Marvel's 1950s Avengers Reboot Should Be How the MCU Relaunches The Franchise
Adam has been writing in the entertainment news space for over a decade. Beginning his career of covering film and TV at CinemaBlend, he has also appeared on The Flash Podcast and done several radio spots.
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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is approaching the end of another era. Avengers: Doomsday, Phase Six’s penultimate movie, arrives later this month, with the main Avengers team joining forces with the New Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and other heroes to battle Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom. This reality-spanning epic will continue in next year’s Avengers: Secret Wars, which will mark the end of both Phase Six and the Multiverse Saga.
While Marvel Studios has X-Men, Ghost Rider, and Black Panther III officially scheduled on the upcoming Marvel movies slate, and is also developing Nova and Shang-Chi 2, the fate of the MCU’s Avengers post-Secret Wars remains uncertain. If Marvel decides to keep Earth's Mightiest Heroes around, then it would benefit from being relaunched in this yet-to-be-titled next saga. The best way to accomplish this would be turning to the 1950s Avengers reboot from the comics for inspiration.
The 1950s Avengers Originally Weren’t Canon
The original Avengers came together in 1963, with the opening lineup consisting of Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, Wasp, and Hulk, with Captain America joining a few months later. However, in 1978, a 1950s Avengers team was featured in What If... ? #9 by Don Glut, Roy Thomas, and Alan Kupperberg. In the issue, Iron Man used a dimensional viewer modeled off the Squadron Supreme’s transporter to show Captain America, Thor, Vision, and Beast how this team had assembled in 1958 to protect President Dwight Eisenhower from a group of supervillains.
The 1950s Avengers, who were recruited by FBI agent Jimmy Woo, consisted of 3-D Man, Gorilla-Man, Human Robot, Marvel Boy, and Venus. Together, they rescued Eisenhower from the Yellow Claw, who was aided by The Great Video, Cold Warrior, Electro, and Skull-Face, all of whom had previously tangled with these heroes. Despite the victory, Eisenhower ordered this version of the Avengers to immediately disband and keep their short-lived existence so as not to cause a public panic.
What If… ? #9 concludes with Uatu the Watcher refusing to clarify whether the events witnessed on Tony Stark’s dimensional viewer occurred in Earth-616’s past or another universe’s, nor does he share if the 1950s Avengers ever reformed. It wasn’t until 1999’s Avengers Forever #4 that it was finally revealed that this team hailed from Earth-9904, and they did indeed band together again. Sadly, this world was destroyed by Immortus, but a different take on this group of heroes was introduced less than a decade later.
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01
The Avengers first assembled in Marvel Comics in 1963. In the original comic, the team formed to battle a villain who had been manipulated by his adopted brother. Which villain brought the original Avengers together?
✓ Correct! In Avengers #1 (September 1963), Loki manipulated the Hulk into going on a rampage, which led Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, and the Wasp to band together. They defeated Loki and decided to form a permanent team — the Avengers were born.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Loki. In the original 1963 comic, Loki tricked the Hulk into a rampage, which brought together Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, and the Wasp. Ultron came later, Thanos is a cosmic threat, and Kang is a time-traveling villain.
02
In the MCU, Tony Stark famously declared “I am Iron Man” at a press conference, breaking the superhero tradition of secret identities. In which year’s MCU film did Tony Stark first appear as Iron Man?
✓ Correct! Iron Man (2008) launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe and starred Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. The film’s post-credits scene with Nick Fury teased the Avengers Initiative, kicking off the most successful film franchise in history.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is 2008. Iron Man premiered on May 2, 2008, directed by Jon Favreau and starring Robert Downey Jr. It was the first film in the MCU and set the stage for everything that followed.
03
Thanos, the Mad Titan, sought to collect all six Infinity Stones to achieve his genocidal goal. In Avengers: Infinity War, he succeeded in his plan. What did Thanos do with the completed Infinity Gauntlet?
✓ Correct! With a single snap of his fingers, Thanos wiped out half of all living creatures in the universe. Known as “The Blip,” this devastating act erased trillions of lives and set the stage for the Avengers’ desperate time heist in Endgame to undo the damage.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is that Thanos snapped away half of all life in the universe. His twisted philosophy of “balance” drove him to commit universal genocide with a single snap, making it one of the most shocking moments in cinema history.
04
In Avengers: Endgame, Captain America proved worthy of wielding Thor’s enchanted hammer during the final battle against Thanos. What is the name of Thor’s hammer?
✓ Correct! Mjolnir, forged in the heart of a dying star, bears the inscription “Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” Captain America wielding it in Endgame was one of the most celebrated moments in MCU history.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Mjolnir. Stormbreaker is the axe Thor forged in Infinity War, Gungnir is Odin’s spear, and Jarnbjorn is an axe Thor used in the comics before Mjolnir. Mjolnir is the iconic enchanted hammer.
05
Black Widow, born Natasha Romanoff, is one of the founding MCU Avengers. Before joining S.H.I.E.L.D., she was trained as an assassin in a secret Soviet program. What is the name of this program?
✓ Correct! The Red Room was a covert Soviet training facility that turned young girls into elite spies and assassins known as Black Widows. Natasha was subjected to brutal conditioning and sterilization. Her escape and defection to S.H.I.E.L.D. was explored in the 2021 Black Widow film.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is The Red Room. HYDRA is a separate evil organization, the Winter Soldier Program created Bucky Barnes, and Department X is from the comics. The Red Room is the infamous Soviet program that forged Natasha into Black Widow.
