The leader of the New Avengers team in the MCU hasn’t yet presented themself, but one potential candidate already proves he has what it takes.

Marvel Studios’ new Avengers team isn’t expected to form until Phase 6, but one MCU character may have already proven they have what it takes to lead the upcoming superhero team. The MCU’s original Avengers team first came together to battle Loki during the Battle of New York in 2012’s The Avengers, and, since then, have taken on threats such as Ultron, Crossbones, Baron Zemo, the Mad Titan, Thanos, and even each other. Composed of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the Avengers were a cornerstone of Marvel Studios’ live-action MCU, and Phase 6’s new Avengers roster is set to continue their legacy.

The Avengers haven’t been seen together since the Battle of Earth and Tony Stark’s emotional funeral in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, but this will soon change. The MCU’s Multiverse Saga is expected to conclude with Avengers 5 and Secret Wars in Phase 6, which will explore the formation of a new team of Avengers, including some of the new heroes Marvel Studios has introduced in recent years. While the full roster of Phase 6’s Avengers team is bound to be impressive, there’s been some dispute over who will lead the group, but one veteran MCU superhero has already proven his salt.

Sam Wilson Already Recruited A New Avenger In Phase 3

After fighting alongside Steve Rogers’ Captain America and Natasha Romanoff’s Black Widow to bring down HYDRA in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson officially joined the Avengers at the end of 2015’s Age of Ultron. Unfortunately, Wilson was only a member of the Avengers team for a short time before being branded a fugitive in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. Even so, during this brief period as one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Sam Wilson proved why he’d be the best leader of the new Avengers in the MCU’s Phase 6, and it’s all thanks to Ant-Man.

During his brief time as an Avenger, Sam Wilson had an altercation with Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang, who infiltrated the Avengers’ new HQ in 2015’s Ant-Man. Although Lang left very few clues for Wilson to follow, the latter was still able to track the former down and recruit him for Team Cap in Civil War, showing his ingenuity, instincts and tactical mind. These qualities are essential in any leader of the Avengers, proven time and again by Steve Rogers, who led the team between The Avengers and Civil War, but Sam Wilson has a power that even Steve Rogers didn’t.

Captain America Doesn’t Need To Be A Super Soldier To Lead The Avengers

Sam Wilson has been a popular candidate to lead the new Avengers team in the MCU’s Phase 6, but some have stressed that he simply isn’t physically strong enough to lead the team. Steve Rogers was enhanced with super-soldier serum, giving him peak human attributes, but Sam Wilson doesn’t have any superhuman powers, making him nothing more than a regular human with a technologically-advanced wing-suit. However, the leader of the Avengers doesn’t need to have physical strength to succeed, and Wilson’s other qualities mean that he’d be the perfect leader of the team.

During Ant-Man and Civil War, Sam Wilson was able to track down Scott Lang using a variety of resources and connections, and recruit him for Team Cap after only a short experience with him at Avengers HQ. This process was remarkably easy for Wilson, suggesting he could repeat this to bring together the MCU’s newly-introduced heroes to form the new Avengers. Sam Wilson’s tactical skill, strategic prowess and instinctual recruitment of Ant-Man for the Avengers in Civil War have proven he’d be the perfect leader of the team in Phase 6, despite not having any superhuman abilities to speak of.