man has been a popular addition to the MCU over the last decade, so it was a shame that Quantumania let him down so severely. Avengers: Doomsday will surely reintroduce a very different version of Ant-Man, however, as it seems his connection to Hope van Dyne may be erased or altered, given Evangeline Lilly’s retirement from acting. Currently, Scott Lang knows more about the concept of the multiverse than most other heroes, so he’ll surely prove helpful in Doomsday, just as he was in Avengers: Endgame, which creates the opportunity for him to get redeemed.

6

Bruce Banner’s Hulk

Bruce Banner Debuted In The MCU In The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Even though film rights disputes between Marvel Studios and Universal Pictures have made it impossible for Bruce Banner to appear in a solo movie since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk has still had a central role in the MCU. However, over the years, Bruce Banner has become the victim of nerfing, which occurs when a character is weakened over time. The Incredible Hulk and The Avengers debuted an extremely powerful Hulk, but his trajectory has culminated in him becoming the comparatively-weak Smart Hulk in Endgame and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.

It would be fantastic to see Mark Ruffalo become a savage, rageful and formidable Hulk again in Avengers: Doomsday, even though he hasn’t yet been confirmed to be returning. With no sign of a solo movie ever being produced for Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner, it’s paramount that he gets significant development in Doomsday, Secret Wars and other crossover stories. Phase 4 arguably failed the Hulk, so the notable hero and founding member of the Avengers deserves a great deal of redemption in Phase 6, making him a key part of the MCU again.

5

Jennifer Walters’ She-Hulk

Jennifer Walters Debuted In The MCU In She-Hulk: Attorney At Law (2022)

Similarly to her cousin, Bruce Banner, Tatiana Maslany’s Jennifer Walters also did not get done justice in her Phase 4 debut. Jennifer Walters’ She-Hulk is one of the most exciting and original superheroes introduced to the MCU in recent years, so it’s a shame that her 2022 debut in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was overshadowed by lackluster visual effects. Now that Marvel’s VFX crews have unionized, however, and Marvel Studios has changed the way TV and movies are developed separately, She-Hulk can get a better design and stronger narrative in Avengers: Doomsday.

Introduced in a legal comedy series, She-Hulk would benefit from showing off more of her serious sides in Avengers: Doomsday. This could even see her partner with her cousin, Bruce Banner, during battle against Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom, which would deliver some much-wanted Hulk action that the MCU has sorely been missing in recent years. Jennifer Walters is one of Marvel Comics’ most important characters, so she deserves a return to the MCU and needs to be handled better than her Phase 4 series had the chance to do.

4

Thor

Thor Debuted In The MCU In Thor (2011)

Despite being one of the MCU’s original heroes, introduced back in 2011’s Thor and becoming a founding member of the Avengers in 2012, Marvel Studios has never really perfected Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. The classic, Shakespearean Thor from his 2011 debut and 2013’s The Dark World became dull and lackluster, and while 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok delivered a comedic Thor with heart, to much praise, 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder took this too far. Chris Hemsworth was the first actor confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday at March’s chair-laying ceremony, which creates the opportunity for Thor to be redeemed.

Thor: Love and Thunder was poorly-received among MCU audiences, with many suggesting that the comedy was too overwhelming, made the God of Thunder too silly and ignored Thor’s emotional arc in Infinity War and Endgame. The 2022 sequel ended with Thor adopting Gorr’s resurrected daughter, Love, which suggests he could return alongside India Hemsworth’s Eternity-empowered hero in Avengers: Doomsday. It would be a shame for Thor to leave the MCU on such a low note, so hopefully he gets the justice he deserves.

3

Nick Fury

Nick Fury Debuted In The MCU In Iron Man (2008)

2023’s Secret Invasion series promised to give Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury a strong debut solo project in the MCU by adapting one of Marvel Comics’ most notable and memorable storylines, but this did not come to pᴀss. The MCU’s Secret Invasion was a dire disappointment at the start of Phase 5, not telling the globe-spanning, all-out-Skrull-invasion narrative from Marvel Comics that included most of Marvel’s superheroes, but rather telling a much more grounded story that simply felt a bit dull. This meant Nick Fury had very little to do, and was more-or-less unchanged by the end of the series.

Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury has been crucial to the MCU since the very beginning, making his first appearance in the post-credits scene of 2008’s Iron Man. Fury helped form the original Avengers team, and had a hand in motivating them in Age of Ultron and many other projects, so it’s important that he becomes a powerful and influential figure again in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. It would be amazing to see Jackson announced to be returning, bringing his long-running MCU story full-circle and giving him much-needed attention after Secret Invasion and The Marvels failed to.

2

Wanda Maximoff’s Scarlet Witch

Wanda Maximoff Debuted In The MCU In Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch might have met her demise in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but there have been many theories and a great deal of speculation suggesting she’ll still return in the MCU’s future. Wanda Maximoff is perhaps the most powerful character in the MCU, and WandaVision and Agatha All Along made her one of Marvel’s most beloved characters. This means it’s essential that Olsen returns as the Scarlet Witch, and Marvel now has the perfect story that can be explored in Phase 6 if she comes back.

For several decades in Marvel Comics, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff were the twin children of Erik Lehnsherr’s Magneto. Ian McKellen has now been confirmed to be returning as Magneto from 20th Century Fox’s X-Men franchise in Avengers: Doomsday, and it would be fantastic to see him team up with Elizabeth Olsen and perhaps Aaron Taylor-Johnson (or Evan Peters) as his mutant children from Earth-10005. There are hopes that Wanda Maximoff’s return could turn her back into a hero, rather than the villain she became in Multiverse of Madness, but only time will tell.

1

Eternals

The Eternals Debuted In The MCU In Eternals (2021)

2021’s Eternals received criticism upon its Phase 4 release, and became one of the MCU’s lowest-rated projects yet. While the Chloé Zhao spectacular has received more retrospective admiration recently, the poor reception to Eternals may have prompted Marvel Studios to ignore the тιтular cosmic team in future MCU projects. The Eternals have only reappeared in the animated What If…? series, but not in live-action, even though the possibilities to explore the team’s history, superpowers, relationships and future are practically endless, and they’d prove crucial in taking on Doctor Doom in Doomsday and Secret Wars.

It would be a mistake for Marvel Studios to just ignore that the Eternals exist, even though the opportunity may be there now that all of the cosmic team are actually off-Earth. Captain America: Brave New World revisited Celestial Island, but Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars have the chance to introduce the Eternals to the MCU’s other heroes and make them much more important. It would be great to see each member of the Eternals get the development they deserve, perhaps even setting up a possible Eternals sequel in the MCU’s future.

Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Thunderbolts*

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  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

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  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Spider-Man: Brand New Day

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  July 31, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

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  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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