7 MCU Team-Ups Avengers: Doomsday Needs To Learn From

Published Oct 14, 2026, 4:30 PM EDT Sky Blanton is a Movie Contributor at ScreenRant with professional experience covering movies, television, and pop culture. Her published work spans news, interviews, features, and opinion pieces, with a focus on film, franchise storytelling, and the entertainment industry. She earned her bachelor's degree in Communications with a concentration in Professional Writing and a minor in Business Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. Avengers: Doomsday has plenty to learn from the MCU’s earlier team-ups, especially when it comes to getting heroes to listen to each other. In The Avengers, Steve and Tony can barely have a conversation aboard the Helicarrier without picking a fight. By the battle in New York, Tony is telling Steve to call the shots. Hulk even grins when Steve tells him to “smash.” Watching them finally work together is satisfying because getting there has been such a struggle. Those friendships matter even more when the heroes find themselves on opposite sides. In Captain America: Civil War, Scott Lang plucks War Machine out of the air, and Peter Parker borrows a trick from The Empire Strikes Back to bring the giant down. Natasha then lets Steve and Bucky escape, despite having fought against them. After watching her and Steve protect each other in The Winter Soldier, her decision feels earned. Their friendship survives the disagreement, and Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon would even continue working together as rogue Avengers after Civil War. With so many potential Marvel crossovers in Avengers: Doomsday, the movie has a chance to give fans more heroes they’ll want to watch together. That means giving them time to disagree, discover what each other can do, and decide whom they can trust. These seven MCU team-ups each offer a lesson in how to make that happen. Their rescues, arguments, and unexpected friendships give fans something to enjoy beyond finding out who wins the fight, and reasons to hope these characters will cross paths again. 7 Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) Deadpools Resistance Team Deadpool & Wolverine lets Gambit charge his cards, Blade slice through Cassandra Nova’s guards, and Elektra put her sais to work. Channing Tatum’s canceled Gambit movie kept him from playing the character for years, and watching him blow apart attackers and speak with a Cajun accent makes it easy to understand why he wanted the role. Laura’s fight with Juggernaut gives the others a chance against Cassandra. Once she cuts him down and takes his helmet, they have a way to block the telepath that’s been reaching into their heads. Blade and Elektra have watched friends die in the Void, so Wade’s offer to fight back gives them something worth risking their lives for. Laura gives Logan a more personal reason to join them. He insists he’s the wrong Wolverine, but she reminds him that the man who saved her wasn’t perfect either. Having her say it makes his excuses harder to accept. Doomsday can borrow the way this fight gives Laura an opening while the others keep Cassandra’s guards busy. Let the heroes clear a path for someone whose powers can get them past Doom’s defenses. Watching them help each other reach him would give the battle more to cheer for than a succession of solo attacks. 6 Thunderbolts (2025) The Thunderbolts / New Avengers Credit: MovieStillsDB John Walker announcing himself as Captain America to people trying to kill him is a humorously appropriate introduction to the group in Thunderbolts. Nobody cares about his credentials, and Yelena has little patience for him. Getting out of Valentina’s vault forces them to cooperate before they have much reason to like each other. By the time Yelena goes into the Void after Bob, the others are willing to follow her. She sits beside him in a memory of his childhood abuse, understanding why he wants to disappear. When his darkness threatens to overwhelm him again, they gather around him and hold on. It’s a long way from Walker demanding respect at gunpoint. Doomsday should give its heroes time to notice when someone is struggling and act on it. A teammate admitting they’re scared, and another staying to help, could make their next rescue mean considerably more. 5 Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) The Three Spider-Men Andrew Garfield’s Peter telling Tom Holland’s that he stopped pulling his punches after Gwen died gives their meeting something worth listening to beyond the introductions. He knows where Peter’s anger over May could lead because he’s already been there. Tobey Maguire’s Peter admits that getting revenge for Uncle Ben didn’t help, either. Together, Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire, and Tom Holland's Spider-Men in No Way Home persuade him to keep trying to cure the villains. Maguire’s Peter stopping the glider is one of the best reasons to bring these three together. He’s looking at a younger version of himself about to kill someone he once tried to save. Holland’s Peter keeps pushing, but Maguire holds on until he lowers the weapon. The ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home gives Garfield’s Peter a part to play, too, as he passes over the cure, giving Holland's Peter a way to finish what May wanted instead. All three get something to do in deciding how this fight ends. The returning heroes’ earlier mistakes should matter when they meet someone new. A loss or a decision they regret could help them recognize trouble before anyone else does, giving them a reason to step in that fans will understand from their own side projects. 