Avengers: Doomsday will feature a new leader for the Marvel Cinematic Universe team, and it will seemingly not be Captain America. The MCU’s 2025 movies have hit the Avengers question on the head. After the Multiverse Saga spent years without touching Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, both Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* brought forward new iterations of the Marvel team.

First, it was Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson, who was asked by the President of the United States to create a new Avengers team. Later, Sam decided to do so, recruiting Joaquin Torres, the Falcon, to join him. In Thunderbolts*‘s ending, Valentina introduced the team to the world as the New Avengers, though Sam fought them for the trademark.

Now, during an interview with Variety, The Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman revealed that Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richards will be the leader of the MCU’s Avengers. Check out the full quote below:

“He goes from being the nerdy scientist who’s locked away in the lab, to the husband and the father who’d do anything to protect his family, to the guy who’s leading the Avengers. I realized that the version we were building had to have all of those elements.”

As he was describing the MCU’s Mister Fantastic, Shakman commented on how the character evolves to become “the guy who’s leading the Avengers.” Based on that, it seems like Avengers: Doomsday‘s story will feature a major twist, with Captain America not leading the team, but Reed Richards as the leader of the Avengers in the MCU’s upcoming movies.

What The Reveal Of The Avengers’ New MCU Leader Means

Reed Richards Makes Sense For A Main Role In The Avengers Movies

There are two different sides to the reveal that Reed Richards will seemingly lead the Avengers in Doomsday. On the one hand, it is shocking due to how Pedro Pascal’s Reed is only now joining the franchise in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Mackie’s Sam Wilson had recently been set up to lead the team after years in the MCU.

Having the MCU’s new Captain America take over as the Avengers’ leader from Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers was fitting. However, a key element of the next Avengers movies can help explain why Reed Richards having a bigger role than Captain America would be good for the story. The reason is that Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom is Reed’s nemesis.

As such, tying the two characters together in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars was par for the course. By making Reed the leader of the Avengers, the MCU would be ensuring that one of the biggest Marvel Comics rivalries would be spotlighted in the upcoming Avengers movies. As Reed knows about the multiverse, he could help in a way Sam can’t.

Our Take On The Reveal Of The Avengers’ New MCU Leader

The Fantastic Four Are Here To Stay

If Reed Richards is truly the leader of the team in Avengers: Doomsday, then this goes to show how important the Fantastic Four will be to the MCU’s future. Based on Matt Shakman’s comments, I believe Reed could be coordinating the heroes to save the multiverse. Reed could lead all MCU heroes, rather than joining the Avengers in Doomsday.

Source: Variety