Avengers: Doomsday teams: how many does it have vs Infinity War?

Avengers: Infinity War (2018) brought three teams together on screen. From everything I was seeing and hearing when I wrote this, Avengers: Doomsday was set up to bring together about seven, plus several separate character stories. That's why I think Marvel Studios could go bigger than Infinity War. It's a goal some people said wasn't possible.

My comparison here is specifically with Infinity War, not Endgame or Secret Wars. I'd also argue that Doomsday being just as big and as great as Infinity War would be amazing on its own.

The MCU had no assembled Avengers team before Doomsday

There weren't any teams in the MCU at that point, at least not any we had seen. The closest we came to a full team was the scene after the credits of the Shang-Chi movie. In it, Shang-Chi and Katy were with Wong, while Captain Marvel and Bruce Banner were there via hologram.

The Guardians of the Galaxy would technically count as a full team. But they disbanded at the end of their third movie, and a new Guardians team was formed. There was no Avengers team. Even so, there was talk that Doomsday would feature two Avengers teams, and it looked like that could be all but confirmed. It sounded like there would be many different teams and stories, all flowing into one giant story that leads to Doom. That's Marvel's plan to go bigger and better than Infinity War.

Infinity War had three teams and Doomsday could have seven

Infinity War was already a big movie because teams collided with each other. If you break it down, there were three. Captain America and the Avengers were in Wakanda with Black Panther. Thor, Rocket and Groot had their own adventure before ending up in Wakanda. Then the Avengers and the Guardians were on Titan, along with Doctor Strange. Some people say he wasn't technically an Avenger. That matters because in Doomsday he might have his own storyline separate from the Avengers.

Three teams was already a lot, and it was epic. Even doubling that would mean six teams, which is crazy. But Doomsday looked set for probably seven teams, more than double. As far as size goes, Marvel could go bigger simply by adding more characters. And we knew it planned to. Back in June, Deadline reported that more than 60 MCU characters could reprise their roles in Avengers 5.

Captain America: Brave New World was set to start the new Avengers team

The first team is the Avengers themselves, and Captain America: Brave New World was expected to explain how it forms. The trailer shown at D23 included scenes that weren't in the trailer Marvel released to the public. One showed President Ross telling Sam Wilson he wants the Avengers formed again, and he wants Captain America to do it. That should be the start of the team coming together.

As far as we knew, it would include Captain America and his sidekick, Joaquin Torres as Falcon. It would probably include the characters from the Shang-Chi scene: Shang-Chi, Captain Marvel, Bruce Banner and Wong. Spider-Man was probable too. Others could show up, such as She-Hulk and possibly Moon Knight, though we weren't sure how Marvel would bring someone like Moon Knight in. With so many characters, we weren't sure some of them would make it.

The West Coast Avengers were teased through Wonder Man and VisionQuest

The second team is the West Coast Avengers. Marvel executive Brad Winderbaum teased them in a podcast interview. He said shows like Wonder Man and VisionQuest would show aspects and components of the West Coast Avengers. He also said fans of Wonder Man from the comics would be satisfied with what the show does. On top of that, several insiders said they had heard a West Coast Avengers team was coming.

This team could include Wonder Man and Vision. Ant-Man and the Wasp could possibly be part of it. So could Hawkeye, since he's on the team in the comics, and maybe Kate Bishop as well. If Wanda returns and joins a team, she might be part of this one, although her story deserves its own look further down.

The Thunderbolts might merge with the Avengers

The Thunderbolts were coming too, as another team. But I think they might fuse with the Avengers. Sam's team, Captain America's team, and Bucky's team, which is the Thunderbolts, would naturally come together when Sam and Bucky run into each other again, especially if they're fighting the same person.

Many people think the asterisk Marvel Studios added to the Thunderbolts name means they're the Thunderbolts for now but will eventually become the Avengers. We'll have to wait and see on that.

The Fantastic Four could bring Franklin Richards and Galactus into the story

Then there's the Fantastic Four. We weren't just getting the four, but should also be getting Sue Storm and Reed Richards' son, Franklin Richards. Recent rumors about the Fantastic Four said Galactus wants Franklin, which is why it gets personal against the family when he goes for Earth.