4 Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Thor, Loki, Valkyrie, and Hulk Thor’s recruitment attempts in Ragnarok don’t go smoothly. Valkyrie has spent years drinking to forget what Hela did to her fellow warriors, and Banner has only just escaped two years as Hulk. Neither welcomes another fight. Loki spots another chance to cash in on Thor during their escape. After years of Loki betraying and tricking Thor in the MCU, Thor is finally one step ahead and has already planted an obedience disk on him. It’s satisfying to watch Loki reach for the alarm and discover his brother saw the betrayal coming. Banner jumping out of the ship to fight Fenris means more after hearing him worry that he might never change back. Valkyrie returns to face Hela, while Loki arrives aboard a ship big enough to evacuate the survivors. Thor sends Loki to unleash Surtur, trusting the brother who just tried to sell him out to follow through. Watching Loki actually do it makes a welcome change, especially with everyone’s escape depending on him. The next Avengers shouldn’t have everyone agree to help at the first request. Let someone refuse because they remember what the last fight cost them. Seeing a new teammate change their mind would give fans another reason to cheer when they finally show up. 3 Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) Steve, Natasha, and Sam Captain America: The Winter Soldier remains an important MCU movie ahead of Doomsday because of how much time it spends building trust between its heroes. Natasha can suggest a date for Steve while neglecting to mention her separate assignment aboard the ship they’re about to raid. Watching him catch her downloading files explains why her jokes don’t immediately win his trust. Sam gets Steve talking without having to pry. He understands why a comfortable mattress can feel wrong after military service, and Steve recognizes the grief when Sam tells him about losing Riley. When Steve and Natasha turn up at Sam’s door, he jokes that everyone he knows is trying to kill them. He lets them in anyway. Over breakfast, he shows them his flight gear and offers to help take down HYDRA. Steve worries about asking him to return to combat, but Sam has already decided. Watching him volunteer after getting to know Steve makes it easy to want him on the team. A meal between missions would give Doomsday’s heroes time to explain what they’re afraid of and ask for help. Sam knows Steve well enough to volunteer, and Natasha sees him welcome two fugitives into his home. By the time they fight together, each has a reason to trust the others. 2 Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Thor, Rocket, and Groot Rocket starts asking Thor about his family and quickly runs out of relatives who might still be alive. Thor tries to laugh through the answers, but Hemsworth makes it hard to believe him when he insists he’s ready to face Thanos. Rocket usually has a smart remark for everyone. Watching him listen without making fun of Thor is a good reason to want more scenes between them. Rocket gives Thor a replacement eye and helps get Nidavellir’s forge working again. Groot, who’s barely looked up from his game, sees Thor dying beside the unfinished Stormbreaker and makes its handle from his own arm. When they arrive in Wakanda, Thor gets the big entrance, but watching the weapon come together gives fans reasons to cheer for the two who brought him there, too. Imagine Shuri repairing a teammate’s damaged suit while another hero holds Doom’s forces outside her lab. When that teammate returns to the fight, fans have watched the others work to get them there. Doomsday could make a grand entrance satisfying for everyone involved, much like the way Thor’s arrival rewards Rocket and Groot’s efforts, too. 1 Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Tony, Strange, Peter, and The Guardians Tony argues with Strange about going to Titan, only to arrive and have Quill dismiss most of his plan as terrible. Watching him deal with both men makes Peter’s contributions even more enjoyable. The teenager asking everyone about old movies has already saved Strange by suggesting they copy Aliens and blow Ebony Maw out into space. Tony has good reason to listen, even if another film reference is the last thing he wants to hear. On Titan, they get close enough to winning that it’s hard not to watch Thanos’s hand. Mantis keeps him subdued while Tony and Peter pull at the gauntlet, with Strange helping restrain him and Drax pinning his legs. All those clashing personalities have finally agreed on something. Although, Quill finding out about Gamora ruins it. Tony leaves the gauntlet to Peter and tries to pull Quill away. Watching Peter nearly get it off makes it hard not to wish Quill would listen, just this once. Avengers: Doomsday could absolutely borrow that tension without repeating Quill’s mistake. A taunt about an old failure might tempt a hero to abandon their task, leaving a teammate begging them to stay put. The moment would work so well because fans know both why the taunt hurts and why they need to ignore it. Release Date December 18, 2026 Runtime 165 Minutes Director Anthony Russo, Joe Russo Cast Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic Vanessa Kirby Sue Storm / Invisible Woman Writers Stephen McFeely, Michael Waldron, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers Producers Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Jonathan Schwartz Prequel(s) Spider-Man: Brand New Day Sequel(s) Avengers: Secret Wars Franchise(s) Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers, Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Thor, X-Men