I'm excited for Avengers: Infinity War, you're excited for it, everyone is excited for it. It's the culmination of almost 10 years worth of of movie making from Marvel Studios, that started way back in 2008. Since then, they've somehow pulled off an almost effortlessly great track record, with genuine gems of cinema like The Avengers, Guardians of The Galaxy, The Winter Solider and Civil War. However, the impending threat of Thanos and the Black Order will only be an impending one for the next 9 months or so. Unlike the arrival of a newborn, this is a 9 month wait that probably won't end in disappointment. But, the question is, can we correctly predict the events of Infinity War and ruin it for ourselves and everyone else? We can damn well try!
Captain America Dies, Bucky Takes The Mantle
Image Credit: screengeek.net
This one is as forgone as conclusion come. Whether or not Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) will kick it in this movie or it's direct sequel is unknown, as the actor has these final two movies left on his contract. One of three things could happen here:
One, Steves's death is used as the emotional cliffhanger for Infinity War, with Bucky (Sebastion Stan) and his assumption of the Cap mantle being the hook for it's sequel and Evans' final appearance being a flashback or apparition.
Two, Steve goes all out in the sequel resulting in his death and the Bucky transition is the crux of the next standalone Captain America movie.
Or Three, Neither of these things happen and Evans renegotiates his contract to appear as 'Steve Rogers; Super Soldier' in an advisory role because nobody ever stays dead in comics, everything is a lie, don't believe his lies
Either way, Evens' tenure as the all-American hero is almost certainly in it's 11th hour and given that there hasn't been much consequential death of late in the MCU, Cap going out like a true hero is the emotional gut-punch the franchise needs.
One, Steves's death is used as the emotional cliffhanger for Infinity War, with Bucky (Sebastion Stan) and his assumption of the Cap mantle being the hook for it's sequel and Evans' final appearance being a flashback or apparition.
Two, Steve goes all out in the sequel resulting in his death and the Bucky transition is the crux of the next standalone Captain America movie.
Or Three, Neither of these things happen and Evans renegotiates his contract to appear as 'Steve Rogers; Super Soldier' in an advisory role because nobody ever stays dead in comics, everything is a lie, don't believe his lies
Either way, Evens' tenure as the all-American hero is almost certainly in it's 11th hour and given that there hasn't been much consequential death of late in the MCU, Cap going out like a true hero is the emotional gut-punch the franchise needs.
Vision Will Spend MOST of the Movies Dead
Image Credit: comingsoon.net
Here's the thing, right; Everyone is saying this will be Vision's last movie, but I just don't subscribe to that theory. True, it's going to be very difficult for Vision (Paul Bettany) to be alive during the parts where Thanos (Josh Brolin) has his finished Gauntlet, due to the very obvious and gleaming fact that Vision was bought to life by the Mind Gem. In fact, it could be a case of Vision being dead until the Infinity War sequel. HOWEVER, Vision as a character has not gone through all of his possible arcs yet. The budding romance between him and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) hasn't yet been fully realised, and presently he is the only other active member of Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr) Avengers team due to War Machine (Don Cheadle) being somewhat paralysed and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) refusing the offer to join full time.
So there's far more room for Vision to temporarily die only to be returned to life either via the Gauntlet itself, alien tech, a new version of the arc reactor or by everyone's favourite movie bullshit: the power of friendship/love, delete as appropriate. I understand the argument that he won't have too much to do plot-wise past Infinity War, but his narrative potential isn't over yet. Even if we have him around just as an emotional crutch for a powerful Scarlet Witch breakdown scene, I would say that would be enough to keep him alive for. Or, y'know, Bettany could actually want to go back to being a voice-over which is fine too, I guess.
So there's far more room for Vision to temporarily die only to be returned to life either via the Gauntlet itself, alien tech, a new version of the arc reactor or by everyone's favourite movie bullshit: the power of friendship/love, delete as appropriate. I understand the argument that he won't have too much to do plot-wise past Infinity War, but his narrative potential isn't over yet. Even if we have him around just as an emotional crutch for a powerful Scarlet Witch breakdown scene, I would say that would be enough to keep him alive for. Or, y'know, Bettany could actually want to go back to being a voice-over which is fine too, I guess.
The Avengers Roster Will Be Very Different
Image Credit: geekexchange.com
The nature of the Avengers in the comics is that it's an ever rotating cast of heroes. Tent-pole names like Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and Hulk are more often part of the teams than not, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe sadly doesn't take place in an timeless void committed to page. Actors age, get disinterested, terminate contracts or move on to other projects. Chris Evans has been candid about leaving the MCU on multiple occasions, RDJ is well into his 50's and numerous other names are reaching the end of their deals with no announcement of renegotiation.
The classic roster of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow are likely to be replaced or retired following the events of Infinity War. My prediction for a 'New Avengers' style team would have Hulk, Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Ant-Man/Giant-Man and Wasp, with the possibility of Hawkeye becoming Ronin and Bucky immediately becoming Captain America. That does leave War Machine, Scarlet Witch and Vision on the sidelines, but they can still be affiliated with the main team without necessarily being on the roster.