We'll have to wait and see on that exact plot point. But leaked set photos showed Vanessa Kirby holding a baby on set, which was assumed to be her son, Franklin.

Star-Lord would return, but would the Guardians of the Galaxy?

The Guardians of the Galaxy are a question mark. Peter Quill is obviously returning, because the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 said the legendary Star-Lord will return. The question was whether that meant only Star-Lord in these Avengers films or the other Guardians with him. And if the others came too, would it be the new team Rocket leads, or would Mantis and Drax come back?

Either way could work. Quill is on Earth now, and he knows the Avengers and Doctor Strange. He fought alongside them in Infinity War and Endgame. When things go down on Earth, he could simply help them. Or he could call his old team, since I'm assuming he still has some way to reach them. When things start to go down with Doom, he'll probably call them. So I counted the Guardians, which makes five teams.

The Young Avengers and a possible Children's Crusade storyline

The sixth team is the Young Avengers, and they had been set up already. At the end of The Marvels, Kamala Khan meets Kate Bishop and they talk about Ant-Man's daughter. We also had Wiccan, and were about to get Speed, since Agatha and Billy were going to look for Billy's brother Tommy. And we had Cassie Lang, Ant-Man's daughter.

Alex Perez from The Cosmic Circus recently said Doomsday might do a type of Children's Crusade storyline. In short, Billy and Tommy reunite and discover they're brothers. They learn they're the reincarnations of Wanda's children and that the Scarlet Witch is their mother. Eventually they go to find her, and she's with Doom.

The Fox X-Men from Earth-10005 were heading for the main timeline

Last but not least are the Fox X-Men of Earth-10005, the universe where Deadpool and Wolverine reside. In the comics, the Secret Wars run starts with only two universes and Earths left. If the MCU does something like that, the last two would probably be the main Earth-616 and Earth-10005. So an incursion is coming.

The Fox X-Men, Deadpool and Wolverine were officially in the MCU since Deadpool & Wolverine. Now they were heading to the main 616 timeline. Besides, Marvel has to explain why Thor was holding Deadpool, in Doomsday or Secret Wars. Either way, the X-Men, Deadpool and Wolverine make their way to the sacred timeline. That's seven teams, already more than double Infinity War.

Doctor Strange and the Scarlet Witch could carry separate stories

Then there are possible outliers, like Doctor Strange. Alex Perez said he had heard that in Doomsday, Strange will have been doing whatever he's doing with Clea for about two years. If we don't get a Doctor Strange 3 before Doomsday, there will be a lot of story for him there, and that could be a whole story separate from the teams.

There's also the Scarlet Witch. Based on what insiders said, it's all but confirmed she's returning. It didn't sound like she would get a solo film before the end of the Multiverse Saga, maybe after, but not before Secret Wars. So her return would most likely be in Doomsday. The catch is that insiders including Alex Perez and Daniel RPK had heard she might be with Doom.

In the Children's Crusade comics, the young heroes find the Scarlet Witch engaged to Doom and about to marry him. Wanda didn't remember her past, including House of M and no more mutants. Even when Billy finds her and tells her everything, and even when the Avengers and the X-Men show up, she still wants to marry Doom. Ultimately, Doom chooses power over her, so they don't marry. But Wanda does reunite with her children, which is probably what we'll see in Doomsday.

Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom

On top of all that is the story of Doctor Doom, which can't be taken lightly. Marvel has to do an amazing job with his backstory. Since the film is titled Doomsday, we're going to get a good chunk of his story, just like we did with Thanos in Infinity War. And Robert Downey Jr. is playing Doom. His return to the MCU automatically makes it a very big movie already.

Doomsday will be bigger, but will it be better?

So you have all of these teams going into the same story, leading to Doom, to incursions and to the destruction of the entire Multiverse. It is going to be bigger than Infinity War. "The only question is will the quality be the same or better."

The potential is certainly there for it to be better than Infinity War. That's hard to say, because many people regard Infinity War as the best MCU movie, a 10 out of 10, and many prefer it over Endgame. When you think about that, Doomsday has amazing potential. Let's hope Marvel Studios delivers.