The MCU Could Assemble One of Marvel’s Most Powerful Teams — What Should We Expect?

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Are big team movies the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? With Deadpool & Wolverine starting the trend again after Endgame, Thunderbolts* drawing more positive reviews than negative, Fantastic Four: First Steps due next month, and the two new Avengers movies chugging on with momentum, it sure seems that way. According to superhero movie scooper Daniel Richtman (better known as Daniel RPK), a new title is supposedly set to join this fray. With a mission to stop a galactic war from breaking out (in the comics, that is) and a name like The Annihilators to boot, these characters are certainly nothing to mess with, even though they might just be a little familiar if you’ve been keeping up with the tiny details of the MCU.

Originally brought together by Cosmo the Spacedog at the end of a 2010 Marvel miniseries called The Thanos Imperative, the easiest way to convey the sheer power of this team is by comparing it to a movie released the same year: The Expendables. Just as the action film is an ensemble of action film stars, The Annihilators is an all-star lineup of Marvel’s strongest characters from space. We’ve got Quasar, a cosmic hero comparable to Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock; Ronan the Accuser, from GOTG lore; Gladiator, whose strength grows with his mental devotion; Beta Ray Bill, a Thor-like figure who can wield Mjölnir; and Silver Surfer, Galactus’ personal herald. If that’s not an elite team, it’s hard to say what is. But will these same names be present on the big screen if the MCU version of The Annihilators comes to fruition? Let’s talk about it.

The Strongest Marvel Characters

First things first — we should talk about the hints that past Marvel movies have already given us regarding this god tier alliance. As badly as 2023’s The Marvels was received by both audiences and critics, Captain Marvel herself was called an Annihilator by a Kree soldier. While she dislikes the comment, does this mean she’ll ultimately join the team? It suits her, given her abilities (she single-handedly destroyed Thanos’ ship in Endgame after all), but we will have to wait and see the potential team inclusion.

Another theatrical release with an Annihilators tease was seen in Thor: Ragnarok. One of the humongous busts featured on the Grandmaster’s Tower is Beta Ray Bill, a member of The Annihilators in the print version. It’s really a coin flip if this means anything, as Man-Thing is shown too, and he has a place in the MCU while the other faces (Ares, Bi-Beast, and Dark-Crawler) have not made their debut yet.

Let’s go back to the actual members, though. Cosmo the Space Dog is still an easy given since she is a part of Rocket and Groot’s new lineup. She played a crucial role in Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3, helping children get to Knowhere (which is also a pivotal setting in The Thanos Imperative). While we’re on the topic of GOTG, let’s talk about Ronan the Accuser’s role in the supposed movie adaptation of The Annihilators. Make no mistake, Peter Quill destroyed him in the first movie, but we cannot forget that the character is killed and brought back to life numerous times in the comics.

Some Characters on the Annihilators Team Are Already Here

Even though the MCU has not given Quasar a formal introduction yet, Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3 gives us a younger version of the character in Phyla-Vell (played by Kai Zen). Phyla takes up the mantle of the cosmic hero during Annihilation: Conquest, a 2007 comic event where a cybernetic species tries to take over the universe with the help of Ultron. There’s also the fact that the MCU shows Kamala’s bangle in The Marvels to be the Quantum Band (which is the source of Quasar’s power), so Phyla inevitably stepping into the Quasar role is highly likely if this movie does happen.

Only time will reveal The Annihilators’ main antagonist, though. Fans will certainly be happy if Ultron makes an appearance. Fingers crossed. Then there are three: Silver Surfer, Gladiator, and Ikon. As we all know, The Fantastic Four: First Steps will feature an alternate universe, female version of the Silver Surfer. Will actress Julia Garner’s version (Shalla-Bal) be the same one that comes into play in The Annihilators? Again, only time will tell, but there should be some gender balancing in the team, just like any other MCU group.

A Few Changes to the Annihilators Would Do Good

Some say that Norrin Radd (Earth 616’s male counterpart) will come into play at some point, which will certainly be a nice addition. Maybe there will be a lineup change once First Steps plays out. As for Gladiator and Ikon, these are wild cards. Ikon is a female spaceknight from the planet Galador. There should be an actual humanoid robot (perhaps the old-school version, such as Rom the Space Knight) on the team, which will bring some variety to the character chemistry, akin to Groot or Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy.

As for Gladiator, he should be switched out for Skaar (Hulk’s son), whom we haven’t seen since She-Hulk. The need for a space theme would still be fitting, as his mother was a native of the planet called Sakaar, and the Avenger lineage helps lend some weight to the movie itself. Whatever the case may be with the characters themselves, a team that can rip through wave after wave of enemies would certainly be a nice change of pace for the MCU. Hopefully, some actual confirmation about the alleged Annihilators movie comes sooner rather than later. For now, catch The Fantastic Four: First Steps when it lands in theaters on July 25.

“}]] Think of them as The Expendables, but more like the space gods of the MCU.  Read More