There are a variety of TV shows & movies coming before Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, but some characters might not return until Kang takes over.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is preparing for two more crossover events in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, and even though there are still many adventures before all the MCU heroes have to join forces again, there are 9 heroes who probably won’t return until Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. The MCU’s Multiverse Saga has given this universe a wide variety of possibilities, as it has been able to bring characters from past Marvel movies into the MCU and it has introduced new characters as well, many of which will be great allies during the battle against Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors).
The Multiverse Saga has also continued the stories of well-established MCU heroes, including three of the original Avengers (Thor, Hulk, and Hawkeye), and even if some of them seem to have retired, they are still expected to return in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. However, there are some MCU heroes that aren’t part of the current Avengers lineup and might not get another adventure before The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars – and here are 9 who fall into that category.
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1Thor
The God of Thunder became the first MCU hero to get four solo adventures, and his latest adventure, Thor: Love and Thunder, left the door open for his return. At the end of Love and Thunder, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) became the guardian of Gorr’s (Christian Bale) daughter, Love (India Hemsworth), who was brought back thanks to Eternity, and was seen leaving to a new adventure with Love, with him wielding Mjolnir and Love wielding Stormbreaker. Although this would be a good ending to Thor’s story, making way for Love to become a hero on her own and even a member of the Young Avengers, Thor’s story still feels incomplete, and it wouldn’t make sense to have a massive crossover event to save the multiverse without the God of Thunder. Unlike other MCU heroes, there are no movies or TV shows before Avengers: The Kang Dynasty where Thor could show up, so the fifth Avengers movie could be Thor’s first post-Love and Thunder adventure.
2Hulk
Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) is one of the last original Avengers who is still somewhat active, and following the events of Avengers: Endgame, in which he brought back those who vanished as a result of Thanos’ snap, he returned in the TV series She-Hulk. At some point between Endgame and She-Hulk, Banner found a way to revert to his human form after spending years as a human/Hulk hybrid (best known as Smart Hulk), though he could still go back to being Smart Hulk. Banner helped his cousin Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) when she became She-Hulk, and at the end of the series, he returned to Earth from Sakaar with his son, Skaar. Banner’s MCU future is uncertain, but the rest of this universe’s heroes could really use his expertise and knowledge when Kang takes over.
3Hawkeye
Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) was absent in Avengers: Infinity War but returned in Avengers: Endgame as his whole family vanished as a result of Thanos’ snap, triggering his transformation into Ronin, a ruthless vigilante. Following the Battle of Earth, Barton returned in the TV series Hawkeye, which saw him doing his best to get home in time for Christmas while also confronting the Tracksuit Mafia and meeting Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld). In the end, Barton made it home for Christmas with Bishop and Lucky by his side and decided to share the name “Hawkeye”, as Bishop had proven that she’s a skilled hero. Just like his fellow original Avengers, Hawkeye isn’t confirmed to return in any upcoming MCU movies or TV shows, so if he comes back for another mission, it will surely be that of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
4Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) has been at the front and center of two of the biggest multiversal issues the MCU’s Multiverse Saga has seen so far. First, he unintentionally opened the gates to the multiverse in Spider-Man: No Way Home after Peter Parker (Tom Holland) kept changing the spell he wanted him to cast, and he traveled through the multiverse in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to stop Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). Multiverse of Madness left the audience with a massive Doctor Strange cliffhanger as he now has a third eye as a result of his use of the Darkhold, and in a mid-credits scene, he traveled to the Dark Dimension with Clea (Charlize Theron) as his actions through the multiverse triggered an incursion. This gives Marvel the perfect excuse to have Strange return in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, where he can share what he has learned about the multiverse and incursions with the rest of the MCU’s heroes.
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5Shang-Chi
Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) was introduced in the MCU’s Phase 4, and so far, he has only appeared in his debut movie, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Shang-Chi is the son of Xu Wenwu, founder of the Ten Rings and thus the real Mandarin, and he’s also the older brother of Xu Xialing, the current leader of the Ten Rings. The last time Shang-Chi was seen, he was introduced to Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers by Wong, as they were researching the origin of the rings, and while he’s getting a sequel, Shang-Chi’s return to the MCU will most likely be in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
6Scarlet Witch
One of the MCU’s heroes who has gone through a major transformation in the Multiverse Saga is Wanda Maximoff, who at the end of WandaVision, made her full transformation into the powerful Scarlet Witch. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness had Scarlet Witch as its villain, as she created multiversal chaos by using the Darkhold to dreamwalk through the multiverse in hopes to reunite with her sons in another universe. At the end of Multiverse of Madness, Scarlet Witch realized what the Darkhold had done to her and destroyed all copies of the book in the multiverse as well as the Darkhold Castle, but the latter crumbled and collapsed on her. Scarlet Witch is presumably dead, but as it’s not confirmed, Scarlet Witch might make her return in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, where she can redeem herself by using her powers to help save the multiverse.
7Spider-Man
Another character whose latest movie saw him in the middle of multiversal chaos is Spider-Man. After accidentally opening the gates of the multiverse alongside Doctor Strange in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the web-slinger realized the only way to close the gates was with a spell that would make the world forget Peter Parker. As a result, at the end of No Way Home, Peter Parker was all alone and starting over from scratch, and as no one remembers him, he might not return in any other TV show or movie before Avengers: The Kang Dynasty – unless, of course, Spider-Man 4 arrives before the fifth Avengers movie.
8The Eternals
Phase 4 also introduced a new group of superheroes: the Eternals, a group of synthetic beings created by the Celestial Arishem the Judge and who were sent to Earth to get rid of the Deviants and prepare humanity for their destruction, though they didn’t know about the latter. Eternals ended up being one of the most divisive MCU movies due to its different tone and pace, but it ended on a cliffhanger as half the team was taken by Arishem while the rest came across fellow Eternal Eros/Starfox (Harry Styles). Eternals 2 is supposed to happen, but there have been no substantial updates on it, but it’s unlikely that, at least one half of the team, won’t return in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, as Kang’s plans and actions surely won’t be easy to ignore.
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9America Chavez
The Multiverse Saga has introduced various young heroes, but America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) stands out due to her powers. America made her debut in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where she was being chased by Scarlet Witch across the multiverse as she wanted to take her powers, as America has the ability to travel between dimensions. At the end of Multiverse of Madness, America was seen training in Kamar-Taj with the rest of the sorcerers, and given her unique powers and her knowledge of the multiverse, she would be a valuable addition to the side of the heroes in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
