It’s all hands on deck in Avengers: Doomsday. At the end of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Doctor Doom makes contact with Franklin Richards, easily the most powerful character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at this point. While it remains to be seen whether the villain takes the kids or finds a way to use his powers, every scenario is bad and spells doom for the multiverse. That’s why Marvel’s First Family travels to Earth-616, hoping to find like-minded heroes who put their lives on the line for the innocent. There are a few characters who fit that description around, for sure, but the timing of Doom’s attack could be better.
The New Avengers aren’t currently on speaking terms with Captain America, who is looking to create his own team. Meanwhile, the X-Men are out in the multiverse and could lend a hand to the group going up against Doom, but they’re unknown quantities at this point. It would be better for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to make contact with the MCU’s best team. Unfortunately, all signs point to its members staying on the sidelines during the events of Doomsday.
The Avengers are the first major team to form in the MCU, and for good reason. Nick Fury knows too much to leave the Earth undefended, so he brings together a group of remarkable people to defend it. Earth isn’t the only planet with problems, though, as there are countless planets out in the galaxy that all deserve their own version of the Avengers. They don’t get one, but what they do get is a group of colorful characters who will always do the right thing at the end of the day: the Guardians of the Galaxy. Starting with the battle against Ronan the Accuser, the Guardians fight the good fight and keep the galaxy safe from those who wish to do it harm.
Despite coming from very different backgrounds, the Guardians are a tight-knit group, bonding over their trauma and dreams. It doesn’t feel like work when Peter Quill and Gamora are taking on a bad guy, or when Rocket and Groot are building some new contraption. There’s a family dynamic at play that helps the Guardians rise above a team like the Avengers, who only get together when it’s absolutely necessary and constantly disagree with one another. Even the new Guardians team that forms at the end of the third movie feels more organic than some of the Avengers’ line-ups. It’s just a shame that they’re going to have to wait around to get a real shot in the MCU.
The director behind all three of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, of course, is James Gunn. His mastery of emotional storytelling turns the little-known Marvel team into something special, a group of characters who can tug at heartstrings at the drop of a hat. Unfortunately, Gunn is no longer working with Marvel Studios, as he’s now the co-CEO of DC Studios and is working on building a franchise that can rival the MCU. With Gunn out of the picture, it would be easy to hand the reins to another filmmaker with potential, but that’s a massive risk, especially with the state the MCU is in. Kevin Feige and Co. appear to be focusing solely on guaranteed hits, and without Gunn, there’s no way to know whether another Guardians movie will work.
There’s an argument to be made that Rocket and his new crew could still appear in either Doomsday or its sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars. After all, there’s not going to be a galaxy to save if Doom gets his way. However, without fleshing out the team, tossing them into the mix isn’t going to do anyone any good, as there are already so many mouths to feed. The smart move would be to take a step back and target someone who can begin a new era of the Guardians, one that builds on what Gunn did but also does its own thing.
Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18, 2026.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
The post Doomsday Is Missing the MCU’s Best Superhero Team (& It’s Not the Original Avengers) appeared first on ComicBook.com.
