The West Coast Avengers might be joining the MCU. It was always bound to happen. Historically, the West Coast Avengers are the first alternate Avengers team and the most canonically famous group of Avengers – aside from the original. Add that to the fact there are plenty of signs that the West Coast Avengers may be on the horizon, and you’ve got some good chances for the team to appear.

It would be a simple thing for Marvel to do, and it seems like another logical step in their goal of turning every Marvel comic into a movie. The West Coast Avengers haven’t always taken center stage, but they are a powerful group of heroes nonetheless. And the planets are starting to align to make their appearance possible.

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The first hint is that the WCA was created during the “Secret Wars” event, when the Avengers and many other superheroes were absent from Earth-616. Next, there is a rumor that Marvel may be making a Vision Quest miniseries that shares a title with a West Coast Avengers story arc. And third is that Mockingbird, a founding member of the WCA, was involved in Secret Invasion, a series coming to Disney+ in 2023.

There are a lot of big plot points, including some we’ve already seen in series like Hawkeye and WandaVision, that point towards the West Coast Avengers. It might not be soon, but the next time we see the Avengers assemble, it could be in LA.

Origins of the West Coast Avengers

     Marvel Comics

The West Coast Avengers were assembled by Hawkeye and Vision. It was during a time when most of the A-list superheroes were off-planet fighting in Beyonder’s “Secret Wars.” Since the Avengers couldn’t be assembled, Vision tried to get as many heroes together as possible. When he sent out a signal, those who answered were Mockingbird, Wonder Man, Tigra, and Iron Man, who at the time was secretly James Rhodes since Tony Stark was busy on Battleworld.

While it’s entirely possible for Marvel to wait for the end of Phase 6 and Secret Wars for the introduction of the West Coast Avengers, there are several upcoming events in the MCU that have spurred on fan theories. First, many fans don’t think the MCU will exclude anyone from Secret Wars. Where the comics had only some select, high-ranking heroes shipped off to Battleworld, many fans believe the MCU will include literally their entire universe in the event. But before it even happens, there are a few things that might bring about a West Coast Avengers-type situation.

Theories of an Altered Multiverse

     Marvel Studios

Many fans believe that James Rhodes might end up taking over the moniker of Iron Man come the impending MCU series Armor Wars. Rhody spent a fair amount of time in the comics as Iron Man, wearing one of Tony Stark’s suits. He might not be able to replace Stark as he did in the comics, but his adoption of the title could be a symbol of his willingness to take up that responsibility. And it might lead to a new Avengers team-up.

The next big sign that the West Coast Avengers may be coming is an unresolved plot line from WandaVision. When the White Vision flew away from the series, never to be seen again, it left a huge loose end that comic book fans recognized as a possibility to tell a story from the WCA. Probably one of the biggest story arcs of the West Coast Avengers was when Vision was abducted by government agents, disassembled, and had his memory erased.

Something quite similar happened in the Disney+ series WandaVision when Vision’s original body had been reassembled by S.W.O.R.D. without its memories. The Vision that appeared in WandaVision looked frightfully similar to the one which Hank Pym reassembled in the comics. Many fans think that when the White Vision flew off, it may have been the beginning of an introspective journey akin to what that Vision went through in the West Coast Avengers story arc called “Vision Quest.” And now there are even rumors of a Disney+ series of the same name.

Another sign pointing to the West Coast Avengers is Hawkeye’s recent prominence in the MCU. Not only was he a founding member of the WCA, but his wife, Mockingbird, played an important role in the comics. She was an original member and was revealed to be a Skrull imposter during the “Secret Invasion” event, of which Marvel will be releasing a series next year. In the comics, Mockingbird is Hawkeye’s wife, but in the MCU, there was a character with the same identity in the pseudo-canon series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

It’s complicated, but this could be Marvel’s chance to introduce the character, retcon her from the series, or give us an entirely different explanation of where she’s been. It’s also an opportunity to give a more significant role to Kate Bishop, the young Hawkeye introduced in the Disney+ series. Bishop leads the West Coast Avengers in their secondary incarnation in the comics and might still prove to be an impressive leader in the MCU.

With all these little hints, the West Coast Avengers seem just around the corner for the MCU. Many of their core characters are already in the franchise, and some of their biggest storylines are primed and ready to go. Fans of the West Coast Avengers must be sitting on the edge of their seats to see if the team will show up in the MCU.