Only 1 Of The MCU's Original Avengers Replacements Has Truly Worked So Far

There's really only been one Avengers replacement hero who's worked so far in the Multiverse Saga. In the previous Infinity Saga, Marvel Studios spent over a decade building Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye into one of the most popular and recognizable superhero teams in cinematic history. Replacing them in the MCU was never going to be easy, but should it really be this hard when we've so far only had one truly solid success?

Following Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios naturally spent much of the Multiverse Saga introducing not only new heroes, but also the next generation who could theoretically fill the shoes of the original six Avengers. However, the overall success of some of these MCU introductions is up for debate.

Given the full breadth of what's been done with some of these new Avengers replacement heroes thus far, it's clear that most have faced some significant issues (aside from one hero in particular).

Most Of The OG Avengers Replacements Have Had Issues

New Avengers, Fantastic Four, and Avengers in Avengers Doomsday

On the whole, several of Marvel's new Avengers replacements have been genuinely great characters. The problem is that being a great character is only one part of what made the original Avengers work. There's also execution to consider. These heroes need to be utilized well, have compelling stories, and have a clear future within the greater MCU, and that's apparently been easier said than done.

Sam Wilson is perhaps the clearest example. Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson is excellent as the new Captain America, and Sam's gradual evolution from Falcon to Steve Rogers' chosen successor, as seen in Falcon and The Winter Soldier, is one of the MCU's most important Multiverse Saga stories. However, his debut film, Captain America: Brave New World, was poorly received and underperformed, having faced all kinds of reshoots and major story changes that can be felt even in the final cut. Seeing how Avengers: Doomsday will feature Chris Evans' return as Steve Rogers, there's an inherent risk that Wilson's Captain America will quickly be overshadowed.

Iron Man's replacement hero has an even bigger problem. Riri Williams is a fantastic comic-book character with plenty of potential, and Dominique Thorne has brought personality to the role both in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and her own MCU series. However, Ironheart was not a major hit, nor do we know anything about her future. Likewise, War Machine has yet to become the standalone hero he was meant to be, with Armor Wars still in limbo.

There's no clear future for Jennifer Walters' She-Hulk either after her 2022 Disney+ series, making it hard to argue that she's fully positioned to one day replace her cousin Bruce Banner, who was just featured in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Played by Hailee Steinfeld, Kate Bishop might be one of the biggest missed opportunities. Despite having an excellent debut as someone who could easily be seen leading the next generation of MCU heroes, she hasn't been seen since 2021's Hawkeye, save for a post-credits cameo in 2023's The Marvels that still hasn't gone anywhere. Likewise, it's hard to identify if Thor even has a genuine replacement thus far in the MCU.

Too many of these established Avengers replacement heroes are truly great, and yet continue to be underutilized by Marvel Studios. However, there is one exception when it comes to Black Widow's replacement in the MCU.

Yelena As Black Widow's Replacement Has Been A Big Success

Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova stands in front of the Thunderbolts asterisk and looks at the camera

Overall, Black Widow's sister Yelena Belova is the exception because Marvel has actually followed through on her impressive potential in the MCU. Florence Pugh's introduction in 2021's Black Widow immediately gave the MCU another compelling spy/assassin character, and yet Yelena did not simply become Natasha Romanoff's perfect replacement by wearing the same kind of clothes and wielding similar weapons.

Marvel Studios has given Yelena Belova her own unique character and personality. She has a unique sense of humor and struggles, both of which have been featured in multiple MCU projects with great success. Her arc of reconciling with her sister in Black Widow before grieving and seeking revenge for Natasha's death post-Endgame was huge, as was seen in Hawkeye.

Likewise, Yelena is arguably one of the most important MCU heroes heading into Avengers: Doomsday, having become the leader of the New Avengers as seen in 2025's Thunderbolts*. That movie alone gave Yelena a worthwhile arc as a genuine Black Widow replacement, exploring her intense depression and struggles before finding support with her fellow allies, all seeking to move beyond their dark pasts to become something better and brighter together.

More than any of the aforementioned Avengers replacement heroes, Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova is actually being given enough of the right opportunities necessary to become a true Black Widow successor in the MCU (and she arguably has already).

Can Marvel Fully Replace The Original Avengers?

The Avengers stand together in The Avengers (2012)

Ultimately, the bigger question is whether Marvel can ever fully recreate what made the original Avengers work at this point. The answer is probably not, though that's not necessarily a problem. What likely matters more is good execution earning renewed investment no matter who the heroes are, replacements or otherwise.

That becomes particularly important with the next two Avengers movies on the way. Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars will bring together an enormous collection of heroes, creating an opportunity to establish which characters will actually help carry the MCU forward after the Multiverse Saga.

Yelena is obviously the clearest example of that happening. Sam still has enormous potential to become the definitive Captain America for the new era, Kate could and should absolutely return as an all-new Hawkeye, Riri has plenty of room to grow, and She-Hulk should absolutely be featured again alongside her cousin. Marvel Studios simply needs to USE them far more than they currently are. They need to become just as indispensable as the original Avengers felt back in the day.

While there is going to be a pretty big pivot to the MCU's new X-Men post-Secret Wars, here's hoping these and more new heroes introduced in the Multiverse Saga won't be fully forgotten in the aftermath.

Avengers: Doomsday releases in theaters December 18th from Marvel Studios.