A Guide to Marvel’s Team-Ups: The Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four & More Explained
When it comes to Marvel, it can be hard to keep track of the expansive universe’s plethora of characters. Thankfully, different team-ups make the task a little easier.
Below, we’re taking a closer look at the key team-ups within the universe, ranging from the Avengers and Fantastic Four to the X-Men, and beyond. Scroll down to learn more as we gear up for what’s set to be the biggest team-up to date in Avengers: Doomsday.
TV Guide Magazine’s Avengers: Doomsday Special Issue is available for order online now at Avengers.TVBooks.com, and for purchase on newsstands nationwide.
The Avengers
The superhero film genre would never be the same after a post-credits scene in 2008’s Iron Man with S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) telling Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) about the “Avengers Initiative.” The original team, first seen in 2012’s The Avengers, featured Stark’s Iron Man teaming with green powerhouse Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), expert marksman Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), supersoldier Captain America (Chris Evans), hammer-wielding Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and assassin-spy Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), who all came together to save New York City from Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his army of aliens. They became the Earth’s mightiest heroes: protecting the city of Sokovia in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron and taking on Thanos and his minions in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. Over time, the group grew, with welcome additions like Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), and more. Their adventures have sent them to far corners of the galaxy, but with a single “Avengers assemble,” they come together to save the day again.
The X-Men
They’re a team of mutant misfits who are often feared and hated by the public that they’ve sworn to protect. But, like the Avengers, once the group came together in Fox’s first movie trilogy (2000–06), it was clear that they were heroes who worked better together than apart. Under the leadership of peace-driven telepathic leader Professor X (Patrick Stewart), the X-Men were taught to master their unique abilities while maintaining self-control so they could help others. In many cases, that was easier said than done—as Jean Grey (originated by Famke Janssen) found out when her powers became enhanced and too much for her to handle, which resulted in her almost killing other mutants and endangering the world in 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand.
Other prominent X-Men members include Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), an antihero with violent tendencies and retractable razor-sharp claws; Scott Summers/Cyclops (James Marsden), whose eyes emit beams of energy; and the weather-controlling Ororo Munroe/Storm (Halle Berry). And since heroes need villains, who would the X-Men be without Magneto (Ian McKellen), who can control magnetism? Often butting heads with Professor X over their stances on how mutants should be seen in society, he serves as leader of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, which includes shapeshifters like Mystique (Rebecca Romijn).
The Fantastic Four
It took a few iterations to get this team of do-gooders right on the big screen, but once Marvel Studios regained the film rights for this foursome via Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox, the stars had aligned. Married couple Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby) lead their team of valiant and brilliant scientists and explorers, with their powers complementing each other beautifully. Mr. Fantastic has the ability to stretch his body, which comes in handy when trying to reach things far away or navigate dangerous debris. Called Invisible Woman for obvious reasons, Sue Storm has the power to create force fields to keep people and places protected when necessary.
Also part of the team: Sue’s younger brother, Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), who can not only control fire (even transforming himself into a fireball) but also has the ability to fly. While equally smart as his powerful sibling, Johnny also has a fun-loving ego that sometimes masquerades as bravado. Rounding out the team is Reed’s best friend, former astronaut Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), whose skin is made up of a durable rock. He also has immense strength, which gives him a pretty handy leg up in battle. Fantastic, indeed!
The New Avengers
This new group distinguished itself by not being a finely oiled crime-fighting machine, but rather a bickering group who clashed due to their big personalities. They somehow managed to find a way to come together, leading to the final moments of their 2025 film Thunderbolts*, when they were rebranded as “The New Avengers.” The most familiar member? The cybernetic-armed Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). He’s joined by Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), who can phase through solid objects, highly trained Russian assassin Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Yelena’s blustering adoptive father, supersoldier Red Guardian (David Harbour), and volatile John Walker (Wyatt Russell), who has superhuman strength. New and old, these Avengers have been
a welcome MCU addition.
The Wakandans
The devastating death of mighty King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) left behind a strong team of Wakandans who were ready, willing, and able to continue the valiant fight against evil. The Wakandans boast a powerful female team that no one should want to mess with: the Dora Milaje. The initial Dora Milaje group consisted of expert fighter General Okoye (Danai Gurira), shrewd spy Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), and General Ayo (Florence Kasumba). Other vital Wakandans include genius developer Shuri (Letitia Wright), T’Challa’s sister and daughter of Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett). And don’t count out Wakandan men like M’Baku (Winston Duke), a master combatant always ready to fight. In short? Having the Wakandans on your side is a very good thing in the MCU.
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