Avengers: Doomsday Just Revealed Its Guardians of the Galaxy Replacement

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The next Marvel movie is bringing together nearly all of its biggest superhero groups for the first time ever. To beat Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr., the Avengers will need help from the New Avengers, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the Guardians of the Galaxy will be back for the final chapter of the Multiverse Saga.

The newest trailer for Avengers: Doomsday shows Shuri/Black Panther, Namor the Sub-Mariner, M’Baku, and Ben Grimm/The Thing all returning. While the trailer doesn’t explain how or why these characters are teaming up, it hints at their relationships. Seeing Ben Grimm and the Fantastic Four in the trailer makes me believe they’ll have a similar role to the Guardians of the Galaxy in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

The Fantastic Four Are Replacing the Guardians of the Galaxy in Avengers: Doomsday

The newest trailer for Avengers: Doomsday suggests the Fantastic Four will be featured in Marvel’s next major team-up, taking over the role previously held by the Guardians of the Galaxy. The Guardians were crucial in the final battles against Thanos in Infinity War and Endgame, and they also played a key part in making Marvel’s biggest crossover event so successful.

Marvel excels at creating exciting team-ups in its crossover events by pairing characters who wouldn’t normally interact. A great example is the dynamic between Doctor Strange and Iron Man in Infinity War – their constant clashing of egos made for compelling scenes. The filmmakers, the Russo brothers, deliberately chose these unexpected combinations to create interesting interactions, and the Guardians of the Galaxy perfectly illustrate this approach.

The Guardians of the Galaxy consistently bring a spark to every Marvel character they share the screen with – whether it’s playful arguments with Thor, heartwarming introductions to Captain America, or team-ups with the Winter Soldier. They inject a fun, quirky energy into the more serious side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This surprisingly effective combination, skillfully handled by the Russo Brothers, is a key reason why Infinity War and Endgame are considered the best comic book movie crossovers ever made.

Currently, it doesn’t look like the Guardians of the Galaxy will be in the upcoming movie. However, the Fantastic Four are expected to take over the role the Guardians played during the events of the Infinity Saga. Like the Guardians, the Fantastic Four bring a fun and quirky energy to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and they’ll balance well with the more serious characters.

In the latest trailer for Doomsday, the Russo Brothers are showcasing their knack for creating exciting combinations, notably a first meeting between Ben Grimm, aka The Thing, and the people of Wakanda. The Fantastic Four’s adventurous and otherworldly nature is likely to create some interesting friction with the more realistic world Shuri and M’Baku are used to. If done well, this interaction could become as memorable as the dynamic between Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy. This hints at the Russo Brothers’ continued success and is a promising sign for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

How the Russo Brothers’ “Strange Alchemy” Makes Avengers Movies Better

The Russo Brothers have a remarkable talent – they expertly combine characters who seem unlikely to connect, and this is a major reason for the ongoing success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While it might seem like a gamble at first, this approach immediately addresses the biggest challenge of bringing a large group of heroes together, quickly captivating the audience.

If audiences accept Spider-Man and Iron Man teaming up with these other heroes, they’ll be willing to embrace any unexpected team-ups the movie throws at them. The trick is to make their first interactions lighthearted and enjoyable. The filmmakers achieve this by rooting each meeting in something funny or relatable. For example, the Guardians of the Galaxy immediately comment on Thor’s physique, and the rocky alien, the Thing, introduces himself to Black Panther with a casual mention of his hometown. Once that initial connection is made, viewers are more easily able to accept the wilder parts of the crossover.

When you let go of skepticism, surprising connections can form – a kind of magical transformation. Over time, even very different characters find they have things in common. For example, the Guardians of the Galaxy realize that despite his impressive appearance, Thor has experienced similar losses to their own. Tony Stark and Doctor Strange stubbornly deny that their animosity stems from the fact that they are actually quite similar. This highlights the depth of Marvel’s characters, who are complex enough to have these hidden connections that only emerge when they finally unite.

Fans can expect the Russo Brothers to work their magic again when Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters this December. This latest installment will include an even bigger group of heroes, now featuring characters from the X-Men franchise. Just imagine the exciting possibilities—and potential chaos—as teams like the X-Men join forces with characters like the Winter Soldier, Red Guardian, and Black Panther. The combinations of characters in Doomsday promise both fun moments and surprising connections.

Will the Guardians of the Galaxy Return in Avengers: Doomsday?

The Fantastic Four seem to be playing a similar role in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday as the Guardians of the Galaxy did in Infinity War and Endgame. This doesn’t rule out the possibility of the Guardians appearing in the next major Marvel crossover event. Although their return hasn’t been officially announced, Marvel has surprised fans with big reveals before, so it’s still possible.

Though the main story of the Guardians of the Galaxy team concluded with Vol. 3, the possibility remains for them to appear in future Marvel movies. The film showed a new team – including an adult Groot, Phyla-Vell, Adam Warlock, Kraglin, Cosmo the Space-Dog, Nebula, and Blurp – continuing their adventures. While we haven’t seen them since, an upcoming movie like Avengers: Doomsday would be a great opportunity to bring them back and show fans what they’ve been doing.

Interestingly, the next Avengers movie, potentially titled Doomsday, might feature a former member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord departed the team, with a post-credits scene hinting at his eventual return as “The Legendary Star-Lord.” While he’s expected to appear in a solo project later this year, there’s also speculation he could be involved in future Marvel crossovers. Star-Lord’s half-sister, Mantis, also set off on her own journey at the end of the Guardians trilogy, hoping to explore the universe and find herself. This seems to suggest a possible return for both characters in a cosmic-focused film like Doomsday, although Pom Klementieff, who plays Mantis, isn’t currently listed in the movie’s cast.

Fans hoping to see the Guardians of the Galaxy in Avengers: Doomsday shouldn’t give up yet. But even if they aren’t in the movie, the Fantastic Four and other teams will work hard to make up for their absence. Like Infinity War and Endgame, Doomsday will need that special, unique energy – the kind the Guardians bring – to make the team-up feel truly special and connect with audiences.

Avengers: Doomsday opens in theaters on December 18, 2026.

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2026-01-13 18:10