2 Years Later, I Still Can’t Believe This MCU Story Wasn’t An Avengers Movie

by

Since it’s already been two years since the least popular Marvel Cinematic Universe project aired, looking back, it might have had more success if it was a crossover event featuring the Avengers. The Avengers, who first joined forces to fight Loki and save the world in 2012’s “The Avengers,” have been the mainstay of the MCU ever since. They faced significant changes during “Avengers: Age of Ultron” in 2015, “Avengers: Infinity War” in 2018, and “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019, but regrettably, they haven’t made an appearance since the conclusion of the Infinity Saga.

The initial Avengers squad in the Marvel Cinematic Universe included Iron Man (played by Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). Over time, new powerful members joined the team, while some had heart-wrenching departures. However, the Avengers have been on hiatus since Endgame. In 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) will reassemble the team, but it’s not only them – there will be more Avengers teams in the MCU. It would have been beneficial for this critiqued Phase 4 Disney+ series if the original members had made a comeback.

Secret Invasion Should Always Have Been An Avengers Movie in the MCU

In June and July of 2023, the Marvel Studios’ series titled “Secret Invasion” marked Samuel L. Jackson’s first standalone project within the MCU as Nick Fury, the ex-SHIELD Director. Following the events of “Avengers: Endgame’s” Battle of Earth and his departure to the SABER Space Station, “Secret Invasion” brought Fury back to Earth to confront a growing insurgency of shape-shifting Skrulls, with Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir) leading this rebellion. Regrettably, “Secret Invasion” was one of the lowest-rated and most criticized projects in the MCU, primarily due to its contrast with the expansive “Secret Invasion” comic book storyline from 2008.

The epic Marvel Comics tale featured an alien race known as the Skrulls embarking on a planet-hopping conquest, aiming to launch a full-scale assault on Earth after secretly embedding themselves within humanity for several months. Notable individuals like superheroes were among those infiltrated, which culminated in 2008’s Secret Invasion, an exciting crossover event for most Marvel Universe characters such as the Avengers, Thunderbolts, X-Men, Inhumans, Fantastic Four, and numerous others. Drawing upon elements of suspicion and spycraft, coupled with the appearance of many legendary characters, Secret Invasion proved to be one of Marvel’s grandest and most revered storylines.

The grand scale of “Secret Invasion” in Marvel Comics’ universe lends itself ideally for a live-action crossover event on par with the Avengers. In the original comics, the Skrulls successfully impersonated several key characters like Captain America, Captain Marvel, Invisible Woman, Spider-Man, Thor, Scarlet Witch, and more. However, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s adaptation of “Secret Invasion,” Nick Fury persistently declined to enlist aid from Earth’s mighty heroes. This missed opportunity could have been utilized to introduce new MCU characters before their appearance in “Doomsday,” making the Disney+ series more faithful to the comic books, but unfortunately, this didn’t transpire.

Why Were There No Avengers Movies in Phases 4 & 5?

Despite high expectations for 2026’s “Avengers: Doomsday” and 2027’s “Avengers: Secret Wars,” some fans have expressed disappointment due to the absence of new Avengers movies since “Endgame.” The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) broke tradition with Phases 4 and 5, as they were the first not to feature an Avengers film. However, if “Secret Invasion” had been a crossover event for the Avengers, it would have better aligned the project with its comic book origins and potentially boosted its popularity and success by leveraging more star power.

In Phase 5, the introduction of the New Avengers team in the final installment of Thunderbolts at the end of 2025 has partially addressed the problem, with Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), US Agent (Wyatt Russell), and Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) as its members. Although these new characters have been further explored this year, the opportunity to develop more fresh heroes was missed by making 2023’s Secret Invasion an Avengers movie. This could have led to the reappearance of previously seen characters like Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), Moon Knight (Oscar Isaac), Shuri’s Black Panther (Letitia Wright), She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany), and others, who have since been overlooked.

Doomsday,” slated for release in December 2026, could address these criticisms.

https://comicbook.com/movies/news/next-27-mcu-avengers-doomsday-actors-cast-predictions/embed/#

Read More

2025-09-11 15:18