The Marvel Cinematic Universe showed audiences that a man could fly (as long as he was in a robotic suit of high-tech armor, or a literal god), and the slow threading of various superheroes into a cohesive universe has been amazing. But of all the mighty and astonishing superheroes that make up Marvel's premiere super-team, which is the most incredible?
To settle the question, we're ranking the most powerful members of the Avengers, starting from the bottom and ending with the strongest one there is. To qualify, we counted all the heroes in the Avengers movies, obviously, as well as characters who appeared on Iron Man or Captain America's team in Captain America: Civil War, both because they've all been Avengers at one point or another in the comics, and because part of the fun of it was the two heroes assembling their own team of Avengers. Read on to see who takes top honors!
Hawkeye
We'll start with the obvious loser on the team, the Avengers' arrogant archer Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye. While the Hawkeye of the comics has built a loyal cult fanbase based largely on David Aja and Matt Fraction's stripped-down formalist run on his solo book, none of those qualities are visible in the Hawkeye of the MCU. He's technically a super-spy on the level of Black Widow, but his defining moments in the movies involve him decidedly not stopping Thor from getting to his magic hammer (Thor), getting mind controlled by Loki (Avengers), almost being shot to death (Avengers: Age of Ultron), and getting immediately taken out by Black Panther in an airport brawl (Captain America: Civil War).
There's certainly a charm to a lovable loser who keeps fumbling his way through dangerous situations, but unfortunately for Hawkeye, we're not giving extra credit for a downtrodden demeanor. Hawkeye easily lands at the bottom tier of the team, at least until they fight a supervillain whose only weakness is arrows.
Quicksilver
Believe it or not, there was a time when Quicksilver, the white-haired on-again/off-again son of Magneto, was in two movies in the same year (X-Men: Days of Future Past and Avengers: Age of Ultron). It's certainly hard to believe, since his appearance in Ultron is so bad it's rocketed him down to the Hawkeye tier of our list.
His power is superspeed, which seems like it would keep him a bit higher on a list of most powerful superheroes in the MCU, but he was shot to death by Ultron's machine guns. Dying because of regular bullets, especially when you're a literal superhero with superpowers, is just embarrassing. Superman over at DC is known for being faster than a speeding bullet, but clearly Quicksilver isn't, which makes his “super” speed pretty unimpressive, if you ask us.
Black Widow
There's no shame in Black Widow's placement this far down the list. In a world with gods, robots, magic, and aliens, Black Widow earning a spot on the Avengers' roster due to sheer competence is nothing to be ashamed of. Like Hawkeye, she's a super-spy, but unlike Barton, she knows better than to use an outdated weapon that mankind has been developing countermeasures against for literally thousands of years. She also gets a few extra credit points for appearing in so many Marvel movies. There's got to be some reason that Iron Man, Nick Fury, and Captain America rely on her so much, even if actual onscreen examples of her excellence haven't been as constant as some of her peers.
Ant-Man
If this list were graded on charm and the strength of the supporting cast, Paul Rudd's Scott Lang would easily vault near the top. Unfortunately for the diminutive dynamo, we're grading on sheer power, and Ant-Man's skills don't quite stack up. There's a reason that the climax of Ant-Man goes for easy laughs with the constant reminder of the scale of Ant-Man and Yellowjacket's final battle.
To be fair to the reformed con man, he did test out growing to a massive size in Captain America: Civil War, but no one ever grows to a massive size to win a fight. Call it a byproduct of our obsession with David and Goliath stories, but generally the only time a character gets bigger is to be satisfyingly knocked over like an AT-AT Walker on Hoth. Still, actual superpowered technology beats quick-dying quasi-mutants and super-spies on this list.
Falcon
You know what rules? Flying. You know what rules even more? Flying around on awesome metal wings while you try to save the world from fascism with your best buddy Captain America. Sam Wilson has all the training that comes from working as a pararescue airman for years, plus the coolest technology that doesn't come with a Stark branding. There's a reason Captain America trusts him to watch his back.