The classic roster of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow are likely to be replaced or retired following the events of Infinity War. My prediction for a 'New Avengers' style team would have Hulk, Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Ant-Man/Giant-Man and Wasp, with the possibility of Hawkeye becoming Ronin and Bucky immediately becoming Captain America. That does leave War Machine, Scarlet Witch and Vision on the sidelines, but they can still be affiliated with the main team without necessarily being on the roster.
Thanos WON'T Die
Image Credit: technobuffalo.com
I'm calling it now; Thanos is 100% too big a villain to kill off... HOWEVER, I don't think they'll keep him alive either. Let me explain:
Thanos is the culmination of almost 10 years of storytelling, so obviously he won't die in Infinity War. I'd put solid money on him being the villain for Avengers 4 as well, but where do you go from there? Well, I think there's a perfect way out of this situation. There is a way to essentially 'kill' Thanos without ever ruling him out from returning: Lock him in an alternate dimension. Whether that's the Cancerverse from the Annihilation story-line or the Negative Zone (Maybe Prison 42?), the Marvel canon has plenty of alternate realities that Thanos can be banished to in order to keep him on ice in the event that Marvel can't escalate the cosmic threat (Read as: In the event that Fox don't do the logical thing and allow Marvel to play with the Fantastic Four property again).
Besides, Josh Brolin probably has more than just 3 movies on his slate. Even if he is Cable as well.
Thanos is the culmination of almost 10 years of storytelling, so obviously he won't die in Infinity War. I'd put solid money on him being the villain for Avengers 4 as well, but where do you go from there? Well, I think there's a perfect way out of this situation. There is a way to essentially 'kill' Thanos without ever ruling him out from returning: Lock him in an alternate dimension. Whether that's the Cancerverse from the Annihilation story-line or the Negative Zone (Maybe Prison 42?), the Marvel canon has plenty of alternate realities that Thanos can be banished to in order to keep him on ice in the event that Marvel can't escalate the cosmic threat (Read as: In the event that Fox don't do the logical thing and allow Marvel to play with the Fantastic Four property again).
Besides, Josh Brolin probably has more than just 3 movies on his slate. Even if he is Cable as well.
There WILL Be A Future VIllain Set-Up
Image Credit: 1.bp.blogspot.com
Infinity War is a conclusion of sorts, but the comic book move real estate is still a fertile ground for making serious bank. There is absolutely no way Marvel would draw a line under the events of Infinity War and go "Well, that was fun. Lets keep all that shit relegated to its own story and start again". Infinity War will have consequences and probably result in the next villain preparing to step up to the plate.
Question is, who is big enough to step into the big, empty Thanos boots? Well, you could have:
Or my personal pick: Thane, the son of Thanos.
It's the perfect concept! Introduce Thane as a tween kid at the end of Avengers 4, who just watched his father and all his friends get punched into a dying dimension by an army of colourful characters from some backwater planet called Earth. With these new faces making up the next roster of Avengers, Than knows EXACTLY who he's dealing with and who he's out to kill, have him recruit or join forces with anyone from the list above (My personal pick would be him striking a deal with Annihilus to give him control of the universe in exchange for returning his father from the Cancerverse. Marvel, hit me up yeah?) and you have the perfect blood-soaked revenge fantasy story that could lead to hard-hitting emotional moments that can put the entire multiverse into jeopardy.
We just need Marvel to read and use ideas from fan fiction now and I should be 100% on the money.
Question is, who is big enough to step into the big, empty Thanos boots? Well, you could have:
- Korvac
- Annihilus
- Terrax
- The Beyonder
- Mikaboshi
- Abraxas
- Eternity
- The High Evolutionary
- Mephisto
Or my personal pick: Thane, the son of Thanos.
It's the perfect concept! Introduce Thane as a tween kid at the end of Avengers 4, who just watched his father and all his friends get punched into a dying dimension by an army of colourful characters from some backwater planet called Earth. With these new faces making up the next roster of Avengers, Than knows EXACTLY who he's dealing with and who he's out to kill, have him recruit or join forces with anyone from the list above (My personal pick would be him striking a deal with Annihilus to give him control of the universe in exchange for returning his father from the Cancerverse. Marvel, hit me up yeah?) and you have the perfect blood-soaked revenge fantasy story that could lead to hard-hitting emotional moments that can put the entire multiverse into jeopardy.
We just need Marvel to read and use ideas from fan fiction now and I should be 100% on the money.
By Mike Owen
@ThatMikeOwen
The Editor in Chief of Foul Entertainment, Mike edits most of what you see on the site. He runs the production of our podcasts, and currently pens Pop Culture Club and The Death of Video Games
@ThatMikeOwen
The Editor in Chief of Foul Entertainment, Mike edits most of what you see on the site. He runs the production of our podcasts, and currently pens Pop Culture Club and The Death of Video Games