Well, for starters, they’re not calling it Infinity War Part 2. Not anymore. Marvel have spoken several times now about how the follow up to Avengers: Infinity War has a secret title which will be revealed in the fullness of time, but for now all we know is one thing… the story very much isn’t over.
Here’s the point where we at Set The Tape, as we theorise a little on where the story may go, suggest strongly you stop reading unless you’ve seen Infinity War.
Seriously.
Okay, good. If you’ve watched the film, see what you think as we break down a few of the main characters likely to appear in Avengers 4 and figure out, based on nothing but speculation, what might happen next…
Iron Man aka Tony Stark
Things didn’t look good for our boy Tony at the end of Infinity War. Stabbed in the gut, stranded on the destroyed alien planet Titan, he was forced to watch as the squad he’d assembled to help him take out Thanos evaporated into dust (bar Nebula) as the Infinity Gauntlet used its mega-cosmic power to wipe out half of the universe. With Dr Strange in particular gone, how does Tony even get back to Earth, let alone hope to take down Thanos?
This is where we introduce the main theory that a major aspect of Avengers 4 will concern time-travel, and attempting to prevent Thanos doing this in the first place. It’s possible that the Tony stranded and wounded here, having lost, will disappear as time itself changes around him. The question is whether he will face a similar fate on Titan in an alternate future fighting Thanos – is it really always a one-way ticket for him?
Captain America aka Steve Rogers
If I were a betting man, I’d put money on Cap being crucial to Avengers 4. His role was really quite thin in Infinity War – he didn’t show up close to halfway through and had no real character arc beyond ‘protect and serve’, but given he is one of the few characters not eradicated thanks to Thanos’ universe balancing, the chances are he will be leading the charge to try and undo what Thanos has done to the MCU.
This could be it for Cap though now. Chris Evans has hinted he *might* be done after these two Avengers films and everything feels like it’s building to either a noble, universe-saving sacrifice by either Steve or Tony Stark. Those two also, surely, will share a fair bit of screen-time next time around too, as there remains a beat of friendship to resolve and play with those two. Tony looked like he was on the way out in Infinity War, so might this be Cap’s final battle, restoring the universe? Don’t bet against it.
Black Widow aka Natasha Romanoff
Another of the major legacy characters from the very beginning of the MCU, having appeared in Iron Man 2 onwards, Scarlett Johansson also didn’t have a great deal to do in Infinity War, bar having Cap’s back as ever. Rumours continue to swirl that she will be getting her own movie (at last) in Phase 4, to be announced after Avengers 4, and it still feels like Black Widow’s story hasn’t truly been told.
Natasha will likely support Cap and his team in whatever timey-wimey shenanigans unfurl to undo Thanos’ damage, and if there is a Black Widow film down the line, it wouldn’t surprise me if Bruce Banner/Hulk doesn’t come along for the ride. Might Avengers 4 explore their will they/won’t they love affair along the way? Infinity War nodded to it but it’s a strong possibility for the next one.
Thor aka… err Thor
They’re quite lucky that Thor wasn’t wiped away in the Gauntlet ‘balancing’ because once he rocked up with that magic axe, he was pretty handy in Wakanda and almost–almost–managed to take down Thanos before he could get the Mind Stone in. Thor is going to be pretty central to whatever plan Captain America will presumably spearhead in order to save the universe, and his cosmic power could well come in handy in that regard.
From a character perspective, Thor is now hell-bent on vengeance against Thanos, much like Drax, for killing his brother and best friend, and presumably once that’s taken care of, he may well retire to try and rebuild the Asgardian civilisation after the events of Ragnarok, maybe finally taking his place as King. Thor could, of course, suffer a heroes death, but that doesn’t feel right in comparison to Cap or Tony. Either way, he’ll be important to Avengers 4.
Dr. Stephen Strange aka the Sorcerer Supreme
Hear me out on this one, because I know Strange went the way of the dust at the end of Infinity War. After the lukewarm Doctor Strange, Stephen came into his own in Infinity War given the galactic stakes and all the cosmic powers flying around, and worked especially well opposite the louche arrogance of Tony Stark and earnest teenage vim of Peter Parker. He gave Thanos a run for his money at points, too, so if Cap and his crew do attempt time travel to undo what’s happened, wouldn’t a reconstituted Strange and his Time Stone be crucial to that.
If the Avengers left find a way to get back in time, maybe they’ll recruit Strange in a presumed mission to prevent Thanos getting the Infinity Stones in the first place. He may not be as central as he was in Infinity War, but it seems logical he’d play a part. Don’t bet against Strange getting a sequel too in Phase 4, but I’d throw a comic foil his way, like Thor benefited from Hulk. A post-Avengers 4 Doctor Strange 2 featuring Tony Stark? I’d be all over that.
Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel
Who? Ah, well, if you stayed until the post-credits scene of Infinity War (and it only has one, at the very very end, so be patient), you’re treated to a welcome reappearance of S.H.I.E.L.D’s own Nick Fury & Maria Hill who, as Earth goes apocalyptic and they disappear into dust, send out an SOS to who looks very much like Captain Marvel – a major Marvel heroine who will be getting her first movie, an origin story, just before Avengers 4 in early 2019.
To be played by Brie Larson, Captain Marvel aka Carol Danvers is, in the comics according to Wikipedia: “A U.S. Air Force pilot whose DNA is fused with that of an alien during an accident, which imbues her with the powers of superhuman strength, energy projection, and flight”. The movie, apparently set in the early 1990’s, sees Carol become Captain Marvel while embroiled in an intergalactic war between alien races the Kree and the Skrulls, with Fury & S.H.I.E.L.D playing a major role.
This means by 2018, when Infinity War presumably takes place, Captain Marvel is out there in the cosmos and thanks to Fury’s SOS, may well turn up to help Cap, Thor, Black Widow & co in whatever plan they have to take down Thanos. Indeed, you can almost bet on it. Her appearance is likely to be one of the most exciting aspects of Avengers 4, even with everything else going down.
Thanos aka The Mad Titan
Finally, the big guy. Thanos, the philosophical alien nut job who united the Infinity Stones, wiped out half the universe, and sat enjoying his sunset with a contented smile. For once, the bad guy won, but what does this mean? Will Thanos play as big a role in Avengers 4? Or will the majority of the film be about the team putting the band together to reverse what calamitous actions he’s undertaken?
There will likely be a reckoning for Thanos which involves his daughter Gamora, who some have theorised may well still be alive and trapped inside the Soul Stone. Thor and Drax are gunning for him, as indeed are Cap and his team given how he’s also killed Vision, not to mention wiping out most of the universe. Even if everyone combines forces, Thanos remains a powerful, almost unstoppable zealot of an opponent and hopefully he will be as gigantic a presence in Avengers 4 as he was in Infinity War.
Who of our heroes will be the one to take him out, however? My money is on Cap or Tony. Guess we’ll find out in a year…
What do you think will happen in Avengers 4? Let us know your theories!