The Avengers has changed, that much is kind of obvious since Captain America and Iron Man are now gone, Thor appears to be on his way out, and while War Machine is still around, and Captain Marvel might be the choice of many people when it comes to a new leader, there’s a reason why this shouldn’t happen. In fact, there are a lot of reasons that it shouldn’t happen, but thankfully none of them have anything to do with her being a woman. To be fair, Captain Carter might do a better job if she were around, but unless there’s another version of her kicking around the multiverse, and there probably is, then there’s a big question of who’s going to take over the team in the phase to come since Phase 5 is going to see a lot of new faces no doubt. Like it or not, a team often needs to be led by a seasoned individual that has been there and done that a few times and could lead based on their experience. Granted, Captain Marvel is experienced and has been through more than one battle, but when saying she’s a tempered character, that has yet to be determined. Here are five reasons why Captain Marvel shouldn’t be the next leader of the Avengers.
5. As a cosmic hero she’s not always around to take on a leadership role.
The downfall of considering Captain Marvel as an Avenger is that she’s not always around to help out when she’s needed, as her responsibilities take her to different points in the universe. A leader needs to be available as much as possible for their team, and she’s a bit too much of a maverick to be an effective leader since she’s taking on the responsibility of settling disputes in far-flung worlds that have little to nothing to do with earth. That’s her chosen responsibility and it’s all well and good, but it doesn’t make her a great leader since she can’t be around nearly enough to check on a team.
4. She doesn’t come off as being a natural leader.
Carol Danvers is a little too coarse around the edges considering that she was brought in to be the ‘strongest Avenger’, and apparently has something to prove at any given time. The fact that she’s been ramped up to such a degree leaves a lot of people feeling that she has a gigantic chip on her shoulder, and it’s tough to think of someone that enjoys being on their own as a great leader. On top of that, it feels as though her rapport with the other Avengers might not be quite as strong as it needs to be when it comes to their overall relationship. In other words, Carol’s overall on-screen attitude doesn’t help anyone to see her as a leader.
3. Would she even listen to her team?
More than once in the movies, she sounds a little too condescending to think that she might be a good candidate as a leader. This might not be a deal-breaker, but the fact that this attitude tends to come out when she’s being challenged in any way makes her less of a leader and more of a loner. There’s also the idea that for as much as she’s done, Captain Marvel’s screen-time still isn’t enough to say that she’s earned the accolades that have been heaped upon her. She’s getting there without any doubt, but at the moment it feels as though she still needs a bit of seasoning to become someone other than the character that’s more attitude and less team player.
2. Despite her experience she’s not a team player.
The fact is that she provided a big assist in Endgame and made it clear that she’s a force to be reckoned with, but this felt more like a necessary alliance than anything since she appeared ready to take on Thanos and his army all on her lonesome. Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but the fact is that it appears that Captain Marvel is ready to take on the universe on her own and take whatever comes as she punches her way through it. The undeniable fact is that there are those that could crush her, but if she were part of a team, she’d be even stronger.
1. There are better candidates.
Hawkeye comes to mind since he’s far more tactical even if he doesn’t have her level of power. He’s also been around since the first movie and has the kind of experience that Carol doesn’t since she’s a great pilot and a determined fighter, but she’s essentially a cosmic battering ram that relies too heavily on her powers. The Marvel Universe is filled with too many enemies that could find a way past her powerful front, and it might even be that such a thing will be needed to make her a more effective hero, since if she can’t be made to show weakness then she becomes a rather boring hero. She’s a powerful ally to have, but not really much of a leader.