The only downside to the MCU Falcon is that they decided to go with a robotic drone version of his comics counterpart's faithful Redwing. Sure, talking to birds like some sort of high-flying Aquaman isn't the greatest power, but we're getting to the superpowered side of this list, so he'd need something to rank a bit higher. Plus, if we're being fair, he actually lost to this next Avenger, and we're nothing if not objective.
Winter Soldier
He might look like a teen exploring his identity at Hot Topic, but Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes, a.k.a. the Winter Soldier, is a force to be reckoned with. Tortured and mind-controlled by HYDRA, he's been on so many secret assassination missions that his name is a legend in super-spy circles. Add in a super-strong and super-flexible metal arm that can punch a hole through concrete, along with a version of the Super Soldier Serum that powers Captain America, and the Winter Soldier's a formidable threat.
Plus, thanks to his central role in two different Captain America movies, we've actually seen him fight a good chunk of the Avengers, making his placement on this list fairly easy. Just imagine playing rock, paper, scissors against a guy with a metal arm. Now that's intimidating.
War Machine
They say it's good to have friends in high places, but generally that means that those friends can get you a job or maybe loan you some money. For James “Rhodey” Rhodes, being best friends with Tony Stark means that he gets a personalized version of high-tech armor with enough guns and missiles to fuel a small war.
As War Machine, Rhodey's got all the explosive offense of early Iron Man armors combined with the exacting methodology of a U.S. Army pilot, basically walking around in a wearable fighter jet. The Winter Soldier might be a brilliant assassin with a metal arm, but when you're wearing a mobile armory capable of shooting a missile from 1000 feet away, it's hard to imagine Bucky winning against War Machine.
Spider-Man
Smart, superpowered, and fitted out with Stark tech, Spider-Man's a late, but powerful, addition to the MCU. His relative youth and experience might cause him trouble in his regular life as Peter Parker, but his spidery alter ego, is a powerhouse. In his first appearance in the MCU in Captain America: Civil War, he's able to disable Winter Soldier and Falcon, bring down a Gi(Ant) Man, and even keep up with Captain America. That's a pretty strong showing for the young superhero.
Plus, in Spider-Man: Homecoming, audiences saw just how extensive the Stark-designed suit really was, with a powerful on-board AI, thousands of different kinds of webbing, and even an automated fight simulator. You give someone with actual superpowers some Stark tech, and they get bumped up to a whole new tier.
Captain America
Captain America's the full package, and we're not just talking about actor Chris Evans. Steve Rogers has superpowers, fighting prowess, and an indestructible vibranium shield that's the closest thing to unbreakable in the MCU (until adamantium shows up). Plus, if we're counting raw charisma as a superpower, that's one more advantage Cap has got to push him into the upper tier of powerful Avengers.
Onscreen, he's handily beaten nearly every character on this list, whether in fistfights (Spider-Man) or footraces (Falcon). Unfortunately, there's one opponent he wasn't able to beat, even when the fight took place in his own movie.
Iron Man
Iron Man is everyone's favorite genius billionaire playboy philanthropist, and that's even before you get to the laser-blasting, high-tech weaponry all wrapped up in a suit powered by tech more powerful than a literal nuclear reactor. Iron Man's got some power, is what we're saying. And that's only in one suit, not including the literal dozens that he can control remotely, or the giant suit he built especially to beat down the strongest thing in the world.
While his lack of close combat experience might seem to drop him a bit lower, the ending of Captain America: Civil War is literally him fighting Captain America and the Winter Soldier to a standstill, even with a barely functioning suit, so he's more than earned his spot.
Black Panther
Tony Stark might be an eccentric rich genius in America who gets treated like a king, but he's not an actual king like the Black Panther, ruler of Wakanda. Like Iron Man, he's got a technologically advanced suit—though in his case, it's made of nigh-indestructible vibranium instead if iron— and the resources to build any gadget he needs. But Black Panther's also got the fight training that Stark lacks, along with highly trained bodyguards, and the backing of an entire country so technologically advanced it makes New York City look like Amish country.
Plus, depending on how closely the upcoming movie follows his comic book origins, Black Panther might also have some mystical background, as he's able to communicate to Bast, the Panther goddess who gives him enhanced senses and strength. Even if the movie veers more toward realism, well, he's definitively beaten Iron Man a few different times , so even this spot on the list might be conservative.
