The Marvel Cinematic Universe has only properly replaced two of its main heroes so far. The events of Avengers: Endgame meant the end of the original Avengers team. To make up for the fact that Iron Man and Black Widow died and Captain America grew old and retired, Marvel Studios began pushing forward with a plan to replace them. The studio has attempted to replace the original Avengers in various forms, including laying the groundwork for new super teams to emerge, but they have also been proactive in making sure some characters are directly replaced. This was foreshadowed by Sam Wilson being appointed as the MCU’s next Captain America.
In the years since Avengers: Endgame allowed the original Avengers to assemble one last time, it has become common for the MCU to explore replacement heroes. Black Widow introducing Yelena Belova was viewed as a way for Marvel to replace Black Widow, while Jane Foster’s transformation into Mighty Thor also was thought to signal the end of Thor Odinson’s journey. Several characters could still become the new Black Panther after T’Challa’s death too, while some new heroes share some major personality and life similarities. However, the reality is that the MCU has only properly introduced two replacement heroes.
Captain America & Hawkeye’s Mantles Will Continue With New Heroes
Captain America and Hawkeye are the only characters who truly have MCU replacements at this point, as both of these mantles are continuing on directly. Steve Rogers’ growing old with Peggy Carter in Avengers: Endgame meant that the Captain America mantle was up for the taking. Steve selected Sam Wilson to become Captain America, and even though he initially passes on the opportunity as shown in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, he fully embraces his place as the MCU’s new Star-Spangled Man by the conclusion. Sam will continue on this journey by leading Captain America: New World Order, further solidifying a passing of the mantle.
Clint Barton’s title as Hawkeye has also been passed on in the MCU already. He was ready to retire from being a superhero again after Avengers: Endgame so he could spend more time with his family, but the Hawkeye Disney+ show brought him back into the fold. However, the series was also designed to be a passing of the torch (or bow and arrow) thanks to the introduction of Kate Bishop. The two characters formed a strong bond as they fought crime together. The show ended with the Hawkeye title card popping up after Clint says he has an idea for her superhero name to signify the mantle passing.
The MCU’s Other Avenger Replacements Have Different Hero Names
While Captain America and Hawkeye have direct MCU replacement heroes, Marvel’s attempts to replace other Avengers has gone in a slightly different direction. Instead of having a passing of the mantle like Captain America and Hawkeye, many of the other replacement characters have new hero names to some degree. This includes going with Mighty Thor for Jane instead of just Thor, as well as She-Hulk for Jennifer Walkers instead of just Hulk. Riri Williams has Ironheart and Rhodey has War Machine instead of either becoming known as Iron Man, while Yelena Belova could go with Super-Adaptoid instead of Black Widow.
Of the other MCU heroes who could still be replaced, the Black Panther mantle is the most likely to continue on directly. Since it is a title of great importance within Wakanda, Shuri could continue to serve in that role or M’Baku could become Black Panther after becoming King. There is also a chance that the Spider-Man mantle will eventually be passed down from Peter Parker to Miles Morales in the MCU, allowing the mantle to live on similarly as Captain America and Hawkeye have.
