The world isn't yet done with stories of the Avengers, but a future team may look very different from the one that MCU fans have come to know and love. Reddit user u/dun300 posted a theory that suggests the Dark Avengers are being assembled. The theory begins by explaining who the Dark Avengers are and when they first came together in the Marvel comics. It was actually Norman Osbourne, the infamous Green Goblin, who spearheaded this new team.
Osbourne somehow managed to become the head of S.H.I.E.L.D., so the Dark Avengers were part of his hidden agenda to mock the superhero legacy. Osbourne then appointed himself the role of both Captain America and Iron Man when he became the first Iron Patriot. However, it seems much more likely that someone else will be taking on the mantle in the MCU.
Iron Man
As stated, the dark version of Iron Man is Iron Patriot. The first Iron Patriot in the MCU was Tony Stark’s best friend, James Rhodes. Don Cheadle is due to reprise his role as Rhodey in the upcoming Armor Wars series on Disney Plus, which details the events immediately after Tony’s death in Endgame.
The Reddit theory proposes that Toni Ho will be the one to join the Dark Avengers as Iron Patriot, if she makes an appearance in Armor Wars. Whether or not Ho is in the series has yet to be confirmed, because so little is known about the project. Using the show as a way to introduce her character and set her up to be the Iron Patriot would be a great way for Marvel to prepare viewers for a larger team up later in Phase 4.
Captain America
Fans have been speculating what Valentina has been up to since she first appeared in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to recruit John Walker for her mysterious cause. Assuming the Reddit theory to be true, John Walker is the obvious choice for a Captain America knockoff in a Dark Avengers alliance.
Motivated by revenge and power, Walker is the complete opposite of both Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson. As fans saw, Walker was given a suit that looks very similar to the ones Steve wore in the original Captain America films, aside from the difference in color palette. Now that Walker has been stripped of his military title, he’s on the hunt for some sort of redemption, and it’s very likely that he’ll try to find that with Val and the rest of the Dark Avengers.
Black Widow
Walker isn’t the only person Val has recruited in Phase 4. The Black Widow post-credits scene established that Val and Yelene Belova have been working together for quite some time. The Reddit user believes that Val is the driving force behind the Dark Avengers, which is why she’s making it seem like Clint is responsible for murdering Natasha. If Val can get another original Avenger out of the way and turn the new Black Widow to the dark side, Yelena would be the obvious choice for the Dark Avengers team.
Hawkeye
The rest of the Dark Avengers team is less certain than Yelena and Walker, but the Reddit user suspects that Clint’s brother will be making his debut as the Dark Hawkeye. In the comics, Clint’s brother Barney Barton is best known as Trickshot. Based on what’s been released in the trailers for the upcoming Hawkeye series, it seems like the show will place a pretty big focus on Clint’s relationship with the rest of his family now that they’ve returned from the blip. The theory suggests that Trickshot will be introduced during the series, which is how he’ll eventually come to join the Dark Avengers.
The Hulk
The Reddit user suggested two possible choices for Dark Hulk. The first is Abomination, who has just been reintroduced to the MCU thanks to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The other option is General Ross, who has struggled to put the Avengers in their place for quite some time now. Ross is better known as Red Hulk from the comics, and since he couldn’t stop the original Avengers with his army of troops, perhaps a team-up with the Dark Avengers will be his ticket to success.
Thor
Depending on what happens in Thor: Love and Thunder, the theory offers four potential candidates to take on the role of Thor in the Dark Avengers. The first is Ragnarok, a robotic Thor-like clone. The second is Thunderstrike, who looks nearly identical to Thor and possesses some of his powers, despite the fact that he’s not an Asgardian.
Next is Ares, who appears in the comics alongside his brother Hercules and the Reddit user notes that their relationship closely mirrors the rivalry between Thor and Loki. Finally, the theory suggests maybe Beta Ray Bill, a half-Thor, half-cyborg hybrid will join the Dark Avengers, although this option is pretty out there. Until Marvel releases more about the next part of Thor’s journey, his dark counterpart remains unclear.