Scarlet Witch
This is a bit of a tough one, since the Scarlet Witch of the MCU might be significantly less powerful than the comics version. In the comics, the Scarlet Witch is a ridiculously powerful mutant who was able to completely erase the mutant genome from the planet with her chaos magic, but the comics' “No more mutants” has nothing on Disney's “No mutants (until we buy the rights to the X-Men back).” As a result, the Scarlet Witch of the MCU uses abilities that run closer to telekinesis and telepathy than the magical powers of her comics counterpart.
Even without magic, though, she's a powerful superheroine, able to take down half the team under Ultron's orders. Still, considering the Doctor Strange movie has put magic squarely in the realm of the possible, it's not out of the question that we'll be seeing Wanda Maximoff reach closer to the ridiculous power of the comics. She might be young and have questionable taste in robot men, but being the only magic user on the Avengers puts her over the top. And speaking of questionable robot men?
The Vision
In the comics, the Infinity Gems are the most powerful items in the universe, used in conjunction with the Infinity Gauntlet to wield complete control over basically everything. While there's not full confirmation that the MCU will follow suit until the release of Avengers: Infinity War, it's not a far stretch to say that the magical MacGuffins are incredibly powerful. The Vision, the cybernetic homunculus based on Tony Stark's JARVIS AI, has the Mind Gem embedded in his forehead, giving him the powers of density manipulation, intangibility, and laser blasts. Even before the Mind Gem was used to power everyone's favorite walking AI, it was used to by Loki in a magic staff to mind control followers and bring a horde of alien invaders to attack earth in The Avengers.
Altogether, the combination of a brilliant AI, laser blasts, and a power source derived from a fundamental power source of the entire Marvel universe makes The Vision almost godlike.
Thor
Unfortunately for Vision, godlike isn't godly, and Thor is the actual God of Thunder, which puts him just over the top. Faster than a bolt of lightning, more powerful than a burst of thunder, able to leap tall buildings in a single throw (of his hammer)! In a world of super-soldiers and tech geniuses, only a god can keep the rest of the Avengers humble. Even if you discount his magic hammer, or his control of storms, or even his super-strength, he's the prince of Asgard, a popular scion of a supremely powerful king who commands a whole army of gods. Each one of Thor's many friends and family members are nearly as strong as he is, living in a god-filled utopia in space. Oh, and for eons, there was an entire basement full of world-ending weapons under his dad's castle. In the Marvel Universe, there's no one who can command that level of power. Well, almost no one…
The Hulk
The Hulk has beaten basically everyone in the entire Marvel Universe a few different times, often in (literally) earth-shattering ways, and that's just in the comics. In the MCU, Hulk's personally beaten the tar out of Thor, Iron Man, Loki, The Abomination, and the entire U.S. Army—and those are just the characters who've actually bothered to fight him instead of just running away. When Iron Man's response to Loki in The Avengers is to offer up the fact that the Avengers have Hulk on their side, it's not a joke. Hulk really is the strongest one there is.
Someone in Los Angeles is stealing from superheroes.
LAPD officers are looking to avenge the theft of the original Iron Man suit worn by Robert Downey Jr., in the Marvel Studios franchise, police spokesman Christopher No said Wednesday.
The red-and-gold getup — valued at $325,000 — vanished from a prop storage warehouse in Pacoima between February and April 25 but was reported stolen Tuesday night, No said. Downey first played billionaire Tony Stark and his heroic alter ego in the original 2008 “Iron Man” flick.
He’s reprised the role in two subsequent “Iron Man” movies, “The Avengers” franchise and other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, often wearing different armor.
He is set to play the character again in next year’s fourth Avengers film.
The character was developed by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck and Jack Kirby, and first appeared in a 1963 Marvel comic book.
The post-Infinity War news dump keeps on coming, and we’re here to help you sort it all out. Here, you can learn about several alternate scenes that never made it into the final film. Plus: read-up on the impressive improv skills of Dave Bautista. Spoilers follow.
