Marvel's New Avengers Release On Disney+ Sets Up A Different Team At The Perfect Time

Published Sep 29, 2026, 9:49 AM EDT

Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more.

Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics."

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Marvel has a new Avengers release streaming on Disney+, and not only does it set up a new team, but the special has been released on the streaming service at the perfect time for a few reasons. 2026 is the year the Avengers will finally return to the MCU's slate of releases. Sure, last year did feature Earth's Mightiest Heroes in a way.

After all, 2025's Thunderbolts* ended with that team changing names to become the MCU's New Avengers, clashing with Sam Wilson's Avengers team, which was set up in Captain America: Brave New World. That said, both were not Avengers movies. The first of the MCU's Avengers movies since 2019's Avengers: Endgame will be Avengers: Doomsday, which releases in theaters on December 18.

That is the MCU crossover for the ages, with veteran stars like Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. returning to establish a new era for the franchise. They will be joined by actors who made their MCU debut in the Multiverse Saga, a few other Infinity Saga heroes, and multiverse characters, like Fox's original X-Men cast. Avengers: Doomsday is a massive event.

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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?

AUltron BThanos CLoki DKang the Conqueror

✓ 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.

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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?

A2006 B2008 C2010 D2012

✓ 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.

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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?

ADestroyed the universe BSnapped away half of all life CBecame ruler of Earth DTraveled back in time

✓ 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.

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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?

AStormbreaker BGungnir CMjolnir DJarnbjorn

✓ 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.

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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?

AThe Red Room BHYDRA Academy CThe Winter Soldier Program DDepartment X

✓ 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.

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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?

ACosmic Rays BPym Particles CGamma Radiation DTerrigen Mist

✓ 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.

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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?

ABucky Barnes BSam Wilson CJohn Walker DIsaiah Bradley

✓ 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.

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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?

ABruce Banner BHank Pym CTony Stark DVision

✓ 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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That said, while all eyes are on the upcoming live-action MCU movie, Marvel has just released a special on Disney+. For fans of animated Marvel projects, this Avengers release, which is not canon to the MCU, comes at the perfect time, and it sets up a new Avengers TV show that will debut in 2027.

A Marvel Avengers Special Is Now Streaming On Disney+

As part of the multiple Marvel releases on Disney+ in September, the animated special Marvel’s Spidey and the Avengers: Halloween Team-Up! was released on the streaming service on Friday, September 25. As its title suggests, this is a spooky season release, with the Avengers special following Earth's Mightiest Heroes as they face the Halloween-themed villains Hallows' Eve and Jack O'Lantern. The project is part of a Marvel animated shared universe that began with the long-running Spidey and his Amazing Friends. The franchise has since grown to include the spin-off series Iron Man and His Awesome Friends. Both lead heroes are in the Avengers special.

These animated versions of Spider-Man and Iron Man are joined by heroes like Black Panther, Captain America, the Hulk, and the Wasp in Marvel’s Spidey and the Avengers: Halloween Team-Up! The animated Marvel special on Disney+ is the second such release for the franchise, following Spidey and Iron Man: Avengers Team-Up!, which arrived on October 16, 2025.

Both of the animated releases are meant to set up Marvel's first preschool animated series for the Avengers, the upcoming Avengers: Mightiest Friends, which has been announced to debut in 2027. The main Avengers team of the Marvel series will feature Iron Man (Tony Stark), Captain America (Steve Rogers), Hulk (Bruce Banner), Black Panther (T’Challa), Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff), and Thor, as confirmed by Marvel.

Marvel’s Spidey and the Avengers: Halloween Team-Up! Was Released At The Perfect Time

Marvel’s Spidey and the Avengers: Halloween Team-Up! just happened to be released on the same day that Avengers: Endgame Encore came to theaters, September 25. The latter is a crucial step on the road to Avengers: Doomsday, adding multiple scenes that set up the upcoming MCU event. The timing was interesting and smart, as kids who went to watch this new Avengers: Endgame re-release, many of whom were too young or maybe not even born when the film was originally released seven years ago, could now follow it up on Disney+ with Marvel’s Spidey and the Avengers: Halloween Team-Up! on the same day.

Additionally, Marvel’s Spidey and the Avengers: Halloween Team-Up! was released right before Halloween season kicks in, giving Marvel fans and families a holiday-themed project to watch together throughout October. For those elements, Marvel got it right with the special's release, as seen by the fact that Marvel’s Spidey and the Avengers: Halloween Team-Up! currently stands at #8 on Disney+'s Top 10 Movies chart in the United States (via FlixPatrol), proving the Avengers special has become a streaming hit.