There is a dilemma in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Avengers, as they are today, won’t be around forever. Things change, writing happens, and people have to move on. And with long-term contracts almost up, fans are speculating on what changes are ahead for their most beloved characters.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige recently spoke to Collider about the future of the Marvel movies with the current cast:
“Certainly as we get to Infinity War there is a sense of a climax if not a conclusion to – by the time we’re at untitled Avengers 4 – the 22 movies that will have encompassed the first three phases of the MCU. And what happens after that will be very different. I don’t know if it’s phase four, it might be a new thing.”
Speculation online has been rampant with what will happen in the Avengers: Infinity War movie. After Mark Ruffalo blurted out in an interview that “everyone will die” in the film, many who are not familiar with the comic book story of Infinity Gauntlet assumed that an event happens that will make it look like a Tarantino flick. Those who read the comics knew that Ruffalo was just doing a tongue-in-cheek acknowledging to the fans that they would be staying true to the comics.
In the original comics, Thanos gathers the infinity gems and places them in a gauntlet in an attempt to woo the embodiment of Death. He ends up wiping out half of all life in the universe, and easily dispatches any hero who dares to defy him. To people who are primarily just into the movies, it sounds like Avengers: Infinity War will be the big MCU “reset” button Feige was talking about. To the rest of us, it just sounds like comic book canon. However, the comic book fans know the MCU reset button is coming, and we have our theories about how it will come about as well.
Spiderman as the New Iron Man
Well, not really. We’re talking about Tom Holland’s Spider-Man being the tech leader who carries the other members financially. He has the intelligence, and we think that Stark will pass the tech on to him. He already has a suit that talks to him like Stark. We suspect he’ll be the new breadwinner of the MCU, like Robert Downey Jr. (RDJ) was in the early 2000’s. And seeing how young Holland is, he will have a longer run than RDJ.
Add to that, Peter now mentoring a new Spider-Man to watch over Queens- Miles Morales.
I’m not the only one who has thought of this.
Captain America- the Nomad
Chris Evans is sporting a beard in the Infinity War trailer, in what many are calling a nod to Captain America’s run as Nomad. But in the long run, his contract is almost up, like most of the characters in the Avengers. So what’s his next move?
In the comics, Captain America gets shot by Sharon Carter and dies. The shield and colors of Captain America are then passed on to Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier.
Some have posited that either Bucky or Sam Wilson (Falcon) will inherit the shield and colors of Cap (Wilson received them in another storyline sometime after the death of Steve Rogers). People note the car scene between the two characters in Civil War as a nod to that theory. They also speculate Evans to no longer want to have any solo films, instead just appearing as a support in the films of other heroes like RDJ does now.
The list can go on and on about what might happen with all of these MCU characters. But ultimately we’ll all be looking forward to May of 2018 when Avengers: Infinity War comes out in theaters.
What do you think will happen to the MCU after Avengers: Infinity War?