The early press tour for Infinity War was notoriously brief on real information. This was due to the very spoiler-y nature of the film – to talk about Infinity War in detail is to give big twists and turns away. But now that the film is out, and has made all the money, more and more info is starting to filter in. And because we know you want to know this stuff, we’ve rounded up some of the latest Infinity War behind-the-scenes details. You’re welcome.
Iron Man and Captain America Almost Shared A Scene Together
Iron Man and Captain America had a bit of a falling-out in Captain America: Civil War, and haven’t spoken since. Some expected the duo to reunite and put their differences aside in Infinity War, but Cap and Tony Stark never actually share a scene together. But we almost saw the two on screen together again. Screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely told Yahoo that in an early draft of the Infinity War script, all of the original Avengers got back together again:
“Our first sort of wonky draft [had] the idea that they had to get back in the same room together and deal with that,” McFeely said. “[But it] meant that you’re slowing down your Thanos [Infinity] Stones [quest] to deal with other threats from other movies. And that became, as much as we wanted to do, and as many times as we wrote those scenes, it became clear that this movie needed to be propulsive and be about Thanos and what he represented to the Avengers.”
I personally would’ve preferred to see Tony and Cap together again, but I guess we’ll have to wait until Avengers 4 for that happen.
Falcon In Space (But Not Spidey)!
In the final film, Spider-Man ends up in space with Iron Man and Doctor Strange. But that almost didn’t happen! In the same Yahoo interview, Markus and McFeely reveal that it was almost Falcon who ended up in space while Spidey remained grounded. ” There was one [version] where Spider-Man did not go to space, and where Falcon went to space,” said Markus. “And it was fun, it was interesting, it’s always great to have those guys in various situations and there was a lot to do with them in both situations, but we weren’t getting as much emotion as we could if we brought them back to people who know them.”
It would’ve been cool to give Falcon just a bit more to do in Infinity War, but I guess when you have Spider-Man on hand, it makes sense to use him.
Dave Bautista: Improv King
One of the funniest lines in Infinity War comes from Dave Bautista’s Drax. I’m talking, of course, of the “Why is Gamora?” line. In the scene in question, Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, asks Tony Stark: “Where’s Gamora?” Tony replies: “I’ll do you even better: who is Gamora?” To which Drax yells: “I’ll do you one better: Why is Gamora?”
It turns out Bautista improv’d that line. “The script only said, ‘Where is Gamora?’ ‘I’ll do you even better: Who is Gamora?’ And then one day Bautista just goes, ‘I’ll do you one better: Why is Gamora?’” Markus says. “It’s like, ‘OK, you’re very good at your job.’”
Guardians Of The Galaxy made Groot – the Flora Colossus from Planet X – an instant icon, thanks to excellent motion capture work and the vocal stylings of Vin Diesel. The events of that movie led to something of a change for the character in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2., though – with him having been, essentially, re-grown from a cutting.
As a result, Groot was seen as a child in both size and intellectual capacity. In the post-credits sequence, however, we caught a fleeting glimpse of teenage Groot, sulking about being lectured on room tidiness – and it’s this size in which he appeared in Avengers: Infinity War. Yes, in Joe and Anthony Russo’s event movie to end all event movies, Diesel’s fan favorite was all grown up, though by the end of the film, he was wiped out by Thanos’ snap of doom, along with most of the other heroes.
If you’ll recall, we see Rocket walking towards his best friend as Groot begins to turn to dust. Before he does, though, he lets out one, final “I am Groot.” Unfortunately, Bradley Cooper’s raccoon doesn’t translate it for us – as he usually does – but thanks to James Gunn, we now know what the character was saying, and it might just break your heart. Are you ready for this?
Avengers: Infinity War Behind The Scenes Photos Reveal How Thanos Came To Life
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According to the writer/director, Groot’s final word to Rocket was “Dad.” As if the scene wasn’t heartbreaking enough, we now know that not only did Rocket have to watch his best friend be erased from existence, but that the little guy also saw him as his father, which no doubt makes the loss of Groot that much more painful for the only surviving Guardian of the Galaxy (well, aside from Nebula). We’re not crying, you’re crying!
