Phase 7 Avengers roster: is Robbie Reyes joining the team?

We might know who the next Avengers team is after Avengers: Secret Wars. A new report lists a roster that includes Sam Wilson's Captain America and a new Iron Man, along with Robbie Reyes as Ghost Rider. I think it's a pretty cool roster. Nothing is officially confirmed by Marvel, and things could change.

The lineup comes from an insider who says this will be the new Avengers team after Avengers: Secret Wars. There are also updates on Thunderbolts 2, a new series called Zodiac, Wonder Man and Daredevil, all of which point to how Marvel Studios might be setting up Phase 7 and beyond.

Sam Wilson's Captain America and a new Iron Man top the reported Phase 7 Avengers roster

We have heard that Marvel is going to build to an Avengers film in Phase 7. Marvel didn't do that in Phase 4 or Phase 5, though I guess they technically are in Phase 6 with Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. I think it's good to have an Avengers movie at the end of a phase like they did before. With X-Men movies coming, and maybe even an event bringing together the Avengers, the X-Men and the Eternals, who knows what else we're going to get.

First on the list is Captain America, which is apparently going to be Sam Wilson. A couple of different insiders have said Sam will continue as Captain America after Secret Wars. Will they recast Steve Rogers? I believe so. Kevin Feige has told us that eventually they are going to recast Steve Rogers and Tony Stark.

That leads to the next name, Iron Man. Right away, that means a new Iron Man. Since Feige said they're going to recast, I think this makes sense.

Vision, She-Hulk and Thor are reportedly on the new Avengers team

Vision is next, which is interesting because Marvel is setting him up in a big way to make a return. You have to wonder where the Scarlet Witch is, because she isn't on this roster. Perhaps she might be with the X-Men, and maybe they're going to take her down a more mutant path. We'll have to wait and see. Vision Quest has been great so far. It sounds like Vision is coming back in Secret Wars no matter what and sticking around after.

Then there's She-Hulk. Some people might be excited to hear she's coming. I know She-Hulk wasn't received the best, and I myself was not the biggest fan of the show, but we'll see what they have in store for her. It looks like she's returning in Secret Wars as well.

Thor is on the list too, and I hope it's Chris Hemsworth's Thor. There is the chance he might not make it into the new part of the MCU, or he might retire, and we might get a new Thor. I've said this many times: I think Hemsworth's Thor could become an Odin Allfather figure. We might not have an Odin in the MCU, but Thor could take that spot when a new Thor comes in. So this could be Hemsworth, or it could be a different Thor.

Captain Marvel, Yelena Belova, Shang-Chi and Black Panther round out the lineup

There's a big fan base out there for Captain Marvel, and we haven't heard much about her for Doomsday or Secret Wars. Considering the ending of The Marvels and its scene after the credits, it makes sense that she would be in Doomsday and/or Secret Wars. We'll have to wait and see, but it looks like she's going to be part of this new team.

I would expect Yelena Belova to be on the new Avengers team, since she's the leader of the New Avengers, the Thunderbolts. Shang-Chi is a no-brainer to me. Shang-Chi as a character is awesome, Simu Liu does a great job playing him, and he's going to get a sequel in the MCU after Secret Wars. Then there's the new Black Panther. Marvel has already announced Black Panther 3 for the next part of the MCU, so that just makes sense.

Robbie Reyes could be a second Ghost Rider alongside Ryan Gosling's Johnny Blaze

Robbie Reyes is an interesting one. From what I understand, Ryan Gosling has been announced as Ghost Rider, so people are wondering whether Gosling will play Robbie Reyes. I really don't think that's the case, because the same insider also said: "it's possible that Robbie Reyes is being introduced in the MCU's next saga. I've heard discussions about him and he'll be involved with the Avengers rather than the supernatural side of the MCU."

This could mean there are going to be two different Ghost Riders in the MCU, and I think that could make sense. Unlike Johnny Blaze, Robbie Reyes doesn't have the Spirit of Vengeance inside him, and he doesn't make a deal with Mephisto. His backstory is very different. He doesn't ride a motorcycle either. He drives a Dodge Charger, the Hell Charger, which is pretty awesome.

Gosling is probably playing Johnny Blaze, and that's probably going to go down the Mephisto route, with Blaze's origin story of making a deal with Mephisto, who disguises himself as Satan. Blaze gets deceived and ends up with the Spirit of Vengeance. Robbie Reyes, by contrast, gets killed in a shootout and is infused with the spirit of a serial killer. I think it could work: Johnny Blaze could be part of the Midnight Suns and the supernatural side, while Robbie Reyes joins the Avengers. I know Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fans would like to see that.

