While the original Avengers aren't as important to the MCU as they once were, at least one of them has had their future mapped out. Avengers: Doomsday's roster is stacked, to say the least. Not only are Earth's Mightiest Heroes part of the proceedings, but the Fantastic Four and X-Men are also coming to the multiverse's aid when Doctor Doom begins his crusade.
It won't matter how many characters are fighting the good fight if they can't get on the same page, though. There is potential for a lot of infighting in Doomsday, especially between the New Avengers and Sam Wilson's team. Squabbling over who deserves to use a name is sure going to look silly when worlds start disappearing. At least there will be a couple of characters on the scene who can knock sense into the rest.
Both Thor and Steve Rogers are set to play major roles in Doomsday. Given that they've been around the block a few times and were founding members of the first Avengers team, their opinions will carry a lot of weight. It's just a shame that they won't have all of their old friends there to back them up.
As it stands, Hulk and Hawkeye don't have spots secured in the next Marvel Studios team-up film. The powers that be are probably keeping them on the sidelines this time around so other characters can step into the spotlight. Avengers: Secret Wars presents another opportunity to get the veteran heroes back in the action.
The final two members of the original Avengers, Iron Man and Black Widow, are in an entirely different boat. They both died in Avengers: Endgame, meaning the only way they could return is via variants. Tony Stark is getting the multiverse treatment, sort of, with Doctor Doom being portrayed by the same actor who brought the billionaire, playboy, philanthropist to life, Robert Downey Jr. But all has been quiet on the Black Widow front.
Without another live-action appearnce to look forward to, Natasha Romanoff has had to look for another spot to remove red from her ledger. X-Men '97 Season 2, Episode 4, "Rise of Apocalypse, Part II," spends most of its time in Ancient Egypt before returning to the 1990s in its mid-credits scene. Wolverine is looking to hunt down the people who coated his skeleton in adamantium, and Captain America and Black Widow deliver him information and some friendly advice.
Black Widow doesn't get to say much in her latest animated appearnce. However, her showing up at all proves that Marvel Studios believes she has more to offer the franchise that she helped build.
An Avengers Animated Series Might Be Up Next For Marvel Animation
The occasional cameo from an Avenger or Spider-Man in X-Men '97 isn't all that surprising. X-Men: The Animated Series saved guest spots for numerous Marvel heroes, wanting the world it took place in to feel rich and authentic. However, the team that worked on X-Men: The Animated Series certainly didn't have the freedom that Marvel Animation currently has under the Disney umbrella.
Take What If...? for example. After spending three seasons telling unique stories across the multiverse, the show came to an end. But one episode made such an impact that it spawned a spinoff, Marvel Zombies.
No disrespect to What If...? but X-Men '97 is on another level, which means spinoffs should be on the table. An Avengers-centered one would be easy to justify because the property is already a massive success for the movie department. And Natasha, who has no future on the big screen, is the perfect character to take center stage in a new Avengers animated series, as she only got one solo project despite having enough rich stories to fill a Helicarrier.