Of course, we fully expect for Groot – and most of the other heroes – to return in time for next year’s Avengers 4. After all, when it comes to Vin Diesel’s character in particular, he sells WAY too much merchandise for Marvel to keep him dead for very long. And though that does lessen the impact of his death in Avengers: Infinity War somewhat, it was still quite sad seeing him go, and it’s only made all the more tragic now that we know what his last line was.
Whether you loved or hated Avengers: Infinity War, if you're a fan of the Incredible Hulk then it's tough to not be disappointed by his absence from most of the movie. The Hulk withstands a brutal beating by Thanos before being whisked away to Earth by Heimdall, and that's the last time you see him in his full glory. Bruce Banner tries and fails several times to get his greener half to come out and play, but the Hulk refuses to emerge. At most, we get a few brief shots of the Hulk's face replacing Banner's long enough to yell “NO!” And then he's gone.
So why is the Hulk shy all of a sudden? Why won't he help with the fight against Thanos? There are some obvious answers, most of them leading to the trauma of what he endured at the hands of Thanos. But there are some less obvious — and possibly much more likely — answers that fit more with what we know about the Hulk.
We have a Hulk and he's scared
Fear isn't an emotion usually associated with the Hulk, unless you're talking about how other characters feel about him. So the idea that the Hulk is refusing to emerge because he's afraid of Thanos may seem tough to swallow. After all, at the end of Thor: Ragnarok, the Hulk was willing to go toe-to-toe with a Godzilla-sized Surtur, even after the demon flicked him away like an annoying flea. Hulk seemed genuinely annoyed that Thor didn't want him to take another crack at the beast.
But it's still possible what's stopping the Hulk is fear, and maybe not even his own.
The beating the Hulk suffered from Thanos is unlike anything he's endured before in the movies. The only other fight the MCU Hulk has lost is his brawl with Iron Man in the Hulkbuster suit in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but he never saw the final punch coming and never had the chance to think about what was happening to him, not to mention that it was a fight he didn't really want in the first place. Scarlet Witch forced the Hulk to emerge and go on a rampage. It's possible he doesn't even remember it. The Hulk's intelligence and awareness, independent of Banner, has grown since his fight with “Veronica.” He knew what was happening to him as Thanos beat him. It's something he's never experienced before, and he may not know how to handle it.
Father of mine
One regrettable aspect of Bruce Banner's portrayal in the MCU is that — as popular as Banner's “I'm always angry” line from Avengers has become — the movies have never explored exactly why that rage is always with him. It's possible that directors Joe and Anthony Russo are using Thanos to finally give us a glimpse of that story.
In the 1985 comic Incredible Hulk #312, longtime Hulk writer Bill Mantlo wrote one of Bruce Banner's most memorable and influential stories. Most of the tale is a flashback to Banner's younger days. We learn that both Bruce and his mother Rebecca endured extreme emotional and physical abuse at the hands of Bruce's father. The father eventually murders his mother for trying to escape from him. Mantlo essentially told readers that the gamma bomb blast from 1962's Incredible Hulk #1 didn't create the Hulk. The trauma Banner endured created the Hulk — the gamma blast just set him free.
It's possible that what's stopping the Hulk from emerging in Infinity War is not that the beating he took from Thanos scared him, but that it reawakened the childhood trauma.
In fact, this could be why a certain bizarre scene was deleted from Thor: Ragnarok. In the scene, Banner expresses regret at missing his father's death because he was too busy working. In the case of the comics, that would seem strange considering not only did the comic book Banner have no fluffy feelings for his father, but it was eventually revealed that Bruce Banner actually killed his father. If the Infinity War filmmakers are planning on using the Hulk's refusal to emerge to introduce the abuse backstory, the conversation from the deleted scene wouldn't make sense.
A Hulk humiliated
Maybe the Hulk isn't scared and maybe the Hulk isn't traumatized. Maybe he's just embarrassed.
As was mentioned earlier, the Hulk has never experienced the kind of utter defeat Thanos handed him in the opening of Avengers: Infinity War. And the Green Goliath doesn't just have the intelligence of a toddler; he has the emotional maturity of one too.
