Although many of us are eagerly anticipating Avengers: Infinity War, that doesn’t mean Avengers 4 – or whatever it ultimately ends up being called – isn’t in the back of our minds. After all, these flicks were originally labeled as being “Infinity War Part I and II,” but that’s no longer the case.
Still, we expect for there to be some kind of connection, perhaps in the form of a cliffhanger that sees Thanos radically altering the status quo of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Naturally, fan theories are running rampant, but it’s important we not get too ahead of ourselves.
When speaking with Cinema Blend, co-director Joe Russo offered some insight into what’s going on:
“Our approach has always been … we look at the process, as with [co-writers Christopher] Markus and [Stephen] McFeely, it’s simply the same thing in the way that the Winter Soldier relates to Civil War, and the way that Civil War relates to Infinity War. These two [Avengers] movies will also relate. There’s a narrative thread that is connecting these films, but at the same time, there’s an independence in terms of what the experience is, or where the story goes.”
But, as Russo continued, the situation becomes ever clearer:
“It isn’t a true two-parter. And I think the two-parter concept came back when Marvel decided they were going to culminate the MCU. It was going to be a two-movie deal. But as we developed the movie, in execution, it ended up being more of two singular expressions. And I think that’s just what happened.”
There you have it: This mega epic won’t be a two-parter in the purest sense. To be honest, it’s a smart decision on the studio’s part because while we do expect both films to rake in a ton of cash, labeling the second as “Avengers: Infinity War Part II” may seem intimidating to any moviegoers who may not have seen the first part, thus potentially affecting its box office take. Plus, two other Marvel Studios offerings will arrive in between, those being Ant-Man and the Wasp and Captain Marvel, so it’s best that Infinity War somewhat have an ending to call its own.
That aside, the next trailer for Infinity War itself has been reported to drop tomorrow, so that gives us something to look forward to in the immediate future. Granted, it won’t lend us all the answers, but we may be able to extrapolate some significant details depending on the bone the studio is willing to throw.
Avengers: Infinity War arrives in theaters on April 27, with Avengers 4 being slated for a May 3, 2019 release.
