Nearly 15 years in, the Marvel Cinematic Universe shows no signs of slowing down. Fans are only halfway through this most recent phase of MCU content, with the recent debuts of Ms. Marvel and Thor: Love and Thunder. Through the sheer amount of characters introduced, the architects of this world have seemingly set the stage for an astounding number of superhero teams to emerge from the fray. While this may sound overwhelming to some, this could actually end up being the way the MCU stays simple and approachable for the average fan.

The X-Men Are Ready for Their Official MCU Debut

Cyclops fighting alongside the Krakoan X-Men in a scene from Marvel Comics.

Probably the first team that comes to many fans' minds -- or, at least, the most anticipated one -- is that of the X-Men. Despite being one of Marvel Comics' most successful and iconic superhero teams, Marvel Studios only recently reacquired the rights to depict them on film. Aside from Patrick Stewart's reprisal of Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, fans know frustratingly little about when or how these heroes will appear. Some speculate that Fox's somewhat successful iteration of the universe will merely be folded into the mainstream MCU. With Ms. Marvel's shocking finale twist, however, it's clear the studio is getting closer to revealing more details about when this band of mutants will finally take center stage. Similar to how the amount of X-Men comics rivals other Marvel Comics teams, they may necessitate a phase's worth of films and shows on their own.

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The Fantastic Four Have a MCU Film in the Works

The Fantastic Four Cover

Multiverse of Madness also saw the first appearance of Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic within the MCU -- though it was in an entirely separate universe and carried out by an actor who will likely not play him in upcoming films. Still, a Fantastic Four film has been announced for 2024, and rumors are circulating that She-Hulk will introduce Ben Grimm/ The Thing. Given that the film currently lacks any concrete details beyond an approximate date, fans will likely have to wait a while longer to see the team fully integrated into the universe.

The Defenders Would Make a Fine MCU Addition

A lineup of the Defenders (left to right): Nighthawk, Clea, Doctor Strange, Hulk, Namor, Silver Surfer, Valkyrie, Gargoyle, and Devil-Slayer

This could actually be two teams -- though one is arguably more likely to appear than the other. To MCU fans, The Defenders is a small, street-level team consisting of Daredevil (recently seen in Spider-Man: No Way Home), Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. Charlie Cox has already been confirmed to be rejoining the MCU as Daredevil once more, and if rumors are to be believed, Krysten Ritter (Jones) and Mike Colter (Cage) will not be far behind (there has been little to no talk of Finn Jones reprising his ill-received turn as the Immortal Iron Fist). Despite this name recognition, it would be surprising if the MCU chose this Defenders line-up over the comic book one, especially since they're the best potential follow-up to the MCU's Avengers.

The most well-known comic book Defenders are Doctor Strange and the Hulk, both of whom are already central figures in the MCU. Additionally, the team has also included Valkyrie (already one of the MCU's strongest supporting players), Clea (introduced in Multiverse of Madness' post-credits scene) and Namor the Sub Mariner (set to appear in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever). Of all the teams being built in Phase Four, none are as star-studded or as relevant as this Defenders team would be. Aside from simply continuing the Avengers franchise, this is the next best thing.

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The Young Avengers Just Need a Big Threat to Unite Them in the MCU

Kate Bishop as Hawkeye with the Young Avengers

One of the most concrete potential line-ups in the current MCU is the Young Avengers. Arguably the most important character to introduce in this team was Kate Bishop, which the MCU did in the Disney+ series Hawkeye to great success. With her solid, everyone else will soon fall in place. Billy and Tommy Maximoff have appeared in WandaVision and Multiverse of Madness, likely just one incursion or another multiversal event away from arriving aged-up and ready to fight crime. Cassie Lang/Stature, Eli Bradley/Patriot and Vision already exist in the current 616 universe and would need little plot set-up to get them where they need to be for this team-up. At this point, the only thing standing between the world and the Young Avengers is a threat big enough to bring them together -- possibly Loki's Kang the Conquerer, who has served as a Young Avengers foe in the comics.

The Champions Are Perfect for a Disney+ TV Series

The Champions past and present

This team is a little more complicated than others, and likely one fans will have to wait to see the longest. Nonetheless, Phase Four has already introduced two crucial members of this team. Of course, Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel was brought to fans in her very own Disney+ show; both the series and the character were incredibly well received, making it likely that they'll move her to the forefront of the universe as quickly as possible.

The other member introduced was Hercules, who appeared in the post-credits scene of Thor: Love and Thunder. Though it's unclear where he will appear first -- possibly within a different team on this list -- he will doubtlessly end up on the team he is most identified with. What complicates this team is characters like Miles Morales and Scott Summers/Cyclops, both of whom are a long way from joining the MCU. That said, The Champions could serve as a quirky team-up TV show on Disney+ in the distant future.

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The Dark Avengers/Thunderbolts Prepare for Their MCU Entry

Marvel villains play heroes in Dark Avengers

The Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier brought fans Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Countess Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. She approaches disgraced Captain America successor John Walker after his explosive hearing and heavily implies that he and his newfound powers have a promising future as "U.S. Agent." She later appears in the film Black Widow, where it's revealed that Yelena Belova is under her employment. In both appearances, she feels eerily similar to Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury in Phase One. Clearly, she's trying to assemble a team of super-powered assets. This could very well be leading to a Dark Avengers/Thunderbolts team-up (likely the latter, considering the former's sinister undertones and the potential to tribute the late William Hurt).

One thing that Yelena and John have in common is their close similarity to founding Avengers; they also share this with The Incredible Hulk's Abomination, who has coincidentally begun to appear in the MCU after ten years off-screen. The MCU (and likely Fontaine herself) is already halfway to having a line-up of villains and anti-heroes who directly mirror the original six Avengers. In the comics, this team was led by Norman Osborn, at the time known as the Iron Patriot; this title was once held by James Rhodes in the MCU. It would be surprising if Osborn appeared at this point, equally so if Rhodes should lead such a dangerous team. Likely, Armor Wars or Ironheart will introduce an Iron Man successor (perhaps Zeke Stane), and Daredevil will provide Bullseye (who assumed Hawkeye's identity in the comics). Finding an Asgardian may be tricky, though -- with the creation of White Vision -- the MCU may be capable of creating a cybernetic Thor-clone like Dark Avengers' Ragnarok. If not, Brett Goldstein's recently introduced Hercules could very well fill this role.

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This team could also evolve to something resembling the comics' Thunderbolts team, which was less defined by their appearance as Avengers and more defined by their expendability as former villains. After all, a Thunderbolts movie was confirmed at SDCC. This team has had multiple leaders, though the most notable among them is Baron Helmut Zemo. Not only has Zemo resurfaced in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but he's also begun to resemble his more flamboyantly villainous comic book counterpart. Unlike Civil War's Zemo, this foe could realistically lead a Suidice Squad-esque supervillain team. Regardless, the Dark Avengers/Thunderbolts storyline is already sprawling across both film and television and could easily continue to do so.

Where Is All This Headed?

The most interesting aspect of so many teams being built up at once is that they could all serve the same function as The Avengers franchise did. Though all the MCU will likely continue to exist in the same continuity, its ever-expanding nature will eventually become unattractive, especially to new fans -- Phase Four is already double the length of the first three phases combined. Thus, the MCU could set up mini-franchises around these teams, allowing audiences to follow the characters they like the most while getting to ignore others without missing too much. In its efforts to get bigger, these teams will be the key to keeping the MCU coherent and accessible to all.