The beating he took may have destroyed his confidence. The Hulk can't fix a Helicarrier engine like Iron Man or plug an interstellar portal with lightning like Thor. The Hulk has one job: beat the tar out of whoever needs a beating. If he can't do that then, in his mind, how could he be anything but worthless?
It's worth remembering that not only is Banner around other Avengers each time he tries to change into the Hulk in Infinity War, but there's a specific Avenger he's being reminded of — Tony Stark. And who is Tony Stark to the Hulk? Well, among other things, he's the only guy other than Thanos who's managed to knock the Hulk out. The first time Banner tries to change in Infinity War, Tony's right there, urging him to Hulk out. The second time, during the battle in Wakanda, Tony's nowhere to be found but Banner is inside the Hulkbuster armor. He's inside the suit that not only was used to give the Hulk one of his only defeats, it was created solely for the purpose of beating up the Hulk. It's possible that it was the wrong time to remind the Green Goliath of that.
The Hulk blames himself for Thanos
It's possible Hulk's reasons for refusing to fight are less about fear and humiliation, and more about guilt.
Right after the Hulk is defeated by Thanos, Heimdall uses his last few breaths to transport Hulk to Earth so he can warn them of Thanos. That means the first time Banner tries to Hulk out, as far as the Hulk knows, he was the only survivor of the Asgardian refugee ship. As far as he knows, Thor, Valkyrie (a.k.a. “Angry Girl” in Hulkspeak), and everyone else is dead. He probably couldn't care less about Loki, but Thor and Hulk formed a bond during Ragnarok and thinking he wasn't strong enough to save Thor from Thanos would be crushing to the Hulk.
It may be that a number of toy and collectible releases support the notion that it was guilt holding the Hulk back: specifically toys and collectibles that depict Hulk bursting out of the Hulkbuster suit. If it was originally planned that Banner would finally succeed in transforming into the Hulk while in the Hulkbuster suit — since we know it's in Wakanda where Banner is in the suit and it's in Wakanda that Banner eventually learns that Thor is still alive — it could be that the plan was that the revelation that Thor didn't die is would be what helped the Hulk defeat his guilt.
Third rock from the sun
The reason Hulk refuses to emerge may not have anything at all to do with Thanos. Ironically, it may be that he's too damn angry.
Thor, Loki, Valkyrie, and even Banner may have been fine with leaving Sakaar in Thor: Ragnarok, but the Hulk didn't have much say in the matter. During their first one-on-one dialogue scene together, Hulk tells Thor plainly he has no intention of returning to Earth. “Earth hate Hulk,” he tells the thunder god. Thor and the Avengers? They're “Banner's friends.” Not his.
On Sakaar, the Hulk was treated better than he'd ever been. Not only was he not treated like some horrifying extension of Banner, but no one even knew about Banner. The people of Sakaar didn't run screaming from him for smashing his enemies; they cheered him. They had parades for him. They built a huge Hulk face on the planet's tallest building and gave him is own Hulk-friendly hot tub. Why would he want to leave?
Of course he knew he wasn't on Sakaar during the battle in Asgard and later during the journey on the refugee ship, but with his thick head and slow mind, the Hulk may not have truly grasped that he was going right back to the last place he ever wanted to be. Back to Earth where he was hounded, where he had no friends, and in fact where he was likely still wanted for the death and destruction he caused during the Johannesburg rampage of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Once he was in Greenwich Village, with Tony Stark and other puny humans surrounding him, maybe the Hulk was angry that he was right back were he started. Maybe he didn't want to fight to protect the last place he wanted to be.
Hulk thought Hulk was done, and then they pull Hulk back in
There's another reason why the Hulk's anger might be what's preventing his emergence, but it has less to do with what planet he's on than whose head he's in.
In Ragnarok Bruce Banner was convinced that if he changed into the Hulk, he might never change back. He tells Thor this shortly after Hulk's transformation to Banner in the Quinjet. We learn the Hulk had been in control since Black Widow forced Banner to change into the Hulk at the end of Age of Ultron's conclusion and that, while before he always felt he had “one hand on the wheel” when he was the Hulk, during these past two years he felt that the Hulk had taken the keys and locked him “in the trunk.”
