Marvel Studios is no stranger to long-term storytelling. However, the gap between ‘Avengers: Endgame’ and ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ has raised eyebrows due to the length.
Fans have been waiting for the next major Avengers team-up film for what will be seven years (more than double the longest previous gap between Avengers movies). Now, the newly released ‘Thunderbolts*’ provides a compelling reason why.
‘Thunderbolts*’ Trailer Showcases A World Without The Avengers
Unlike previous Avengers films, ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ isn’t just another installment, it’s a complete reshaping of the MCU’s core dynamics. ‘Avengers: Endgame’ was the culmination of a decade-long saga, and trying to immediately follow that up with another Avengers film would have risked feeling redundant or rushed.
So, Marvel needed time to establish a new era of heroes, explore the consequences of Endgame, and rebuild anticipation. Additionally, the ‘Thunderbolts*’ movie plays a crucial role in this transition. The trailer makes it clear that the world has moved on from the Avengers as we knew them.
The once-reliable superhero team is nowhere to be found, creating a power vacuum that governments and rogue forces are eager to fill. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) even states in the trailer, “The Avengers are not coming. Who will keep the American people safe?”
Moreover, the Thunderbolts are a very different kind of superhero team. They aren’t a group of noble, selfless warriors like the original Avengers, they’re a group of antiheroes and former villains being forced into action. So, the absence of the Avengers is precisely what allows the Thunderbolts to rise.
The Delay Between ‘Avengers: Endgame’ And ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Works
Delaying ‘Avengers: Doomsday‘ wasn’t just a logistical decision, it was a creative one. The long gap also allows Marvel to properly explore the fallout of ‘Endgame’. While earlier projects like ‘WandaVision’ and ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ touched on the consequences, Thunderbolts takes things a step further.
In case you missed it: ‘Thunderbolts*’ Trailer Hints At Sentry Being The Main Antagonist
The first trailer itself showed the long-term effects of a world without the Avengers. This strategy also helps ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ avoid direct comparisons to Endgame. The 2019 film was a monumental achievement in cinematic storytelling. So, trying to match it in a couple of years would be impossible.
Instead, by allowing time to pass both in-universe and in real life, Marvel is ensuring that when the Avengers finally return, it will feel like a monumental, earned moment rather than just another sequel. Additionally, the studio’s shift in focus from Kang the Conqueror to Doctor Doom might’ve delayed plans.
