On Friday, we celebrated the 12th anniversary of the first Avengers film, and asked what Avengers hero had the best MCU arc after the initial film. Some folks took umbrage at our not including Agent Coulson in the list, but Coulson is only in one subsequent MCU film, and that is in the flashback sequence in Captain Marvel. No Coulson erasure here!
51.2% of our readers voted that Captain America, Steve Rogers, had the best post-Avengers arc of any character. This character certainly went through a lot in those films, from seeing the destruction of S.H.I.E.L.D. to the dissolution of the Avengers and his friendship with Tony Stark, to his eventual wielding of Mjoinir and traveling back in time to live with Peggy Carter. It’s the most emotionally satisfying arc in all of the Marvel films, so it is no surprise that he handily won the poll.
Thor came in second with 28.3% of the vote. Thor’s arc got weirder and weirder as his story went on, which allowed the humor of the character to come through, as well as the heart, with seeing the loss of his parents and the destruction of Asgard. He is the only one of the top three vote-getters to see a fourth solo film, as the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder looks to bring Jane Foster into the Thor role.
Rounding out the top three is Iron Man with 10% voters choosing ol’ Shellhead. Tony Stark’s story ends sadly, but not before his character gets to grow in considerable and touching ways. His reach was likely the largest in the MCU, with his appearances in Spider-Man: Homecoming and The Incredible Hulk.
Check back on Friday for our next Reader Poll!