What happens seems to confirm Banner's fears. After changing into the Hulk in Asgard, we never see the Hulk change back into Banner until Heimdall whisks him away to Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum in Avengers: Infinity War. As far as we know, from end of Thor: Ragnarok to the moment he's sent back to Earth, he's green the whole time.
During the two years between Age of Ultron and Ragnarok, the Hulk managed to stop himself from changing back to “Puny Banner” even once. The Hulk may have been convinced that he was finally free of his weaker half — free of losing control to Banner, free of being used like a tool by his fellow Avengers and allowed out only when they deemed it necessary. During those two Banner-less years, the Hulk got to feel in control. Maybe, like Banner, the Hulk thought once he came out in Asgard that would be the end of it and he'd be in charge for good. Now that it's clear that's not the case, maybe the Hulk doesn't feel like being Banner's tool anymore. Maybe if he isn't the only one who gets to play the game, then the game isn't worth playing.
The impending dog and pony show may include echoes of “business as usual,” a spiel offered to press earlier in the year, but the fact remains that no one really knows what is going to happen to Fox.The 2018-19 season, if all goes according to plan, will see the completion of Disney's acquisition of the network's sister properties (read: the prolific TV studio, long its programming pipeline). A leadership change is almost guaranteed — and a new game plan with it. So the question of “Will Star get renewed?” seems kind of trivial in comparison.One thing is certain: Fox has way fewer hours to fill next year. Its pact with the NFL for Thursday Night Football will suck up more than 30 hours of space previously occupied by original programming, lessening the recent pressure to find a reality hit to fill the void left by American Idol in 2016. And while Thursday's game is the NFL's least-enticing offer, it will still do a lot to lift the network's modest linear returns of late.
As far as scripted programming is concerned, the playbook already seems a bit different. Studio 20th Century Fox Television original Last Man Standing, canceled at ABC in 2017, is being revived at Fox with hopes of courting its older, middle American audience. The order is an abrupt left turn for Fox's comedy brand, which has long catered to millennials, with the quirk of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and the late New Girl and acerbic cartoons such as Family Guy and The Simpsons. On the drama front, Ryan Murphy's 911 was a surprise hit, and Empirecontinues to drive the bus. New orders will reflect the network's desire to duplicate their success.
But, one year down the line, Fox may be something else entirely. So expect its May 14 play for advertisers to be one that focuses on reassurance, keeps its eye on the short game and hypes Thursday Night Football. Keep track of all the renewals, cancellations and new show orders with THR's scorecards for ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and The CW and with all the latest pilot pickups and passes with our handy guide. For complete coverage, bookmark THR.com/upfronts.
THR will update this post with all the latest series orders, renewals and cancellations as Fox's 2018-19 schedule takes focus ahead of its upfront presentation to Madison Avenue ad buyers.
Courtesy of FOX
RENEWED
Empire| The Lee Daniels and Danny Strong hip-hop drama starring Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard and from 20th Century Fox Television will be back for a fifth season.
The Simpsons| The animated comedy from Matt Groening and showrunner Al Jean this season became TV's longest-running primetime series and is in the second year of a two-season renewal, it's 30th season overall. The 20th TV comedy is poised to become a Disney property should the $52.4 billion Disney deal earn regulatory approval.
The Orville| Seth MacFarlane's live-action hourlong space dramedy had an impressive short-order run last fall and earned an early second season pickup. Meanwhile, MacFarlane continues to mull his future as his overall deal with 20th TV expires this spring.
The Gifted | The X-Men drama earned an early season two renewal after completing its abbreviated 13-episode run. The series from Marvel Television and Matt Nix stars Stephen Moyer and Amy Acker and had an impressive run, averaging 8.3 million total viewers with delayed viewing.
911| The Ryan Murphy-produced first responders procedural starring Peter Krause and Angela Bassett earned a speedy renewal after breaking out during its midseason bow. It will wind up being the prolific showrunner's last series produced for Fox at 20th TV after his upcoming move to Netflix. Showrunner Tim Minear will remain at the helm after signing a new overall deal with the studio. Expect another big-name addition to the cast in season two, as Connie Britton eyes a reduced role after signing a one-year deal for the freshman call.
