In Avengers: Infinity War, the heroes actually lose. The Avengers fail to stop Thanos from obtaining all six infinity stones, and with the snap of his finger Thanos instantly turns half of the universe’s population to dust. Shockingly, it’s the more recently introduced Avengers who are among his many casualties: Spider-Man, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Winter Soldier, Falcon, Scarlet Witch, and most of the Guardians of the Galaxy fade into the wind. The original five, meanwhile –Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and Black Widow – are left in stunned silence, gaping in loss and disbelief. And then the credits roll.
As the culmination of a decade of superhero movie-making – 17 films grossing more than $13bn globally – Infinity War was always expected to be grand. The massive success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has not only changed the way Hollywood approaches franchises; it has cemented superhero films as an indelible part of mainstream culture. While fans can rejoice that there are at least 20 more films planned, the MCU’s sprawling success is also why we know, as shocking as Infinity War’s end is, that the deaths are just not going to stick. Both Spider-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy have confirmed films after Avengers 4, and undoubtedly Marvel is planning a sequel to Black Panther, its highest-grossing solo film to date.
So what does that mean for Avengers 4? Marvel Studios is notorious for keeping all aspects of production under wraps, with actors being given fake scripts and trailers cut to be misleading. We can glean some hints from the comics, though, as well as in-film references and interviews.
Infinity War is a mixture of two comic book storylines: Jim Starlin’s 1991 Infinity Gauntlet and Jonathan Hickman’s 2013 Infinity. Both can provide hints for Avengers 4. In Infinity Gauntlet, the souls destroyed by the soul stone are not gone but transported to Soul World, a universe that exists inside the stone. A character named Adam Warlock is able to communicate with the stones from Soul World; that, combined with Thanos having a crisis of confidence, allows his daughter Nebula to defeat him. If Avengers 4 pays homage to this, it may mean that Gamora, who Thanos sacrificed in Infinity War to summon the Soul Stone, is not dead after all. We know Thanos is already mourning her death, and that wavering may give Gamora and Nebula the opportunity to finally conquer their father. Even Zoe Saldana herself hinted as much, having let slip in an E! Live interview that she’s been on set for Avengers 4.
Similarly, in Infinity we see an epic team-up battle against Thanos that features Thor, Captain America and Captain Marvel, whom Nick Fury pages in the post-credits of Infinity War. The Marvel Studios head, Kevin Feige, says that Captain Marvel is “by far the strongest character we’ve ever had”, so we’ll probably see that epic fight on screen. We can also expect the fallout from that battle: after defeating Thanos, the Avengers are cemented not only as Earth’s mightiest heroes, but as the universe’s protectors – an act that could easily spin out another decade of films.
But how will Avengers 4 actually reverse the deaths? In an interview with Buzzfeed, the Infinity War screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely are adamant that the characters genuinely did die: “[Avengers 4] doesn’t do what you think it does … [the deaths are] real. I just want to tell you it’s real.” Assuming this is not a misdirect, this puts to rest theories that Thanos didn’t just send everyone to a parallel dimension or trap them in Soul World. The answer to fixing this, then, has to be time travel.
Doctor Strange alludes repeatedly to this. In one scene, Iron Man is reprimanded for leaning on the Cauldron of the Cosmos, an item in the comics used to peer back in time. Strange also emphasizes that keeping the time stone safe is his only priority; while he’s eventually forced to give it up, at one point he occupies Thanos with a decoy. Where was the real stone before it materialized in his hand? Was it sent back (or forward) in time? With Strange divining only one possible future, out of 14 million, in which the Avengers succeed, the answer is likely to be complicated.
Feeding into this are the two films debuting before Avengers 4, Ant-Man and the Wasp and Captain Marvel. In speaking with Inverse, the Marvel consultant and physicist Spiros Michalakis confirmed that both movies will feature the quantum realm, a pocket universe where linear time and space don’t exist – a key detail if we’re talking time travel. Leaked Avengers 4 set photos seem to confirm the quantum realm will enable time hops, as we can see Ant-Man talking to Captain America in his original star-spangled outfit, and Tony wearing an old S.H.I.E.L.D. patch.
As for how the Avengers will know when to travel to, the Russos have hinted that Stark’s BARF technology from Civil War will play a role. The technology projects memories, which means the Avengers could comb through key events – their battle of New York, for example – to figure out their destination.
And then what of the original Avengers, the ones left standing? We can expect to see a closing out of several arcs as the actors’ contracts end. In a Vanity Fair cover story, Feige says that Avengers 4 will “bring things you’ve never seen in superhero films: a finale”. That means saying goodbye to characters like Captain America and Iron Man, while setting up the future of the MCU. Sebastian Stan has claimed he’s signed on for nine films, for example, meaning he may take up the Captain America mantle as in the comics. Chris Hemsworth’s contract is also ending, but he has said he’s open to a fourth Thor standalone; we also know a Black Widow film is in the works, and Mark Ruffalo has one more film left.
With hope, we’ll see hints at what phase four could be: perhaps Carol Danvers greets a young girl named Kamala Khan, or Tony Stark mentions a Riri Williams. Feige himself has said these characters are like James Bond; they won’t be recast but rather passed down. So while it will be painful to say goodbye to characters we’ve sat with for a decade now, their characters will never really be gone. Their ideas remain.
