Where Did We Last Leave the Heroes & Villains of the MCU?

Ahead of the Avengers: Doomsday premiere, there is still much mystery surrounding the epic conclusion to Marvel’s Multiverse Sage. Even the four Doomsday teaser trailers only hint at what’s to come in the highly anticipated film.

First, Steve Rogers appeared in a teaser trailer that reveals he has a child. Then, Thor showed up in existential agony. Next, the X-Men were seen facing yet another ending. Finally, the people of Wakanda and Talokan met with The Thing from the Fantastic Four. All are preparing for an impending doom — presumably, Doctor Doom himself.

But so many storylines and timelines are converging in Doomsday, it can be a lot to remember. Where did we last leave off with all of the returning heroes and villains? Here’s your MCU refresher.

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Avengers

As far as sendoffs go, Avengers: Endgame really managed to tie up so many stories in neat bows (while still leaving room for new chapters). Of course, we saw the noble sacrifices of both Black Widow and Iron Man in the fight against Thanos. Before traveling back in time to reunite with Agent Peggy Carter, Steve Rogers passed off his title to Sam Wilson. As Captain America, Sam Wilson was last seen in New World Order, alongside Joaquin Torres, AKA the new Falcon.

In Thor: Love and Thunder, Thor grappled with the loss of his family as well as Jane Foster, but he gained an adopted child in Love, the resurrected daughter of Gorr the God-Butcher. After helping orchestrate the Avengers’ Snap, Hulk was last seen communicating with Shang-Chi in a post-credits scene and then hanging out with his cousin, Jennifer Walters, in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.

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Wakandans

Following the immense success of Black Panther, T’Challa clawed his way into audience’s hearts. Sadly, Chadwick Boseman passed away before he could continue the hero’s on-screen legacy. Wakanda Forever served as both a memorial to the beloved actor, but also as a story that would pass the Black Panther title onto T’Challa’s younger sister, Shuri. By the film’s end, we also learned that T’Challa and Nakia had a son.

Prior to Black Panther, Wakanda was a secret kept from the rest of the world. Some of its people, notably M’Baku’s Jabari tribe, were separate from their fellow Wakandans. But thanks to T’Challa’s influence, M’Baku now protects Wakanda alongside Shuri. He’s even the country’s king now, after Ramonda’s death.

Talokanil

In a shocking display of power, Ramonda was killed by a new global power: Namor of Talokan. Like Wakanda, Namor’s kingdom prospers thanks to its stores of Vibranium. Though Namor’s forces stormed Birnin Zana and killed the Wakandan queen, Shuri forged an uneasy alliance with the Talokanil people. Now, Namor and Shuri seem to have joined forces for the impending battle.

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Additional Allies & Enemies

Given his new status as the God of Stories, Loki will perhaps have some of the biggest influence over the events occurring in Doomsday and Secret Wars. At the end of season 2 of Loki, the trickster assumed his glorious purpose, a god who cultivates all the Multiverse’s timelines. Surely this power will come into play during the Incursions, events in which universes crash into each other.

Elsewhere in the 616, we met Shang-Chi in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Plus, Ant-Man, his daughter Cassie, and The Wasp all defeated Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Shang-Chi and Ant-Man are confirmed to return in Doomsday.

Notably Missing Character Announcements

With so many returning heroes, we also have to question what’s happened to a few of the most notable figures in the Multiverse Saga. When Carol Danvers, AKA Captain Marvel, teamed up with Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau in The Marvels, we witnessed a truly powerful trio. Plus, Monica became Spectrum and found herself in an entirely new universe — where X-Men existed. Will this story make its way into Doomsday or Secret Wars?

But the Marvels weren’t the only heroes meddling with the Multiverse. Spider-Man grieved Tony Stark’s death and had to deal with his secret identity being exposed. He looked to Doctor Strange for help but magic only complicated matters. Neither Spider-Man nor Doctor Strange are confirmed yet for Doomsday. And speaking of magic, the official fate of Scarlet Witch is still unknown and her husband Vision’s story is also still up in the air, since VisionQuest has yet to be released. Up against Doctor Doom, Marvel’s magical users are bound to have some sort of role.

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Thunderbolts / New Avengers

There’s a new team of Marvel misfits in town, and they’re called the Thunderbolts*! Well, actually, now they’re called the New Avengers. Though Valentina Allegra de Fontaine attempted to eliminate them, specifically by turning Bob into the all-powerful Sentry, the team now operates with their own agenda. Led by Yelena Belova, the New Avengers team also includes Bucky Barnes, Ghost, Red Guardian, and U.S. Agent.

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The Fantastic Four

Hailing from Earth-828, the Fantastic Four is a family first and heroes second — fortunately, they also include the rest of Earth as their family, as seen when they defeated Galactus and his herald, the Silver Surfer. The Invisible Woman, Mister Fantastic, Human Torch, and The Thing are the Fantastic Four but in First Steps they were also joined by a tiny yet mighty addition: Franklin Richards.

At the end of First Steps, a brief scene shows Doctor Doom infiltrating the Baxter Building. It appears his plan involves young Franklin, whose fantastic power is somehow related to reality manipulation.

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Fox Universe X-Men

Here’s where it’s gonna get a bit messy. The first X-Men movie came out in 2000. Since then, there have been two separate franchises chronicling the mutants’ adventures, plus multiple spinoffs featuring Wolverine and Deadpool. In Days of Future Past, the mutants of the original Fox-produced X-Men movies converged with the mutants from the First Class franchise, seemingly consolidating their timelines.

These Fox mutants are from Earth-10005, and in one version of that Earth’s future, all of the X-Men are killed except for Wolverine. That’s the Logan who teams up with Wade Wilson in Deadpool & Wolverine. Yet, in the X-Men teaser trailer for Doomsday, we see Cyclops, Professor X, and Magneto. The exact details of how (and which) mutants are brought into Earth-616 are still a mystery, much like the arrival of the Fantastic Four.

No matter what, their entrances are bound to be mind-blowing. Just hopefully not in the Cassandra Nova way.

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It’s important to keep in mind, the heroes and villains listed above are only the confirmed characters returning to Avengers: Doomsday. Without a doubt, there will be other cameos, surprise appearances, and big returns when the movie comes out!

Who else do you hope to see in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars? Join the conversation with other Marvel fans over at Sideshow Social Network or in side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!