Marvel Studios hasn’t always had the best relationship with its TV division.When Agents of SHIELD was on the air, it shifted its stories and characters to fit the MCU’s needs, even disbanding the titular organization in Season 1. The bigwigs didn’t pay much mind to all the effort because the movies were where the big bucks were made. Well, the streaming boom shifted Marvel Studios’ priorities, leading to the creation of many series that had major ramifications for the franchise – all while bringing some of Marvel’s top stars like Florence Pugh and Tom Hiddleston from the big screen to Disney+. And Avengers: Doomsday won’t shy away from TV characters, giving at least seven of them a place to hang their suits.
Ahead of Doomsday‘s release, Marvel Studios had the bright idea of putting Avengers: Endgame back in theaters to build hype for another team-up movie. Rather than release the same cut everyone has watched dozens of times, Kevin Feige and Co. dropped Avengers: Endgame: Encore, complete with new footage that sets up Doomsday. New scenes featuring Bruce Banner and Steve Rogers have dominated the headlines. However, the third reveals just how far the company’s relationship with TV has come.
Set in the TVA, the Encore post-credits scene focuses on Mobius M. Mobius, Owen Wilson’s capable investigator from Loki, reacting to incursions popping up across the multiverse. He and his colleagues can’t believe their eyes and probably hope a miracle will put everything back together.
The TVA’s best hope is probably none other than Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, who also has a role in Doomsday. The God of Mischief is currently holding the multiverse together after finding his glorious purpose at the end of Season 2 of his Disney+ series. But he’s going to need help if he wants to give Doctor Doom a run for his money.
Much of Loki’s help comes from characters with checkered pasts. John Walker, aka US Agent, failed to live up to expectations as Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. After getting his head straight, he joined the New Avengers alongside two other Disney+ veterans: Bucky Barnes, the former HYDRA agent who also appeared in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, the master assassin who was a thorn in Clint Barton’s side in Hawkeye.
Two other MCU heroes who made the jump from TV to the movies ahead of Doomsday are Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson and Danny Ramirez’s Joaquin Torres. Sam befriended Joaquin in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier shortly after he turned down Captain America. Once Sam decided the shield fit, he promoted Joaquin to Falcon status in Captain America: Brave New World.
Captain America and Falcon will both be part of a second Avengers team in Doomsday. That doesn’t mean they’ll forget where they came from, because Disney+ shows matter as much to Doomsday as movies do.
Disney+ Shows That Will Impact Avengers: Doomsday
Loki is essential viewing ahead of Doomsday, not only because the Asgardian plays a role in the movie, but because the Tom Hiddleston-led show revealed a lot about the multiverse and how it works in the MCU. If Doom really wants total control of existence, he’ll have to go through the TVA to get it. Mobius and Co. aren’t experienced fighters. But as Lokiproved, they know how to handle a potentially reality-breaking event.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
As mentioned earlier, Doomsday features several characters from the Anthony Mackie-starring The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. While the movie may not address its events directly, they’ll still have a huge bearing on it. That series was where Bucky and Sam truly became friends, not just two guys who knew Steve Rogers. Going into Doomsday, they’re at odds over the Avengers name. The only way they can move forward is by remembering the good times.
What If…?
Marvel Studios gave What If…?more love than many of its Disney+ series. Clearly, the company saw the potential in telling stories that it couldn’t on the big screen. However, What If…?still had a narrative, one that featured Uatu the Watcher bringing together a group of remarkable people from across the multiverse to prevent armageddon. If total annihilation is on the way in Doomsday, it’s hard to believe that a series all about alternate realities will stay on the bench.
WandaVision
Since it happened so long ago, it’s easy to forget that WandaVision was the first Disney+ series from Marvel Studios and set the table for everything that came after. VisionQuestrecently picked up the baton from the 2021 show and checked in with White Vision, who debuted in that series. While it hasn’t been confirmed, signs point to Doomsday extending a similar offer to Wanda Maximoff. She seemingly met her end in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. But with her family reuniting, it’s a good time to bring her back into the fold.
