In Captain America: Civil War, the Sokovia Accords fractured the Avengers team, and though the international agreement was later repealed, upcoming series Wonder Man has introduced a new policy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that attempts to manage super-powered individuals. It's essentially an evolution of the Sokovia Accords, and other anti-superhero movements.
The Sokovia Accords were introduced in the MCU after the events of Avengers: Age Of Ultron, when Iron Man created Ultron, who then destroyed Sokovia. Once the Accords were ratified, they gave the United Nations the ability to regulate and control enhanced beings — anyone with superpowers. They necessitated that folks with superpowers register with their government so they could be monitored.
Iron Man and Captain America disagreed about the Sokovia Accords, which led to the Avengers parting ways and, ultimately, the heroes' defeat in Avengers: Infinity War. Once Avengers: Endgame saw Earth's Mightiest Heroes reunited, the Sokovia Accords fell by the wayside and were revealed to have been repealed in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law.
Now, the MCU is introducing a new means of regulating super-powered individuals in their next upcoming release, and it has serious implications for the future of the franchise.
The Doorman Clause Bans Super Powers In In The MCU's Hollywood
New posts promoting the upcoming MCU series Wonder Man introduced something called the Doorman Clause. According to the meta promotion, "Actors must certify they have no super powers under Hollywood’s new ‘Doorman’ policy." This 'news' is accompanied by a magazine cover stating, "Hollywood bans all super powers – The Doorman Clause: super-powered performers are now BANNED from set."
Unlike the Sokovia Accords, which registered enhanced individuals and controlled where vigilantes like the Avengers operated, the Doorman Clause is a wholesale ban of super-powered people from in-universe Hollywood productions. Undoubtedly, this will be a key plot point in the new series, as revealed in the latest Wonder Man trailer, but it also has larger implications for the franchise.
How The Sokovia Accords Replacement Sets Up The MCU's Future
Although the Doorman Clause is specific to Hollywood, it's part of a larger movement against people with powers in the MCU. Across the country in New York City, Mayor Wilson Fisk established his Anti-Vigilante Taskforce and declared all vigilante activity illegal in the Daredevil: Born Again season 1 finale. This sets up a war between Daredevil and Fisk, but also fosters anti-vigilante/anti-super-power sentiment.
With the AVTF in New York City and the Doorman Clause in Hollywood, it's clear that discrimination against people with super powers is becoming normalized in the world of the MCU, which sets the stage perfectly for Marvel's X-Men. A fundamental theme of X-Men stories is mutants facing prejudice for their differences. Now, Marvel is already laying the groundwork for that prejudice in the MCU with Wonder Man and Daredevil: Born Again.
Although Marvel Studios doesn't have any X-Men projects on their release slate, Kevin Feige confirmed Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier will be tackling an X-Men movie, which is expected to release after Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027. In fact, it's largely believed that the next saga of the MCU, which would kick off after Secret Wars, will focus on mutants and the X-Men.
Since Marvel and the MCU are known for planting seeds long before they bloom, it makes sense that we're already seeing the in-universe world shifting toward something that would make the persecution of mutants believable. The Doorman Clause in Wonder Man is the latest X-Men seed, but it certainly won't be the last.
