Whether in one movie or both, I need Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars to reunite two original Avengers following the development of their shared story over the span of 13 years. The MCU is building to a new major crossover story with the impending release of Avengers: Doomsday. Given the March 2025 Avengers: Doomsday cast announcements, it’s clear the MCU movie is set to bring a lot of notable faces back into the franchise, including the film having several Fox X-Men movie actors reprising their roles many years later.

However, it’s interesting to note that several key MCU characters are not yet confirmed to be a part of the upcoming Avengers movies – though there’s a real chance they will still make an appearance, particularly since the Avengers: Secret Wars cast list is currently very limited, with more announcements no doubt set to happen closer to its filming and release. Hopefully, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars will feature at least one other original MCU Avenger missing from its current roster, in order to reunite a crucial Marvel tag-team duo.

Thor & Hulk’s Joint Story Has Been Developed Since 2012’s The Avengers

Thor and the Hulk’s stories both began before The Avengers, but the pair’s dynamic first began to be developed in the MCU’s first crossover movie, which saw them and the rest of the team go from reluctant allies pulled together to active teammates who were willing to work together of their own volition. This is especially notable for the duo in question, as The Avengers sees the pair fight most directly after Banner transforms into the Hulk, and later sees the Hulk punch Thor with some considerable force after fighting the Chitauri Leviathan, seemingly in retribution for the earlier brawl.

All in all, while the movie establishes that the pair can work together to some great effect, it also underlines that they’re still not exactly conventional allies or friends per se. This is something that’s reinforced in Thor: Ragnarok, where the pair are forced to once again fight it out, and argue and insult one another, but ultimately come together to escape Sakaar, return to Asgard, and save what Asgardians remain from Hela’s wrath, cementing their complicated friendship, and building some considerable bonds between the two characters.

It’s then Thor and Hulk who face Thanos at the start of Avengers: Infinity War – in a scene that features key plot points for both, since Hulk is defeated here, and Loki’s death changes the God of Thunder’s world for the worse. With Thor’s return to the Avengers in Avengers: Endgame after his breakdown from these events also coming from Smart Hulk journeying to meet his old friend – and acknowledging how he wants to help Thor like the God of Thunder helped him – it’s clear the pair’s narratives build on each other and blend together throughout the MCU’s history.

Thor & The Hulk Are Now 2 Of The 3 Remaining Original Avengers In The MCU

Thor and the Hulk’s histories being so intertwined already adds more reason for them to reappear and reunite in the events of either or both of Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars, despite only Thor being currently confirmed for the first. However, there’s also another key reason this would be a good idea for the MCU and its overarching story, since Thor, Hawkeye, and the Hulk are the three remaining original Avengers who are active and alive superheroes.

While Hawkeye appearing in the upcoming Avengers movies would also be welcome – and perhaps a timely call given his ties to new MCU hero Kate Bishop and, by extension, the prospective Young Avengers team – having Thor and the Hulk reunite in Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars would potentially be able to ensure a sense of greater consistency by continuing their now over a decade long more intertwined story. Similarly, it could naturally ensure that the audience’s nostalgia for the “classic” era of the MCU is evoked even as the franchise builds towards a new future.

Indeed, having all three remaining original Avengers return would be an impactful move for the MCU, and one that could either provide a natural end point for some of these stories, or otherwise use this plot point to build more on the fascinating successor stories already set up. It’s not hard to see how Thor and Hulk’s compeтιтive natures could translate into an interesting dynamic for Love and Skaar as their protégés, and this would let all the characters in question get some valuable development, even if they were just in something like one fight scene.

Continuing Thor & Hulk’s Separate And Joint Stories In The Avengers Movies Makes Perfect Sense

Unless specific heroes are pulled away for the events of Avengers: Doomsday from their home universes, there’s little reason to not have both Thor and the Hulk feature together in the Avengers movies. While the heroes do now have their own respective children to think about, a universe or even multiverse-threatening calamity would be something both would want to prevent, and their ties to the original Avengers would make them logical candidates to be called up should any further threats to the world emerge that require Marvel’s heroes to band together.

Whether Thor and the Hulk end up in the next Avengers roster or not, their stories having not ended yet means them not reuniting in the next Avengers movies would arguably need an in-universe explanation – as has already happened previously with Captain America: Civil War – which could arguably be more complicated than having them appear. Ultimately, it makes a lot more sense to have both featured in the story, especially since having two of the strongest Avengers fight Doctor Doom would be incredibly exciting, and the events of both comic versions of Secret Wars feature Thor and the Hulk too.

The separate stories of Thor and the Hulk have come a long way since they first met, and paying homage to two of the MCU’s longest-running heroes – and their lengthy shared storyline as well – arguably would lean into what the MCU does best: letting audiences connect with their characters and the grand arcs they experience over time. The fact this would naturally set up some dramatic action scenes of the tag-team duo once again getting to face off against foes together also certainly wouldn’t hurt either or both of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Thunderbolts*

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  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  
  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday

  Release Date

  
  May 1, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Spider-Man: Brand New Day

  Release Date

  
  July 31, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  
  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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