The reported roster mirrors the Avengers of The Immortal Hulk #7, plus Hank Pym and Wasp

What's interesting about this lineup is that it's essentially the Avengers roster from The Immortal Hulk #7: Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Captain Marvel, She-Hulk, Black Panther and Robbie Reyes as Ghost Rider. That was the team that fought the Devil Hulk persona during the Immortal Hulk run. That's essentially what they're going with, which I think is pretty cool.

The insider also mentioned Hank Pym and Wasp, which goes back toward the original Avengers. It's a big roster, but the MCU is about to get a lot bigger. It looks like we could get a classic Ant-Man and a classic Wasp. This is all reportedly, though. Nothing is officially confirmed by Marvel, and things could change.

We have a little while until we see the Avengers again, but Marvel is clearly thinking about this. They have the X-Men setup ready to go, Black Panther 3 ready to go, and Ghost Rider with Ryan Gosling ready to go. One of the things they have to work out going in is who the new Avengers are going to be. I think this is a decent roster.

Thunderbolts 2 might be darker, with Bullseye reportedly involved

Alex Perez of The Cosmic Circus recently put together a roundup of the MCU's future, and he said Marvel Studios is developing a sequel to Thunderbolts. It sounds like it might be a little darker. According to him, and I think based on what Daredevil: Born Again has set up, Bullseye is going to interact with the Thunderbolts. Bullseye might even be part of the team. Maybe we get Baron Zemo too, and a more comic accurate Thunderbolts.

I loved the Thunderbolts movie and thought it was great, but it seems like they might be doing something different, maybe darker, with Thunderbolts 2, and I think that's going to be pretty cool. I loved the Bullseye scenes in Daredevil: Born Again, and I think we need a lot more Bullseye.

Marvel's Zodiac series will reportedly connect to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Zodiac, a new series announced by Marvel, is going to be partially connected to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., according to Perez. I think Marvel teased this with the logo, and I think they should connect Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Brad Winderbaum, the head of Marvel Television, has already said he feels there's a place for it, and I think that place is probably the Zodiac series. That, plus the mention of Robbie Reyes, is great news for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fans.

The series is going to be set in the present day but will also explore an earlier era of the MCU, which could be cool to see. It makes me think we might get more Nick Fury. Maybe Samuel L. Jackson comes back, especially since Nick Fury is one of the Zodiac members in the comics. It seems like he should return.

Marvel is reportedly seeking a way to continue Wonder Man after Secret Wars

Wonder Man season 2 was canceled, which was a big surprise to many people, because I think the show was positively received. I personally enjoyed it too. It was quite different, but I thought it was good. According to Perez, Marvel Studios is seeking a way to continue Wonder Man's story in the MCU after Avengers: Secret Wars.

I think Marvel Studios had many different plans for the Multiverse Saga, and a lot changed. We've been hearing reports that Marvel wanted Robert Downey Jr. to return as Doom in Secret Wars the entire time, but when their plans were upended, they brought him back for Doomsday as well and changed Kang Dynasty to Doomsday. I think Marvel had plans for some shows, like Wonder Man season 2, but heading into Doomsday and Secret Wars they decided to postpone and change many things, and go into the new MCU using these characters with fresh stories. I definitely think they want to keep Wonder Man in the MCU. Maybe we get the West Coast Avengers.

Charlie Cox will reportedly return as Daredevil after Daredevil: Born Again season 3

Charlie Cox is going to return as Daredevil in future projects after season 3 of Daredevil: Born Again. I think that's a no-brainer, because I think people really love Daredevil. Born Again has had two seasons, with the third on the way, and I think they've been received pretty well. I hope the third season is good too.

I know everybody is waiting for Daredevil and Spider-Man to finally fight together, and not just Matt Murdock and Peter Parker sharing the screen. We've got the Punisher in Spider-Man, so we're close. Then there's Kingpin versus Spider-Man. Vincent D'Onofrio has already said he wants to fight Spider-Man, and that's what we've been missing. Maybe the next Spider-Man film could bring all of these characters together, which I think would be pretty cool.

Keeping Daredevil around is a no-brainer, especially with the Defenders returning and Marvel heading into a new chapter with Phase 7. That's not even counting the X-Men or the Eternals. New characters and some old ones are going to appear in the MCU, and I think what's coming is exciting.