If one were to imagine the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a book – a sprawling, intricate book at that – both Infinity War and Avengers 4 are very much the final chapters in that they’ll bring about a sense of closure to the past 10 years of Marvel movies. But there is still life beyond 2019.
Not only has Marvel Studios nailed down plans for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and a sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming, but Disney CEO Bob Iger recently told investors that he fully intends to launch a new Marvel franchise in the years to come, all the while maintaining that new Avengers movies are still very much on the table.
So make no mistake, the future is very, very bright for the MCU, even if Infinity War left fans on tenterhooks with one of the darkest third acts we’ve ever seen in the comic book movie genre.
And when it comes to Avengers 4, in particular, Joe Russo recently told ComicBook.com that the 2019 sequel will serve as both a finale and a new beginning for the entire franchise – just like the final chapter in a book series that will likely outlive us all.
I think that this is a hand-off from the last book. From the first to the next book that will be written.
And sure enough, here’s a previous comment from Joe (h/t CB) about the ways in which Avengers 4 tees up the next era of Marvel’s superhero franchise.
If this is the final chapter of the book that’s been written for the last ten years, certainly it’s the final… there’s going to be some ending and some beginnings. To follow the last film in this first grand story that Marvel has told, to follow the O.G. Avengers into that story is certainly tantalizing for us as storytellers.
And it all begins on May 3rd, 2019. Now that we’re counting down the days or anything…
