Did you see those rumors that the ‘Avengers 5’ or “Avengers: Secret Wars” could include something up to 66-75 characters and think, ‘uhh, that’s too many and will make the movie unwieldy’? Well, you might be right.
In a new io9 interview with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, the executive and producer suggested that just because Marvel has all these new characters doesn’t mean audiences will see them all in one gigantic movie. And specifically, the Marvel chief was asked about all the new characters introduced in Phase 4.
“I rarely speak in absolutes like that, right?” Feige explained when asked if all the Phase 4 characters will appear in the next ‘Avengers’ movies. “The notion of never ever seeing somebody again, we’ve got Tim Blake Nelson in a movie coming up next year, right? So I never talk in absolutes like that. But the truth is, you know, we’re going to tell a story in these Avengers movies, and there won’t be room for 100,000 characters in it. So choices will have to be made, that’s for sure. But that doesn’t mean you won’t ever see anybody ever again.”
Now let’s take a deeper look at what that means, Phase 4 includes movies “Black Widow,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Eternals,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” “Thor: Love and Thunder,” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” It also includes the series “WandaVision,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “Loki,” “Hawkeye,” “Moon Knight,” “Ms. Marvel,” and “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.”
Without diving into the weeds of every new character, if you count all the latest superheroes (or anti-heroes who could help), not simply just new characters introduced in Phase 4, it’s approximately 30-ish new superhero characters (And if you count the already-begun Phase 5, you’re looking at another 8-10 heroes, and that’s not including any new secret heroes that might appear and stick around in the MCU in “Deadpool & Wolverine”).
“Avengers: Endgame” had 38 new heroes at the end of it, but again, that’s just the big climax. The movie’s central story only included 11 superheroes (everyone else was snapped into dust or just not part of the man narrative like Wong and Okoye). Even the more filled-out ‘Infinity War’ had only 25 main characters in it.
In short, there’s probably a limit to how many characters you can manage, give proper screen time to, and tell a coherent story with (and even with those numbers, Loki and Wong leave the main ‘Infinity War’ storyline early on).
So, in total, all the surviving ‘Endgame’ Avengers, plus all the new Phase Four and Phase Five characters, will get you approximately 75-ish characters. But it’s doubtful you’ll see them all in one movie, and the total number might realistically look more like ‘Infinity Wars’ stats plus a few more.
Who can you take off the table and aren’t likely essential to the story—especially if characters like Deadpool, Wolverine, and the “X-Men” characters teased at the end of “The Marvels” are utilized in ‘Secret Wars,’ not to mention “The Fantastic Four,” who surely will?
Well, right off the bat, you can likely jettison all the remaining “Eternals” and “Guardians Of The Galaxy” (you can likely use Peter Quill, though, who is now on Earth), and you probably don’t need most of “The Thunderbolts.” White Vision already seems off the chess board for now, maybe the Scarlet Witch too, and you may not need any of the Wakandans outside of Shuri. Evangeline Lily’s apparently retiring from acting, so you could theoretically wait to recast after this Multiverse Saga is over. Plus, all the characters likely slated for The Young Avengers (Kate Bishop and all those other minor characters) and Midnight Sons (Moon Knight, Werewolf By Night, Elsa Bloodstone, and Man-Thing) don’t seem like they would be essential to an Avengers movie, especially if the rumors are true that both these teams are getting their own films.
Who is likely essential? Well, anyone remaining in the original A6 seems like a sure bet, meaning Hulk, Hawkeye, and Thor, and next-level members like Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Ant-Man, and War Machine. Also, clearly, the new Captain America (Anthony Mackie) has to be instrumental to probably both these movies (though don’t be surprised if, like ‘Infinity War,’ the next Avengers movies feature three or more splintered teams in their own stories that converge at the end). However…you can still save anyone for ‘Secret Wars’ and do a smaller-scale “Avengers 5” for a more coherent story (which is already the rumor).
For example, if the writers choose, Captain Marvel could be off-world again, Wong could be busy protecting the Sanctum, the Young Avengers could be assembling off-screen, etc.
In conclusion, yes, while there are about 75-ish new heroes in total, don’t be surprised if it’s a more manageable 30 or less in the main story (not counting a big ‘Secret Wars’ finale battle that could include many more, but that’s likely just one act). *Pushes up nerd glasses, leaves the chat. Ttyl*