Avengers 5 theory changes the MCU in one extremely unexpected way
Marvel’s future could lie in the past.
The plot of Avengers 5 is only limited by constraints of space and time. Thanks to Avengers: Endgame introducing the concept of time travel and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness bringing parallel dimensions into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, almost anything is possible.
That includes Marvel Studios adapting one of the weirdest Avengers comics in the company’s 82-year history, one that could bring Avengers 5 all the way back to the dawn of humankind and reveal the untold origin stories of some of our favorite modern superheroes.
The Avengers of 1,000,000 B.C. were first introduced in Marvel Legacy #1 as part of a flashback. This superhero team was mostly made up of the predecessors to the Avengers we know and love like Odin (the father of Thor) or Firehair (the first iteration of Phoenix who was also one of the first mutants). Here’s the rest of the team:
- Agamotto, the first sorcerer supreme
- Fan Fei, the first Iron Fist
- The first Black Panther
- Starbrand, a Hulk-like early human
- Ghost Rider, whose vehicle of choice was a mammoth
These first Avengers were assembled in order to fight a Celestial who was looking to tear the Earth apart — a fight they won. They buried that Celestial under what would later become part of South Africa, which of course posed a danger for the present-day Avengers.
From a scientific perspective, it makes no sense to imagine humans living in the year 1,000,000 B.C., but it’s still a great concept and an amazing movie total. Besides, when has science ever held Marvel back in the past.
The Avengers of 1,000,000 B.C.
Aside from this first flashback appearance, the Avengers of 1,000,000 B.C. have had many cameo appearances. Since there wasn’t much of an Earth to save in the Stone Age, their threats usually came from elsewhere in space and time. They were visited by a number of time travelers looking to bend the history of the world and fought them off. Even Mephisto tried to convince a young Thanos to fight off this iteration of the Avengers.
Despite the absurdity of a million-year-old Avengers team, this team-up exists in the same universe as most other Marvel comics, making it a prime candidate for the MCU. Even their greatest foe will be canon (the Celestials are set to be introduced in Eternals). Multiverses and time travel wouldn’t even need to be used, they could just be portrayed as a flashback like in the comics. Avengers 5 could be the ultimate period piece.
An adolescent Thanos taunts the Avengers.
The Inverse analysis — The first Avengers are perfect for Avengers 5 as the overall MCU conversation shifts from what it means to be a superhero to what it means to be next in a long line of superheroes. In WandaVision, we learned the Scarlet Witch isn’t an alter ego, but a title Wanda has inherited. In the Falcon and the Winter Soldier, we see Sam Wilson so at odds with being the next Captain America that he outright rejects it (at first).
With more characters coming to terms with their history and an uncertain future, a glimpse of the very first Avengers team would remind MCU fans of what’s always been constant in the world of Marvel. No matter the time, be it the Stone Age or 2023, there’s a group of superheroes ready to defend the Earth.
