The very first pick for both Taylor and I is none other than Sam Wilson as Captain America. I’m sure this isn’t much of a surprise, as I think it would be weird to have a Captain America who isn’t a leader of the Avengers. For all Steve stood for, and now for all Sam stands for, they are natural leaders and believe in doing the right thing. Not to mention, the military backgrounds of both of them also make them gifted in battles and strategy. Essentially, I’m trying to say Sam has very similar qualities to his predecessor, who was one of the pillars of the Avengers. He fights the little man’s fight and really the only difference as super-heroes between Sam and Steve is that Sam can fly and Steve was a super-soldier.

I promise we aren’t just trying to pick them because they have ‘captain’ in their name. But another very promising option would be Captain Marvel, as she would be a great filler for the Thor spot. Thor was the only OG Avenger that was continuously off-world, similar to how Captain Marvel is not always on Earth because she’s helping around the universe. She has great power and Thor himself has tested her will and confidence. Not to mention, we have seen her already popping up in Phase 4, which means she is still very involved with the Avengers (or at least who is left of them). She’s a heavy hitter and, like Sam, has a military background that allows her to naturally be a good leader. On top of this, Marvel has said Phase 4 is moving towards more cosmic and women-based stories, both of which Carol fulfills.

Now, for this pick, Taylor and I differed on who we believed would fill the role left open by Tony. I personally chose Dr. Strange, as I think he is the most similar to Tony in character. They both are the billionaire heroes who have the power of the world in the palm of their hands. And I promise I’m not entirely trying to pick them all off of their similarities to the Big Three, but it is totally hard to avoid. Strange is interesting because he has the ability to go off-world, kinda in the way that Tony did. 100% human but Strange’s mystical aspect gives him a leg up on leaving Earth. He is also insanely powerful and wields a lot of power. In a world that is changing drastically, blasting someone with a laser or punching them is slightly going to be going out of style.

As for Thor/Lady Thor, Taylor’s pick is essentially who I would’ve put for the fourth position. Thor himself makes a lot of sense, since he is already an indirect leader of the Avengers and one of the Big Three. His continual presence in the MCU could be a really successful way at keeping some sort of continuity. But of course, to Taylor’s point in the podcast, he can’t play Thor forever. So this opens the door for Lady Thor, who is going to make her appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder. Similar to Sam’s Captain America, this would be a passing of the torch moment that would keep the name and stature of one of the Big Three, but would move it to someone else who is worthy (see what I did there?). With Jane’s background of growing up on Earth, it would continue the strong connection to that planet and her want to protect it.