by Alex Goode
The currently untitled fourth Avengers movie is less than a year away, and there are countless fan theories surrounding it all over the internet. It is time for me to throw my hat into the mix with my own Avengers 4 theories, plus a few other things that I would personally like to see in the movie that might not actually happen because I am in no way affiliated with Marvel. Yeah, this blog will just be a longtime MCU fanboy theorizing about it's future. If you haven't seen Infinity War yet, proceed with caution, as there are major spoilers for that movie ahead. With that out of the way, let's get into it.
Firstly, the title. Currently, the fans are calling it Avengers 4, but it's obviously not gonna be that. Kevin Feige has stated that the title won't be revealed any time soon because it is, quote, "an Infinity War spoiler". That opens up a lot of idea as to what it could be. The most popular fan guesses are Avenge Us, Avengers: Endgame, Avengers: The Infinity Gauntlet, Avengers: Disassembled, among other really good ones. Personally, while those are really good titles, I'm holding out for Avengers Assemble. It's the most commonly associated phrase with the team, it is a spoiler for Infinity War, and it'll give someone (probably Cap) a good chance to finally say it in one of the movies.
Now, who will defeat Thanos? Well, if we're speaking logically, it'll most likely be Captain Marvel that gets the finishing attack. Her symbol was the last shot of Infinity War and her solo movie is the next chapter of the MCU, followed immediately by Avengers 4. They aren't gonna hype her up this much and not do anything with her. However, on the off-chance that it isn't Captain Marvel that does the Mad Titan in, I'm rooting for it to be Tony Stark. Tony has been taking the brunt of Thanos' shenanigans for the better portion of ten years. The attack on New York left him with severe PTSD, he lost Peter, the closest thing he had to a son, after Thanos ultimately completed his goal in Infinity War, and Pepper is probably dead as well from the same thing for all we know. From the dialogue between then before their battle on Titan, Stark absolutely detests Thanos. I think he should be the one to finish him off.
And now, the big one: The resurrections. Obviously, not all of the Infinity War deaths are gonna stick. The question, however, is which of the characters that bit the dust are going to be brought back? Well, for starters, it's a given that Black Panther, Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man are gonna be brought back, since they all have been confirmed to have more movies being bade about them. Also, some (if not all) of the Guardians of the Galaxy are bound to come back cause of that third movie that may or may not actually happen due to James Gunn being fired but that's another discussion for another day. Personally, I'm rooting for Loki to come back. He's been known to cheat death (having done it two times before), and he's my favorite MCU character. I'm also hoping that Star-Lord comes back, because Chris Pratt is a gift from God and we need more of him, so that him and Ant-Man can become best friends. Janet Van Dyne is probably coming back, too, given how she got less than thirty minutes of screentime in a movie focused on her before being axed by Thanny Boy. Other characters that I'm hoping will return are Groot, Drax, Nick Fury, and the Galaga guy so he can finally beat that high score. I didn't forget about that, Kevin Feige. None of us did.
But what about the characters that won't be coming back? Yeah, not everyone can come back. That would really cheapen the ending of Infinity War. If we're talking logically, then everyone that died pre-snap is probably gonna stay dead (i.e. Gamora, Vision, Heimdall, the children of Thanos, and, as much as I hate to say it, Loki as well). But, speaking as a wannabe theorist, I'm thinking that Maria Hill is gone for good, along with Mantis, Falcon, and Bucky. Pretty sure all of those people are staying dead. They served their purposes well in the MCU, and this seems like a good, proper send off for them. Scarlet Witch might return, but, her entire life has been ruined so, should she? I'm also unsure of the fate of Hank Pym. It'd be a lot more emotional for Scott if he didn't return, but he might. Him and The Wasp staying dead would be a really good way of pushing Scott into the conflict once he escapes he Quantum Realm, though.
And, on the topic of death, which of the characters are gonna kick the bucket in Avengers 4 that didn't in Infinity War? Well, at this point, anyone could die. If I had to guess, though, I would say that Captain America is gonna die, and his death will give Tony an extra strength/courage boost that he needs to take Thanos down. I also don't think Black Widow is gonna make it out alive. Yes, I realize she's been confirmed to have her own standalone movie in the works, but it's also said to be a prequel to the entire MCU (similar to the upcoming Captain Marvel movie), so her demise is still probable. Maybe her death would anger Banner to the point of becoming Hulk again, that'd be fun to see. I don't think Tony Stark will die. If he does, it'll probably be via a self-sacrifice to either take Thanos down or to perform the resurrections. Obviously, the Mad Titan has to die. He didn't in the comic version of this story, but there's no way the remaining heroes are gonna let him live in the movie. Old purple Ron Swanson is outta here. Please don't let Captain Marvel to be the one to kill him, we don't need another Justice League ending.
Personally, I'm hoping that Stan Lee's cameo sees him putting on the Infinity Gauntlet, yelling "Excelsior!" and then resetting the entire universe. I know that's not gonna happen, but I can dream. But, let's be real. We all know who's gonna be the one to end Thanos: John Wick! If the snap at the end of Infinity War wiped out half of the population of the universe, then surely it got Wick's dog, too. You know what that means. That means that John Wick: Infinity War is coming to theaters on May 3rd, 2019.