The Resident| The medical drama starring Emily VanCamp and Matt Czuchry has been a reliable performer for the network, averaging a 1.9 in the advertiser-coveted demo and nearly 8 million total viewers. The 20th TV drama from s exec producers Todd Harthan and Amy Holden Jones will be back for a second season.
Fall TV 2018: First Look Photos at All the New Broadcast Dramas and Comedies
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NEW SERIES
The Passage | Redeveloped from last season, the genre drama is based on the best-selling trilogy by Justin Cronin and is a character-driven thriller about a secret government medical facility experimenting with a dangerous virus that could either cure all disease or cause the downfall of the human race. Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Pitch) stars in the drama from Liz Heldens (Friday Night Lights) and exec producers Matt Reeves and Ridley Scott. Emmanuelle Chriqui co-stars in the 20th TV drama.
John P. Fleenor/FOX
ON THE BUBBLE/AWAITING WORD
Bob's Burgers| As animated comedies have become the next genre to be rapidly scooped up by streamers, Loren Bouchard's Emmy-winning hit awaits word on a ninth season pickup. It is expected to return.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine| While not a ratings breakout, the Andy Samberg cop comedy from exec producers Dan Goor and Mike Schur remains a critical favorite. Sources note the series went into its current fifth season with an eye toward an endgame, though the series remains firmly on the bubble and could earn a sixth season. That the single-camera comedy is produced by an outside studio — Universal Television — may eventually help its fortunes given the pending Disney pact.
The Exorcist| The drama starring Alfonso Herrera and Ben Daniels underwent a casting reboot in its second season as the anthology-like series from 20th TV also lost leading lady Geena Davis. Ratings slipped year-over-year as the sequel to the 1973 feature film from showrunner Jeremy Slater remains on the bubble.
Family Guy| A 17th season renewal for the Seth MacFarlane animated comedy hinges on the showrunner's future with the studio and new deals for its voice cast as the five-season deals for Seth Green, Alex Borstein, Mila Kunis and Mike Henry expire this season.
Gotham| The Batman prequel from Warner Bros. Television and DC Entertainment stars Ben McKenzie and is awaiting word on its fifth season.
Last Man on Earth| The post-apocalyptic comedy created by and starring Will Forte may be this season's New Girl as sources note the single-camera comedy from 20th TV could return for an abbreviated a fifth and final season — if it returns at all.
Lethal Weapon| The reboot of the feature film franchise of the same name would have been a slam dunk to return for a third season after serving as one of the network's most-watched dramas. However, star Clayne Crawford — despite his apology — has been fired from the Warner Bros. Television drama as producers scramble to recast the role and score a long-shot season three renewal.
Lucifer| The DC Entertainment drama from Warner Bros. Television remains on the bubble for a fourth season renewal. The Tom Ellis and Lauren German starrer averages a 1.4 in the demo and 5 million total viewers with seven days of DVR.
The Mick| The Kaitlin Olson comedy from 20th TV remains an internal favorite and scored an additional seven-episode order in its sophomore season. With New Girl ending and broadcasters looking to program to middle America, The Mick appears poised for a third season.
Star| The musical Empire spinoff starring Queen Latifah and Benjamin Bratt crossed over with the flagship in its second season and helped to give Fox a larger piece of its hit franchise. In its second season, the series also changed showrunners with Karin Gist becoming the third to lead the series.
Ghosted| One of the hottest packages last development season, the Adam Scott and Craig Robinson X-Filesfarce averaged a 1.6 in the demo and 4 million total viewers, nearly doubling its same-day returns when factoring in seven days of DVR. Produced by 20th TV, it's considered unlikely to return given the price tag on the series.
L.A. to Vegas | The Dylan McDermott airline comedy, which counts Modern Family‘s Steve Levitan among its exec producers, had a strong first flight with Fox handing out a quick three-episode pickup. The series, from 20th TV, grows 50 percent among viewers and the demo when adding DVR returns. It's expected to earn a second season.
