The current layout for the MCU appears to make two notable Avengers heroes effectively unkillable unless the franchise is willing to experience some grave consequences for its setup going forward. Being part of the MCU’s Avengers has become a more common prospect in recent history thanks to the New Avengers technically adding a second lineup to this roster, but it’s safe to say those within this roster are still the franchise’s primary heroes – and, ironically, some of the heroes most likely to die in the overall scheme of things.
This is true not just because a good chunk of the original Avengers roster have died in the MCU timeline, but also holds true because being in the MCU’s biggest movies naturally runs the risk of being the figure who gets the chop in order to make the overarching story have some suitably dramatic moments, and so as to ensure audiences don’t feel like every hero is invulnerable in the franchise.
With that said, the recent announcements around the MCU’s X-Men movie appear to tee up the other major Marvel team to enter the spotlight in a major way going forward, which should serve many purposes, including making things more interesting by having the Avengers and X-Men co-exist seemingly in the same universe, which is a scenario that means the MCU may be best leaving two of its most long-term heroes on the table for its next era, despite the many theories that one or both will die going forward.
The MCU Needs The Avengers To Not Be Significantly Weaker Than The X-Men (Which Relies On 2 Heroes Right Now)
Historically, the Avengers and X-Men have been used as balancing forces of sorts, be that by having the two teams actively face off against one another, or simply by having them negotiate and interact with one another as two bastions of heroism whose motives and approaches don’t always align.
Given how well this works to add more dimension to Marvel’s world and ensure a sense of balance in the franchise and its depiction of certain teams and figures, it would make sense for the MCU to take a page out of the comic books in this sense – which is doubly interesting to note since the upcoming X-Men movie features Cyclops, Storm, Jean Grey, Emma Frost, and Professor X, who are all pretty strong in a battle and generally as a result of their skillsets.
With this in mind, the current MCU appears to be in a position where they to some degree can’t afford to lose the likes of the Hulk and Thor in the Avengers right now, as the role these two have played throughout the MCU as the two main heavy hitters in the Avengers who serve to bolster the team’s powers levels looks in some way to be more crucial than ever going forward. This is also particularly true because of how their abilities compound with the particular edge they’re set to have over this next on-screen iteration of the X-Men.
The X-Men’s Age Also Helps Balance Their Power Level
When it comes to the matter of having the X-Men and Avengers work at conceptually similar overall power levels in order to balance the MCU, it also makes sense to factor in the matter of the MCU’s X-Men movie largely casting younger actors for the roles overall – a matter that makes sense, given the intention appears to be to follow the core team throughout their early adulthood.
Comparatively, this gives the Avengers the edge against the X-Men in a crucial way that helps further balance out their respective power levels even further, as the team – while now undergoing a reformation of sorts – is still primarily composed of heroes who have years of experience in the role, and who have faced up against a range of seriously powerful foes and picked up some tricks along the way, though this still only works best if the Avengers’ two most powerful and senior heroes are in their ranks.
X-Men
- Release Date
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May 5, 2028
- Director
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Jake Schreier
- Writers
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Joanna Calo, Lee Sung Jin, Michael Lesslie