06
The Hulk was created when Dr. Bruce Banner was exposed to massive amounts of radiation during a weapons test. What type of radiation transformed Banner into the Hulk?
✓ Correct! Dr. Bruce Banner was caught in the blast of a gamma bomb he designed, absorbing a massive dose of gamma radiation. This transformed him into the Hulk — a being of near-limitless strength whose power increases with his rage. Gamma radiation remains central to the Hulk’s mythology.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Gamma Radiation. Cosmic Rays gave the Fantastic Four their powers, Pym Particles are Ant-Man’s shrinking technology, and Terrigen Mist activates Inhuman abilities. Gamma radiation is what created the Incredible Hulk.
07
In the MCU, after Steve Rogers retired as Captain America, he passed his shield to a new hero to carry on the legacy. Who became the new Captain America?
✓ Correct! At the end of Avengers: Endgame, an elderly Steve Rogers chose Sam Wilson — the Falcon — to carry on the Captain America legacy. Sam’s journey to embrace the shield was explored in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, and he fully took up the mantle as Captain America.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Sam Wilson. While Bucky Barnes was Captain America in the comics, Steve chose Sam in the MCU. John Walker was temporarily given the shield by the government, and Isaiah Bradley was a forgotten super soldier from the past.
08
Ultron is an artificial intelligence who becomes one of the Avengers’ deadliest enemies. In the MCU’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, which Avenger inadvertently created Ultron?
✓ Correct! Tony Stark created the Ultron program as a global peacekeeping AI, using technology from Loki’s scepter (which contained the Mind Stone). The AI became sentient and immediately decided humanity needed to be eradicated. In the comics, Hank Pym created Ultron, but the MCU shifted this to Stark.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Tony Stark. While Hank Pym created Ultron in the comics, the MCU changed this to Tony Stark. Bruce Banner assisted but it was Tony’s initiative. Vision was actually created from Ultron’s technology, not the other way around.
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The 1950s Avengers Team Evolved Into The Agents Of Atlas
In 2006, Jeff Parker and Leonard Kirk created the Agents of Atlas, which had also joined forces in Earth-616’s 1958 to rescue Eisenhower from Yellow Claw, just like their Earth-9904 counterparts. Except for 3-D Man, the lineup from What If… ? #9 remained intact, and it was shown that Woo also tried to recruit Namora, but she declined to join the team. The Agents of Atlas remained active for six months after Eisenhower was rescued, then were also ordered to disband.
In Earth-616’s present day, most of the original Agents of Atlas came back together when Woo, now a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, was critically injured during an operation looking into the mysterious Atlas Foundation. Gorilla-Man teamed with Marvel Boy, Human Robot, and Namora to rescue Woo, who was restored to his 1958 self during the mission. Venus later rejoined the Agents and was still welcomed by the team even after it was revealed she was a Siren.
During the War of the Realms event in 2019, Woo formed a new version of the Agents of Atlas consisting of Asian and Asian American superheroes. He was initially joined by Brawn (Amadeus Cho), Shang-Chi, and Silk, who’d fought alongside him in the Protectors, and later recruits include Aero, Crescent and Io, Giant-Man (Raz Malhotra), Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), White Fox, and Luna Snow, among others.
The Agents Of Atlas Would Be Worthy Avengers Successors
Besides being the focus of a DLC for the video game Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2, the Agents of Atlas haven’t appeared outside the comics. However, Woo, Shang-Chi, Namora, Ms. Marvel are already established in the MCU, and even Silk, a.k.a. Cindy Moon, appeared as a civilian in Spider-Man: Homecoming and Avengers: Infinity War. As such, the groundwork has already been laid for the Agents of Atlas to be formed within this franchise and take over as its flagship team.
Marvel Studios has already shown with the Guardians of the Galaxy and Thunderbolts that it can popularize more obscure superhero teams, so there’s no reason the same couldn’t be done with the Agents of Atlas. There are two ways this could be approached. The first option is that the Avengers team remains intact, and its roster is simply populated with Atlas characters. That way, the brand recognition remains intact for the public. The second option is that Marvel goes all in, retires the Avengers, and assembles the Agents of Atlas to be the new mightiest heroes on Earth.
Either way, with the MCU landscape expected to look significantly different after Avengers: Secret Wars, Phase Seven is the perfect time to bring the Agents of Atlas into play. With Jake Schreier’s X-Men reboot putting new spins on mutants familiar to passionate fans and the public alike, the Agents can function as a team of lesser-known characters that could see their popularity boosted if given the proper platform to shine on.
Woo hasn’t had a prominent role since WandaVision, Ms. Marvel’s post-The Marvels status remains up in the air, and although both Shang-Chi and Namora will return in Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel hasn’t guaranteed we’ll see either of them after that, especially considering how Shang-Chi 2 has been languishing in development hell for half a decade. Having these four put together the Agents of Atlas would be an effective way to keep them relevant. They can guide a new generation of heroes to protect Earth and inspire others, just like the Avengers have done.
The MCU picks back up on Wednesday, October 14 with the premiere of VisionQuest. Avengers: Doomsday follows in theaters on Friday, December 18.
- Release Date
- December 18, 2026
- Runtime
- 165 Minutes
- Director
- Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
-
Victor von Doom
-
Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic
-
Thor
-
Vanessa Kirby
Sue Storm / Invisible Woman
- Writers
- Stephen McFeely, Michael Waldron, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers
- Producers
- Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Jonathan Schwartz
- Prequel(s)
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day
- Sequel(s)
- Avengers: Secret Wars
- Franchise(s)
- Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers, Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Thor, X-Men
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