Avengers: Doomsdaywill feature a new leader for theMarvel Cinematic Universeteam, and it will seemingly not be Captain America. TheMCU’s 2025 movieshave hit the Avengers question on the head. After the Multiverse Saga spent years without touching Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, bothCaptain America: Brave New WorldandThunderbolts*brought forward new iterations of the Marvel team.
First, it was Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson, who was asked by the President of the United States to create a new Avengers team. Later, Sam decided to do so, recruiting Joaquin Torres, the Falcon, to join him. InThunderbolts*’s ending, Valentina introduced the team to the world as the New Avengers, though Sam fought them for the trademark.
Now, during an interview withVariety,The Fantastic Four: First Stepsdirector Matt Shakman revealed that Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richards will be the leader of the MCU’s Avengers. Check out the full quote below:
“He goes from being the nerdy scientist who’s locked away in the lab, to the husband and the father who’d do anything to protect his family, tothe guy who’s leading the Avengers. I realized that the version we were building had to have all of those elements.”
As he was describing the MCU’s Mister Fantastic, Shakman commented on how the character evolves to become “the guy who’s leading the Avengers.” Based on that, it seems likeAvengers: Doomsday’s storywill feature a major twist, with Captain America not leading the team, but Reed Richards as the leader of the Avengers in theMCU’s upcoming movies.
What The Reveal Of The Avengers' New MCU Leader Means
Reed Richards Makes Sense For A Main Role In The Avengers Movies
There are two different sides to the reveal that Reed Richards will seemingly lead the Avengers inDoomsday. On the one hand, it is shocking due to howPedro Pascal’s Reed is only now joining the franchiseinThe Fantastic Four: First Steps. Mackie’s Sam Wilson had recently been set up to lead the team after years in the MCU.
Having the MCU’s new Captain America take over as the Avengers' leader from Chris Evans' Steve Rogers was fitting. However, a key element of the next Avengers movies can help explain why Reed Richards having a bigger role than Captain America would be good for the story. The reason is thatRobert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom is Reed’s nemesis.
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Avengers: Secret Wars
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As such, tying the two characters together inAvengers: DoomsdayandSecret Warswas par for the course. By making Reed the leader of the Avengers, the MCU would be ensuring thatone of the biggest Marvel Comics rivalrieswould be spotlighted in the upcoming Avengers movies. As Reed knows about the multiverse, he could help in a way Sam can’t.
Our Take On The Reveal Of The Avengers' New MCU Leader
The Fantastic Four Are Here To Stay
If Reed Richards is truly the leader of the team inAvengers: Doomsday, then this goes to show how important the Fantastic Four will be to the MCU’s future. Based on Matt Shakman’s comments, I believe Reed could be coordinating the heroes to save the multiverse.Reed could lead all MCU heroes, rather than joining the Avengers inDoomsday.
