The Avengers Are Holding the MCU Back — This Iconic Team Could Fix It

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For nearly twenty years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a major influence on popular culture. While not every Marvel movie has been a huge success, the franchise as a whole has delivered some of the most popular and thrilling blockbuster films ever made.

One of the MCU’s biggest accomplishments was bringing the Avengers together and building their stories over time. The 2012 film The Avengers showed everyone that these interconnected movies could really work, and later films like Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame proved it. But now, the Avengers have been the focus for too long, and it’s time for other Marvel heroes to have their moment in the spotlight.

The Avengers Have Been The Focus of The MCU’s Last Eighteen Years

The Marvel Cinematic Universe launched with a remarkably successful origin story, one of the best solo superhero movies ever made. Director Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. surprised everyone with this film, which was particularly impressive because it focused on a relatively unknown character to mainstream audiences.

Everything we’ve seen from the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2008 can be traced back to the first Iron Man movie. The entire universe was built on the success of that original film.

If Iron Man hadn’t been such a huge hit, we likely wouldn’t have gotten films like The Avengers or Captain America: Civil War. Marvel Studios wouldn’t be the entertainment powerhouse it is today, and the Avengers movies wouldn’t have become some of the biggest blockbusters ever made.

While Iron Man was crucial in launching the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the MCU can’t rely on it as the foundation for every story going forward. To stay fresh and relevant for the next twenty years, the universe needs to explore new characters and storylines, and move beyond constantly revisiting Robert Downey Jr. and the Avengers.

The Avengers are definitely a top Marvel team, but it’s important to remember that many other teams have equally amazing stories. While the Fantastic Four are starting to get the attention they deserve in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even their introduction seems tied to the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday movie, rather than standing on its own.

The Avengers have been the focus of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a long time, and it’s time to let other heroes shine. While some fans might prefer to see established favorites like Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor remain central, there are plenty of other options for the MCU’s future. It’s understandable why some people feel that way, but it doesn’t mean those other heroes aren’t worth exploring.

Rather than relying on familiar nostalgia and unnecessary cameos in future Avengers films like Doomsday and Secret Wars, Marvel could instead focus on bringing a faithful adaptation of the X-Men comics to the big screen – something fans have wanted for years.

The X-Men Are A Better Team Than The Avengers

Look, I’ve been reading Marvel comics for ages, way before the movies took off. And honestly, growing up, the Avengers weren’t the big deal everyone thinks they are now. The X-Men? They were the ones who always felt like the A-list heroes to me – the coolest, most interesting team Marvel had.

Characters like Cyclops, Storm, Nightcrawler, Beast, Phoenix, and Wolverine were only a few of the many memorable mutants, and comic series like Uncanny X-Men and X-Men were central to Marvel’s success for years. When the X-Men finally appeared on the big screen in the 2000 film X-Men, fans were generally happy, but…

The X-Men movies have included some truly great films like Logan, but also some real disappointments, such as Dark Phoenix and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It’s common for any long-running series to have both highs and lows.

The biggest problem with most of the live-action X-Men movies, both the good and the bad, was that they didn’t stay true to the original comics. When the first X-Men film was made, accurately adapting comic books was seen as cheesy, and audiences wouldn’t have accepted seeing the team wearing yellow spandex while battling a villain with a silly helmet.

Honestly, it’s awesome that we’re finally getting X-Men adaptations that really stick to the comics. As a longtime fan, it’s so cool to see stories like “The Brood Saga,” “Mutant Massacre,” and even “E is For Extinction” actually being explored. Back in the days of the Fox movies, those kinds of darker, more intense storylines just wouldn’t have been allowed, and it always felt like we were missing out on some of the best parts of the X-Men universe.

The X-Men truly shine in big, imaginative, science fiction stories, and that’s an area Marvel Studios could really explore. There’s a wealth of untapped material to draw from, but Marvel can’t do that if they keep retelling the same old stories about these characters.

An All-New X-Men Should Lead The MCU Into The Future

The new Avengers: Doomsday movie will feature the original live-action X-Men cast, and while some fans might be excited about that, it’s actually a bad idea.

Recasting familiar faces like Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, and James Marsden as their X-Men characters feels like a last resort. It suggests Marvel Studios isn’t sure how to move forward with the franchise. If they had a clear vision for a new X-Men team, they wouldn’t be relying on nostalgia; they’d be focused on what’s next.

It’s disappointing to see Marvel repeating the same character lineup in every adaptation, especially with Avengers: Doomsday. Instead of offering a fresh take on the X-Men that lives up to the beloved 2000s version, they seem to be relying on comic book accuracy – dressing older actors in the classic costumes and digitally placing them alongside established heroes like Captain America and the Fantastic Four.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe feels like it needs a fresh start, and introducing the X-Men could be the perfect way to do that. A completely new team of mutant heroes, perhaps debuting in Avengers: Doomsday or a future film, would allow fans time to get used to a significant shift in the franchise.

The focus in Marvel stories might start to move away from the Avengers and towards the X-Men. For decades, the X-Men were central to Marvel Comics, proving they’re capable of taking the lead and guiding the Marvel Cinematic Universe into a fresh, exciting direction. This could mean bigger, more impactful stories centered around mutants.

Following Avengers: Secret Wars, it would be smart for Marvel to give the core Avengers heroes a break. Instead of focusing on lesser-known characters or new teams, Marvel Studios should shift its attention to introducing the X-Men.

The success of Disney+’s X-Men ’97 shows that Marvel Studios has people who really get what makes the X-Men special and how much they mean to fans. Introducing a more sci-fi and character-driven X-Men franchise to the Marvel Cinematic Universe – one that doesn’t always rely on Wolverine – could be a huge step forward for live-action superhero movies, and it’s something fans have been waiting for.

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2026-01-08 19:14