By the time Avengers: Infinity War arrives in the summer of 2018, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be comprised of 18 films, plus an ever-growing number of TV shows. The third outing for this superhero team promises to be a culmination of everything that’s come before it, the movie is set to feature an unprecedented number of characters. Though a few heroes will be sitting out the action, and a number of villains have been killed off, Marvel still has a vast bench of players from which to pull.

While we’re still unsure whether any of Marvel’s television superheroes or villains will be able to walk the hallowed halls of cinema, we’ve already learned that most of the MCU’s headlining heroes will be showing up to confront Thanos. Many have never even heard of each other, let alone worked together, and even those that have shared the same screen haven’t always fought on the same side. Here are our picks for MCU Team-Ups You Should Be Excited For in Avengers: Infinity War.

Iron Man and Guardians of the Galaxy

To be fair, Robert Downey, Jr.’s Tony Stark sharing the screen with just about anyone is bound to be gold. The fact that he’ll soon be teaming with Spidey in Spider-Man: Homecoming is one of the most exciting things about the upcoming film. Just as Iron Man and Spider-Man teaming up has comic book precedence, so too does Tony joining the Guardians of the Galaxy.

The Guardians have had a lot of members over the years, and Tony’s time tooling around space with them represents one of the best additions to the team. During Iron Man Vol. 5 in 2013, Tony headed off to space to get some fresh perspective and investigate his parentage. After his solo adventure was over, he spent a good chunk of time mixing it up with the Guardians, Captain Marvel, and Agent Venom. Seeing the MCU’s Tony banter with Star-Lord, try to make Drax laugh, and react to Rocket and Groot will be utterly priceless.

Spider-Man and Ant-Man

Spider-Man and Ant-Man have teamed up many times over the years. Both have been Avengers and they’re two of Marvel’s biggest heroes (not to mention they both have a thing for creepy crawlies), so it’s really no surprise they’ve had their share of adventures. We haven’t seen Tom Holland and Paul Rudd’s characters actually join forces yet; though they both appeared in Captain America: Civil War, it was as rivals. Still, their personalities instantly connected as they established their easy banter. Throw Falcon into the mix again, and the trio will be able to keep the jokes flowing as they attempt to thwart the cosmic chaos all around them.

Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch

While Scarlet Witch’s powers haven’t been revealed to be magical in nature within the world of the MCU, her chaos magic has brought her into contact with Doctor Strange a number of times in the comics. Strange meeting any of the Avengers will be a lot of fun, as only Thor has encountered the future Sorcerer Supreme so far, and he’s the most likely not to balk at magic. Watching Wanda and Stephen team up would allow for some insane visuals, and perhaps after the fight is over they can both go grab a drink at the Bar With No Doors.

Black Widow, Gamora and Nebula

This one is a no-brainer. Gamora and Nebula’s shared parentage and battle in Guardians of the Galaxy already have audiences primed for them teaming up in the sequel now that Nebula has joined the team, and there will likely be plenty of chances for Nebula to challenge her sister to the title of Deadliest Woman in the Universe. Once Black Widow joins the mix, however, they’ll both have some stiff competition. While we probably won’t see the three fight, unless they get some sort of Mind Stone whammy put on them, it’ll still be a sight to behold as these three warriors lay waste to the hordes of Thanos. Here’s hoping Widow gets her hands on a sword at some point.

Hawkeye, Rocket and Groot

Honestly, Rocket and Groot will make for a great team up with anyone as just about every non-Guardian will be flabbergasted by the pair. It’s safe to assume the person who will be most incredulous about their existence will be Hawkeye, the MCU’s resident everyman. The fun of Hawkeye is how out of place he always is, and a battle against Thanos will be quite the predicament for an archer to find himself in, to say the least. Add in a talking raccoon and tree, and Clint is going to have a never-ending stream of put-upon one-liners.

Spider-Man and Hulk

Since Hulk skipped out on Civil War, we’ve yet to see the amazing team-up that is the Green Goliath and Spider-Man. In the comics, the two have teamed-up many times, and even fought a few. Not only is Spider-Man’s banter a perfect foil for Hulk’s lack thereof, but it would be doubly fun to watch Peter Parker and Bruce Banner geek out together as science bros. Even when they’re fighting, it’d be great to see Hulk give Spidey some begrudging respect when the Web Head displays just how good he is at smashing.

Drax and Vision

Drax may not be a robot, but he sure acts like one. Much of his humor derives from his dry delivery and his habit of taking turns of phrase a little too literally. Pairing him off with any jokester, like Tony or Spidey, will make for some hilarious scenes. What we’re really looking forward to, however, is the man who doesn’t understand metaphors interacting with the living logic that is Vision. We haven’t heard specifically that Vision will be returning for Infinity War, but given that he’s got an Infinity Stone stuck in his head, his inclusion seems like a no-brainer.

Doctor Strange and Iron Man

As two of the most powerful Avengers, Iron Man and Doctor Strange gave joined forces many times. Not only will it be fun to see them battle together, but it will open up all sorts of opportunities for the Man of Science and Man of Magic to throw shade at each other. Tony and Stephen also possess heaps of arrogance, so even as civilians they’re likely to be a fun pair. They’re also both members of the Illuminati, a secret cabal of superheroes who influence world events, so seeing the seeds planted for the organization would be amazing. Honestly, though, we’re really just hoping they recreate their best comic book moment ever: the Awesome Facial Hair Bros panel shown above.

Hulk and Groot

Hulk and Groot teaming up would be rather short on one-liners (unless their meeting mimics their Silver Age comic fight), but that doesn’t mean there wouldn’t be laughs. Watching these two quiet titans smash their way through Thanos’ forces will be like the Hulkbuster fight times, well, infinity. The team-up may be short on words, but Hulk and Groot will let their fists do the talking. Of course, if Vin Diesel has his way, the two will spend their time getting down. While he could mean fighting, we really hope he means dancing.

Which team-ups are you looking forward to in Avengers: Infinity War? Let us know in the comments.

Next: Will Thor Lose Mjolnir & Become Unworthy in Thor: Ragnarok?

  • Avengers: Infinity War Release Date: 2018-04-27