Though a fair amount of you will likely disagree with me, I’ll be truthful in saying that I didn’t care for Avengers: Infinity War‘s ending. While it may have established Thanos as a credible threat by actually allowing the villain to win, let’s be honest, there’s zero chance that the deaths we witnessed will stick. And with Avengers 4 expected to feature the element of time travel, one would think an appropriate title for the sequel would be “Deus ex Machina.”
Personally, I believe that if Joe and Anthony Russo wanted moviegoers to be able to swallow the great purging of life, they wouldn’t have killed characters like Spider-Man, Black Panther and most of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Think about it: The very first film to follow Avengers 4 will be that of Spider-Man: Homecoming 2, not to mention the fact that T’Challa just earned more than a billion dollars for the studio. And as for the Guardians, though their next adventure has yet to be dated, it’s pretty much a lock.
That said, it’s my firm belief that the conclusion to Avengers 4 – or whatever it ultimately ends up being called – will turn the Marvel Cinematic Universe on its head with consequence that’ll prove permanent. After all, Phase Four is expected to begin a bold new direction for the franchise. Heroes will probably die, others will rise; it’ll be a different landscape, for sure.
Backing me up on this notion are the Russo Brothers themselves, the men tasked with overseeing this massive two-part epic. When recently appearing on Sirius XM’s Sway’s Universe, Anthony played it coy by saying “It’s hard to talk about because it’s so specific to the ending,” when asked about the lasting effects of Thanos’ finger snap.
But what Joe had to say offered a little more insight, even if he’s holding his cards close to the vest:
“We will say this. Obviously, Thanos is a very formidable villain and to beat Thanos will come at a very high cost. We’re committed to stakes, we believe in stakes, and we like to shake up the Marvel Universe. We had a big game-changer at the end of Winter Soldier, had a big game-changer at the end of Civil War, a big game-changer at the end of Infinity War. Obviously, there will be a big game-changer at the end of Avengers 4.”
Naturally, anyone who’s kept up with the MCU knows how those other films mentioned served as dramatic turning points. Given that, it’s easy to believe Avengers 4 will follow suit when it opens in theaters on May 3, 2019.
